<TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American pop singer, dancer, songwriter, actress, and author. Her debut album ...Baby One More Time, released in early 1999, propelled her to international stardom. It spawned several singles, including &quot;...Baby One More Time&quot;, which is her only #1 Billboard Hot 100 single. She released her second studio album Oops!... I Did It Again in spring of 2000 with continued success. Her third album Britney was released in fall 2001, followed by the release of her fourth album In The Zone in fall 2003. The album&apos;s breakout single &quot;Toxic&quot; was a worldwide success and has won Spears her first Grammy Award. The collection Greatest Hits: My Prerogative was released in fall 2004 followed by a remix album B in the Mix: The Remixes a year later and a brief career break. Her newest album Blackout was released worldwide in October 2007, with the first single &quot;Gimme More&quot; becoming another worldwide hit.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">Spears has sold over eighty-three million records worldwide according to Zomba Label Group. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) ranks her as the eighth best-selling female artist in American music history, having sold 31 million albums in the U.S. Spears&apos;s fame in the music industry has led her to experiment with other forms of media, including film and television. As an actress, she is most noted for her starring role in the 2002 movie Crossroads. Spears has also made guest appearances in various movie and television programs. Her success as a singer led her to several high-profile advertising deals and endorsements, including her own Elizabeth Arden perfume line.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">Spears&apos;s personal life has gained much attention from the media as a result of her stardom. In particular, her marriage to Kevin Federline in 2004 was the topic of numerous articles. She gave birth to her first child, Sean Preston, in 2005 and to her second child, Jayden James, in 2006. The couple&apos;s divorce in fall of the same year was highly publicized, followed by an ongoing legal battle for the custody of their two sons, as well as a highly publicized nervous breakdown in 2008.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="11" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><B>Childhood and discovery</B></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">Britney Spears was born in McComb, Mississippi but was raised in Kentwood, Louisiana as a Southern Baptist by parents James Parnell Spears, a building contractor, and Lynne Irene Bridges, a former grade school teacher. Spears&apos;s brother Bryan works as a manager for the Spears family interests and her sister Jamie Lynn is an actress and singer. Her maternal grandmother Lillian Woolmore was an English war-bride, born in Tottenham, London who met Spears&apos;s grandfather Barnett O&apos;Field Bridges in England during World War II. Her paternal grandparents were June Austin Spears and Emma Jean Forbes.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">Spears was an accomplished gymnast, attending gymnastics classes until age nine and competing in state-level competitions. She performed in local dance revues and her local Baptist church choir. At age eight she auditioned for the Disney Channel series The New Mickey Mouse Club. Although she was considered too young to join the series at the time, a producer on the show introduced her to a New York City agent. Spears subsequently spent three summers at NYC&apos;s Professional Performing Arts School and also appeared in a number of off-Broadway productions, including 1991&apos;s Ruthless!. In 1992, she landed a spot on the popular television show Star Search. Though she won her first round in the competition, she ultimately lost. At age eleven, Spears returned to the Disney Channel for a spot on the The New Mickey Mouse Club in Lakeland, Florida. She was featured on the show from 1993 to 1994, until she was 13. Other future celebrities on the show included fellow pop singer Christina Aguilera, &apos;N Sync members Justin Timberlake and Joshua Chasez, Felicity actress Keri Russell, and The Notebook star Ryan Gosling. After the show ended, Spears returned to Kentwood and entered high school for a year.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">In 1997, Spears briefly joined the all-female pop group Innosense. Later that same year, she decided to go solo. After recording a demo, she was signed by Jive Records. She began touring American venues for a series of concerts sponsored by American teen magazines, and eventually became an opening act for &apos;N Sync and the Backstreet Boys.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="11" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><B>Music Career</B><FONT SIZE="10"></FONT></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="11" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><B>1998–2000: Rise to fame</B></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">Spears&apos;s debut single &quot;...Baby One More Time&quot;, released in the end of 1998 became an instant international success. It peaked at number one on the Billboard&apos;s Hot 100 and sold nine million copies worldwide. and was ranked 25th on Rolling Stone and MTV&apos;s &quot;100 Greatest Pop Songs of all time&quot;. The music video accompanying the song featured Spears provocatively dressed in a midriff-baring schoolgirl uniform.