Previously Unseen ''For The Record'' Footage

For The Record Bonus DVD Footage

For The Record DVD Released Today

Britney's 90-minute documentary with MTV, For The Record, has been released on DVD today!.

The DVD features the documentary itself along with bonus footage you didn't see in the original broadcast and 6 new remixes of Britney's latest hits 'Womanizer' and 'Circus'.

You can order For The Record on Amazon by clicking here!

For The Record: Pre-Show

Thanx Ana!

"Britney: For The Record" DVD Scans

One of my friends at Jive had an official copy of Britney: For The Record lying on her desk, and she was cool enough to send in some scans of the DVD! Check out the full front and back cover, after the jump. BTW, be sure to preorder your copy now from amazon.com. Or you can just pop on over to your nearest Target or Wal-Mart when it hits shelves on April 7. Start planning your FTR watch parties now though, because we're gonna have a CONTEST (with prizes) based on the best watch party pics! Check back next week for details. xx♥

Source: Britney.com

For The Recourd Out On DVD April 7th

The ground-breaking documentary that showed fans and critics alike what it's really like to be Britney Spears will be released to DVD on Tuesday, April 7 in the U.S. Britney: For The Record first aired back in November on MTV and chronicles B's "comeback" (even though she never left!) from the 2008 VMAs to the release of her much-anticipated Circus album. The DVD includes rare scenes that didn't air on MTV, as well as six bonus remixes of Britney's "Womanizer" and "Circus" singles. See above for official DVD cover art. xx♥

Source: Britney.com

"For The Record" Planned For DVD

Click on the pic to see it larger.

Britney's Access Hollywood's Top Female Star Of 2008

The following italicized article is from www.accesshollywood.com:

For the second year in a row, Britney took the top honor – 133 stories were devoted to her in ’08 — 30 of which centered on her emotional breakdown, and losing custody of sons Jayden James and Sean Preston in January.

“I sit there and look back and I think I’m a smart person what the hell was I thinking?” Britney said in her recent documentary for MTV, “For The Record.”

But 2008 ends better than it began for Britney – with a comeback. Her new No. 1 album, “Circus,” was released December 2nd, the same day her friends threw her a 27th birthday bash in New York City.

Source: Access Hollywood

Britney Spears: A Look Back At How The Pop Star Took Back 2008

The following italicized article is from www.mtv.com:

If anyone is the comeback kid of 2008, it's Britney Spears. That's pretty amazing, considering the fact that in just the first week of the year, she was placed in a hospital for psychiatric observation and lost custody of her two young sons. But over the course of the past 12 months, she seems to have recuperated her losses. She got back to work, showed off her comedic chops on TV, hit the recording and dance studios, won some VMAs, made a tell-all documentary and had a #1 single and album.

Here's a look back at the moments — from awful lows to victorious highs — that made up the year in Britney:

Britney Hospitalized

On January 3, Britney refused to turn her sons over to Kevin Federline's bodyguards and reportedly locked herself in a bathroom with Jayden James. Police, fire trucks and helicopters arrived at the scene, and the pop singer was taken to Cedars-Sinai, where she was held for mental evaluation. Spears wasn't charged with any criminal wrongdoing and was released from the hospital two days later.

Britney Loses Custody of Her Kids

Following Britney's first hospitalization, Federline gained sole custody of Sean Preston and Jayden James, and Britney's visitation with her sons was temporarily suspended.

Britney Hospitalized ... Again

In January 2008, the best way to describe Britney was as a "beleaguered pop star." She was rushed to the UCLA Medical Center after being physically removed from her home by authorities, only weeks after her first hospitalization. Both her parents were by her side, as well as constant companion and "manager" Sam Lutfi. She was released a week later.

Britney Hooks Up With, Then Ditches Sam Lutfi And Adnan Ghalib

Aside from Justin Timberlake, Britney has always had questionable taste in men. From Jason Alexander to Federline, Spears has always opted to have unfamous clingers-on by her side. And in 2008, that included paparazzo Adnan Ghalib and Lutfi, who managed to take control of the pop star's life and push away those closest to her in a very short time. With the help of her parents (and their lawyers), who filed a restraining order against Lutfi while Brit was in the hospital, she ultimately got rid of these questionable influences.

