"I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman" on the single charts:
Austria #4
Ireland #4
Sweden #6
Australia #8
UK #9
Denmark #11
Netherlands #14
World #15
Germany #15
Switzerland #16
Italy #24
France #25
Belgium #25

"Britney" on the album charts:
UK #10
Australia #14
Austria #15
Belgium #17
Ireland #22
Switzerland #24
France #25
Italy #29
New Zealand #33
Sweden #34
Canada #36
Netherlands #36
Denmark #40

"Overprotected" on the single charts:
France #36
World #34
Canada #51
Sweden #59 

But the breakup also comes at a critical moment in the young stars' professional fortunes -- not to mention in the cloudy future of teen pop. '''N Sync and Britney have a really big decision to make: Do they stay in their demo bubble, the 13- to 16-year-olds, or do they grow with their audience and take some of the new sounds and incorporate that into their music?'' says MTV senior VP of programming Tom Calderone, noting that the net's viewers have been moving away from pop and toward dance music or hip-hop. (Timberlake and Spears declined to comment for this story.)

So far, the 21-year-old Timberlake seems the most poised to take his career to the next, more mature level -- notwithstanding tabloid reports involving everything from strippers to whipped cream to a brunet backup dancer. ''When the bubblegum wears off and the cuteness is gone and the gimmick is over, the only thing that's gonna help you stand on your own two feet is the real talent,'' notes singer Brian McKnight, who duetted with Timberlake on ''My Kind of Girl,'' the Grammy-nominated track on his latest album, ''Superhero.'' ''[Justin] is gonna be able to do whatever it is he wants to do for the rest of his life -- he's got that much talent.''

And that talent involves more than hamming it up in an Elton John video. Timberlake cowrote all three of the hit singles on the quintuple-platinum ''Celebrity,'' and, along with former choreographer Wade Robson, wrote and produced ''Man Enough,'' a song for R&B stars Dru Hill. Moreover, Justin has already proved adaptable to changing tastes. ''Music isn't quite where it was three years ago when we had five boy bands on the station,'' says Paul ''Cubby'' Bryant, program director of NYC radio station Z-100. ''The taste right now is a little more on the R&B side, with the J. Los and the OutKasts and the Ashantis doing well. [Getting] Nelly on the track for ['N Sync's] 'Girlfriend' has given the song a whole new life.''

Timberlake's increasing frontman status has inevitably led to talk of a post-'N Sync solo career, though a Jive spokesman would say only that ''there's no Justin Timberlake album scheduled'' and the group is going into the studio this summer to work on a new album. Still, Robson says, ''I'm sure it'll happen at some point.''

But what of Timberlake's former better half? Despite sales of more than 4 million for ''Britney,'' Spears, 20, has charted a path as slippery as that snake she embraced at last fall's MTV Video Music Awards. Oops! None of the three singles released from ''Britney'' have cracked Billboard's top 10 -- the biggest hit, ''I'm a Slave 4 U,'' peaked at No. 27. '''Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman' is a great song, but that song only appeals to a small niche of people, 14- to 17-year-olds,'' says Bryant. ''Now she's talking about being 'Overprotected' ... stuff that might be a little bit more self-serving and not relatable to listeners.''

But don't sniffle for Britney just yet. Her $12 million film debut, ''Crossroads,'' has grossed a respectable $37 million -- though less than the $41 million haul of Mandy Moore's ''A Walk to Remember.'' Moreover, her reported $7 million deal to pitch Pepsi and a cameo in this summer's ''Austin Powers'' sequel ensure that she won't completely fall off the pop-culture radar. (Tabloid items on her post-breakup table dancing in nightclubs probably won't hurt either.)

Like Timberlake, Spears seems to be shying away from her teenybopper roots. ''It all starts with the image first -- dressing a little bit more adult, showing a little bit more skin,'' says Rodney Jerkins, who produced ''I'm a Slave 4 U'' as well as 'N Sync's ''Pop.'' ''We wrote together and [we knew] we couldn't write songs like before, where it was basically kiddie pop.'' In fact, Spears cowrote four songs on ''Britney.''

While she faces a greater challenge in reinventing herself, since she (unlike her ex) is already a solo artist, Spears does have other assets...and not just the ones you think. ''She's a better singer than people give her credit for,'' notes Grammy-winning songwriter Diane Warren, who has worked with both 'N Sync and Spears. And for material? ''She can call me -- I've got a lot of 'F--- off' songs!'' We can see it now: Britney sings the blues.  

She has just been awarded the honour at the Barbie Award 2002 ceremony in Tokyo.

Britney gave her reaction by pulling a face to mimic a Shigeshige Shigeo, a doll made by Japanese toy maker Bandai Co.

She is in Japan for the premier of her film, Crossroads, and to promote her current single, I'm Not A Girl Not Yet A Woman.

Britney is also performing at a concert in Tokyo.

Just weeks after being booed for ignoring British fans during an outing in London, Spears attempted to appease her Australian admirers by posing for photos and signing autographs outside a cinema in Sydney.

However, the Princess of Pop's gesture was thrown back at her, when a plastic bottle was lobbed from the crowd. 

An eyewitness said: "Britney seemed annoyed but didn't comment. It's a pity when one small mind makes things bad for the majority."

As reported on dotmusic yesterday, Britney played a show to fans in a small indoor arena in Sydney, after the original outdoor concert was cancelled due to torrential rain.  

Spears announced her worldwide advertising agreement with Skechers' 4 Wheelers roller-skate line in January. The ads will appear in leading trade magazines and teen, lifestyle, and fashion magazines--including Teen People, Seventeen, YM, Entertainment Weekly, and US Weekly, among others--beginning this month . Famed fashion photographer Stephane Sednaoui photographed the Britney 4 Wheelers ads. 