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">The album of the same title was released in January 1999, reaching number one on the Billboard 200. ...Baby One More Time was certified Diamond, with 25 million copies sold worldwide. The album received mixed reviews. All Music Guide gave it 4 out of 5 stars, stating that the album &quot;has the same blend of infectious, rap-inflected dance-pop and smooth balladry that propelled the New Kids and Debbie Gibson.&quot; While Rolling Stone gave it 2 out of 5, noting that, &quot;While several Cherion-crafted kiddie-funk jams serve up beefy hooks, shameless schlock slowies, like &apos;E-Mail My Heart&apos;, are pure spam.&quot; The success of Spears&apos;s music coupled with her controversial image made her one of the year&apos;s biggest stars.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">In December 1999, she won four Billboard Music Awards, including Female Artist of the Year. A month later, she took home the Favorite Pop/Rock New Artist award at the American Music Awards. At the 2000 Grammy Awards, Spears received two nominations in the categories of Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for ...Baby One More Time, but lost to Christina Aguilera and Sarah McLachlan respectively.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">Following the success of her previous album, Spears released the album Oops!... I Did It Again, which debuted at number one in the U.S., selling 1,319,193 units during its first week of sales, breaking the SoundScan record for the highest sales in its debut week by any solo artist. The RIAA awarded the album with a Diamond certification with 10 million copies sold in the U.S. and 20 million copies sold worldwide. Concerning both musical content and sales, the album was very similar to Spears&apos;s debut, although it fared better with critics. All Music Guide once again gave it 4 out of 5 stars, saying that the album &quot;has the same combination of sweetly sentimental ballads and endearingly gaudy dance-pop that made One More Time.&quot; Rolling Stone gave the album 3.5 stars out of 5 by noting the album as &quot;fantastic pop cheese&quot; and &quot;Britney&apos;s demand for satisfaction is complex, fierce and downright scary.&quot;</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">The album’s lead single, &quot;Oops!... I Did It Again&quot;, broke the record for most radio station additions in a single day and quickly became a top ten hit in the U.S. and other countries. The same year, Spears launched her first world tour, the &quot;Oops!... I Did It Again World Tour&quot;. During the tour, she made a stop in New York for the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. As part of her performance, she ripped off a black suit to reveal a provocative nude-colored and crystal-adorned outfit that generated much controversy. She finished the year with two more Billboard Music Awards, and two Grammy nominations for Oops!... I Did It Again in the categories of Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="11" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><B>2001–2003: Career development</B><FONT SIZE="10"></FONT></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">Spears released her third studio album Britney in November 2001. Although not as successful as her previous albums, she assumed some creative control by co-writing five of the album&apos;s tracks. It surpassed Michael Jackson&apos;s album Invincible when it had a successful debut at number one in the U.S. by selling 745,744 units during its first week. To date, Britney has sold thirteen million copies worldwide. The album&apos;s success made her one of the few female artists to have their first three albums debut at number one. The album fared well with critics such as All Music Guide who gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars, describing the album&apos;s title tracks as being &quot;pivotal moments on Britney Spears&apos;s third album, the record where she strives to deepen her persona, making it more adult while still recognizably Britney.&quot; In contrast, Rolling Stone said of the album &quot;Britney belabors the obvious: Spears is one month away from entering her twenties and clearly needs to grow up if she&apos;s going to bring her fans along.&quot;</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">The singles did not perform as well; Britney&apos;s lead single &quot;I&apos;m a Slave 4 U&quot; peaked at 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 making it the album&apos;s biggest hit. Spears made her third consecutive MTV Video Music Awards performance; in which Spears controversially utilized caged animals and danced erotically with a large albino python draped over her shoulders, performing I&apos;m a Slave 4 U. Animal-rights organization PETA claimed that the animals featured in the performance were mistreated and cancelled plans for an anti-fur billboard that was to feature Spears. To help promote the album, Spears embarked on the &quot;Dream Within a Dream Tour&quot; in November 2001. The tour was forced to cut short in Mexico City due to bad weather. With the end to her tour, Spears announced she would take a six month break from her career.