Britney Goes To Court— And Sometimes Doesn't

In 2008, Britney had a lot of dates with her lawyers. She was in court to regain custody of her kids (eventually getting her visiting rights restored), she was in court for her driving violations, and she was in court when her dad, Jamie Spears, took over control of her affairs in February. This court order may have taken away her right to make her own decisions, but it gave her the stability and structure she seemed to need.

Britney Makes Them Laugh

In a March episode of the CBS comedy "How I Met Your Mother," Britney showed everyone that she's up for making you laugh, intentionally, playing Abby the love-struck dermatologist's receptionist. She did so well, in fact, that she was asked to return for another episode, and some wondered if perhaps comedy could be a new career option for the "Mickey Mouse Club" alum.

Britney Hangs With Russell Brand ... And An Elephant

"How I Met Your Mother" proved she could be funny, so even skeptics were interested when she teamed up with VMA host Russell Brand for a promo spot. Ignoring the literal elephant in the room, the "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" star flirted with Brit relentlessly. And when Brand suggested there was some sexual tension between them, Britney won back our hearts and confidence by quipping dryly, "I didn't feel any tension."

Britney Finally Scoops Up Some Moonmen

With nearly a decade of VMA nominations and performances under her belt, Britney finally earned herself not one, but three Moonmen in 2008, including Video of the Year for "Piece of Me." Erasing the image of her 2007 VMA appearance, Brit glammed it up and giggled her way to victory at MTV's big show, which included a funny little opening skit with "Superbad" star Jonah Hill.

Britney Tells All In "For The Record"

In her very personal MTV documentary, Brit talked in great length about her breakups with Federline and Timberlake, discussed being a mom and how important her two sons are and opened up about her very public breakdowns. It also showed everyone the steps Britney was taking to making her big, splashy comeback with her new album, Circus.

Britney's Back On Top With Circus

On the heels of the less-than-stellar success of Blackout, Britney headed to the Circus and released her sixth studio album on December 2, her 27th birthday. The album and its first single, "Womanizer," have become smash hits. With first-week album sales of over 500,000 copies, the once-disgraced pop princess has managed to finish 2008 with a triumphant bang. And judging by ticket sales for her tour, 2009 might not be too shabby either.

Source: MTV

New For The Record Clip

Lynne Spears: I'm To Blame For My Britney's Meltdown

The following italicized article is from www.dailymail.co.uk:

Britney may be back - but her demons haven't gone away. And no one knows that better than her mother, Lynne, as she reveals in this frank interview.

There was a point, admits Lynne Spears, mother of Britney, when she toyed with the idea of calling her autobiography It's All My Fault. 'I can laugh about it now, but did I feel that way at the time? Yes, I did and, if I'm being totally honest, I still do,' she says.

Lynne is referring to her daughter's all-too-public meltdown last year, when she sank from America's sweetheart to public enemy number one, seemingly intent on destroying herself and everything around her.

'When her life was such a success, what did she need me for? And when things took a turn for the worse, I was out, because other people - dancers, managers - were closer to her, and with her day and night. Being a mother, you can't help but have regrets about what you did and didn't do for your kids, and I'm no different,' admits Lynne.

Certainly, there must have been times last year when those regrets seemed almost stifling.

For seven long months, during which time Britney lost custody of her two young sons and was ordered to submit to random drugs and alcohol tests, Lynne was banished from her daughter's life completely.

At the time, friends of the star were worried that she might try to kill herself - a fear shared by Lynne. 'Yes, I did worry that that might happen,' she confesses. 'I couldn't see Britney, and you worry more when you're looking at things from a distance.'

After the loss of her sons, Britney once again reached out to her mother and asked for her help regaining custody. 'When I started seeing her again, I felt more reassured,' says Lynne. 'She told me that, as bad as life can get, she still likes life too much to consider ending it.'

