Britney Spears is on the phone from rehearsals in Los Angeles, where she is busy singing, dancing, and "It's Britney, bitch"-ing in preparation for her summer tour. She sounds energized and positive, occasionally flashing a wry sense of humor that those who see her only on TV and in the tabloids never glimpse.
Professionally, Britney has a lot to feel good about: Her new album, Femme Fatale, is receiving the best reviews of her almost-20-year career. "I've worked so hard on this album, so it's really refreshing," she says. "I feel like I'm drinking a tall glass of homemade sweet tea on a really hot, beautiful day."
LAURA BROWN: What has been your best fashion look?
BRITNEY SPEARS: I went to the Grammys in 2002, and I had really curly, curly hair. I had a red dress on. It wasn't short and saucy; it was a long red dress. That dress was fun.
LB: What was your biggest fashion mistake?
BS: Ten years ago at the Billboard awards, I wore this orange hat and orange bra and orange booty pants and purple fishnets. Oh, and I had an orange jacket on.
LB: Was it Halloween?
BS [laughs]: No, it wasn't Halloween. I actually thought I looked hot at the time. But, um, I definitely stood out. I thought it was just a marvelous idea to wear this purple and orange outfit; it was like high school colors. I was a cheerleader for a school I didn't know. People were talking about it, but not in a good way.
LB: Your hair is looking long and lustrous. Are you whipping it back and forth?
BS: Yeah, I love ponytails. I'm a wash-and-go girl. But, oh yeah, I like to whip it.
LB: Are you enjoying dancing again?
BS: I love to dance, so it's very exciting. The tour rehearsals have been going really well. I think it will be my best show yet.
LB: Will you pull out any giant snakes?
BS: Ha, we'll see about that. Hopefully, I won't be in the wilderness onstage.
LB: What songs get you moving?
BS: I love "S&M" and "Only Girl" by Rihanna; that's why I jumped on the "S&M" remix. She's really cool. I like her a lot.
LB: Everybody has Bieber fever. Have you met Justin? Would you ever want to work with him?
BS: I think he's adorable. I just saw his movie, and I really didn't realize how big he was. He's enormous; he's just Mr. Man. A lot of the movie is really similar to what I did when I was starting out. I did a promo tour for a year, going into radio stations and all that. It was so cool to see our similarities.
LB: "It's Britney, bitch" is classic, but you say you're less bitchy than impatient. What makes you impatient?
BS: When things take a long time, I just get really stubborn. When I know that things are supposed to go a certain way [laughs] and when it's my time of the month.
LB: What makes you laugh uncontrollably?
BS: Usually when people trip or fall or run into something. Not to be mean, but I can't help it. If they really hurt themselves, then I feel bad, but if they accidentally do it and they stand up and act cool like nobody saw them, I have to laugh.
LB: It's been eight years since you kissed Madonna onstage at the MTV awards. What have you learned from her?
BS: I actually saw her a couple of weeks ago at a party. I guess she's really taught me to stay true to myself. That seems like a simple thing to say, but she taught me through action, not just by saying it. There are so many people around you that have opinions, but you just have to listen to your instincts.
LB: You've said Jennifer Lopez inspires you professionally. Would you ever want to be a judge on American Idol?
BS: I would! That would be awesome. I wouldn't be a tough judge, though.
LB: What do you think of Lady Gaga?
BS: She's unique and extremely talented. I love her spin on everything.
LB: On your Web site, you have a "BS Alert" where you clear up gossip. Have you ever been tempted to make something up to see what happens?
BS: No way! They make up enough stories without my help.
LB: How has being a mom affected how you approach your career?
BS: I think things through a little bit more, and I worry a lot. I'm more straightforward, and I speak up more than I did before. When I was younger, I wouldn't speak up as much, but now that I'm a mom, things have changed.
LB: Would you like to get married again? More kids?
BS: I've thought about both, so if the timing was right ...
LB: Could you see your sons performing?
BS: If they have a love and passion for the arts and that's what they want to do, then so be it. They are both little actors and so charismatic, I wouldn't be surprised at all.
LB: Which one of your hits made you realize you'd made it?
BS: From the beginning, probably "... Baby One More Time." I haven't seen that video in such a long time.
LB: What's your favorite video?
BS: "Overprotected." I just think it says a lot. It was directed so well, it was really colorful, and the dancing was amazing.
LB: Who is your greatest inspiration musically?
BS: Whitney Houston. I've loved her since I was a kid.
LB: If you met yourself at a party, what would you think?
BS: If I met me, I would say a quick hello and then think that I was a really nice girl.
