General Britney Spears Discussion

[Resi12]

To be fair anyone is going to get booed if they are rude, point in case that guy with Tulisa last year. She's sold far from 100 million albums but if you're thick enough to get cheeky to someone in that position in front of a baying crowd then you deserve it.

[LightningRider]

If she is going to have a say in her contestant's song, I would love if she'd sneak in Woohoo for at least one of them. And a Robyn song would be an absolute guarantee.

[Mushroom3]

A second tribute episode? Fucking Hell, are we going to get Boys, Do Somethin' and Criminal?

[JadeFan]

I'd like to see Sarah Jessica Parker or Kate Hudson belt out some You Drive Me Crazy!

[esteveyb]

While that is all very good, most of these things were years ago. Nearly anybody can throw on an executive producer tag onto an album and I doubt she had all that input in The Circus. But my point was not to criticise Britney, as I already stated I love her, own all 7 albums, been to her concerts etc. I'm just concerned that the pressure of The X-Factor isn't beneficial to her and I hope she's got a good team of helpers, because if it's left up to her (although the extent of the role the judges play is questionable anyway) it could very realistically be a disaster.

If it was that easy, most artists would do it - not even Lady Gaga considers herself the Executive Producer of her albums. It's well documented that Britney, at a time in her life when she was the least coherent (wearing random wigs, phasing in and out of a false British accent and attempting to be sarcastic but coming across as totally insane), was driving around with Blackout demos in her car, which is how they leaked. She was recording on her own schedule, with only Sam Lufti 'organising' things for her, and was truly at the helm of her career - or lack of.

It's also been publicly stated that she chose the tracks for The Circus Starring... which is why it was so heavy on the Blackout tracks. Larry and Teresa oversaw Circus, the album, to the last millimetre; if Larry had been actively involved in the set list, you can bet it would have been different.

Britney has her father, her fiancé and two managers negotiating deals and looking after her. If she can cope with the pressure of a strategically planned, timed to the minute live tour night after night, I think she will be OK with this.

[Itty Bitty Piggy]

The idea that the sound of Blackout is the closest we've got to the "real" Britney is such a wonderful notion that I will choose to believe it, whether it be true or not.

[IotV]

Goodness me, the Glee lot will do anything to capitalise on whatever they can.

The show's wwwayy past its peak, clinging to anything that will make headlines now.

[Kirkland]

Glee is way past its peak? So is X-Factor. It should have been cancelled years ago.

[Resi12]

One Direction sort of beg to differ to be fair though..

[Kirkland]

They're doing really well but X-Factor itself could do with a few nips and tucks. The Apprentice is an ordeal to watch these days and I used to watch it without fail. I think these formats are a bit old now. I can't watch The Voice anymore and that's after three weeks!

[IotV]

Glee is way past its peak? So is X-Factor. It should have been cancelled years ago.

Meh, I'm not arguing (although "years" is a bit too far; wasn't the season before last the most popular ever?).

[blaze_dave]

Do Somethin' didn't chart in the US, so I doubt it. I hope they do Oops!...I Did it Again in a similar arrangement of how they did Toxic.

Do Somethin' did chart the Billboard 100, it got to 100! Not bad considering it was never released in the US at all.

[utopia6021]

Is anyone genuinely expecting Britney to actually make decisions on this show and do the coaching/mentoring of her contestants? I think it is quite obvious that the producer's etc will be doing all the 'background' work with her contestants whilst Britney shoots her 3 minutes of backstage footage and goes home. Isn't that what Cheryl basically use to do on UK XF?

Even if she was expected to make decisions on the show, I'm sure it would have to be approved by a judge anyway.

[blaze_dave]

An interesting artcle about Britney on X Factor.