It must have been hard to see her daughter wrenched from her young children, but Lynne has nothing but praise for their father, Kevin Federline. 'He has been real good with Britney, and doesn't want to keep the kids from her at all,' she says, adding that Britney's access rights translate in real terms to 'getting to see the kids almost any time she wants'.

'He's not a bad guy and he has a good heart. I would have chosen a prince or a state governor for her, but Kevin's worked a lot to help out, and I can't say anything bad about him.'

Lynne, 53, has been painted over the years as the hard-nosed architect of Britney's fame, pushing her off to dancing and singing lessons as a young girl, desperate for superstardom. It's an image that clearly rankles.

'I was never a stage mum and never Britney's manager. What really gets me about that stage mum thing is that, in this business, it's customary for the mother to take five per cent, but I never did, even when times were bad and our family needed the money.

Jamie [Britney's father] and I both said that we never wanted to be her managers; we just wanted to be parents. I was never in the driver's seat as far as Britney's career goes.'

We meet in a hotel in New Orleans, where she has been publicising her book (she opted for the title Through The Storm in the end), and though she is wary, she is also very charming; all softly-spoken, immaculately-suited Southern bonhomie, sprinkling 'y'all's about her like confetti.
Following Britney's UK appearance on last week's X Factor, I ask Lynne if her daughter is happy now. I expect a saccharine answer and am taken aback when she gives the question some consideration before saying, 'I think Britney's happy in most ways - very happy with her kids and ecstatic about work, but there's something missing in her life.

That gut belief she had in herself when she was so young - that's what's missing, and she's got to get that back. She could set the world on fire in those days, and she knew exactly what she wanted. But the hardships she's been through have made her a little hesitant. She needs one big boost, one plug of energy and she'll be there.'

That 'gut belief' in herself was, more than anything, what propelled Britney from Smalltown, USA, to worldwide superstardom at the age of 17. Growing up in Kentwood, Louisiana (where Lynne still lives), the middle of three children (she has an older brother, Bryan, and younger sister Jamie Lynn), Britney Jean Spears was raised by Lynne, a schoolteacher, and Jamie, a building contractor.

From the age of three, she had jazz, ballet and tap lessons - not, Lynne insists, out of a mother's desire to nudge her daughter on to the stage, but 'because Britney loved it.

She just loved performing and no one could stop her.'

By the time Britney was 11, she was a star of Disney's popular Mickey Mouse Club TV series. Many claimed that Britney's escalating fame was a godsend to her parents, who were teetering financially, but Lynne is indignant at the suggestion.

'It cost a lot to send Britney to classes and competitions, and by the time she made it to the Mickey Mouse Club, what she made barely paid for the apartment we stayed in [in Florida], and with living expenses, too, it actually cost us money. But she really wanted to do it and we weren't going to stop her.'

In retrospect, does Lynne sometimes wish that she had said no to all the aspirations of her daughter? 'Well, that's unrealistic,' she says. 'You don't tell your child, "You can't play football because you might get into steroids one day", because you just don't foresee those problems. Even if I had said no to Britney, maybe worse things might have happened because she was frustrated and couldn't fulfil her dreams.'

And so her dreams came true, but a living nightmare quickly followed. The tale of Britney's fall from grace has been well-documented. A hugely successful international singing star, Britney dated singer Justin Timberlake for four years. When that relationship ended in 2002, she married twice in quick succession - the first to childhood friend Jason Alexander, which was annulled after just 55 hours, and the second to dancer Kevin Federline, with whom she had her two boys.

When the couple divorced two years later, Britney fell apart. A shocked world followed her fall from grace, courtesy of paparazzi shots that showed Britney shaving her head, driving while holding her eldest son on her lap and attacking a crowd of photographers with an umbrella. She was sectioned in a mental health clinic twice in the space of a month and, worst of all, lost custody of the boys - Sean Preston, three, and Jayden James, two.

