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Britney Jean Spears (born December 2 , 1981 ), is a Grammy -winning American Pop Singer - Songwriter , Dancer , occasional Actress , Author and Executive Producer . Spears is best known for her highly-publicized personal life, studio albums, music videos and pop songs such as; " ...Baby One More Time " and " Toxic ". Spears first came to fame as a member of the '' New Mickey Mouse Club '' in the early 1990s, taking a five-year break from entertainment after the show wrapped. She subsequently emerged at the forefront of the pop music scene in late 1998, thanks to the crafting of her chart-topping debut album by producer-songwriter Max Martin . Her second album, released the following year, was a similarly huge hit. In the early 2000s, Spears' success as a singer led her way to high-profile Advertising deals (most notably for Pepsi ), as well as forays into other forms of media, including Film and Reality Television . Her third and fourth albums released during this era included more artistic input from Spears, but yielded lower sales. In 2004, she married Kevin Federline , and the following year gave birth to their son Sean Preston Federline. In 2006, she is set to resume her recording career. With worldwide record sales topping the 85 million mark (as of 2006)1, Britney Spears has become one of the most recognizable Celebrities and Sex Symbol s of her generation. BIOGRAPHY Childhood and discovery Spears was born in McComb , Mississippi , and raised a Southern Baptist in Kentwood , Louisiana . Her parents, who are now Divorce d, are James Parnell Spears (born 1952), a building Contractor , and Lynne Irene Bridges (born 1956), a former grade school Teacher . Her maternal grandmother, Lillian Woolmoore (1924–1993), was an English War Bride , who met Spears' maternal grandfather, Barnett O'Field Bridges (1919–1978), in England during WWII , and subsequently moved with him to the United States. Her paternal grandparents were June Austin Spears (born 1930) and Emma Jean Forbes (1934–1966); Spears claims to have some Native American heritage.2 Britney Spears has become one of the most recognizable Celebrities and Sex Symbol s of her generation. Spears has a brother, Bryan (born 1977) and a sister, Jamie Lynn (born 1991).
1998–2000: Early commercial success '' (1999) remains Spears' best-selling album worldwide.]] Spears' debut Single , " ...Baby One More Time ," started appearing on radio stations and MTV in 1998. Led by a Music Video that featured the 5'4" brown-eyed bottle blonde in a racy Schoolgirl outfit, the single became an international success, earning Platinum sales and going to number one in the U.S., as well as in countries such as Australia , Canada and the United Kingdom . Her Debut Album of the same name, '' ...Baby One More Time '', topped the LP charts in the U.S. and Canada for six non-consecutive weeks. Within a year of its release, it had become the best-selling LP by a teenager in history. This success spawned another U.S. top ten hit " (You Drive Me) Crazy ") which helped the album ship over ten million copies in the U.S. alone; it would go on to ship another four million copies internationally. Baby One More Time has sold an outstanding 25 million copies. Spears was featured on the cover of '' Rolling Stone '' magazine in April 1999. The sexually suggestive '' Lolita ''-themed photo shoot triggered widespread speculation (denied by her representatives) that the still-seventeen-year-old had gotten breast implants. That summer, she kicked off her first headlining tour, the '' ...Baby One More Time Tour ''. By late 1999, Spears had become one of the year's biggest stars, a claim backed-up by the amount of award nominations she received that season. In December, she took home four Billboard Music Awards including one for Female Artist of the Year, and the next month won for Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist at the American Music Awards . At the Grammy Award s, held in February 2000, Spears received two nominations, including one for Best New Artist . '' (2000) broke a record selling over 1.3 million units in its first week in the U.S.]] Following the short-lived ''" and " Stronger ." Oops! I did it Again sold has sold a whopping 20 million copies. Spears kicked off her first world tour (titled the ''Oops!... I Did It Again World Tour'') in the summer of 2000, and co-wrote the book '' Britney Spears' Heart-to-Heart '' with her mother, Lynne. During a performance at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards , she ripped off a black suit to reveal a provocative nude-colored and crystal-adorned outfit that generated controversy due to her young age. In late 2000, she won two Billboard Music Awards, and in early 2001, she was nominated for two American Music Awards . At the Grammys, one of her two nominations was for ''Oops!... I Did It Again'' in the category of Best Pop Vocal Album , but again she did not win. 2001–2003: Career development In early 2001, Spears struck a $7–8 million USD promotional deal with the soft drink giant Pepsi and released her second book, the novel, '' A Mother's Gift '', also co-written with her mother. She performed at the MTV Video Music Awards the following September, and in addition to criticism for being scantily clad, she