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Full Biography
A bubbly, blonde pop music sensation who built a fan base with a girl-next-door sweetness, catchy tunes, flashy dance moves and a magnetic sexual appeal, Britney Spears went from a small-town Louisiana girl to the veritable heir to Madonna's media saturation crown, beginning with the release of her first single in 1998 and holding fast well into the next millennium – and much like Madonna, the attention quickly shifted away from her artistry and focused squarely on her personal dramas. Starting in 2004, a much mocked marriage to back-up dancer, Kevin Federline, the birth of two babies in quick succession, and a seemingly self-imposed exile from the music industry kept her name in the forefront – though mainly as a gossip curiosity piece.
Born Dec. 2, 1981 in the rural Louisiana town of Kentwood to parents Jamie and Lynne Spears, the young girl started training for her future superstar status as a small child. A skilled dancer and gymnast – as well as a capable singer – Spears had the determination and stamina to get to the top, starting her career in the entertainment industry early – too early, in fact – for producers of the revamped "The Mickey Mouse Club" (The Disney Channel, 1989-1994). Producers of the star-making kiddie show turned down the talented youngster because of her age when she first auditioned in 1990. Mindful of her potential, Spears was hooked up with an agent and temporarily moved with her mother and baby sister to New York City the following year. Here, she starred in the off-Broadway production, "Ruthless," a stage comedy loosely based on "The Bad Seed." Playing the evil but seemingly angelic child was an enjoyable role for the 10-year-old Spears, who next wowed judges with her debut performance on the televised talent competition, "Star Search" (CBS, 1983-2004) in 1992. A year later, she was finally welcomed into the cast of the "Mickey Mouse Club," becoming a part of an elite cast that included future TV star Keri Russell as well as fellow teen pop luminaries Justin Timberlake and J.C. Chasez of *NSYNC and Christina Aguilera. As part of the ensemble, she could do all the dancing, acting and singing her heart desired, but unfortunately, the show ended its run in the midst of only her second season.
When "MMC" called it a day in 1994, the young star-in-the-making returned to Louisiana and attended a private junior/senior high school in nearby McComb, MS, but missed the excitement of the entertainment world. In 1997, she signed with Jive Records, beginning a partnership that would make Spears a household name. In 1998, she toured the malls of America a la teen pop star Tiffany did a decade earlier, getting her bouncy, blonde image into the minds of the people while, at the same time, getting her promo tape into their stereos. Her debut single "...Baby One More Time" was a smash hit in the last days of 1998, thanks, in part, to the provocative schoolgirl uniform-sporting music video that accompanied the catchy and oddly edgy tune. While the fresh-faced teen sensation improbably crooned "My loneliness is killing me," audiences of all ages were transfixed – from middle-aged men creepily fixating on the singer's short plaid kilt and midriff-baring blouse, to seven-year-old girls hopping around the playground, strangely pleading "Hit me baby, one more time." Spears' debut album went multi-platinum while her single stayed at the top of the charts in the first months of 1999. Upping her visibility, Spears' controversial Rolling Stone cover (clad only in a bra and hot pants, surrounded by stuffed animals while talking on the phone) had parent groups up in arms when the overtly sexy image hit stands in April – nearly eight months before the star's 18th birthday. Meanwhile, Spears and her inner circle began a long-standing policy of sending mixed messages, proclaiming the star's commitment to Southern, church-going values and remaining a virgin until she married.
Appearances on a myriad of specials and awards shows and a guest stint on the ABC sitcom "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" (ABC/WB, 1996-2003) helped keep her in the minds and hearts of the public in between record releases. When her follow-up effort, Oops!... I Did It Again dropped in 2000, her audience welcomed it with open wallets. Another round of multi-platinum sales were made, and the video for the lead-off title track won the performer more kudos, proving her dance talents with an eye-catching routine in a fetching red vinyl catsuit. When Spears appeared at that year’s “MTV Video Music Awards,” tearing off a man's tuxedo to reveal a flesh colored body suit, her sexy image was solidified. Indeed, it became central to her routinely controversial image, with fans and media debating over lurid topics such as whether or not the young star had received breast implants. Spears' sex appeal was tempered for her more family value-minded fans by her sweet and seemingly chaste relationship with longtime boyfriend (and former Mouseketeer) Justin Timberlake – by then, the lead singer of the hugely popular boy band *NSYNC, which shared the same musical management as Spears. Expressing herself, showing her versatility and growing up in the public eye while losing very few of her original preteen fans, the singer seemed poised to stand the test of time.
Though potential roles in the TV series "Dawson's Creek" (WB, 1998-2003) and the feature "Scary Movie" (2000) came to naught – reportedly due to her busy schedule – new projects with Spears' name attached sprung up frequently. Rumors of her co-starring with hot Latin singer Ricky Martin in a sequel to the 1987 hit musical, "Dirty Dancing," were not realized, but the singer/dancer made another major impression on TV viewers. Following a second erotically charged performance on the 2001 “MTV Music Video Awards,” during which she undulated in a barely-there harem outfit to her new song "I'm a Slave for U" while an albino python wrapped around her neck, viewers of both sexes were blown away yet again by her brazen “barely legal” performance. Britney-mania continued with her saucy performance in the HBO live concert, "Britney Spears: Live in Las Vegas" (2001) – a production that demonstrated her adult sex appeal as much as it did her propensity to lip-synch. Not satisfied with just conquering the music market, Spears tried her hand at publishing, co-authoring with her mother the autobiographical tome Britney Spears' Heart to Heart (2000) and the novel A Mother's Gift (2001) – the latter of which was turned into the ABC Family Channel telepic, "Brave New Girl" (2004), which Spears and her mother co-executive produced.
