Britney Spears -- The Financial Explosion

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

Britney Spears has just learned .... it pays to have a conservatorship, and pays VERY well.

TMZ has obtained legal documents in the conservatorship case, showing that in December 2008, the assets controlled by Britney's conservators totaled $2,826,362.68.

Now get this ...TMZ has learned ... exactly one year later -- in December, 2009 -- the assets controlled by the conservators swelled to $27,500,000 ... almost a 10 fold increase in 1 year.

Most of the gains came from Britney's wildly successful Circus Tour.

As for the assets at the close of 2008, there's an interesting breakdown. Britney's "furniture and equipment" was valued at $1,551,026. Her jewelry, furs and antiques totaled $264,988.

Now the figures are deceiving. The conservators only control a portion of Britney's total estate. She has a lot of money and property in various trusts and other business entitites, which the conservators do not control.

Source: TMZ

New Backstage ''Circus'' Tour Picture

Celeb 100 FAQ: Yes, Britney Spears Really Made $64 Million Last Year. Here's How.

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

When Britney Spears popped up at no. 6 on our Celebrity 100 list, we too thought it must be some sort of technical glitch in the number crunching process. What else could explain the placement of the former head-shaving, umbrella-swinging, rehab-visiting pop-tart near the top of a list of the world’s most powerful stars? Could this one-time train wreck really be that rich or that important to the entertainment business?

The answer is yes. The Britney Spears who made our list was not the tabloid target whose frequent meltdowns only two years ago relegated her to our infamy index. Instead, the 28-year-old that clocked in in our top 10 was the chart-topping songstress whose past 12 months included the 5th highest-grossing tour of the year. According to concert trade publication Pollstar, "The Circus Starring Britney Spears" tour grossed more than $130 million. Spears took in still more from tour merchandise and another greatest hits album, "The Singles Collection."

Like her savvier Hollywood cohorts, she has been similarly busy building the Spears brand, extending her fan-base –and wallet—with a host of top-selling Elizabeth Arden fragrances, an endorsement deal for Candie’s and a fashion collection for juniors. She added the latter last month, and will sell her designs exclusively at Kohl’s.

But for her to land as high on the list as she did, she needed to garner as much fame as she did money. She did. In fact, the mother of two ranked third overall in Web mentions (behind Lady Gaga and Beyonce, who banked an estimated $62 million and $87 million, respectively, during the same period) and second in a social media metric that factored in both Twitter and Facebook followings (Gaga has her beat with nearly 10 million Facebook fans).

Still more impressive: in May, Spears overtook Twitter king Ashton Kutcher as the most popular celebrity on Twitter. At last check, she had 5.2 million followers, a group with whom she responds to and frequently updates.

So no, Britney Spears is far from through. If the last year is any indication, she's just getting started.

Source: Forbes

Britney Spears: Marmalade Lunch Lady

The following italicized article is from www.celebrity-gossip.net:

Grabbing up a midday meal, Britney Spears stepped out for lunch at Marmalade Cafe with her two bodyguards in Calabasas, California on Tuesday (June 22).

The "Gimme More" singer looked summer comfortable in a bright red tank top with black short shorts on what was a very hot day in the valley.

Meanwhile, Miss Spears was brought up the previous night when "Eclipse" actress Dakota Fanning spoke of the pop star while visiting the "Tonight Show with Jay Leno".

Miss Fanning told Leno, "...I went to a Britney Spears concert with my best friend and her sister. I was so excited! [She] was really the first famous person I met when I came to California. I met her in a store when I was 6 years old and I was so starstruck by her and I just loved her so much. Getting to go to her 'Circus' tour was like reliving [that]."

See more pics here!

Source: Celebrity Gossip

Lindsay Bailed Out By Member of Britney's Team

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

The person who wired Lindsay Lohan's bail money at lightning speed last Thursday also helped Britney Spears get back on track ... and she's considered a behind-the-scenes wheeler dealer who pushes some pretty controversial born-again views.

Lou Taylor -- who has a financial management company in Nashville, Tennessee -- quietly came on board with Lindsay a few months ago.

Taylor is not only considered genius in the money department, she's a huge personality with a moral force that easily rivals her hubby, who's a minister.

Sources say one of the reasons Taylor came on board with Lindsay is because of her fire and brimstone approach to handling her clients. We're told Taylor is not shy about pushing her born again religious views ... something we're told scared the hell out of Britney ... but we're also told Brit got over it when Taylor engineered the financial end of Brit's very successful concert tour.

Taylor reps a bunch of Hollywood types as well as Nashville singers. One person who currently works with Taylor says, "She takes BS from no one. It's like having a mother with an iron fist who just fiercely tries tries to protect her clients."

Another source says Taylor's influence is so strong, it's like having an "interventionist" on her clients' team.