LB: What is your perfect day, morning through to night?
BS: Getting up with coffee--two cups of coffee. Having a good workout, taking a swim, my boys being there and just having a good day at the pool--we have a theme-park slide. We'd have snow cones, then I'd go to the movies and spend time with my boyfriend. Maybe a Femme Fatale moment [laughs].
LB: What is your guilty pleasure?
BS: Bapchi's caramel toffee from Vosges. They were in my hotel room, and I made everyone bring them from their rooms.
LB: What don't people know about you?
BS: I'm pretty normal, you know? Like I said, the type of day I love is just like everybody else's. I'm like everybody else.
Britney Spears is on the cover of the latest issue of Harper’s Bazzar magazine, which declares “Britney’s Back!”
An excerpt from the article: “Britney Spears is on the phone from rehearsals in Los Angeles, where she is busy singing, dancing and ‘It’s Britney, b****’-ing in preparation for her summer tour. She sounds energized and positive, occasionally flashing a wry sense of humor that those who see her only on TV and in the tabloids never glimpse.
‘I’ve worked so hard on this album, so it’s really refreshing,’ Britney says in the interview for Harper’s Bazaar magazine, by Laura Brown (photographs by Alexi Lubomirski).”
Stepping out for her guest co-host duties, Britney Spears was busy entertaining the audience at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on Saturday night (May 14).
The "Hold It Against Me" singer teamed up with Ryan Seacrest to kick of KIIS FM's 2011 Wango Tango Concert - with the show's lineup including Selena Gomez, Ke$ha and Jennifer Lopez.
Tweeting about the busy day's plans, Brit wrote to her millions of followers, "Rehearsals all morning. Wango Tango all night.... -Britney"
Meanwhile, Miss Spears also recently tweeted her choice of "I Wanna Go" as the next single to be released from her Femme Fatale album, as she posted the following message: "So excited 2 announce that the fan favorite #IWannaGo is my next single from Femme Fatale! Shhh, it's my fav too!"
New York, NY - Pop icon Britney Spears confirms that the summer-friendly, up-tempo “I Wanna Go” is the official third single from her platinum-certified Femme Fatale (Jive Records). “I Wanna Go” is produced by Shellback, Savan Kotecha and long-time collaborator Max Martin. Innovative director Chris Marrs Piliero has been tapped to direct the video.
“I Wanna Go” comes on the heels of her most recent No. 1 smash hits, “Hold It Against Me” and “Till The World Ends” which ranks #1 on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart. Both songs are from Britney's critically acclaimed seventh album. Billboard also notes that “Till The World Ends” coupled with the remix featuring Nicki Minaj and Ke$ha gives Spears a radio audience of 87 million in the U.S., which is “the highest weekly audience of her 12-and-a-half-year chart career.”
Britney’s Femme Fatale Tour with special guest Nicki Minaj, Jessie and the Toy Boys and Nervo kicks off June 16th in Sacramento, CA.
Britney Spears looks gorgeous in green as she arrives with boyfriend Jason Trawick at An Evening of Southern Style held at a private residence on Wednesday (May 11) in Beverly Hills, Calif.
The 29-year-old pop princess (in Herve Leger) hosted the evening with her family to support the St. Bernard Project, an organization that is helping to rebuild the lives and homes of Hurricane Katrina survivors.
At the event, sponsored by Geraldo jewelry, Britney served her special sweet tea, in both peach and lemon flavors! Louisiana cuisine was served directly from the kitchen of Brit’s dad Jamie.
Ever since Britney Spears shaved her head, got arrested for reckless driving and seemingly lost control of her career, the pop singer's mental state has been questioned by observers. Her career is now on the upswing once again, with a hit album and a coming tour, but the issue of her mental competence is still pertinent.
Spears' ex-manager, Sam Lutfi, is pursuing legal claims against the singer's mother, Lynne Spears, and wants Britney to give a deposition. Britney's parents, though, are resisting, saying that Britney is mentally incapable of testifying. In a motion filed on Monday at Los Angeles Superior Court, Lutfi asked a judge to order a psychiatric evaluation of the singer to prove that's not true.
Despite Spears' comeback, she's still under the conservatorship of her father, James Parnell Spears, and family lawyer, Andrew Wallet. Both are hesitant to let the singer get too close with Lutfi, who was fired in 2008.
As detailed in Lynne Spears' memoir, Through the Storm, Lutfi was allegedly a master manipulator who secretly drugged Britney, cut off her communications and mobility, and set himself up as the celebrity's "gatekeeper" before he was fired.