After much build-up, at last the young diva made her big-screen acting debut – with a healthy dash of the more proven skill, singing – in "Crossroads" (2002). Directed by Tamra Davis, the critically panned flick focused on three childhood friends on a road trip of self-discovery. Neither the mawkish film nor Spears' candy-coated, “aw-shucks” performance were exactly Oscar material, but it did appeal to a certain audience of die-hard Spears fans – namely the preteen and teen female and occasional smitten male. A blight on an otherwise world-conquering 2002 – including opening her own New York restaurant NYLA (which became a spectacular failure) and continuing to tour around the globe –was Spears’ very public break-up with Timberlake, amid sordid rumors of infidelity on her part. On the defensive, Timberlake rather ungentlemanly confirmed to much feigned shock that he and Spears had, indeed, put an end to her much-discussed virginity (as well as latter outing her as the cheater in his future solo hit single and video, “Cry Me a River”). Amidst all the professional solo triumphs and personal set-backs, she found time for a brief cameo in the comedy hit, "Austin Powers: Goldmember" and to record songs for a variety of film soundtracks.
By 2003-04, the media saturation of Spears and her fellow teeny-bopper idols (including Aguilera, Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC) resulted in the beginnings of the inevitable backlash, with the singer making news more for her personal escapades than professional activities. In a move many saw as desperate for all parties involved, Spears made headlines when, during an appearance on the 2003 “MTV Music Video Awards,” she opened the show in a musical sequence opposite her idol Madonna and her reported rival Aguilera, in which she shared a lip-lock with the Material Girl. That was followed by the release of her fourth album, In the Zone, in which the singer further pushed provocative boundaries in an obvious attempt to establish herself as a grown-up artist and to capitalize on her always buzzed-about sexpot charms. The album received a critical drubbing in most quarters and did not entirely live up to commercial expectations. The disc still provided hit singles, including the ubiquitous dance floor favorite "Toxic" and its controversial, overtly sexy music video, which was briefly relegated to late-night-only airings on MTV. Oddly, during the promotional period for the album, Spears appeared in many increasingly provocative, skin-baring photographs, including a recreation of a 1960s-era Angie Dickinson shot with her bare bottom peaking out of a strategically stretched sweater for the cover of Esquire, yet she claimed in interviews she did not approve the shots, still trying to project – albeit, unconvincingly at this point – an innocent, girl-next-door persona.
The wild child beneath the surface was bubbling over into her public persona, with the mainstream and tabloid press endlessly chronicling every juicy aspect of her behavior – which allegedly included late night partying and hook-ups with celebrity lotharios Fred Durst and Colin Farrell. The dam seemingly broke loose in January of 2004, when the singer shocked fans with a surprise marriage to her childhood friend Jason Alexander in an apparently booze-fueled New Year's Eve wedding in Las Vegas – something she called "a joke that had gone too far." The marriage was annulled within 55 hours (with a lucrative pay-off to Alexander), but that did not stop Spears' shocking second rush to the altar later that same year – this time to seemingly gold-digging back-up dancer, Kevin Federline. This union was not without its controversy either, as at the start of their romance, Federline was an expectant father involved in a relationship with actress Shar Jackson – who had already bore him one child not long before. Their engagement was announced in June, with plans for a fall 2004 wedding. Somewhere between romances, Spears continued to self-promote with faux-revelatory documentary specials on MTV, ABC and E! networks, and she performed a surprisingly uninspired live version of her universally panned Onyx Hotel tour for the HBO special "Britney Spears: Live in Miami" (2004). The blonde idol pulled out of the final leg of her poorly received tour after injuring her knee in June of that year, requiring surgery and four months of recuperation (she also admitted that her head "really wasn't into" the tour).
As a newly married woman in September of 2004, Spears increasingly found herself the subject of snarky bloggers and tabloid magazines. Much of it she brought on herself, as she was constantly photographed leaving gas station bathrooms barefoot and chowing down on Cheetos while cruising around town in a number of luxury vehicles. Worse yet, she often looking disheveled and messy coming in and out of seemingly every fast food restaurant in the greater Los Angeles area. And interestingly enough to the public – she seemed not to care what people thought of her or her new husband. This was most apparent when Spears and Federline sold home movies taken during their courtship to UPN, resulting in the May, 2005 premiere of their reality show, "Britney & Kevin: Chaotic" – complete with the questionable catchphrase: “Can you handle our truth?” By this time, it seemed the answer was no – and that no one cared to. Critics were less than kind, to say the least. In fact, the show made the couple an even bigger laughing stock than before, what with the constant stream of nonsensical baby-talk, mugging close-ups and uncomfortable pawing of one another. But Spears seemed happy – especially after giving birth to her first child, Sean Preston in September, 2005.
Not long after her son’s birth, however, Spears found that the media had zeroed in on something more sensitive than her fashion sense or choice in men – her mothering skills. In a quick succession of scandalous incidents, starting in early 2006, Spears was photographed driving with her infant son on her lap; with her infant son in the wrong car seat, facing the wrong way in a convertible – and finally – tripping on a NYC street, almost dropping the baby, while teetering on heels and trying to hold onto a glass of water. The public lambasting of Spears as bad mom was at an all time high that spring – enough that by the third incident in New York, some celebrity first-time mothers and organizations stuck up for her, especially after video footage shot through a restaurant window hit the internet, clearly showing Spears clinging to her baby and crying after the tripping incident.