Taylor is the one who ripped Dr. Phil a new one for trying to do a Britney intervention on his television show in the middle of her 5150 hold.

Sources say Taylor has helped Lindsay in the financial chaos department. In the intervention department ... not so much.

Source: TMZ

Britney Spears Back in Shape for Lingerie Campaign... with Barely an Airbrush In Sight

The following italicized article is fromwww.dailymail.co.uk:

The last time Britney Spears modelled for American clothing firm Candie's, observers noticed picture editors had been a bit too heavy-handed with the airbrush.

But after completing a gruelling 97-date world tour last November, Britney's body is looking more honed than ever, leaving little need for digital enhancement.

Returning as the face of Candie's for the second time, the mother-of-two looks stunning as she flaunts her curves in a floral lingerie two-piece.

Source: Daily Mail

New Pic of Britney with Dancer

Check out this never before seen pic of Britney with Luke Broadlick taken on the last tour date.

'Circus Tour' Ranked #4 Tour in America - #1 for Female and a Solo Entertainer

Check out the entire top 50 here:

Rank -- Total Gross* -- Artist
1 -- 123.0 -- U2
2 -- 94.5 -- Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
3 -- 88.0 -- Elton John / Billy Joel
4 -- 82.5 -- Britney Spears
5 -- 77.9 -- AC/DC
6 -- 71.1 -- Kenny Chesney
7 -- 69.8 -- Jonas Brothers
8 -- 56.9 -- Dave Matthews Band
9 -- 54.5 -- Fleetwood Mac
10 --53.4 -- Metallica
11 -- 47.4 -- Nickelback
12 -- 46.2 -- "Walking With Dinosaurs"
13 -- 45.0 -- Miley Cyrus
14 -- 43.7 -- Trans-Siberian Orchestra
15 -- 42.8 -- Eagles
16 -- 42.7 -- Keith Urban
17 -- 42.6 -- Celine Dion
18 -- 42.2 -- Rascal Flatts
19 -- 40.8 -- Coldplay
20 -- 40.7 -- Paul McCartney
21 -- 37.2 -- Phish
22 -- 35.4 -- Brad Paisley
23 -- 34.6 -- Jeff Dunham
24 -- 33.9 -- No Doubt
25 -- 33.2 -- Cher
26 -- 32.1 -- Lil' Wayne
27 -- 30.5 -- KISS
28 -- 30.1 -- "American Idols Live"
29 -- 29.7 -- Toby Keith
30 -- 29.1 -- Bette Midler
31 -- 28.1 -- Dane Cook
32 -- 26.7 -- Blink-182
33 -- 26.4 -- The Dead
34 -- 26.4 -- Beyoncé
35 -- 26.0 -- Il Divo
36 -- 25.5 -- Taylor Swift
37 -- 24.8 -- Def Leppard
38 -- 24.2 -- Cirque du Soleil - "Saltimbanco"
39 -- 23.5 -- Mötley Crüe
40 -- 22.3 -- Depeche Mode
41 -- 22.0 -- George Strait
42 -- 21.9 -- Eric Clapton / Steve Winwood
43 -- 21.8 -- Kings Of Leon
44 -- 21.3 -- Leonard Cohen
45 -- 20.4 -- Bob Dylan
46 -- 19.7 -- "So You Think You Can Dance"
47 -- 18.8 -- Journey
48 -- 18.7 -- Jimmy Buffett
49 -- 18.5 -- Luis Miguel
50 -- 18.4 -- The Killers

* In US millions

Source: Pollstar

Britney Spears Steps Out with Darkened Hairdo

The following italicized article is from www.celebrity-gossip.net:

Showing off her darkened brunette hairdo, Britney Spears was spotted being chauffeured around West Hollywood, California on Monday (December 28).

Sporting her trusty pink booties, the “Gimme More” singer made her way over to the popular Mondrian Hotel - doing her best to sneak into the entrance without being noticed.

The sighting comes just after Miss Spears found herself voted to the top spot in a Best Live Acts of 2009 poll by CNS readers for her work on the Circus tour.

Also making the 2009 top-acts lineup were Lady GaGa, Beyonce, Pink and Green Day - who rounded out the top 5 listings.

See more pics here!

Source: Celebrity Gossip

My reaction? Well...

Top Ten Celebrity Comebacks of the Decade

The decade started so well for Britney Spears. She was at the top of her game at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards when she strutted across the stage crooning "I'm a Slave 4 U," a larger-than-life snake slithering above her taut abs.

Even Madonna wanted a piece of her. Their kiss at the 2003 VMAs made headlines around the world and is still one of MTV's most-talked-about moments.