At this point, at their wits' end, her parents stepped in. In January of this year, Jamie was awarded 'legal conservatorship' over his daughter, giving him control over Britney's personal and business affairs. Lynne and Jamie divorced six years ago after 27 years of marriage, but on this course of action they were united.

'I admire Jamie for making the effort and trying to do it well,' says Lynne. 'We decided he should be the one to do it, because he's the stronger figure. Mums always give in to their kids because we're softies, and what Britney needed at the time was the stronger person.'

But Jamie, too, has had his problems. He has battled with an addiction to alcohol, though he has now been sober for five years. 'We all had reservations at first,' admits Lynne, 'and we all worried that the stresses of such a major undertaking would affect them both. But Jamie's really doing well with Britney, and I must give him credit for that.'

By all accounts, Mr Spears is no slouch on the disciplining front, apparently drawing up a list of rules with which his 27-year-old daughter must comply, including no emailing or driving. And no exceeding the £750 a month allowance he gives her. 'She was spending a lot of money, so that would make sense,' says Lynne.

In the TV documentary For The Record, which was recently screened on Sky, Britney likened her current predicament to a jail sentence. 'I'm sure she does feel reined in too tight some days,' says her mother, 'but it was definitely necessary in the beginning.

'Jamie's real gruff sometimes, but he's been a disciplinarian when it was needed. He's always adored his children, but when they were younger, he was so distracted with work and was drinking heavily, so they maybe didn't bond like they should have done.'

Of Britney's recent liaison with British paparazzo Adnan Ghalib (who at one point reportedly sold semi-naked pictures of Britney for around £25,000), Lynne remains tightlipped. 'Did I think it seemed right that they were seeing each other? Oh, no. But when I met him, Sam Lufti [Britney's former manager] was also around, and Adnan was definitely the better of the two. But Adnan's out of her life now,' Lynne adds, with some relief.

As terrible as it must have been for Lynne to witness Britney's plight, the most difficult chapters for her to write in her book were those concerning her youngest daughter Jamie Lynn's pregnancy at the age of 16, and the birth of her baby daughter, who is now six months old.

Jamie Lynn followed Britney into showbusiness by starring in children's TV show Zoey 101, and when the story of her pregnancy broke, the critics were quick to blame Lynne.

'With Britney, everything had always been out there in the public domain,' she says. 'So, even if I wasn't used to the pain, I was still used to those things happening. But with Jamie Lynn it was so different. I couldn't believe that my studious, perfect little girl had got herself pregnant. I just went into shock. But she's doing great now, and is a wonderful mum to Maddie Briann.'

Have Jamie Lynn and her boyfriend Casey Aldridge set a wedding date? 'No, but Jamie Lynn will do the right thing at the right time.' Does that involve having more children? 'Oh, no, definitely not,' says Lynne, horrified. 'I think it took that one time to make her grow up and realise her responsibilities.'

Looking back, Lynne believes mistakes have been made. 'I think I was an enabler to Britney,' she says. 'I would over-compensate and I tried to make things seem happier when my kids were growing up, because I was aware of the deficit. Maybe I didn't give her the skills to handle the hard times. Maybe I sheltered her too much from the realities, and sometimes that's not a good thing.'

Children of an alcoholic parent are often over-achievers and Britney, who Lynne describes as being 'a beautiful girl, a wonderful singer and dancer and gymnast', achieved more than most.

When fame hit, it hit hard, 'and that's when everything started slipping away. She was a bird flying on her own, when what she most needed was to have good people around her.' And now, how does Lynne feel? 'I'm so proud of Britney. She's been through a tough time and look at her now,' she says. 'That's my baby - and she's back.'

Britney is certainly going through a period of rejuvenation, but, for all Lynne's brave words, there are signs that she still has some way to go. In an interview in last month's Rolling Stone magazine, she told how forgoing her partying ways and going to bed early have left her feeling like 'an old person', and in the documentary For The Record, she described how every day feels 'like Groundhog Day... it's really boring'.