By the fall, the public scorn seemed to shift and redirect toward Federline – especially after he was spotted all over L.A. and Vegas, partying with cronies, while his wife, now pregnant with their second son was M.I.A. When a bedraggled Spears was forced to do damage control by sobbing to Matt Lauer on a notorious “Dateline NBC” interview in June, fans began counting down the days until Spears come to her senses and left the man they considered the ruin of the old Britney. The week the wannabe rapper released his first album, Playing with Fire – to a unanimous and expected critical beatdown – the public got its wish. On Nov. 7, Spears filed for divorce from Federline, citing “irreconcilable differences” and asking for physical and legal custody of one-year-old Sean and two-month-old Jayden, but for Federline to receive reasonable visitation rights. Spears gave the date of separation as the day before – the same day she flaunted her revamped post-pregnancy physique during a surprise appearance on “The Late Show with David Letterman” (CBS, 1993- ).
Following her divorce announcement, Spears made news of a different kind. Free from her troubled marriage, the singer began a seemingly non-stop series of nights-on-the-town – first, with fellow party girl, Paris Hilton, then by herself or with new friends. When Spears was shot on three different occasions getting out of cars sans underwear, she became the toast of celebrity blogs and late night comics the world over – many of whom seemingly relished Spears' new out-of-control lifestyle. Her parenting again was called into question, as everyone – including her estranged husband, who was now, looking more and more the stable parent – wondered who was at home, minding the boys while Spears hit the club scene. Her partying ways continued into the new year, along with rumors of lesbian behavior dropped by her brief boyfriend, model Isaac Cohen, who spilled the beans to the press of her supposed sexual appetites. During the months of nighttime cavorting, Spears changed her hair color repeatedly – and after a one-day stint in rehab for undisclosed reasons – shaved it off altogether, leaving fans in shock at her radical appearance.
The weekend after photos of a bald Spears hit the media, the troubled star checked herself into rehab for another one-day stint, only to take off with no explanation. Only days later, after an alleged confrontation with Federline, who reportedly threatened to take the boys away if she did not reenter rehab, Spears once again entered Promises Malibu, her mother Lynne driving her back again. Things went from bad to worse once Spears was released on March 20. Allegedly feeling her family and manager had turned against her by forcing her to seek help that she did not believe she needed, she began cutting people out – including even her mother, whom Spears reportedly believed was siding with her soon-to-be ex-husband in his quest for custody. Things went from bad to worse once Spears was released from Promises on March 20. Allegedly feeling her family and manager had turned against her by forcing her to seek help that she did not believe she needed, she began cutting people out – including even her mother, whom Spears reportedly believed was siding with her soon-to-be ex-husband in his quest for custody.
In a summer of seemingly one train wreck after another, Spears started appearing in the press wearing a variety of hats with wig attached, attacking a photographer with an umbrella, spontaneously frolicking in the ocean in her underwear, making out with a college-age extra while skinny-dipping in a hotel pool and hitting clubs left and right – all while Federline began lining up witnesses for his custody fight – including issuing subpoenas covertly to many in his ex's inner circle, including assistants, nannies and her long-time manager, Larry Rudolph. After a disastrous photo shoot with OK magazine in August – during which Spears reportedly seemed "out of it," went to the bathroom with the door open, wiped her greasy fingers on expensive frocks and then took off with some of the pricey wardrobe provided without even finishing the interview or shoot – things seemed to be reaching a boiling point for the girl who had cut out everyone in her life who cared for her. When the singer was announced as the opening act of the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, public interest ran high – could she pull it off? Performing her first single off her first studio album in some time, "Gimme More," Spears bombed so spectacularly – that even she appeared to realize it, giving up mid-song. Her lip-synching was off, her dance moves lethargic and she even stumbled a bit just walking through her routine. It did not help matters that she was poured into a sequined bikini that was not flattering to her figure. Critics wasted no time slamming the singer, who reportedly left the stage in tears, for not only phoning it in, but for partying in Vegas non-stop in the days leading up to the anticipated performance.
If Britney-watchers thought that things could not get worse for the former pop princess, they were wrong. Only weeks after the VMA disaster, a judge ordered Spears to surrender custody of her two children to her ex-husband, ruling that Federline would take custody of Sean Preston and Jayden James only two days after said ruling “until further order of the court.” The order stemmed from an unspecified oral motion made by Federline’s attorneys and was handled in a closed-door hearing. The judge’s order did not state the reason for the change in custody and all transcripts of the proceedings were ordered sealed. However, that did not prevent many in even the mainstream "respectable" media from taking a stab at what moved the process from court-ordered parenting classes and drug/alcohol testing to losing physical custody only days after the previous rulings that still allowed for 50/50 custody. Some suggested it was because she had recently been photographed driving with the children in the backseat, sans a valid California driver's license; others guessed it might be a failed drug/alcohol test. Whatever the reasons, the ruling surprised many with its abruptness. Spears responded by chirping happily to paps who followed her to her tanning salon, but not long after, her long-estranged mother and her little sister arrived from Kentwood. After missing her first scheduled visit, it was announced that the judge was suspending her visitation rights only two weeks after the original ruling. The reason given: Spears had failed to comply with the judges orders; the specificity of which, was not given, leading to further speculation.
Spears remained relatively quiet throughout the rest of 2007, following the court’s Oct. 1 custody ruling. But she was back in the news in a big way on Jan. 3, 2008, when, following a scheduled visit, she refused to turn over Sean Preston and Jayden James to Federline’s bodyguard. The bodyguard arrived at her Beverly Hills home at 7 p.m. to pick up the children, but Spears failed to relinquish them; a violation of her visitation rights. Police arrived on the scene around 8:30 after receiving a call about a “custodial dispute,” followed shortly by Federline’s lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan. Soon, news helicopters, paparazzi and an ambulance were also on the scene – Spears allegedly locked herself in a bathroom with Jayden and refused to come out. Eventually, the fire department and a mental evaluator arrived, and her two children were finally whisked away and delivered to Federline around 11 p.m. Spears was detained by police, who said she was allegedly “under the influence of an unknown substance,” before being sent by ambulance to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she remained for 72 hours under a 5150 hold – an involuntary confinement administered when a person has been deemed a danger to themselves or others as the result of a mental disorder.