By 2006, it appeared the pop princess was ready to abdicate her throne, her marriage to Kevin Federline and custody of their two boys, Sean Preston and Jayden James. A months-long saga of bad behavior that included multiple flashes of her private parts, countless nights on the town and allegations of drug and alcohol abuse culminated in February 2007 with Spears buzzing off her famous locks at a Tarzana, Calif., hair salon while photographers snapped away outside. Later that year, she gave what has become a widely ridiculed performance at the VMAs.

It took nearly two years and her father taking charge of her life before Spears regained her footing. Musically, she ends the decade on an up note. Her 2008 song "Womanizer" put her back at the top of the singles charts for the first time since the 1990s. And her album "Circus" is approaching double-platinum status, while her 2009 concert tour was the year's highest-grossing in the United States .

Source: ABC News

Pink Speaks Out on Britney Spears Lip-Synching Saga in Women's Health

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

Pink has jumped into the Britney Spears lip-synching saga by saying she would never go to a concert where the performer wasn't singing live. The 30-year-old rocker tells Women's Health - a fitness magazine: "I'm not taking anything away from Britney because I really like her a lot, but I would never go to a show where the person was lip-synching.

The star added, "When you grow up listening to Janis Joplin, you're not going to want to see somebody mime."

Pink followed her comments by saying that despite singing about Britney in her hit Stupid Girls, she actually likes the pop star. "I've always said I like Britney," she says.

Pink also says she has stuck up for the pop princess but wanted to avoid being compared to Britney as an artist. "I swear to God, I've stuck up for Britney since the beginning. "She and I have talked about it. "My point was, 'Stop comparing me to her, because we're different animals'."

Pink - whose real name is Alecia Moore - also opens up about her relationship with hubby motor-cross racer Cary Hart. She says that exercise kept her sane during their 2008 split. The couple have since reunited.

Source: National Ledger

Now I could make some mean comment about how P!nk is probably the fakest rock chick out there but I won't 'cause I'm better than that.

Artists of the Year 2009

#7 Britney Spears

After a few tumultuous years that found Spears in the tabloids more often than the charts, Britney redeemed herself with a pair of mega-hit singles -- "Womanizer" and "Circus" -- from her 2008 comeback album. A successful world tour brought her back to center stage, but the real proof of her rejuvenation was the one-off single "3," which debuted atop the Hot 100 chart in October. Spears was the first artist to enter the chart at No. 1 in more than three years.

Source: Billboard

Umaga's Final Flight with Britney

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

BRITNEY SPEARS was one of the last people to spend time with wrestling superstar Umaga before he died.

The pop singer bumped into the former WWE WrestleMania headliner when they shared a flight from Australia to America.

Britney — now back in LA — remembered Umaga from a wrestling storyline he was part of with her ex-husband Kevin Federline and John Cena on Raw.

She was returning from a series of concerts Down Under, where the grappler had also been in action as part of the Hulkamania tour.

His last bout was on November 28 against Ken Anderson in Sydney.

The Wrestling Observer reports: "After the match, Fatu returned to the US on a flight with both Ric Flair and Britney Spears.

"Spears recognised him even before Flair, telling him she knew him for when he worked with her ex-husband."

Umaga, real name Edward Fatu, died of a heart attack a week later, aged just 36.

He was due to return to the WWE in January, subject to passing a drugs test. He was fired in June for falling foul of the company's Wellness Policy and refusing to go to rehab.

The WWE have been criticised by fans for not marking his passing at all on this week's Raw.
There was no video tribute or graphic with many assuming that Vince McMahon's group are trying to distance themselves from the large number of grapplers who have died young.

However, some wrestlers — including Chris Jericho and Primo Colon — wore black armbands in Umaga's honour.

Source: The Sun

Britney Spears -- The Road to Freedom

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

Britney Spears' team has taken the first step toward ending the conservatorship, TMZ has learned ... but it's by no means a done deal.

Sources tells us lawyers and others connected with the case have been meeting ... evaluating Britney's progress with the goal of ending the conservatorship. As we first reported, Britney's dad, Jamie Spears, wanted to wait until her tour ended before making the big move, but it's something he wants for his daughter only when the time is right.

We know there have been several lengthy meetings recently between the lawyers and the court commissioner in the commissioner's chambers.

Jamie and the lawyers will not make the decision to end the conservatorship. They will weigh in, but the person with all the influence is the "capacity expert" -- a psychiatrist who was appointed by the court. The capacity expert will do a thorough evaluation and submit it to the commissioner.

We're told one of the fears Jamie has ... Sam Lutfi, a guy Jamie thinks is still a threat to Britney if she allows him back in her life. He's got that right.

There are actually two conservatorships -- one over Britney, the person, and the other over Britney's business affairs. We're told the business conservatorship will likely continue. The issue on the table is whether to end the conservatorship over Britney, the person. Again, no decisions have been made, but it's all moving in that direction.