Lutfi says those things aren't true. He claims that Britney's life was already a mess before he got involved. He's suing for defamation, and last November, an appeals court refused to toss the lawsuit. So the battle rages on.
The ex-manager now wants Britney to give her side of the story, but her conservators don't want that.
In turn, Lutfi points to a recent MTV documentary about the singer, a coming world tour, and an interview conducted with Britney by Ryan Seacrest in March as circumstantial evidence that the singer has got her wits about her again.
Although Britney hasn't yet submitted to a psychiatric evaluation, Lutfi took the evidence to his own expert, UCLA Assistant Professor of Psychiatry Joshua Pretsky, for analysis. According to Pretsky's declaration to the court:
"In the Ryan Seacrest interview, which was recorded approximately two months ago, Britney Spears is interviewed at length, and she responds logically and coherently to questions, evidencing logical thinking and mental competency. The edited interviews in the [MTV] video documentary also evidence coherent and logical thinking, responsiveness to questions, and mental competence ... In my opinion, there is good cause to conduct an Independent Medical Examination to investigate the Conservators' claim that Ms. Spears is not mentally capable of testifying, and the claim that she was not mentally competent to enter into a binding contract. ..."
Of course, there may be more on the line than just whether Britney is testifying in Lutfi's lawsuit or not. If she's declared mentally fit, it could go some ways to unwinding the conservatorship over the 29-year-old singer.
"I feel like [Britney] has experienced life as an underdog, and I feel like my whole career I've been the underdog. I think that it just goes to show that when you are a strong woman, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. You bounce back from whatever. And I think she’s probably gone through 10 times whatever I’ve gone through. But the fact that she came back out with just so much fire inspires me, and it inspires young women and people all over the world. It just inspires you. A lot of my fans feel like they are the underdog and feel like they are the people who aren’t ever accepted for themselves, or who are laughed at or poked fun at forever. It just goes to show that once you keep at whatever it is you’re doing, people may not like you, people may not love you, but they will have to respect you at the end of the day. And that respect is all that matters."
According to BreatheHeavy the 3rd single is slated to be ''I Wanna Go''...
...however according to MartianLeaks, who leaked ''Till The World Ends'', he has information that ''The Big Fat Bass'' will be the 3rd single.
All I can say is: #CriminalFTW
Update: MartianLeaks is now saying he heard wrong and ''I Wanna Go'' will in fact be released early next month.
Now all we need is a confirmation from Britney's team which will most likely come somewhere in October 2013 right before ''Radar'' featuring Celine Dion is announced as the 4th and final single from ''Femme Fatale''.
Spears' "Till the World Ends" blasts 11-3, besting its previous peak of No. 9, as the Hot 100's Digital Gainer following the release of its much-buzzed-about remix featuring Nicki Minaj and Ke$ha. "World" roars 12-3 on Digital Songs with 246,000 downloads sold (up 102%). The triple-threat remix accounted for 167,000, or 68%, of the title's sales in the April 25-May 1 tracking period.
"World" marks the second high-profile remix - both involving Spears - to spur a headline-grabbing chart move in three weeks. Rihanna's "S&M" ascended 2-1 two weeks ago following the release of its remix featuring Spears. All versions of "S&M" sold a combined 293,000 downloads that week, a gain comparable (up 108%) to that of "World" this week. Likewise similar to "World," the Spears-assisted remix of "S&M" accounted for 66% of the song's overall digital sales that frame.
Britney Spears cheers on son Sean Preston at his baseball game on Monday (May 2) in Los Angeles.
The 29-year-old pop princess made it a family affair bringing along boyfriend Jason Trawick and her younger sis, Jamie Lynn, who carried her daughter Maddie.
Brit’s ex Kevin Federline also came out with his pregnant girlfriend, Victoria Prince.
Next week, Brit will be attending St. Bernard Project’s “Southern Style” event, featuring a gourmet dinner created by her dad Jamie, as the organization’s ambassador!
“It’s time to bring families back home to New Orleans. Join the @Stbernardproj with me & help rebuild lives,” she tweeted about the nonprofit, which aims to help rebuild homes and lives of Hurricane Katrina survivors.
New York, NY - Pop superstar Britney Spears achieves another benchmark with her current album, Femme Fatale. This week, Spears’ seventh album – which spawned the No. 1 hit “Hold It Against Me” and the Top 5 smash “Till The World Ends”- is certified platinum by the RIAA. This latest news brings Britney’s U.S. albums certifications to the 32 million sales mark.