After making news in mid-January for failing to report to a child custody hearing, Spears was seen again leaving her home in an ambulance during the wee-hours of the night on Jan. 31, 2008. Apparently, the singer had not slept for several days, prompting her psychologist – who felt her condition had deteriorated – to call in police and have her brought to UCLA Medical Center on a “mental evaluation hold.” She was again placed on a 5150, with the possibility of an additional 14-day hold looming over her. In the meantime, her parents petitioned the court to take over her health and finances in conservatorship, as well as start the restraining order process to keep Spears’ sketchy “manager” Sam Lufti away from their daughter. In little more than a day and a half, Jamie Spears and a lawyer were granted conservatorship and Lufti was indeed looked at by the courts as a threat to Spears. A restraining order was issued after Lynne Spears terrifying declaration was leaked to the press – including allegations of Lufti drugging her daughter, cutting her phone lines, allowing paparazzi in her house and hiding her dog to upset her. No sooner had Spears 14-day hold been announced, then the singer was released quietly from the hospital for outpatient care – supposedly for a bipolar disorder.
Profession(s):
singer, Actor, music producer Sometimes Credited As:
Britney Jean Spears Family
brother:Bryan Spears (Born c. 1977)
father:Jamie Spears (Born c. 1953; divorced from Lynn)
husband:Jason Allen Alexander (Childhood friend; married in Las Vegas on Jan. 3, 2004; marriage annulled 2 days later)
husband:Kevin Federline (Began dating March 2004, while his ex-girlfriend was pregnant with their second child; engaged in June 2004; married Sep. 18, 2004 at a private home in Studio City, CA; some sources show that the wedding ceremony that occurred on Sep. 18 was a "faux" ceremony, and that the real date of the start of their wedding was Oct. 6, 2004; filed for divorce in November 2006, citing "irreconcilable differences"; divorce finalized July 30, 2007)
mother:Lynne Spears (Born c. 1955; divorced from Jamie Spears)
sister:Jamie Lynn Spears (Born April 4, 1991; starred in the Nickelodeon television series "Zoey 101")
son:Sean Preston Federline (Born Sep. 14, 2005; father, Kevin Federline)
son:Jayden James Federline (Born Sep. 12, 2006; father, Kevin Federline)
Companion(s)
Adnan Ghalib , Companion , ```..Began dating in December 2007
Columbus Short , Companion , ```..Rumored to be the cause of her 2002 split from Justin Timberlake
Fred Durst , Companion , ```..Announced on the "Howard Stern Show" that he slept with Spears in 2003; Spears denied they were ever involved
Isaac Cohen , Companion , ```..Cohen's agent confirmed they were dating as of December 2006; they spit two months later
Justin Timberlake , Companion , ```..Member of the popular singing group *NSYNC; the two appeared together on the "Mickey Mouse Club" in the early 1990s; dated for three years; split in 2002
Nick Carter , Companion , ```..Member of the singing group "Backstreet Boys"; rumored to have dated in 2002
Education
Park Lane Academy McComb, MS
Professional Performing Arts School New York, NY 1991
Milestones
2007 Opend the MTV Video Music Awards with her new single "Gimme More"
2006 Appeared on Dateline NBC to discuss tabloid rumors about an impending divorce from her husband, future career plans, her emotional state and motherhood
2005 Starred in a six-part reality series titled "Britney and Kevin: Chaotic" (UPN), which mixed footage shot during the pair's whirlwind engagement in 2004
2005 Guest starred on an episode of "Will & Grace," (NBC) as a Christian conservative sidekick to Sean Hayes' character, Jack, who hosts his own talk show
2004 Signed a five year deal with Elizabeth Arden to develop fragrance, cosmetics and skin care products
2004 Received a Grammy nomination for Best Dance Recording for the song "Toxic"
2004 Released Greatest Hits: My Prerogative featuring three new songs, including "My Prerogative" and "Do Somethin'"
2003 Recieved Star on the Hollywood walk of Fame
2003 Released fourth album In the Zone, which featured Madonna on it's first single "Me Against the Music"
2002 Feature film acting debut in "Crossroads", directed by Tamra Davis
2002 Started production company called Britney Spears Productions
2002 Opened restaurant called NyLa in New York City; terminated her relationship with the restaurant, citing mismanagement and management's failure to keep her fully updated
2001 Hosted the American Music Awards telecast on ABC
2000 Lent her vocal talents to an episode of "The Simpsons", playing herself
2000 Followed up with the successful sophomore effort Oops!... I Did it Again
2000 Appeared in a McDonald's commercial filmed in Canada but refused to film a non-union United States-produced commercial for Clairol's Herbal Essence shampoo during the commercial actors' strike; donate
1999 Released multiplatinum debut album ...Baby One More Time
1999 Guested on an episode of the sitcom "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" (ABC)
1998 Went on a promotional shopping mall tour
1998 First single, "...Baby One More Time"
1997 Signed with Jive Records
1993 - 1994 Was a cast member on "Mickey Mouse Club"
1992 Competed on the syndicated talent series "Star Search"; won for her debut performance, but was defeated the following week
1991 Moved with mother and sister to New York City to pursue an acting career
1991 Starred in the Off-Broadway production "Ruthless," a comedic remake of "The Bad Seed"
1990 Auditioned for the Disney Channel series "The Mickey Mouse Club"; at eight was considered too young by producers
1989 Trained as a gymnast at age seven
1987 Began dance lessons at the age of five
Returned to Louisiana
A bubbly, blonde pop music sensation who built a fan base with a girl-next-door sweetness, catchy tunes, flashy dance moves and a magnetic sexual appeal, Britney Spears went from a small-town Louisiana girl to the veritable heir to Madonna's media saturation crown, beginning with the release of her first single in 1998 and holding fast well into the next millennium – and much like Madonna, the attention quickly shifted away from her artistry and focused squarely on her personal dramas. Starting in 2004, a much mocked marriage to back-up dancer, Kevin Federline, the birth of two babies in quick succession, and a seemingly self-imposed exile from the music industry kept her name in the forefront – though mainly as a gossip curiosity piece.