Source: TMZ

Britney Spears Earns Grammy Nomination for Best Dance Recording with 'Womanizer'

Britney Spears has scored a Grammy nomination for her No. 1 hit single "Womanizer" in the Best Dance Recording category. Spears previously earned a Grammy win in the same category with her mesmerizing hit "Toxic" in 2004.

"Womanizer" was the lead single from her sixth studio album Circus and climbed to the coveted No. 1 position on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart. The song rocketed to No. 1 in over 10 countries outside of the U.S. In addition to setting new records with the song last December, the global icon earned critical-accolades: Rolling Stone praised "Womanizer" as an "electro-glam stomp" and went on to describe the song as "head-boppingly hypnotic." Overall, The New York Times praised Circus, noting that "most of her new songs are crisp, cunning dance pop..." Upon the release of the album, Spears became the first female ever to have five No. 1 album debuts, and both the single and album resonated with her fans as evident by the sales. "Womanizer" sold close to 3.5 million combined digital/mobile units domestically while the album has sold 3.4 million units worldwide to date.

Spears, who has just wrapped up her international tour, recently set another record when she became the first artist in over three years to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart with her new song, "3." The catchy song is from Britney Spears' new album The Singles Collection which hit stores last month. "3" has already sold over one million tracks and is presently the No. 2 pop song in the country (Source: Mediabase) and ranks No. 10 (with a bullet) on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart.

Source: Jive Records

Britney Spears: Home, Sweet Home

The following italicized article is from www.celebrity-gossip.net:

Making the long flight home to the States, Britney Spears was spotted arriving at LAX Airport in Los Angeles, California on Monday (November 30).

Escorted through the terminal by her trusty security staffer, the “Gimme More” singer looked happy to be back home after finishing up the final leg of Circus tour in Australia.

See more pics here!

Source: Celebrity Gossip

The Final Show

Tonight's show in Adelaide marked the end of The Circus Starring Britney Spears world tour!

The tour started in New Orleans last March, and after 97 shows, has come to a close.

Congratulations to Britney as well as the Circus cast and crew for a truly amazing tour.

Source: BritneySpears.com

Britney Spears' Shopping Trip in Melbourne Hit on Twitter

The following italicized article is from www.news.com.au:

FANS of Twitter hijacked a shopping expedition by pop star Britney Spears in Melbourne yesterday.

Spears, who performed her final Melbourne concert at Rod Laver Arena last night, went on a shopping spree at Myer in Bourke St.

The entertainer spent $4618.45 in the spree that lasted just over 45 minutes.

Spears bought pieces from the Jack and Milly childrens wear range for her sons Jayden James and Sean Preston.

For herself she selected a coat from the Penny Black label, a cardigan from the Armani Jeans range, several items of clothing from the Cacharel and DKNY ranges, and a party frock by popular Australian designer Camilla and Marc.

Spears private shopping expedition became a huge spectator event with people posting word of her planned shopping trip on their Twitter pages.

Word quickly spread and about 300 fans waited at Myers Little Bourke St entrance to get a glimpse of the star.

In preparation for her visit, Myer curtained off an area on level one of its store and organized a selection of items for her to check out in private.

Two of Spears burly security guards lingered around Myers cosmetic department, near where her signature fragrance was on display, from midday.

The performer, dressed in black, carrying a large red handbag, and wearing large dark sunglasses with her hair tied in a messy bun, arrived at Myer around 4.30pm and moved through the store surrounded by an entourage of about eight people.

She gave Myer the thumbs up as she left, saying she had bought lots of "good stuff.

Source: News.au

Britney's Rig Flips Down Under

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

Britney Spears has lost it -- and by that, we mean all her touring equipment.

TMZ has learned a bus carrying all off Britney's tour equipment rolled off the road in Parkes, New South Wales in Australia.

According to police there, it happened around 4:30 PM during a bad storm. The winds became too strong and blew the truck off the road, rolling it over.

Police say the driver was taken to the hospital, but the equipment was undamaged.

Source: TMZ

Britney Spears Record Sales at ACER

The following italicized article is from www.vma.org.au:

Britney Spears has broken the record for concert ticket sales at Sydney’s Acer Arena with a total of 66,247 tickets sold across 4 nights.

Britney Spears ticket sales exceed the previous record set by Coldplay in March 2009 when the record stood at 59,391 .

Ticket sales record for sales in excess of 40,000 tickets at Acer Arena now stand at:

1. Britney Spears – Nov 09
2. Coldplay – Mar 09
3. Justin Timberlake – Oct 07
4. Eagles – Nov 04
5. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Apr 07
6. Bette Midler – April 05
7. Neil Diamond – Mar 05

Source: Venue Management