Throughout the film, Britney seemed to be slightly disconnected, as if she was on autopilot - the vivacious singer of old was just a faint memory - and I can't help but think back to what her mother said, about there being 'something missing' in her life. Like Lynne, I sincerely hope she finds it again.

Source: Daily Mail

'Circus' To Sell More Then 450.000 Copies

The following Italicized article is from www.hitsdailydouble.com:

Britney might not want to call her latest release a comeback, but whatever you dub it, her new Jive/ZLG album Circus is soaring past all expectations.

Thanks to a barrage of good publicity for a change, the pop star, who just celebrated her 27th birthday yesterday with a performance on ABC’s Good Morning America, will debut at #1 on next week’s HITS Album Sales chart with a total that seems to be in excess of 450k, and very capable of climbing even higher.

According to retailers who haven't been clubbed into submission by the economy, first-day sales were brisk for the album, coming on the heels of MTV’s highly rated documentary, Britney: For the Record, a Rolling Stone cover story and surprisingly rave reviews. Hey, the media owes her.

With initial guesstimates in the 350k range, Spears appears to be blowing away the pundits' first-week predictions. Based on first day sales reports, the album seems poised to top the recent first week total of the current #1, Kanye West, and, possibly, even Beyonce.

Meanwhile SRC/Universal Motown’s Akon, fresh off a hit single, will be the next highest debut of the week in the 80-90k range, while Asylum rapper (and one-time Geto Boy) Scarface looks to scare up some 30-40k in sales.

The market was up 29% vs. last week, thanks to Black Friday, basically flat vs. the same week last year and still down 14% year to date.

Source: Hits Daily Double

MTV Scores With Britney Special

The following Italicized article is from www.hollywoodreporter.com:

For the record -- Britney Spears' MTV special did pretty good Sunday night.

"Britney: For The Record" averaged 3.7 million total viewers at 10 p.m.

It also pulled in a 3.5 rating in the network's target demo of persons 12-34, tripling the time period average in that demo and all others.

The documentary, part of Spears' career relaunch, provided insight into pop princess' rough last few years and into her paparazzi-filled everyday life.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

For The Record [Youtube-LQ]

Behind the Britney Story: A Conversation With Writer Jenny Eliscu

The following Italicized article is from www.rollingstone.com:

Rolling Stone contributing editor Jenny Eliscu first interviewed Britney Spears in RS 877, when Spears appeared on her third cover. Here Eliscu talks about the changes she's seen in Britney over the years, and what it was like getting access to the star for her new story, Britney Returns.

When did you first meet Britney?

It was in summer of 2001. She had just moved into a new house in the Hollywood Hills and she was decorating it with her mom. She was dating Justin at the time. We went into her bedroom into the walk-in closet there was a shirt in the closet that was obviously Justin's. It was a cowboy shirt. It was hanging by itself — I looked at it and I remember thinking, "That's Justin's! He must sleep over here!" And she was very down-to-earth and friendly and silly — I was charmed by her immediately. She was easy to be around. She was just in jeans and a T-shirt and her eyeliner was from last night — which always seems to be the case with Britney. We went to the studio together, and she was working with producer B.T. She got in the booth and sang, and it was surprisingly effortless for her.

How would you compare the girl then to the girl now?

What's the most different was the experience. I had interviewed her a handful of times since that first story, and we'd even talked about doing a book together a couple years ago. I mean, she used to send me Christmas cards and thank-you notes and stuff. Which, by the way, is super rare for anyone to do after you've written about them. Given all this background, I was really suprirsed by the restrictions on my access to her. I was like,"'What's the problem here?" That made me immediately uncomfortable. So, to answer your question is tough, because, compared to my previous experiences with her, this one was so much more micro-managed. I saw her several times over the course of September and October, but I was only allowed to speak with her on two of those occasions. My impressions are based on the very limited constraints that were put on us. That said, the first time I saw her on this story, my first impression was that she looked great. She looked like Britney. But there was much more of a sense of "can we get this over with" and her manager had to sit in. It wasn't possible to engage with her in the ways I was used to, both in my past interviews with her and compared to what it's normally like in general to talk in-depth with a subject.