Born Dec. 2, 1981 in the rural Louisiana town of Kentwood to parents Jamie and Lynne Spears, the young girl started training for her future superstar status as a small child. A skilled dancer and gymnast – as well as a capable singer – Spears had the determination and stamina to get to the top, starting her career in the entertainment industry early – too early, in fact – for producers of the revamped "The Mickey Mouse Club" (The Disney Channel, 1989-1994). Producers of the star-making kiddie show turned down the talented youngster because of her age when she first auditioned in 1990. Mindful of her potential, Spears was hooked up with an agent and temporarily moved with her mother and baby sister to New York City the following year. Here, she starred in the off-Broadway production, "Ruthless," a stage comedy loosely based on "The Bad Seed." Playing the evil but seemingly angelic child was an enjoyable role for the 10-year-old Spears, who next wowed judges with her debut performance on the televised talent competition, "Star Search" (CBS, 1983-2004) in 1992. A year later, she was finally welcomed into the cast of the "Mickey Mouse Club," becoming a part of an elite cast that included future TV star Keri Russell as well as fellow teen pop luminaries Justin Timberlake and J.C. Chasez of *NSYNC and Christina Aguilera. As part of the ensemble, she could do all the dancing, acting and singing her heart desired, but unfortunately, the show ended its run in the midst of only her second season.
When "MMC" called it a day in 1994, the young star-in-the-making returned to Louisiana and attended a private junior/senior high school in nearby McComb, MS, but missed the excitement of the entertainment world. In 1997, she signed with Jive Records, beginning a partnership that would make Spears a household name. In 1998, she toured the malls of America a la teen pop star Tiffany did a decade earlier, getting her bouncy, blonde image into the minds of the people while, at the same time, getting her promo tape into their stereos. Her debut single "...Baby One More Time" was a smash hit in the last days of 1998, thanks, in part, to the provocative schoolgirl uniform-sporting music video that accompanied the catchy and oddly edgy tune. While the fresh-faced teen sensation improbably crooned "My loneliness is killing me," audiences of all ages were transfixed – from middle-aged men creepily fixating on the singer's short plaid kilt and midriff-baring blouse, to seven-year-old girls hopping around the playground, strangely pleading "Hit me baby, one more time." Spears' debut album went multi-platinum while her single stayed at the top of the charts in the first months of 1999. Upping her visibility, Spears' controversial Rolling Stone cover (clad only in a bra and hot pants, surrounded by stuffed animals while talking on the phone) had parent groups up in arms when the overtly sexy image hit stands in April – nearly eight months before the star's 18th birthday. Meanwhile, Spears and her inner circle began a long-standing policy of sending mixed messages, proclaiming the star's commitment to Southern, church-going values and remaining a virgin until she married.
Appearances on a myriad of specials and awards shows and a guest stint on the ABC sitcom "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" (ABC/WB, 1996-2003) helped keep her in the minds and hearts of the public in between record releases. When her follow-up effort, Oops!... I Did It Again dropped in 2000, her audience welcomed it with open wallets. Another round of multi-platinum sales were made, and the video for the lead-off title track won the performer more kudos, proving her dance talents with an eye-catching routine in a fetching red vinyl catsuit. When Spears appeared at that year’s “MTV Video Music Awards,” tearing off a man's tuxedo to reveal a flesh colored body suit, her sexy image was solidified. Indeed, it became central to her routinely controversial image, with fans and media debating over lurid topics such as whether or not the young star had received breast implants. Spears' sex appeal was tempered for her more family value-minded fans by her sweet and seemingly chaste relationship with longtime boyfriend (and former Mouseketeer) Justin Timberlake – by then, the lead singer of the hugely popular boy band *NSYNC, which shared the same musical management as Spears. Expressing herself, showing her versatility and growing up in the public eye while losing very few of her original preteen fans, the singer seemed poised to stand the test of time.
Though potential roles in the TV series "Dawson's Creek" (WB, 1998-2003) and the feature "Scary Movie" (2000) came to naught – reportedly due to her busy schedule – new projects with Spears' name attached sprung up frequently. Rumors of her co-starring with hot Latin singer Ricky Martin in a sequel to the 1987 hit musical, "Dirty Dancing," were not realized, but the singer/dancer made another major impression on TV viewers. Following a second erotically charged performance on the 2001 “MTV Music Video Awards,” during which she undulated in a barely-there harem outfit to her new song "I'm a Slave for U" while an albino python wrapped around her neck, viewers of both sexes were blown away yet again by her brazen “barely legal” performance. Britney-mania continued with her saucy performance in the HBO live concert, "Britney Spears: Live in Las Vegas" (2001) – a production that demonstrated her adult sex appeal as much as it did her propensity to lip-synch. Not satisfied with just conquering the music market, Spears tried her hand at publishing, co-authoring with her mother the autobiographical tome Britney Spears' Heart to Heart (2000) and the novel A Mother's Gift (2001) – the latter of which was turned into the ABC Family Channel telepic, "Brave New Girl" (2004), which Spears and her mother co-executive produced.