angered animal rights organization PETA for the use of animals, including an albino Python , in her performance. " (2001)]] In November, she released her third album, '' Britney ''. It debuted at number one on both the U.S. and Canadian charts, selling over 740,000 units during its first week in the U.S. This made her the only female artist in SoundScan history to have her first three albums debut at number one. Although four million copies of the record have been sold in the U.S., and almost four and a half to-date, it was a decline from the sales of her first two albums, and " I'm A Slave 4 U " was the album's only hit single in the U.S. ''Britney'' was the first album on which Spears assumed some creative control; she co-wrote five of the album's tracks. Spears set off on her next world tour, the '' Dream Within A Dream Tour '', shortly after its release. The "Britney" album has sold a total of 13 million copies worldwide. In 2001, Fort Worth, Texas KEGL-FM DJs Kramer and Twitch on created a panic for her fans when they falsely reported that she and her then-boyfriend, 'NSYNC's Justin Timberlake, were in a car accident involving a pretzel truck and that she had died in the crash. In reality, they were both alive and well and had not been in any car wreck. 4] Later, In October 2001, a website spoofing CNN stated again that she had been killed yet again in a car crash. 5 In February 2002, Spears starred in a film, '' Crossroads '', which reached number two on the Box-office charts in its first weekend, but quickly dropped out of the top ten. Songs from the album ''Britney'' appeared in the film. The movie, along with Spears' performance in it, was poorly received by critics, and she netted herself a Razzie Award for Worst Actress, tied with Madonna . The film also won, among other nominations, the Worst Original Song Razzie for Spears' " I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman ." Spears' four-year relationship with Justin Timberlake ended in March 2002. The break-up was highly publicized, with rumors circulating that Spears had been unfaithful. Timberlake himself left the impression that she had cheated on him (fueled by his song '' Cry Me A River ''). In response to this, Spears later said, "I'm not technically saying he's wrong, but I'm not technically saying he's right, either." 6 Afterward, despite Spears' claims that she had remained a Virgin , Timberlake insisted they had Sex during their relationship. Spears later acknowledged this to be true. 7 In June 2002, Spears branched out as a restaurateur with the opening of a New York City eatery, NYLA, which was named for its mix of New York and Louisiana Cuisine . It was not a success and closed the following year. Soon after these failures, Spears took a break from the spotlight, and in 2003 many music industry critics speculated her career was in decline. That same year, '' Forbes '' named Spears the most powerful celebrity in the world. She was also nominated for two Grammys yet again, including Best Pop Vocal Album for ''Britney''. Spears returned to the forefront of the pop music scene in August 2003. That month, she appeared at the MTV Video Music Awards with her idol Madonna , pop singer Christina Aguilera and rapper Missy Elliott . Spears and Aguilera performed Madonna's song " Like A Virgin ," danced suggestively and each locked lips with Madonna (see Madonna At The 2003 MTV Video Music Awards ). Spears' kiss with Madonna attracted huge publicity that lasted several months. '' (2003) is generally considered Spears' most overtly sexual album to date.]] November 2003 saw the release of Spears' fourth album, '' In The Zone ''. Jettisoning the Max Martin -produced Synthpop of her earlier releases, the album took in lesser-known producers such as RedZone and big names including Moby and R. Kelly . Spears co-wrote nine of the album's thirteen songs and co-produced some of her material for the first time. ''In the Zone'' went to the top of the U.S. charts in its debut week, selling over 609,000 copies. This made Spears the only female in music history to have her first four albums debut at number one. The record has sold 3 million copies in the U.S. and was the 8th best selling album of 2004 world-wide. It also spawned the international number one and U.S. top ten hit, " Toxic ," which won Spears her first Grammy in the category of Best Dance Recording . "In the Zone" has sold 8 million copies worldwide. On January 3 , 2004 , Spears surprisingly Married her childhood friend Jason Allen Alexander at The Little White Wedding Chapel on the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada . An Annulment was promptly arranged (at the behest of manager Larry Rudolph and her family) and was granted on January 5 , ending their fifty-five hour marriage. Spears later said about the spur-of-the-moment marriage, "Honestly, I really wanted to see what it was like to be married." As the album's third single " Everytime " began to receive airplay, Spears embarked on her fourth world tour, '' The Onyx Hotel Tour ''. The tour grossed over $34 million USD and was seen by over 600,000 fans in North America and Europe , but the remaining dates were cancelled in June, after Spears reportedly injured her knee during the filming of the video for the single " Outrageous ." That same month, Spears announced her engagement to Dance r Kevin Federline . Their whirlwind romance sparked criticism due to the fact that Federline had very recently been in a relationship with Actress Shar Jackson , who was still pregnant with their second child. On the night of September 18 , 2004 , Spears married Federline before twenty-seven guests in a surprise, non-denominational ceremony at a residence in Studio City, California . The legitimacy of the marriage was initially questioned, but on November 18 , 2004 , a representative of the Los Angeles County registrar's office confirmed Spears and Federline had successfully filed their marriage license with the county within ten days of their ceremony, and were therefore legally married. 