It's The Atlantic, Bitch.

While The Atlantic is mostly known for focusing on global topics and politics, the April 2008 issues surprised many when none other than Britney Spears ended up on the cover. However, after reading the article I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they were giving some dirty and slimy account of Britney Spears drama but rather focusing on the new age of celebrity coverage. The article relates to many of the topics covered in class about media, celebrities, paparazzi, etc. In the article, Bonnie Fuller, from Us Weekly Magazine, said it’s important to understand her audience. “Every day, we’d look at tons of pictures that came in and lay them all out on a conference table,” Fuller said, “And what was interesting to me was a look at celebrities going to the dry cleaners and pumping gas. I loved looking at these pictures of celebrities who were just like us.” The idea that fuller was also interested in the common thread between celebrities and ourselves directly correlates with Gamson’s idea of celebrities being “ordinary.” This ordinariness promotes a connection between the celebrity and the audience and this is why we enjoy the “Celebrities are just like us” section in Us Weekly. These pictures, as Gamson says, makes them seem “real” – like the real person behind the “reel image.”

Check out the article here!!!

Oops, she's doing a reality show again...

Rumor has it that Britney Spears is playing around with the idea of starring in her own reality show—this would make it a lot easier on the millions who search the internet and magazines daily to find out what’s going on in the pop stars train-wreck-of-a-life. Gamson says reality shows are most successful when they allow us to work out our own fantasies and identification through a show’s central figures – and who is a better figure than Britney Spears? Now I know, Britney has already had a reality show with ex K-fed and it failed...miserably, but I am wondering if the second time’s a charm? Do you think the fact that the last reality show focused on Britney and K-fed (who at the time everyone in America hated) had anything to do with its failure? Now that Britney’s approval rating is slowly but surely going up I wonder if this could help the star. At the same time, I don’t know if documenting her life right now is a smart choice, considering she is struggling with bi-polar disorder and addiction. Maybe it’s better if Ms. Spears focused a little more on getting better rather than being in the public eye again.

BRITNEY CRASHES!!

The paparazzi and media outlets everywhere jumped on the chance for some Britney drama this past weekend – but unfortunately for them she came out clean as a whistle. The pop-star was involved in a minor car accident Saturday night when she ran her 2008 Mercedes into the back 2006 Nissan as she drove on the 101freeway in L.A. Spears was issued a breathalyzer test, but cops say it was only a precautionary measure that is usually performed on all accidents that occur at night. They said there was no reason to believe she was drinking, there was no alcohol in the car, and there was no odor of alcohol at the scene. Spears passed the test with flying colors and there were no reported injuries at the time. However, some people are saying the other guy involved in the accident is getting ready to make a big deal out of the situation. We all know this guy is going to try and weasel his way into Britney’s wallet, but is it fair for the courts to let this guy get away with making a mountain out of a molehill just because she is a rich celebrity?

HELP, she needs somebody!

It seems like these days everyone wants a piece of Britney Spears ... including celebrities. In the past few months celebrities like Brooke Shields, Madonna, Elton John, Heidi Klum , Timbaland , Simon Cowell , Rose O'Donnell have spoken out publically about wanting to help the troubled starlet. I think everyone in the world wants to help Britney, but is speaking out to the tabloids the right way to help or is this just another chance to get a little free publicity for themselves? Everyone knows that Britney=major media and what's a better way to get your own name out there then to attach your name to hers. So are these people genuinely concerned for Britney or is this a cheap shot?

When in doubt...MAKE IT UP!

The media is going nuts trying to make up for the millions of dollars in profits no longer being raked in now that Britney Spears is on the verge of rehabilitating herself. The pop starlet who has been known in the past for her erratic behavior and rehab stints is no longer gracing the cover of every magazine --- well, because she barely comes out of her house.

But when there’s no story what does the media do? Make one up, OF COURSE! Star Magazine recently covered a story entitled, “Brit and Kevin’s Secret Weekend” which featured a photo from their “supposed getaway.” But sorry to burst everyone’s celebrity gossip bubbles – the picture is actually from their 2004 honeymoon. And the story – both reps completely deny.

But it doesn’t stop there, OK! Magazine recently jumped on the Britney bandwagon giving readers an inside look into how Britney got her body back. The cover fooled readers into believing they had the inside scoop into how she lost 15 pounds in four weeks – but guess again folks, the cover picture was a photo of Britney taken 5 years ago --- of course she was skinnier then!

This just goes to show that you can’t believe everything you read….

Britney...Who?