After much build-up, at last the young diva made her big-screen acting debut – with a healthy dash of the more proven skill, singing – in "Crossroads" (2002). Directed by Tamra Davis, the critically panned flick focused on three childhood friends on a road trip of self-discovery. Neither the mawkish film nor Spears' candy-coated, “aw-shucks” performance were exactly Oscar material, but it did appeal to a certain audience of die-hard Spears fans – namely the preteen and teen female and occasional smitten male. A blight on an otherwise world-conquering 2002 – including opening her own New York restaurant NYLA (which became a spectacular failure) and continuing to tour around the globe –was Spears’ very public break-up with Timberlake, amid sordid rumors of infidelity on her part. On the defensive, Timberlake rather ungentlemanly confirmed to much feigned shock that he and Spears had, indeed, put an end to her much-discussed virginity (as well as latter outing her as the cheater in his future solo hit single and video, “Cry Me a River”). Amidst all the professional solo triumphs and personal set-backs, she found time for a brief cameo in the comedy hit, "Austin Powers: Goldmember" and to record songs for a variety of film soundtracks.
By 2003-04, the media saturation of Spears and her fellow teeny-bopper idols (including Aguilera, Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC) resulted in the beginnings of the inevitable backlash, with the singer making news more for her personal escapades than professional activities. In a move many saw as desperate for all parties involved, Spears made headlines when, during an appearance on the 2003 “MTV Music Video Awards,” she opened the show in a musical sequence opposite her idol Madonna and her reported rival Aguilera, in which she shared a lip-lock with the Material Girl. That was followed by the release of her fourth album, In the Zone, in which the singer further pushed provocative boundaries in an obvious attempt to establish herself as a grown-up artist and to capitalize on her always buzzed-about sexpot charms. The album received a critical drubbing in most quarters and did not entirely live up to commercial expectations. The disc still provided hit singles, including the ubiquitous dance floor favorite "Toxic" and its controversial, overtly sexy music video, which was briefly relegated to late-night-only airings on MTV. Oddly, during the promotional period for the album, Spears appeared in many increasingly provocative, skin-baring photographs, including a recreation of a 1960s-era Angie Dickinson shot with her bare bottom peaking out of a strategically stretched sweater for the cover of Esquire, yet she claimed in interviews she did not approve the shots, still trying to project – albeit, unconvincingly at this point – an innocent, girl-next-door persona.
The wild child beneath the surface was bubbling over into her public persona, with the mainstream and tabloid press endlessly chronicling every juicy aspect of her behavior – which allegedly included late night partying and hook-ups with celebrity lotharios Fred Durst and Colin Farrell. The dam seemingly broke loose in January of 2004, when the singer shocked fans with a surprise marriage to her childhood friend Jason Alexander in an apparently booze-fueled New Year's Eve wedding in Las Vegas – something she called "a joke that had gone too far." The marriage was annulled within 55 hours (with a lucrative pay-off to Alexander), but that did not stop Spears' shocking second rush to the altar later that same year – this time to seemingly gold-digging back-up dancer, Kevin Federline. This union was not without its controversy either, as at the start of their romance, Federline was an expectant father involved in a relationship with actress Shar Jackson – who had already bore him one child not long before. Their engagement was announced in June, with plans for a fall 2004 wedding. Somewhere between romances, Spears continued to self-promote with faux-revelatory documentary specials on MTV, ABC and E! networks, and she performed a surprisingly uninspired live version of her universally panned Onyx Hotel tour for the HBO special "Britney Spears: Live in Miami" (2004). The blonde idol pulled out of the final leg of her poorly received tour after injuring her knee in June of that year, requiring surgery and four months of recuperation (she also admitted that her head "really wasn't into" the tour).
As a newly married woman in September of 2004, Spears increasingly found herself the subject of snarky bloggers and tabloid magazines. Much of it she brought on herself, as she was constantly photographed leaving gas station bathrooms barefoot and chowing down on Cheetos while cruising around town in a number of luxury vehicles. Worse yet, she often looking disheveled and messy coming in and out of seemingly every fast food restaurant in the greater Los Angeles area. And interestingly enough to the public – she seemed not to care what people thought of her or her new husband. This was most apparent when Spears and Federline sold home movies taken during their courtship to UPN, resulting in the May, 2005 premiere of their reality show, "Britney & Kevin: Chaotic" – complete with the questionable catchphrase: “Can you handle our truth?” By this time, it seemed the answer was no – and that no one cared to. Critics were less than kind, to say the least. In fact, the show made the couple an even bigger laughing stock than before, what with the constant stream of nonsensical baby-talk, mugging close-ups and uncomfortable pawing of one another. But Spears seemed happy – especially after giving birth to her first child, Sean Preston in September, 2005.
Not long after her son’s birth, however, Spears found that the media had zeroed in on something more sensitive than her fashion sense or choice in men – her mothering skills. In a quick succession of scandalous incidents, starting in early 2006, Spears was photographed driving with her infant son on her lap; with her infant son in the wrong car seat, facing the wrong way in a convertible – and finally – tripping on a NYC street, almost dropping the baby, while teetering on heels and trying to hold onto a glass of water. The public lambasting of Spears as bad mom was at an all time high that spring – enough that by the third incident in New York, some celebrity first-time mothers and organizations stuck up for her, especially after video footage shot through a restaurant window hit the internet, clearly showing Spears clinging to her baby and crying after the tripping incident.