2004–2005: Career hiatus and family " perfume promotion, at the Toronto Eaton Centre (2004)]] During the latter half of 2004, Spears announced she would be taking another career break in order to start a family. Immediately after her marriage to Federline, she had told '' People '', "I want to be a young mom. Next year, at 23, I'm so there." Although she made few public appearances, the 'Britney Spears industry' continued to run itself. In September 2004, she released her first Fragrance , " Curious " (a floral scent featuring Louisiana magnolia and golden Anjou pear), for which she earned a reported $12 million USD. The fragrance had the biggest debut in sales in history from Elizabeth Arden , breaking the record for first-week gross for a perfume; after one year of sales, the product has netted more than $100 million USD. 8 It ended up as the number one fragrance of 2004 in department stores, and in 2005 it was honored by the Fragrance Foundation as Best Women's Fragrance. Following the success of "Curious," Spears released her next Elizabeth Arden fragrance, " Fantasy " (a fruity scent featuring red lychee, golden quince and cupcake accord), in September 2005. "Fantasy" became a top-selling perfume 9 ''The Advertiser'' article on "Fantasy." during the holiday season of 2005. Spears' first hits collection, '''', was released in late 2004. The album debuted at number four on the U.S. charts (due to minimum promotion), selling over 255,000 copies in its first week of release. In addition to her biggest hits, it featured three new songs, including " My Prerogative " and " Do Somethin' ." Since hitting shelves, the album has sold well over a million copies in the States. Greatest Hits: My Prerogative has sold 6.5 million copies in a little over a year. " (2005).]] During the spring of 2005, Spears' '', premiered on UPN in the U.S. The series included five episodes, and both Spears and Federline were credited as Executive Producer s. ''Chaotic'' was panned by most critics, and ratings were not as high as expected. Spears announced her Pregnancy via her official website in April 2005. Despite her eagerness to have a baby, she admitted to '' ELLE '' magazine that, "I have a feeling I'm going to have an operation. I don't know why. But I hope so. I don't want to go through the pain." On September 14 , 2005 , 6lb. 11oz. baby boy Sean Preston Federline was born in the Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica , California , by an elective Caesarean Section . '' in late 2005. It lacked promotion of any kind in the U.S. and debuted outside the top one hundred, with less than 15,000 copies sold in its first week of release. Up-to-date, it has sold one million copies world-wide. 2006: Comeback In early 2005 before the release of '' Someday (I Will Understand) '' Britney released a track called "Mona Lisa" to a variety of American Radio stations. However, as both were not featured on any records and had minimal promotion, they were virtually ignored and the former was later included on the Chaotic dvd's bonus cd. There were rumours at this time her new album would be called ''The Original Doll'' although these have since dissolved. However, September 2005, Britney had officially announced the embarkment of a 2006 new full-length release. Spears participated in the Mardi Gras festivities in New Orleans on February 28, where she corresponded with '' Good Morning America ''. She guest starred on an episode of '' Will & Grace '' on March 30 , 2006 , playing a Conservative Republican character, and she will release a limited edition Fragrance in April 2006 called "In Control," which is a spin-off of her first perfume, " Curious ," with "added touches of Crème Brûlée and midnight Orchid ." In interviews with '' People '' and with '' Entertainment Tonight '', Spears confirmed that she is currently recording her Fifth Studio Album , to be released sometime in 2006. People Magazine and other sources later confirmed an album was in the works to be released in November 2006. She commented that she couldn't wait to return because the current pop scene has been "a huge lull" and "boring." She also revealed that Jive, her 8 year record label, didn't let her "show off" her voice during her earlier years as a teen pop star and she is determined to come back proving she can sing, saying "I found out after the baby that I can sing!" On April 7 , 2006 , Spears released a clip of a new song supposedly for her upcoming album and wrote "For My Sister..." which some say is the title of the song, though another potential title for the song is "Just Yesterday." The