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">Her career success was highlighted by Forbes Magazine in 2002 as Spears was ranked the world&apos;s most powerful celebrity. At a performance at the MTV Video Music Awards, she appeared with Christina Aguilera performing the song &quot;Like a Virgin&quot;, and was later joined by Madonna. Spears locked lips with Madonna in a highly-publicized kiss.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">In November 2003, Spears released her fourth studio 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 eight of the album&apos;s thirteen songs and co-produced several pieces of her material for the first time. In the Zone reached #1 in the U.S. charts debut week selling over 609,000 copies. This made Spears the only female in music history to have her first four studio albums debut at number one. The album had a mild reception from critics. Stylus Magazine gave the album a D and even blamed Spears&apos;s career choices by stating, &quot;Ultimately, In the Zone suffers greatly from Britney&apos;s uneasy transition from teen tart to sexually powerful woman. Had Britney been in charge of her career direction instead of mercilessly prostituted by her management, she might have been able to produce something with some semblance of musical vision.&quot; The Guardian praised the album&apos;s melodies and her effort, giving it 4 out of 5 stars and writing, &quot;Unlike previous Britney albums, In the Zone has no filler and no shoddy cover versions, just 57 varieties of blue-chip hit-factory pop. There is southern hip-hop, deep house, Neptunes-style R&amp;B, the ubiquitous Diwali beat and, most importantly, oodles of Madonna.&quot;</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">The album spawned the international #1 single &quot;Toxic&quot;, winning Spears her first ever Grammy in the category of Best Dance Recording. &quot;The Onyx Hotel Tour&quot; began in March 2004 to promote the album. The tour&apos;s raunchy choreography generated much controversy and heavy criticisms, with the presence of young children the audience.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="11" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><B>2004–2005: Greatest Hits and Remix Album</B><FONT SIZE="10"></FONT></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"> </FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">After her marriage to Kevin Federline, Spears announced on her website she was taking another career break in order to start a family. November 2004 saw the release of her first greatest hits collection, Greatest Hits: My Prerogative. The album debuted at #4 on the U.S. charts and featured her version of Bobby Brown&apos;s 1988 hit &quot;My Prerogative&quot;. The compilation did not include the single &quot;From the Bottom of My Broken Heart&quot;.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">In November 2005, Spears released her first remix album, B In The Mix: The Remixes. The album ranged from &quot;...Baby One More Time&quot; to &quot;Toxic&quot;. Her newest single &quot;Someday (I Will Understand)&quot; was also remixed. Another single, &quot;And Then We Kiss&quot;, was only released in Asia, where it charted in many countries. The song peaked at #15 on Billboard&apos;s Hot Dance Airplay chart, despite it not being officially released in the U.S. With Spears still on maternity leave, the album did not reach the success of her previous albums.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="11" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><B>2007–2008: Return to Music</B><FONT SIZE="10"></FONT></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">Spears recorded her latest album with producers such as Sean Garrett, J. R. Rotem and Nate &quot;Danja&quot; Hills in 2006 and 2007. In May 2007, she produced a mini-tour for the House of Blues under the name &quot;The M+M&apos;s&quot;, with 6 shows althogether. Spears did not sing live in the 15-minute shows.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">Spears&apos;s fifth album entitled Blackout, was scheduled to be released November 2007. Due to online leaks, the album was pushed up for release on October 30. Blackout debuted at #2 on the US Billboard 200 charts, selling 290,000 copies. It received decent reception from critics. Rolling Stone gave the album 3.5 out of 5 stars, stating that &quot;Blackout is the first time in her career that she&apos;s voiced any real thoughts about her life. The old provocation game is still afoot, but Britney&apos;s stubbornly holding on to her freakness — it&apos;s the only form of rebellion she&apos;s got left.&quot; All Music Guide also rated the album 3.5 out of 5 stars, noting that &quot;Blackout is an easy album to overpraise based on the lowered expectations Britney&apos;s behavior has set for her audience, as none of her antics suggested that she&apos;d be able to deliver something coherent and entertaining&quot; and also that &quot;it holds together better than any of her other records, echoing the sleek club-centric feel of In the Zone but it&apos;s heavier on hedonism than its predecessor, stripped of any ballads or sensitivity, and just reveling in dirty good times.