By the fall, the public scorn seemed to shift and redirect toward Federline – especially after he was spotted all over L.A. and Vegas, partying with cronies, while his wife, now pregnant with their second son was M.I.A. When a bedraggled Spears was forced to do damage control by sobbing to Matt Lauer on a notorious “Dateline NBC” interview in June, fans began counting down the days until Spears come to her senses and left the man they considered the ruin of the old Britney. The week the wannabe rapper released his first album, Playing with Fire – to a unanimous and expected critical beatdown – the public got its wish. On Nov. 7, Spears filed for divorce from Federline, citing “irreconcilable differences” and asking for physical and legal custody of one-year-old Sean and two-month-old Jayden, but for Federline to receive reasonable visitation rights. Spears gave the date of separation as the day before – the same day she flaunted her revamped post-pregnancy physique during a surprise appearance on “The Late Show with David Letterman” (CBS, 1993- ).
Following her divorce announcement, Spears made news of a different kind. Free from her troubled marriage, the singer began a seemingly non-stop series of nights-on-the-town – first, with fellow party girl, Paris Hilton, then by herself or with new friends. When Spears was shot on three different occasions getting out of cars sans underwear, she became the toast of celebrity blogs and late night comics the world over – many of whom seemingly relished Spears' new out-of-control lifestyle. Her parenting again was called into question, as everyone – including her estranged husband, who was now, looking more and more the stable parent – wondered who was at home, minding the boys while Spears hit the club scene. Her partying ways continued into the new year, along with rumors of lesbian behavior dropped by her brief boyfriend, model Isaac Cohen, who spilled the beans to the press of her supposed sexual appetites. During the months of nighttime cavorting, Spears changed her hair color repeatedly – and after a one-day stint in rehab for undisclosed reasons – shaved it off altogether, leaving fans in shock at her radical appearance.
The weekend after photos of a bald Spears hit the media, the troubled star checked herself into rehab for another one-day stint, only to take off with no explanation. Only days later, after an alleged confrontation with Federline, who reportedly threatened to take the boys away if she did not reenter rehab, Spears once again entered Promises Malibu, her mother Lynne driving her back again. Things went from bad to worse once Spears was released on March 20. Allegedly feeling her family and manager had turned against her by forcing her to seek help that she did not believe she needed, she began cutting people out – including even her mother, whom Spears reportedly believed was siding with her soon-to-be ex-husband in his quest for custody. Things went from bad to worse once Spears was released from Promises on March 20. Allegedly feeling her family and manager had turned against her by forcing her to seek help that she did not believe she needed, she began cutting people out – including even her mother, whom Spears reportedly believed was siding with her soon-to-be ex-husband in his quest for custody.
In a summer of seemingly one train wreck after another, Spears started appearing in the press wearing a variety of hats with wig attached, attacking a photographer with an umbrella, spontaneously frolicking in the ocean in her underwear, making out with a college-age extra while skinny-dipping in a hotel pool and hitting clubs left and right – all while Federline began lining up witnesses for his custody fight – including issuing subpoenas covertly to many in his ex's inner circle, including assistants, nannies and her long-time manager, Larry Rudolph. After a disastrous photo shoot with OK magazine in August – during which Spears reportedly seemed "out of it," went to the bathroom with the door open, wiped her greasy fingers on expensive frocks and then took off with some of the pricey wardrobe provided without even finishing the interview or shoot – things seemed to be reaching a boiling point for the girl who had cut out everyone in her life who cared for her. When the singer was announced as the opening act of the 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, public interest ran high – could she pull it off? Performing her first single off her first studio album in some time, "Gimme More," Spears bombed so spectacularly – that even she appeared to realize it, giving up mid-song. Her lip-synching was off, her dance moves lethargic and she even stumbled a bit just walking through her routine. It did not help matters that she was poured into a sequined bikini that was not flattering to her figure. Critics wasted no time slamming the singer, who reportedly left the stage in tears, for not only phoning it in, but for partying in Vegas non-stop in the days leading up to the anticipated performance.
If Britney-watchers thought that things could not get worse for the former pop princess, they were wrong. Only weeks after the VMA disaster, a judge ordered Spears to surrender custody of her two children to her ex-husband, ruling that Federline would take custody of Sean Preston and Jayden James only two days after said ruling “until further order of the court.” The order stemmed from an unspecified oral motion made by Federline’s attorneys and was handled in a closed-door hearing. The judge’s order did not state the reason for the change in custody and all transcripts of the proceedings were ordered sealed. However, that did not prevent many in even the mainstream "respectable" media from taking a stab at what moved the process from court-ordered parenting classes and drug/alcohol testing to losing physical custody only days after the previous rulings that still allowed for 50/50 custody. Some suggested it was because she had recently been photographed driving with the children in the backseat, sans a valid California driver's license; others guessed it might be a failed drug/alcohol test. Whatever the reasons, the ruling surprised many with its abruptness. Spears responded by chirping happily to paps who followed her to her tanning salon, but not long after, her long-estranged mother and her little sister arrived from Kentwood. After missing her first scheduled visit, it was announced that the judge was suspending her visitation rights only two weeks after the original ruling. The reason given: Spears had failed to comply with the judges orders; the specificity of which, was not given, leading to further speculation.
Spears remained relatively quiet throughout the rest of 2007, following the court’s Oct. 1 custody ruling. But she was back in the news in a big way on Jan. 3, 2008, when, following a scheduled visit, she refused to turn over Sean Preston and Jayden James to Federline’s bodyguard. The bodyguard arrived at her Beverly Hills home at 7 p.m. to pick up the children, but Spears failed to relinquish them; a violation of her visitation rights. Police arrived on the scene around 8:30 after receiving a call about a “custodial dispute,” followed shortly by Federline’s lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan. Soon, news helicopters, paparazzi and an ambulance were also on the scene – Spears allegedly locked herself in a bathroom with Jayden and refused to come out. Eventually, the fire department and a mental evaluator arrived, and her two children were finally whisked away and delivered to Federline around 11 p.m. Spears was detained by police, who said she was allegedly “under the influence of an unknown substance,” before being sent by ambulance to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she remained for 72 hours under a 5150 hold – an involuntary confinement administered when a person has been deemed a danger to themselves or others as the result of a mental disorder.