The certification comes as tickets for her highly anticipated all female Femme Fatale Tour with special guests Nicki Minaj, Jessie and the Toy Boys and Nervo go on sale April 30th. The tour kicks off on June 16th in Sacramento.
Spears’ impressive reach goes beyond the U.S. as fans world wide are embracing her latest project. Femme Fatale has also achieved platinum status in Canada and is gold-certified in the UK, France, Mexico, Czech Republic, Brazil, Korea & Singapore. The current single, “Till The World Ends” is in the Top 10 on iTunes charts in Canada, Mexico, Australia, France, Spain and Denmark and the song ranks in the Top 20 on radio airplay charts across Europe.
With the release of the critically-acclaimed Femme Fatale, Britney has earned more distinctions and set new records: she is the only woman to have six albums debut at No.1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart; she and Mariah Carey are the only artists to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with more than one song; Britney’s one of only seven artists- and just three women- with Hot 100 No. 1’s in three decades; Femme Fatale is one of the Top 10 longest running trending topics on Twitter.
Britney Spears rocks out her bangin’ new body in this new leaked video footage from a recent “Femme Fatale” concert rehearsal, as obtained exclusively by JustJared.com.
The 29-year-old pop princess practiced her dance moves for her catchy song “How I Roll,” produced by Bloodshy, Henrik Jonback, and Magnus.
Britney appears to be getting back into tip-top shape and genuinely looks like she’s enjoying herself. SO EXCITING. Can’t wait till she dances full-out on stage!!!
Can another diva-infused remix rush up the Billboard Hot 100 next week? That's what fans of Britney Spears are probably hoping.
On Monday (Apr. 25), Spears released the "Femme Fatale" remix of "Till the World Ends" (featuring Nicki Minaj and Ke$ha) to digital retailers -- just two weeks after the singer made headlines by guest-starring on the so-called "Rih-mix" of Rihanna's "S&M." The latter soared to No. 1 upon its release, giving RiRi her 10th No. 1 and Spears her fifth.
Now, the new remix of "Till the World Ends" could prompt a jump into the top five of the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart next week. We'll know for sure when news of the new Hot 100 is revealed on May 4.
Industry prognosticators suggest that all versions of "Till" (the original, the new "Femme" remix and its other assorted dance mixes) may sell around 210,000 or more by week's end on Sunday, May 1. That would secure its best sales frame yet, trumping the 158,000 it moved after its first full week on sale in March. Last week, the song shifted 122,000 downloads.
If the song earns as much radio airplay as it did this past week (around 72 million in audience), the song's combined point total could place it around Nos. 3-5 on the Hot 100 next week.
A No. 2 rank is conceivable -- as is of course, a long-shot chance at No. 1 -- but "Till the World Ends" faces stiff competition in the form of the current No. 1, Katy Perry's "E.T." (Not to mention the growing popularity of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" and the Black Eyed Peas' "Just Can't Get Enough" -- which stand at Nos. 2 and 3, respectively, this week.)
If Spears' "Till the World Ends" reaches the top five, it will give her back-to-back studio albums with a pair of top five singles. Her 2008 "Circus" set spawned a No. 1 with "Womanizer" and a No. 3 hit with its title track. And her latest, "Femme Fatale," already saw its lead offering, "Hold It Against Me," debut at No. 1.
"Till the World Ends" has thus far peaked at No. 8 on the Hot 100. This week is declines 9-11, though with an overall gain in points.
Since Britney Spears emerged on the scene nearly a decade and a half ago, she's run the gamut of pop music: from sugary bubble-gum to dirty, sexy dance tracks. In that respect, her longtime collaborator and Femme Fatale producer Dr. Luke says that the superstar has in many respects become bigger than pop. In fact, he says it's hard to confine her to just one genre.
"I feel like Britney kind of has her own genre: If you look at songs like 'Toxic' and 'Piece of Me' and 'Oops! ... I Did It Again,' they all were sort of influential and led the way," he told MTV News on Thursday (April 28) at the ASCAP Pop Music Awards.
So when the pair sat down to work on her latest release, Dr. Luke said her pop-music shape-shifting was very much on his mind. "She wanted to keep on with that and do stuff that was forward-thinking," he continued. "So we put some dubstep stuff in there, in bridges; snuck it in different places and I hope it ended up good. I hope you like it."
It seems every time Spears drops a new album, it's declared her comeback record. But Dr. Luke noted that Brit has really never gone anywhere. "Where'd she go? I don't know. I didn't know she ever disappeared, really," he said. "She's always been selling out concerts and records, so I don't know that she ever disappeared."
So what do Spears and Luke have up their sleeve now? "Not yet ... give me a second to breathe, come up for air!" he told us.