clip can be found on her official website. According to Us Weekly and Access Hollywood ,Spears is pregnant again with her second child from the husband Kevin Federline .This is to be confirmed yet. CONTROVERSY Image Spears' personal life has attracted considerable media attention. Some people feel that she has courted it by cultivating, in her early years at least, a chaste, God-fearing and "wholesome" image. It was somewhat at odds, not only with the traditional pressures, temptations and opportunities of "pop 'n' roll," but with the increasingly sexualized content of her own image and songs. Spears' kiss with Madonna at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards received much media attention, as have her romantic relationships. Spears is frequently on magazine covers, discussing her marriage and motherhood. The sexualized public image of Spears once again became a topic of debate as a result of her 2003 semi- Nude photo spread for the men's magazine, '' Esquire ''. Prompted by this, '' Playboy '' reportedly offered the star over one million USD to pose nude for their magazine, but Spears publicly declined.10 In an interview with Diane Sawyer , she was asked if she had ever gone further than she wished she had with the sexualized photo shoots. Spears responded, "No, I don't think so, no." After the ''Esquire'' photos were held up in front of her, she said, "Okay. Now those are a little much. Yeah, those are a little much. That's one picture, I must say, that I felt kind of weird about, yeah." The 2004 ''Onyx Hotel Tour'' brought new criticism. While Spears and her on-stage dancers performed her songs "Touch of My Hand" and "Breathe on Me," they were seemingly nude and were performing routines simulating Gay Sex , Orgies and Masturbation . As there were underage fans in the audience, there was some outrage at the alleged lack of decency of the performances, as well as reports of adult chaperones angrily storming out with children they brought to the concert. Spears has responded to parents' concerns by stating she is "not their babysitter. It's the parents' responsibility. If you don't like it, turn the TV off. The only person I want to be a role model to is my sister, Jamie Lynn." (''From ABC's Primetime interview with Diane Sawyer'') In December 2005, Spears sued '' and feared it would be distributed. Spears denies the existence of any such tape while the magazine claims to have a credible source, which they failed to mention in the article, and stands by its story without any evidence or eyewitnesses.11 Voice Spears' detractors have accused her of being derivative of Paula Abdul , Madonna and especially Janet Jackson . This is a claim Spears has not outwardly denied nor confirmed, saying "I grew up loving a wide variety of music." There has also been some controversy over her singing abilities, with some even accusing her of lacking them or depending too much on backup singers, backing tracks or digital alterations. Spears has also been criticized for Lip Sync hing. Most critics and musicians publicly express a negative view on this way of performing, arguing that live entertainment should literally be what it suggests, singing included. Some argue that Spears, like other performers, can't practically sing while being engaged in complicated and demanding dance moves.12 This has led to the counter-argument that performers shouldn't focus on things like dance moves, and instead focus more on singing. Acting For the film '' Chicago '', producer Harvey Weinstein wanted Spears for the role that eventually went to Lucy Liu . Spears was also offered a role in '' Scary Movie '', but was forced to turn it down due to concert scheduling. She was considered for the part of Allie Hamilton in '' The Notebook '', but was beat out by Rachel McAdams . She also wanted the role in '' I ♥ Huckabees '' that went to Naomi Watts . Spears had also expressed interest in the role of Daisy Duke in '' The Dukes Of Hazzard '', but fellow pop singer Jessica Simpson was given the part.
PERSONAL Married life sculpture of Spears giving birth featured at the Capla Kesting Fine Art Gallery in )]] The birth of Spears' son was the inspiration behind a , unlike the natural birth depicted in the statue. Photos published on February 7 , 2006 , showed Spears driving her SUV on the Pacific Coast Highway in Los Angeles with her infant son, Sean, perched on her lap rather than strapped into a Car Seat in the back. The photos show Spears holding the wheel of the car with one hand, and her 4-month-old baby with the other. In a statement to '' People '', Spears said she did it because of a "horrifying, frightful encounter with the paparazzi" and that "I was terrified that this time the physically aggressive paparazzi would put both me and my baby in danger. I instinctively took measures to get my baby and me out of harm’s way, but the paparazzi continued to stalk us. I love my child and would do anything to protect him." She later told '' Access Hollywood '', "It's kind of like I made a mistake and so it is what is, I guess." No charges were pressed. Later that month, U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta , speaking at an event at the Children's Hospital Of Philadelphia to mark the start of Child Passenger Safety Week said, "Recent photos of Britney Spears driving