After making news in mid-January for failing to report to a child custody hearing, Spears was seen again leaving her home in an ambulance during the wee-hours of the night on Jan. 31, 2008. Apparently, the singer had not slept for several days, prompting her psychologist – who felt her condition had deteriorated – to call in police and have her brought to UCLA Medical Center on a “mental evaluation hold.” She was again placed on a 5150, with the possibility of an additional 14-day hold looming over her. In the meantime, her parents petitioned the court to take over her health and finances in conservatorship, as well as start the restraining order process to keep Spears’ sketchy “manager” Sam Lufti away from their daughter. In little more than a day and a half, Jamie Spears and a lawyer were granted conservatorship and Lufti was indeed looked at by the courts as a threat to Spears. A restraining order was issued after Lynne Spears terrifying declaration was leaked to the press – including allegations of Lufti drugging her daughter, cutting her phone lines, allowing paparazzi in her house and hiding her dog to upset her. No sooner had Spears 14-day hold been announced, then the singer was released quietly from the hospital for outpatient care – supposedly for a bipolar disorder.
Profession(s):
singer, Actor, music producer Sometimes Credited As:
Britney Jean Spears Family
brother:Bryan Spears (Born c. 1977)
father:Jamie Spears (Born c. 1953; divorced from Lynn)
husband:Jason Allen Alexander (Childhood friend; married in Las Vegas on Jan. 3, 2004; marriage annulled 2 days later)
husband:Kevin Federline (Began dating March 2004, while his ex-girlfriend was pregnant with their second child; engaged in June 2004; married Sep. 18, 2004 at a private home in Studio City, CA; some sources show that the wedding ceremony that occurred on Sep. 18 was a "faux" ceremony, and that the real date of the start of their wedding was Oct. 6, 2004; filed for divorce in November 2006, citing "irreconcilable differences"; divorce finalized July 30, 2007)
mother:Lynne Spears (Born c. 1955; divorced from Jamie Spears)
sister:Jamie Lynn Spears (Born April 4, 1991; starred in the Nickelodeon television series "Zoey 101")
son:Sean Preston Federline (Born Sep. 14, 2005; father, Kevin Federline)
son:Jayden James Federline (Born Sep. 12, 2006; father, Kevin Federline)
Companion(s)
Adnan Ghalib , Companion , ```..Began dating in December 2007
Columbus Short , Companion , ```..Rumored to be the cause of her 2002 split from Justin Timberlake
Fred Durst , Companion , ```..Announced on the "Howard Stern Show" that he slept with Spears in 2003; Spears denied they were ever involved
Isaac Cohen , Companion , ```..Cohen's agent confirmed they were dating as of December 2006; they spit two months later
Justin Timberlake , Companion , ```..Member of the popular singing group *NSYNC; the two appeared together on the "Mickey Mouse Club" in the early 1990s; dated for three years; split in 2002
Nick Carter , Companion , ```..Member of the singing group "Backstreet Boys"; rumored to have dated in 2002
Education
Park Lane Academy McComb, MS
Professional Performing Arts School New York, NY 1991
Milestones
2007 Opend the MTV Video Music Awards with her new single "Gimme More"
2006 Appeared on Dateline NBC to discuss tabloid rumors about an impending divorce from her husband, future career plans, her emotional state and motherhood
2005 Starred in a six-part reality series titled "Britney and Kevin: Chaotic" (UPN), which mixed footage shot during the pair's whirlwind engagement in 2004
2005 Guest starred on an episode of "Will & Grace," (NBC) as a Christian conservative sidekick to Sean Hayes' character, Jack, who hosts his own talk show
2004 Signed a five year deal with Elizabeth Arden to develop fragrance, cosmetics and skin care products
2004 Received a Grammy nomination for Best Dance Recording for the song "Toxic"
2004 Released Greatest Hits: My Prerogative featuring three new songs, including "My Prerogative" and "Do Somethin'"
2003 Recieved Star on the Hollywood walk of Fame
2003 Released fourth album In the Zone, which featured Madonna on it's first single "Me Against the Music"
2002 Feature film acting debut in "Crossroads", directed by Tamra Davis
2002 Started production company called Britney Spears Productions
2002 Opened restaurant called NyLa in New York City; terminated her relationship with the restaurant, citing mismanagement and management's failure to keep her fully updated
2001 Hosted the American Music Awards telecast on ABC
2000 Lent her vocal talents to an episode of "The Simpsons", playing herself
2000 Followed up with the successful sophomore effort Oops!... I Did it Again
2000 Appeared in a McDonald's commercial filmed in Canada but refused to film a non-union United States-produced commercial for Clairol's Herbal Essence shampoo during the commercial actors' strike; donate
1999 Released multiplatinum debut album ...Baby One More Time
1999 Guested on an episode of the sitcom "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch" (ABC)
1998 Went on a promotional shopping mall tour
1998 First single, "...Baby One More Time"
1997 Signed with Jive Records
1993 - 1994 Was a cast member on "Mickey Mouse Club"
1992 Competed on the syndicated talent series "Star Search"; won for her debut performance, but was defeated the following week
1991 Moved with mother and sister to New York City to pursue an acting career
1991 Starred in the Off-Broadway production "Ruthless," a comedic remake of "The Bad Seed"
1990 Auditioned for the Disney Channel series "The Mickey Mouse Club"; at eight was considered too young by producers
1989 Trained as a gymnast at age seven
1987 Began dance lessons at the age of five
Returned to Louisiana
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