You've heard her quote from the documentary about how she feels like a prisoner. Did you get that vibe from her?

The thing is, when I met with her, I wasn't looking for that. I had started to feel uncomfortable with all the restrictions, like submitting my questions for approval and not being left alone with her. And whenever I asked who was making these rules, I was told it had to do with the conservatorship. Like most people I didn't know much about conservatorships or how they're supposed to work. Of course, the funny coincidence is that the most famous conservatorship in recent years isn't even Britney's: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were being run by a government conservatorship. And we see how brilliantly that turned out. Anyway, I had done some preliminary research into it, but I was not yet aware how hard Britney had tried to fight it initially and why. As my research progressed, it started to become clear to me that this might not be something that should still be in place. Because it is designed, ideally, to protect people who are seriously ill. We're talking about people who are non compus mentis, according to the lawyers I consulted. Or they're in a vegetative state. Or they're just so old that they can't take care of themselves anymore. But Britney? It was making less and less sense as time went on.

So, as I say, it wasn't until after my last meeting with her that I realized how far beyond the scope of my interview this level of control extended into all facets of her life. And so, unfortunately, I wasn't, like, checking to see if she blinked out an S.O.S. code or whatever. But in hindsight, I did have a new understanding of the quote of hers at the end of the story, which is the last thing she said to me, in the context of being interviewed. She was describing this song she wrote about artistic expression and masquerade — pretending to be other people and putting on shows. And she says, "Through this you create your world." The song is about a girl who likes to live in a world of make-believe, and she's got all these people trying to come into her world that she didn't invite in. It's pretty telling. When you think about it, Britney Spears is an artist — a pop artist, in the truest sense — and sometimes artists do crazy things. I'm not sure why Britney isn't allowed to act out in the ways that we normally consider acceptable from artists. And we're guilty too because we created this Britney Spears character and we won't let her change.

What do you think will happen next? Is this conservatorship thing going to be a problem for Britney in the future?

It's a problem for her now. And the commissioner recently granted their request to make it permanent. If something doesn't change — if somebody doesn't contest it — it would theoretically remain in effect until her father dies. So far, Britney has failed in her attempts to hire her own lawyer.

Why do you think the court keeps approving the conservatorship?

One credible theory goes that the conservatorship manages to remain in effect due to political pressure on the courts to keep Britney off the streets. Her reckless behavior definitely was a problem for tax-paying Los Angelenos, who deserve to be able to drive their roads without fear of being run down by a Britney-led paparazzi chase, you know? She was creating mayhem, and it's fair to consider the impact on her neighbors and community. But I also think it's important for conservatorship not to be manipulated into a form of censorship. As Britney herself notes in that documentary, the punishment for her antics ought to fit the crime. At this point, it's like we're punishing her for acting shamlessly. and for being tacky. And this is America! If Britney is famous for acting tacky, we've got no one to blame but ourselves.

Source: Rolling Stone

New 'For The Record' Promo

Britney Spears Heads to Europe for Circus

The following italicized article is from www.people.com:

Although a long holiday weekend is right around the corner, Britney Spears is getting to work promoting her upcoming album, Circus, in Europe.

The singer boarded a flight from Los Angeles to Frankfurt, Germany on Monday for several appearances in support of the album, which is scheduled to be released Dec. 2.

Spears is traveling with several close associates and family members, including her father, Jamie, and manager Larry Rudolph. According to an eyewitness, the singer – dressed in a brown fedora, black sweatpants and a pink top – jumped out of her white Cadillac Escalade smiling and holding her dad's hand at the airport.

After a short time in Germany, Spears is expected to appear on the French program, Star Academy, and on Simon Cowell's X Factor in England before returning to the U.S. next week. She is scheduled to go on a worldwide tour in the spring of next year.

Spears's candid new MTV documentary, Britney: For the Record, airs Nov. 30.

Source: People

New "For The Record" Commercial

Source: Yahoo!

'For The Record' Promotional Photo

Source: Britney.com

New 'For The Record' Promo Video