When I first thought of writing my blog about a celebrity there was no better choice than the “living legend, Miss Britney Spears,” but Jamie Spears has really put a halt to my blog and Britney’s life in the spotlight.

As her conservator, Jamie has ended Britney’s aimless driving, frappuccino stops and of course her panty (or panty-less) flashing. You couldn’t find any other celebrity gossip on PerezHilton and TMZ.com that didn’t pertain to Britney – and now I’m forced to scroll through pages of celebrity crap before I can even get a morsel of Britney Spears. Gamson says always important for a celebrity to be in the spotlight -- and yes, sometimes bad publicity is good publicity.

So now that Britney isn't everywhere we turn, it leads me to wonder ... are we already thinking Britney..who? Or are we all just preparing ourselves for the comeback of the century?

Dayum, K-fed can tip!

To the outside world, K-fed pretends to be the doting father worried about his children’s mother but Britney is not falling for it. Kevin Federline isn’t playing fair – and Britney called his butt out. Stacy Phillips, Britney’s lawyer, argued that Federline's lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan's fees are excessive, saying "four months of fees for both sides added up to a whopping 900,000 U.S. dollars." On top of the excessive legal fees, Phillips is bringing some interesting K-fed charges to the surface and saying that he lied about his income and charged ridiculous expenses. According to the legal papers, Federline grossed $544,074.73 from his production company, "Gooseneck Productions" in 2007, and his expenses totaled $841,128.67. Phillips says Federline's so-called business expenses included "extraordinarily high tips for food and beverage services [e.g., $1,100.76 tip on $2,782 bill; $200 tip on $371.29 bill; and $2,000 tip on $365 bill]. (TMZ.COM) The money-grubbing ex has also been said to allow his ex-girlfriend, Shar Jackson, to make personal charges on his business credit card. Kevin’s team is saying he can’t afford to live and he’s broke. Now I don’t know about you but when I’m broke, I don’t normally spend $20,000 on jewelry or leave a whopping $2,000 tip on a mere $365 bill.

I mean to be honest, I'm confused about these "business expenses." What exactly does K-fed's job that he even has business expenses?Something smells fishy here and now that Britney seems to be back on the right track it seems she’s not going to ignore this one.

Reunited and it feel sooo good...

While most people rely on the old adage, “Out with the old, in with the new” Britney Spear’s has been “getting rid of the new” and bringing back some old friends to give her a new lease on her professional life. With her most recent infamous manager, Osama Lutfi, now ordered to stay away from Spears, her former manager Larry Rudolph is stepping back into the ring. Rudolph is the genius manager who transformed Britney from a Mouseketeer to an international pop icon. Rudolph was Spears’ manager for nine years but their relationship started to whither around the time she married K-Fed (surprise, surprise?) They duo had a public falling out and ended with the pair going separate ways after she publicly bashed him for forcing her to go into rehab. While no one is sure how long Rudolph has been back in the singer’s life, Spears’ career seems to be headed back in the right direction. While it will be a while before Spears can make that comeback we are all dying for, I have a feeling that Rudolph is the right person to get the ball rolling. Looking at this situation it’s interesting to see what a celebrity’s inner circle can do for their public image. I’d say Britney wouldn’t be on the upswing if her inner circle still consisted of Osama Lutfi and Paris Hilton. Hopefully in true Hollywood fashion, Rudolph will lead Britney to the comeback of the century! TEAM RUDOLPH!

Madonna speaks Spears

Britney Spears has not lost all of her fans yet. In the midst of the media chaos, Britney received the ultimate endorsement--from Madonna. With hopes of yet another comeback swarming this couldn't have come at a better time. In an interview on New York's Z100, Madonna said that she is a fan of Spear's latest album, "Blackout." The album which has not compared in sales to the popstars other albums has still been considered by many fans as one of her greatest albums yet. Even though the toons are catchy the album still flopped-- but finally an established artist like Madonna has come out to defend the pop princess and her music. "I actually love Britney Spears' new album. I listen to it a lot," Madonna said, "I usually work out to her record. I do a combination of Pilates and dance aerobics." While many artists are leery of being connected to Britney Spears in anyway (eh..Justin Timberlake) I found it interesting that Madonna was the first one to come out and in a sense give a thumbs up to the struggling actress. Now that pops Queen has come out in support of the star if we are bound to see an increase in celebrity Britney fans?

In case you forgot about Britney and Madonna's famous MTV duet .. check it out here!

Gold digger or good daddy?