with her infant son on her lap are troubling...and while Ms. Spears has acknowledged her mistake, her actions still send the wrong message to millions of her fans." On April 1 , 2006 , Spears' 7-month-old son fell and Bruise d his head after slipping from his Nanny 's arms as she was lifting him from his High Chair and "something snapped in the chair." After an initial examination, he was thought to be fine but six days later Spears and her husband took him to the Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center for a second checkup. He got the all clear once again. Following this visit, child welfare officials, as well as a sheriff's deputy, visited the Spears home. "While there was an automatic report by the hospital to the Department of Children and Family Services, DCFS immediately responded and determined there was no problem and no reason to open a formal investigation," Spears's attorney Marty Singer told '' People ''. "They determined that the parents were not involved in any injury and that nothing improper was done within the home." Family members Spears' younger sister, Jamie Lynn , is an actress and singer and is currently starring in the Nickelodeon show '' Zoey 101 ''. Spears wrote the theme song "Follow Me" for ''Zoey 101'', though it is sung by Jamie Lynn. Spears' older brother, Bryan, is one of her managers. Politics She publicly declared her trust in President George W. Bush , as reported in an interview on '' Crossfire '' and featured in the film '' Fahrenheit 9/11 '' by Michael Moore : "Honestly, I think we should just trust our president in every decision that he makes and we should just support that, you know, and be faithful in what happens." 14 George W. Bush and top Republicans banned her from appearing at the 2004 Republican National Convention citing "We're a serious political party and don't need Britney to promote us. Besides which, with the headlines she's been recently attracting we think she'd do more harm than good to the Bush cause," mainly for her raunchy behavior. Tattoos In May 2004, Spears had a Hebrew tattoo (מהש) inked into the nape of her neck. The letter combination represents one of the 72 Names of God (a teaching in Kabbalah), which means "healing." In 2003, Spears was informed by her friend, actress Taryn Manning , that her hip tattoo (the Chinese character 奇) read "weird" rather than "mysterious" (see Wiktionary ). Spears' other tattoos include pink dice on her inner wrist (her husband, Kevin Federline , has matching blue dice), a fairy on her lower back, a daisy on her right toe, a butterfly on her left foot, and a Japan ese flower that she reportedly got "down there." Her foot is adorned with many symbols which represent freedom. CAREER ACHIEVEMENTS Albums Spears is the best selling female artist of the 2000s (2000–2005). She was named "Woman of the Century" by VH1, and has had record sales topping 85 million according to the IFPI and TIME magazine.15. Having thirty-one million RIAA -certified albums sold in the U.S., Spears ranks as the eighth best-selling female artist in American music history. 16 Also, she is the only female artist in SoundScan history to have her first four albums debut at number one. In the U.S., Spears, Madonna , Céline Dion , Mariah Carey , Whitney Houston , Dixie Chicks ,and Shania Twain are the only female artists with multiple diamond (shipped over ten million copies) albums (Spears has two: '''...Baby One More Time'' and ''Oops!... I Did It Again''). Additionally, she holds the record for youngest artist (at age seventeen) to have his or her first single ("...Baby One More Time") and first album (''...Baby One More Time'') simultaneously reach number one on the Billboard charts. International In the UK, she holds the record for biggest first-week sales for a greatest hits compilation by a female artist (225,341 copies) with ''''. Her album "...Baby One More Time" was the UK's biggest selling single of 1999, and is the 18th best selling single of all time worldwide. Concerts and merchandise Besides albums, she has grossed over $145 million USD from tour ticket sales and over $30 million USD in merchandise from her tours. She has also topped Yahoo! 's annual list of the most-searched names three times in the past four years.17 Net worth According to '' Forbes '' her net worth is estimate to top $150 Million dollars. LEGACY Spears' role in pop music has been largely disputed. While she is often derided as untalented, she's nonetheless become a modern day icon for popular culture. She was ranked number 20 out of the 200 top popculture icons of all time by VH1 and '' People ''. Singles such as "...Baby One More Time," "Oops!... I Did It Again," "I'm a Slave 4 U" and especially "Toxic" have gone on to become major successes and pop music classics. She topped '' FHM '' magazine's 2004 U.S. and World polls for sexiest woman. DISCOGRAPHY See Also: Britney Spears' discography FILMOGRAPHY BOOKS OFFICIAL DVDS SELECT MERCHANDISE In 1999, Play Along Toys released the Britney Spears Doll . It became one of the biggest-selling dolls of all time, next to the ever popular collector Spice dolls. Also, '' Britney's Dance Beat '' is a Dance Game featuring five of her songs, for the PlayStation 2 , PC and Game Boy Advance . TOURS SEE ALSO
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