(CNN) -- Singing competition shows like "American Idol" and "The Voice" don't only make stars, they rehabilitate them.
Just ask Jennifer Lopez, whose seat at the "American Idol" judges' table paved the way for the success of her 2011 album and her recently announced summer tour. Or Maroon 5, who benefited greatly from frontman Adam Levine's spot on "The Voice." Even his fellow "Voice" judge, Christina Aguilera, cashed in on the group's best-selling single "Moves Like Jagger."
But for a megawatt star like Britney Spears, who already experienced a comeback of sorts in 2008 with the release of "Circus" not long after her fall from grace, a judging and mentoring gig on "The X Factor" isn't needed to sell albums.
Unlike her aforementioned reality show judge counterparts, Spears joins the Fox singing competition still riding the success of her seventh studio album, and her worldwide "Femme Fatale Tour." Even the star's personal life appears to be more in order these days.
But the pop princess hasn't exactly been accessible to her fans since she was placed in a conservatorship in 2008. And as stars like Lady Gaga and Beyonce have figured out, there's more to being a singing sensation in 2012 than meets the ear.
Fans want to relate to their favorite artists on a personal level, said Andy Greene, an associate editor at Rolling Stone. Becoming a mainstay on a show like "The X Factor," and showing off her personality each week, could reignite the level of fame Spears experienced in the early 2000s, Greene added.
Referencing the way Lady Gaga uses Twitter to stay connected to her fans, which she often calls her "little monsters," Greene said, "(Gaga) is part of their daily life, while Britney is not. And her handlers are realizing they have to loosen the reins a bit."
Even Beyonce has opened up to her fans since the birth of her daughter, Blue Ivy, joining Twitter and giving an intimate glimpse of her offstage life via her Tumblr page.
Though Spears has used social platforms to share pictures of her two sons and announce her engagement to former manager Jason Trawick, she's come off as a sort of "Stepford" pop star of late, Greene said. "She walks around like a robot. People can't relate to that," he said. "This could prove to be a whole new phase of her career. Britney 4.0."
And lucky for Spears because, with a reported $15 million contract to appear on "X Factor," this move is likely less about the money than it is about rebuilding her image.
"Britney off the cuff doesn't exist," said Phil Gallo, Billboard's senior correspondent for film and TV. "It's really been a while since we've heard her give any kind of expansive commentary."
To that end, there's a risk involved, because "the No. 1 dangerous thing that could happen," Gallo said, "is if the artist doesn't appear genuine. You have to feel like that's Britney saying what Britney wants to say. It can't feel scripted, like she has someone in her ear telling her what to say."
While "The X Factor" played hardball in the ratings game last fall, fluctuating from 8.5 to 12.5 million viewers each week, the singing competition underwhelmed critics thanks to Simon Cowell's prediction that anything less than 20 million in viewers would be unacceptable.
However, with Spears at the judges' table, ratings probably won't be a concern, Gallo said. If the show starts pulling "Idol"-like numbers, he added, "it will be driven by, 'What did Britney say?' 'What is Britney going to say?' Out of the gate, that's what it is."
Greene agrees people will tune in, if only to hear her talk.
"If you were a young person between '98 and '07, you find Britney fascinating," he said. "There's just no way around it ... between her craziness and absence."
Of course, Greene added, Britney's team probably wouldn't let her on live TV if she couldn't handle it.
"There's a vote of confidence on Fox's part and Simon Cowell's part and Britney's team's part to say she's ready, and if it goes right, the potential is huge," he said. "The real Britney I used to see is bubbly and funny. It would be nice to see that again."

[mi|kshake]

I love her, I really do but I think this could be a car-crash and I can't stand to see her so publicly slated again, which is bound to happen.

Totally agree. Part of me really wants to watch X Factor US when it starts but it could also very possibly be car crash telly and do Britney no favours. To be honest, I can't imagine the feedback Britney will give the contestants apart from saying it was "awesome" of course!

I just don't know if this is a good idea!

mi|kshake~

[Rmx]

That article is extremely on point.