"I will always love the mothers of my children, and I will always be there for both of them. I believe that any good energy I put out there brings more good energy into my own life. The relationships with my kids and family will last my whole life and are the most important to me." These words came straight from the mouth of the father of the year – KFed. But I remember the days when Federline was the bad father. There was a point in Britney’s life when she left Kevin for good reasons and people praised her for taking her kids away from that atmosphere. But Kevin slapped on a suit and Bam -- parent of the century. Boy, have things changed. It makes us wonder if this Kfed transformation directly correlates with the fact that he receives a lot more money if he is the primary care taker. Kevin has become the mythological “Hero” by taking custody of his kids. It makes me wonder if some really good publicists have pulled the wool over eyes and made us forget about his past when he spent days partying and smoking pot. While I hope he truly has changed I can’t help but wonder what he’s doing around his kids when people aren’t there watching and his lawyer isn’t around to release these “mature” statements.

Rooting for a celerity-underdog

Perez Hilton, the queen of all media, is never shy about what he feels and in the past months he has hurled every insult at Britney Spears he possibly could. He posted the most unflattering pictures, made fun of the idea of her killing herself, and even backed up K-fed. I follow Perez religiously and before Britney turned into a train wreck he seemed to be one of her biggest fans. It was after her disastrous VMA performance that Perez threw in the towel and started throwing down the insults against Miss Spears. But recently, he seems to have had a change of heart. No longer is his web site filled with hate filled rants, but hope and encouragement for the stars well being and future success. There’s something in this pop star that makes people root for her. Even if she misses her mark – somehow, people want her to come out on top. Maybe, it’s the fact that in a way we feel sorry for her. We watched her grow up right in front of our eyes and with the same glance we watched her crash in burn in front of the entire world. While not everyone agrees that there’s something likeable about Miss Spears it is noticeable that most people don’t HATE her, they feel sorry for her. There’s a difference between Britney and Paris Hilton. All of America loves to hate Paris. In class we have discussed the idea that talent isn’t a necessity to being famous – and this is clear with Paris. But, while Britney prances around LA acting just as stupid as Paris sometimes … we still want to give her a break. I wonder if the difference between the way we look at Paris and Britney does go back to talent? We have to wonder if somehow talent does come into play when pondering the likability of stars. If you dig deep past the bad hair weaves, cheetos and frapps Britney Spears is talented and I wonder if that talent is what keeps us rooting for her?

I Smell a Comeback!

We’ve been waiting for a comeback for years and after 2007’s less than stellar VMA performance many people had shut the door on Britney Spears. In the past few weeks things have changed dramatically thanks to papa Spears taking over the reins in Brit’s life and now people are wondering what’s in store for Brit’s future? Last night, Britney proved she is still number one after appearing on the CBS sitcom, How I Met Your Mother. The sitcom received its highest ratings ever and people were left wanting more Britney! The Daily News stated that for "those who hang on every one of Britney's career moves, this bold casting decision worked out. Spears proved she can act every bit as well as she can sing, and with some of the nuances she brought to the character, you'd almost swear she'd been there before." Gamson says that in order to create my successful celebrity, a “semi fictional” character must be created. Amanda Weber, a publicist for a male client who originally appealed to a young fan base, talked about a marketing scheme that “adulted him.” “We did a whole clothing change, a major image change,” she said. Britney seems to be getting the same major image change recently and everyone’s wondering if this time it will stick. So now that she seems to be back on the wagon, do you think it will make a difference or is it too little too late?

In case you missed last nights episode here's a clip!

Britney commits cartoon suicide

Britney Spears gets animated again, but this time it's not in one of her music videos. The troubled pop-starlette was featured in an episode of South Park which showed her shooting herself in the head leaving her 70% headless through the rest of the episode as she runs from the media. Reactions about the episode have been rampant claiming the writers took it "too far." But watching the episode you have to wonder what point these writers were trying to make about celebrity and the media? I don't think the point of this episode (which showed the detrimental effects the media has on Miss Spears) was to blast Britney, but to show us that the papparazzi and even us, as consumers of the media, are all to blame for her current mental crisis. Slowly but surely we are chipping away at a woman who mental state is shaky, to say the least. I think on the surface this episode can be seen as a cheap shot at Britney, but in reality I don't think it's the writers of this show who have taken it too far -- maybe it's us?

Watch a Clip of the epidosde here!