&quot;</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">The album&apos;s first single &quot;Gimme More&quot; was her first produced by Danja, it debuted worldwide on August 30. The track peaked at number three on Billboard&apos;s Hot 100 on October 3, becoming Spears&apos;s most successful single in the United States since her debut, &quot;...Baby One More Time&quot;.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">Spears&apos;s performance at 2007 MTV Video Music Awards received much media attention and was called a disappointing attempt at a &quot;comeback&quot;. She performed &quot;Gimme More&quot;, the lead single from her Blackout album. Reviews of the performance were unfavorable; BBC&apos;s David Willis stated that &quot;her performance would go down in the history books as being one of the worst to grace the MTV Awards,&quot; and The Times noted that &quot;Spears was out of synch as she lip-synched and at times just stopped singing altogether.&quot; Despite the VMA backlash, the single has achieved success worldwide.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="11" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><B>Film and Television</B><FONT SIZE="10"></FONT></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">Spears attended New York City&apos;s Professional Performing Arts School beginning when she was 8 years old. She also performed as an understudy in 1991&apos;s Ruthless! and made appearance in several off-Broadway productions. At age 11, she joined the The New Mickey Mouse Club and was a cast member from 1991 until the show ended in 1993. She mostly displayed her comedic and singing abilities.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">Spears had her first starring role in the 2002 film, Crossroads. She played Lucy, a Georgia high school graduate who decides to find her long-lost mother in Arizona, and travels along with her two friends who wish to visit California. The movie, along with Spears&apos;s performance, was poorly received by critics. The film grossed over US$60 million worldwide. Spears received a Razzie Award for Worst Actress and for Worst Original Song &quot;I&apos;m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman&quot;. Spears made cameo appearances in Austin Powers in Goldmember as herself, and Longshot as a flight attendant.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">In late 1999, Spears appeared on ABC&apos;s sitcom Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, playing herself and performed the song &quot;(You Drive Me) Crazy&quot;. She then appeared on Saturday Night Live as host and musical guest during 2000, 2002 and 2003. In a 2003 interview with Tucker Carlson of CNN, on the subject of the 2003 Iraq War, Spears said, &quot;Honestly, I think we should just trust our president in every decision he makes and should just support that, you know, and be faithful in what happens.&quot; The footage later appeared in Michael Moore&apos;s documentary film Fahrenheit 9/11.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">In 2006, Spears guest starred on NBC&apos;s Will &amp; Grace in an episode entitled &quot;Buy, Buy Baby&quot;. She played a closeted lesbian posing as a conservative Christian, to co-host with Jack McFarland on his talk show. NBC received criticism from conservative Christian groups. In 2007, Spears made a cameo appearance on the premiere of the E! reality show Sunset Tan.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="11" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"><B>Products and endorsement</B><FONT SIZE="10"></FONT></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">Spears&apos;s success had made her notable in the music industry as well as popular culture. In early 2001, she caught the attention of Pepsi who gave Spears a multi-million dollar promotional deal which included numerous television commercials, point-of-purchase promotions and Internet ties between Spears and the company. She has had four books published including A Mother&apos;s Gift, and seven DVDs released, including her self-produced 2005 reality series Britney &amp; Kevin: Chaotic. Spears has also released several other products, including a doll and a video game. She participated in seven tours including &quot;The Onyx Hotel Tour&quot; in 2004. She has grossed over US$150 million from tour ticket sales and over $45 million in merchandise from her tours.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0"></FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT><TEXTFORMAT LEADING="2"><P ALIGN="LEFT"><FONT FACE="Verdana" SIZE="10" COLOR="#0B333C" LETTERSPACING="0" KERNING="0">Spears endorsed an Elizabeth Arden fragrance, &quot;Curious&quot;, for which she earned a reported $12 million. After one year of sales, the product netted more than $100 million, and was named the best selling perfume of 2004. Following the success of &quot;Curious&quot;, Spears released her next Elizabeth Arden fragrance, &quot;Fantasy&quot;, in September 2005, with equal success. She launched &quot;In Control&quot; in April 2006, closely followed by the release of another perfume, &quot;Midnight Fantasy&quot; in December. Spears&apos;s newest Elizabeth Arden fragrance, &quot;Believe&quot;, was released September 2007.</FONT></P></TEXTFORMAT>