Also, to the people saying "She was crazy back in '06, she could never have had influence on Blackout!", you don't know shit about her daily life! Even IF the worst-case scenario is true and she was basically cray cray and on drugs, who says her passion for music ever vanished? And don't give me the "robot VMA 2007" comment, there was huge pressure on that and it's only natural she was out of it. But if you take a day out of her daily life where she's just sitting in the studio, who are you to say she's not passionate about it and doesn't have anything to say? Also, don't even give me the "Passion?! Hah! Dead-in-the-eyes-ney!", that's all public affairs, when there's pressure on her. None of us know what she's like in the studio, but according to some producers who actually DO know and are NOT talking shit, she's had a big say in Blackout so yeah.

Leave Britney alone.

[bobbyrae]

At least from those soundbites she sounds like she is physically capable of stringing together a coherent sentence which will be useful in the live shows unlike will.i.am and his "words".

If she entertained me half as much as Will I would be delighted. He is really funny! He's the best part of the show.

[bryan89]

How is Britney Spears, the person who conceptualised the Baby One More Time video; the person who exec produced Blackout and put a fucking insane setlist together for The Circus; the person who chose Toxic over (I Got That) Boom Boom. How will she decide?!.

I don't know guys, we might end up with covers of Radar every week.

Preach it. Yes, Britney's been through a lot that have affected her but I really despise the way people are treating her like she's mentally ill. She'll be just fine

[iRyan]

That article is extremely on point.

Also, to the people saying "She was crazy back in '06, she could never have had influence on Blackout!", you don't know shit about her daily life! Even IF the worst-case scenario is true and she was basically cray cray and on drugs, who says her passion for music ever vanished? And don't give me the "robot VMA 2007" comment, there was huge pressure on that and it's only natural she was out of it. But if you take a day out of her daily life where she's just sitting in the studio, who are you to say she's not passionate about it and doesn't have anything to say? Also, don't even give me the "Passion?! Hah! Dead-in-the-eyes-ney!", that's all public affairs, when there's pressure on her. None of us know what she's like in the studio, but according to some producers who actually DO know and are NOT talking shit, she's had a big say in Blackout so yeah.

Leave Britney alone.

And let's not forget the M + M's Tour in 2007 she coordinated entirely by herself.

[IotV]

Preach it. Yes, Britney's been through a lot that have affected her but I really despise the way people are treating her like she's mentally ill. She'll be just fine

Is she not mentally ill? Otherwise why is a woman of 30 (29?) with two children in a stable relationship not allowed to control a massive proportion of her own life?

[bythebay]

And let's not forget the M + M's Tour in 2007 she coordinated entirely by herself.

While I get what you are saying and agree somewhat because I do think Britney is more connected that we think, all of the things you guys have pointed are minute when you consider she has had a ten year career. Most stars control ALL of that stuff and more so it is understandable that people have a conception that she is not in control. I don't know that she should be applauded for stepping up in the circumstances you mentioned as much as encouraged to do it more.

[bythebay]

I quoted the wrong post....sorry

[DirrtyBrain]

I hope she proves everyone wrong, but if the Fox Upfronts is anything to go by - I'm not sure how it's going to happen. I just pray she really sinks her teeth into her role and earns her money and really cares for her acts and is passionate about the project. I'll die if she uses an auto-cue!

[bryan89]

Is she not mentally ill? Otherwise why is a woman of 30 (29?) with two children in a stable relationship not allowed to control a massive proportion of her own life?

mentally ill? are you serious? she might have been through a lot, she may have changed but to go as far as calling her mentally ill is...sad... to say the least

[LewJB]

Is she not mentally ill? Otherwise why is a woman of 30 (29?) with two children in a stable relationship not allowed to control a massive proportion of her own life?

She probably is mentally ill, yes. Most of us will experience mental illness in our lives, most of Hollywood is 'mentally ill', it's a psychological inevitability and not a big deal. It's people behaving as if she's severely mentally ill when evidently, she really is more than 'just fine'. Insert 'world tour' mention here. Conservatorship mentions are redundant at this point (kinda always were): she's leading her life normally, and it's evidently all business. It can realistically be nothing more.