You Drive Me Crazy

"Because of new technologies, we get to see now what happens when people have the option of making up their own celebrity,” Mr. Gamson said. “We’ve gone from ‘Oh, my God, they’re so much better than I am,’ to ‘Oh, my God, they’re so good at making themselves up.’”
In the past, a hit movie or a number one song catapulted you to super stardom, but these days fame seems to have taken on a whole new role. Talent is no longer a prerequisite for fame -- I'd say Paris Hilton is the perfect example of this fact. Today, in order to gain attention you don't need need to be able to sing, dance or even speak a full, coherent sentence to have a fan base. Take a look at any reality show and you can look at proof that amusement now takes precedence over talent. Tila Tequilla had a top reality show on vh1 and her claim to fame? She had a lot of friends on MySpace. So now don't get me wrong -- I really do think Britney Spears has talent. I am not saying she is as good as Whitney Houston, but no one can deny that the girl is a damn good performer (think back to the VMA's "Slave For You" performance.) But right now, in the past three years, what (talent-related) has Britney done to warrant her any of the fame and celebrity she has received? Like Gamson said, Britney has some how created an alter-ego celebrity that has catapulted her to fame. She has created this new crazy, public persona that people just can't get enough of. She hasn't won any awards, her CD flopped, and her VMA appearance was probably the lowest point of her career, to put it nicely-- and yet even my professors can't stop talking about the pop diva.
I wonder if these celebrities that "create themselves" with out any talent actually know what they are doing? When Britney went "crazy" it made her more famous. Somehow it humanized her. In some way, shape or form she was no longer on a pedestal but a person with a real life, real drama, and a hell of a lot of problems. So the question is -- what's more important having a legitimate talent or having an outrageous lifestyle or personality that keeps people wanting more?

And for those of you who are yearning for the old Britney, back when every guy wanted her and every girl wanted to be her -- here's her 2001 VMA Performance.

Peace Out, Hollywood.

In case you all haven't noticed our favorite hot mess, Britney Spears, has been 'low-key' in the past few weeks (but then again any week where Brit doesn't go into a mental ward or hold her kids hostage is considered a good week.) The fact that I haven't been able to get my britney fix has made me want even more -- more drama, more gossip, more bad hair weaves. Josh Gamson once said that "We live in a culture where if it's not documented, it doesn't exist and if you don't have people asking who you are -- you're nobody." Britney's father has taken over the reins in his daughter's life but is this the beginning of the end for the pop wreck? While Britney's in lock down in her L.A. mansion are we going to forget about every one's favorite mess? What keeps our attention on Britney and what is stopping us from drooling over the newest pop star we secretly want to fail -- Miley Cyrus, maybe? Is "out of sight, out of mind" relevant in Britney's career?

Britney's new video ... melts?

Britney Spears' newest video, Break the Ice, has been released -- but don't get too excited the video vixen is no where to be seen in her latest media debut. Britney fans will have to fulfil there need for britney through animation. Check out the new video here! I have a feeling this video is not going to do so well on MTV -- let's be honest we all want the real thing, not some digitalized version of the hot mess!

Hit Us Britney, One More Time!

Ever since "Baby, One more time," Britney Spears has lived her life in the spotlight of the media. We have watched the small town girl from Louisiana transform into America's hottest sex symbol and sell more records than any female artist of her time. As quickly as we saw her rise to the top of pop stardom we have also watched her tragic downfall. From the birth of her two sons and a failed marriage to the notorious head shaving incident, society has become transfixed on America's former sweetheart. While many people are quick to criticize Spears and chastise her actions -- these are the same people who follow her every move. Almost every magazine has Britney splashed across the cover and online media sources keep a 24 hour watch on the pop starlet. But what makes Britney different than media whores, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan? For some reason, people are rooting for my girl, Brit. As much as she is scrutinized in the public, it seems there’s some sort of sadness and vulnerability that keeps America’s eyes peeled to their magazines and computer screens hoping that Britney will give it to us “one more time.”

Brit wants her money, betch.

Britney Spears wants to keep her money, betch and her lawyers are doing everything in their power to keep the former pop princess from going broke. Spears' lawyers are furious over half a million dollar legal fees racked up by K-fed's legal team. Spears, who has already paid $1 million in attorney's fees, wants K-fed to step up and pay his part of the legal bills. Not only do they want him to pay part of the attorney's fees but they are also crying foul over Mark Kaplan's sky-high prices. K-fed has recently been keeping the Cristal popping at some of LA's hottest night clubs and leaving $2,000 tips, so what do you think? Should K-fed step-up or should Brit-brit just cut back on the Cheetos and fraps and pay his bills?

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