Britney Spears
June 28th, 2008
Right now, she goes through big problems with her life. Young, beautiful, rich, all theese attributes seem to lead all those popular young girls to drugs and alcohol. And that is when hell for them begins.
Spears was an accomplished gymnast, attending gymnastics classes until age nine and competing in state-level competitions. She performed in local dance revues and sang in her local Baptist church choir. At age eight she auditioned for the Disney Channel series The New Mickey Mouse Club. Although she was considered too young to join the series at the time, a producer on the show introduced her to a New York City agent. Spears subsequently spent three summers at NYC's Professional Performing Arts School and also appeared in a number of off-Broadway productions, including 1991's Ruthless!. In 1992, she landed a spot on the popular television show Star Search. She won the first round of competition, but ultimately lost. At age eleven, Spears returned to the Disney Channel for a spot on the The New Mickey Mouse Club in Lakeland, Florida. She was featured on the show from 1993 to 1994, until she was 13. After the show ended, Spears returned to Kentwood and attended high school for a year.
Spears's debut single "...Baby One More Time", released in the end of 1998, became an instant international success; it peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. With nine million copies sold worldwide, the United World Chart ranked "…Baby One More Time" as the 38th best song and second most charted song of all time. The song was also ranked 25th on Rolling Stone and MTV's "100 Greatest Pop Songs of all time". The music video of the song features Spears dressed in a midriff-baring schoolgirl uniform.
The album of the same title was released in January 1999, reaching number one on the Billboard 200. Baby One More Time was certified diamond in the U.S. and subsequently achieving worldwide sales of 25 million copies, making it the biggest-selling album by a teenager to date.Spears broke the record in U.S for the youngest artist to have their debut single at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She also broke the record for the youngest artist to have their debut single and debut album simultaneously at number one on the Billboard charts. Spears still holds this record to date. The album received mixed reviews. Allmusic gave it 4 out of 5 stars, stating that the album "has the same blend of infectious, rap-inflected dance-pop and smooth balladry that propelled the New Kids and Debbie Gibson." While Rolling Stone gave it 2 out of 5, noting that "while several Cherion-crafted kiddie-funk jams serve up beefy hooks, shameless schlock slowies, like 'E-Mail My Heart', are pure spam". The success of Spears's music coupled with her controversial image made her one of the year's biggest stars. She also became the first artist to have a number one album and number one single in both the U.S. Billboard charts and in the United World Chart.
In September 2007, the official findings in Spears's custody battle were announced by the court. She was ordered to undergo random drug and alcohol testings and to attend parenting counseling. Spears and Federline continued to share joint custody of their two children on a conditional basis. A few days later, she was officially charged with misdemeanor hit-and-run and driving without a license. If convicted, she could face a year in jail. Spears lost physical custody of her children to Federline on October 1, with the court ruling that Federline will keep full custody of the children. The charges for her alleged hit-and-run that occurred in August 2007 were officially laid, she was booked for the charges by the Los Angeles Police Department on October 15 but was not arrested.
On the evening of January 3 2008, after not sleeping for over 4 days police were called to Spears's home after she refused to relinquish custody of her children to Federline's representatives. She was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after she "appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance," though blood tests show negative for any illicit substances. She was held for psychiatric evaluation for two days. Pending a February 19 hearing, Commissioner Scott Gordon issued an order on January 14 stating that her visitation rights have been suspended indefinitely. On January 31, a court placed Spears under temporary co-conservatorship of her father James Spears and attorney Andrew Wallete, giving them complete control of her assets. As a result of an order placed by her psychiatrist, she was taken to UCLA Medical Center to be put on a 5150 involuntary psychiatric hold for the second time that month. On February 1, a restraining order was issued against Sam Lutfi, a prominent figure in Spears's life. She was released from the hospital on February 6, amid speculation that she has bipolar disorder, although medical records are classified, and no confirmation has been made. Her parents expressed disappointment and concern at the decision to release her. She has regained some visitation rights after coming to an agreement with Federline and his counsel.
Author Karen Dawn has released a book called Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way We Treat Animals, where she blasts Spears as a pet owner. A journalist named Ian Halperin has confirmed to media outlets that he is set to write a "tell-all" book chronicling Spears supposed suicide attempts. He claims he worked as an undercover photographer following Spears where he witnessed these behaviours. Spears mother is also currently writing a book called Through the Storm: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World. The book is being categorized as a tell-all memoir.
Britney Spears went from top to bottom in an instant, still, she tries to get back her pop-diva crown. And if she does that, if she goes through all those problems, only then we can say that her place in modern music is no mistake!