Plus, even with Femme Fatale already in stores, it seems like the pair are always finding ways to update the songs. Take, for example, the recent remix of "Till the World Ends," which features Ke$ha (the track's songwriter) and Nicki Minaj.
"Well, we already had Ke$ha on the song 'cause she co-wrote the song ... and she sounded really good on it," Dr. Luke explained. "And then Nicki got on the Femme Fatale Tour so we put Nicki on it and it just sounded amazing. She killed it."
After rockin' the stage with Lil' Wayne for the "I'm Still Music" tour at Staples Center in Los Angeles last night, Nicki Minaj jet to host her after party at The Factory in West Hollywood.
Britney Spears decided to drop in on her Femme Fatale tourmate's shindig, and fans began hyperventilating to the point that bouncers needed to carry them out!
A source tells us, "[It] was complete pandemonium. Six people were carried out after hyperventilating. They literally fainted when Britney walked onto the stage where Nicki was hanging."
For those still conscious, their goal was to try and reach Britney.
"People were crowd surfing to get to the stage. Screams were so loud for Nicki and Brit you couldn't hear the music. Bouncers couldn't hold the crowd back."
Nicki showed up around 12:30 a.m. and hung out with her crew, taking a break from performing. Meanwhile, Britney showed up closer to 1 a.m. with boyfriend, Jason Trawick, but stayed for 30 minutes.
Now listed as featured artist on "S&M," Spears earns her fifth Hot 100 No. 1 and second this year, following her own "Hold It Against Me" in January. She had previously reigned with her debut single "...Baby One More Time" in 1999 and returned to the summit with "Womanizer" (2008) and "3" (2009).
When will.i.am hit the studio with Britney Spears for her Femme Fatale track "Big Fat Bass," the producer and Black Eyed Peas frontman said the singer was completely engrossed in the recording process.
"[I discovered] her love for music. I never seen anyone, like, come alive, full of excitement and giggling and laughing behind the mic," will recalled to MTV News. "She was like a little kid when she was recording the song and it just brought the whole atmosphere, it changed the whole atmosphere when someone really loves music. So it was great working with her."
Spears expressed a similar sentiment about recording her chart-topping album during her recent "I Am the Femme Fatale" MTV special, which featured a cameo by will.i.am, who was finishing up the party track at the time.
"When you're in the studio, you're just really focused, you're really in your head and in your ears and on the notes," she explains in the show. "And when you're performing, it's more a connection on the outside and more of — like a tiger and more in your body."
Both Brit and will are now industry vets so the BEP singer said he didn't have much advice for the star.
"When someone's excited to go out and just do it, what advice? You don't need no advice. She's just turned on right now. She is [like], 'I like this part right here.' When I say [on the song], 'You all better get ready for the kick drum,' she was already anticipating what she was going to do onstage when that beat broke down," he explained. "Adding that type of perspective ... when we we're recording it, you don't need to give nobody [like Britney] advice."
Britney Spears' camp very, very quietly - considering who we're talking about here - posted an edited video of her latest single, "Till the World Ends," which shows Ms. Spears actually dancing. For more than 2 seconds at a time.
Sure, Britney isn't as agile as she was in her teens, but she remains a better dancer than most of the ladies out there grabbing covers of music and fashion magazines. (If you've seen her live during her recent tours, you know that this is true and not just editing magic.) So, it's a wonder why the people directing and editing her music videos these days tend to cut out all the parts where she's dancing and leave in the parts where she's standing like an awkward maypole, waving her arms in the air while other people prance and writhe around her. Either she doesn't have confidence in herself or they don't have confidence in her anymore. Whatever the case, it's dumb. Say what you will about the girl's singing, her strength has always been her ability to bust a move.
Break the Ice is a blog dedicated to the one and only, Miss Britney Spears. So original, right? I decided to create this blog because I was getting sick of going to fans sites that didn't update as frequently as I wanted. Our goal here at Break the Ice is to bring you ALL Britney news ALL the time. Tom and Cool are the administrators and Beautiful Sinner, Joel, Tekkie, Johnny, Juicy UK, Marcus and Jenna Pixie are updaters. Together, we form the Break the Ice team!
Any questions/comments/concerns? Please e-mail us at breaktheiceblog@aol.com. Enjoy!
Britney Spears is on the phone from rehearsals in Los Angeles, where she is busy singing, dancing, and "It's Britney, bitch"-ing in preparation for her summer tour. She sounds energized and positive, occasionally flashing a wry sense of humor that those who see her only on TV and in the tabloids never glimpse. 