Michael Greenberg, the president of Skechers USA, said in a statement, "The Skechers/Britney Spears relationship began with a successful international Sport shoe campaign in 2001. From our first Britney Sport ads, customers have asked retailers for 'the Britney shoe.' We believe this is an indicator of Britney's endorsement power, as her influence helps build our brand's growth worldwide."

Greenberg added, "By exposing consumers to our worldwide Britney 4 Wheelers campaign, we believe that she has the charisma, popularity, and global appeal to place Britney 4 Wheelers at the forefront of consumers' minds--and on their feet." 

Skechers USA designs, develops, and markets lifestyle footwear for men, women, and children. The Manhattan Beach, California-based footwear company also reports that it has plans to launch a website dedicated specifically to Britney 4 Wheelers.

Meanwhile, Spears was in Los Angeles earlier this month to shoot the music video for her next European single, "I Love Rock 'N' Roll," from her album, Britney. Spears also performed the song in her feature-film debut, Crossroads. 

On Tuesday, the New York Post mentioned my son Bryan, calling him a “heartthrob.” He would never admit it to me, but I suspect he loves the title. Don’t get me wrong, I would never say one of my children is vain, but as anyone in my family will tell you, Bryan likes to look good. 

Ever since Britney and I have been on a health kick, Bryan seems to have stepped up his own routine, sometimes working out in the morning and even at night! He’s quite the “hunk.” Jamie Lynn jokes around that girls are starting to call him “bootylicious.” These kids and their slang… it’s hard for me to keep up! 

Although Bryan isn’t interested in being in the spotlight or achieving fame, I do think he has a touch of Hollywood style in him. Anyone who sees him strut down the street with his “sun shades” on and golden tan would agree. I can’t believe he’s a quarter of a century old. Time flies when you’re a mom… Happy Birthday, Bryan.  

Skechers, through a licensing deal, and the pop star are coming out with a new line of sneaker-skates called "Britney 4-Wheelers." 

The deal further builds up Britney's empire, which already includes seven different Britney dolls, bubble gum, assorted merchandise sporting concert images and soon a new restaurant, Nyla, to open in Midtown here. 

"We had a relationship with Britney (through) an endorsement and a print advertising campaign," said John Quinn, chief strategy officer at Skechers, adding, "both sides wanted to do more. 

"Britney is prominent in American pop culture. Britney has iconic status," Quinn explained. 

And like all who have achieved iconic status, Spears was involved in the design, color and style of the skates, which all carry her signature on the tongue of the shoe. 

The skates will be sold in moderate stores like J.C. Penney and Nordstrom, and will sell for between $65 and $90, a company spokesman said. 

The skates will come in sizes for Britney fans of all ages, Quinn said, "Girls through women in their '20s and '30s." 

And they'll soon have more Britney products to choose from. 

"We're in the process of developing prototypes for accessories and skate related apparel items," Quinn said. 

"The goal is to have some of it available by holiday 2002, with the bulk of it available for spring 2003." 

The skates' debut will be supported by an extensive print advertising campaign showing the singer in five different outfits. Shot by fashion photographer and music video director Stephane Sednaoui, the print campaign will hit national magazines this month. 

Creating other celebrity co-branded collections could be in the cards for Skechers. The company, which has become known for its celebrity advertising campaigns over the years, has featured Rob Lowe, Matt Dillon and Robert Downey Jr. in campaigns in the last 18 months. 

"At any time, we're in discussions with any number of people," Quinn said.  

Wearing a black lace top, hipster jeans and a black leather cap, a gum-chewing Spears smiled as she was escorted by a posse of muscular bouncers to the Australian premiere of her rites of passage road movie "Crossroads." 

Hundreds of teenage fans screamed hysterically as the blonde singer posed for photos and leaned on a minder's shoulder to sign autographs, before heading into the cinema where actor Laurence Fishburne  was among scores of waiting guests. 

After her making her movie debut in the critically acclaimed "Crossroads," Spears said she has definite ideas about who she would like as her next leading man. 

" Brad Pitt  wouldn't be bad, that would be very nice," Spears, 20, told reporters outside the Fox Studios cinema. 

At the London premiere of Crossroads in March, Spears was hissed and booed after arriving late then disappearing into the cinema without meeting thousands of waiting fans. 

In an effort to counter the criticism, Spears earlier performed three of her hit songs including "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" from the Crossroads soundtrack, for over 1,000 people packed into a small indoor Sydney venue. 

Thousands more resorted to watching Spears on huge screens in a nearby car park, after a bigger show was scrapped after heavy rain damaged equipment. 

But just a glimpse of the songstress was enough to please ardent Britney fans. 

"She rocks, she's so cool," said fan Kristal Prior, 13.  

BILLBOARD HISTORY: Overprotected
week (1) ending 04.20.02 #93 (debut)
 

BILLBOARD 200 HISTORY: Britney
week (23) ending 04.20.02 #50
week (22) ending 04.13.02 #41
week (21) ending 04.06.02 #29
week (20) ending 03.30.02 #34
week (19) ending 03.23.02 #28
week (18) ending 03.16.02 #26
week (17) ending 03.09.02 #25
week (16) ending 03.01.02 #9
week (15) ending 02.23.02 #14
week (14) ending 02.16.02 #17
week (13) ending 02.09.02 #25
week (12) ending 02.02.02 #22
week (11) ending 01.26.02 #21
week (10) ending 01.19.02 #20
week (09) ending 01.12.02 #14
week (08) ending 01.05.02 #12
week (07) ending 12.29.01 #4
week (06) ending 12.22.01 #3
week (05) ending 12.15.01 #4
week (04) ending 12.08.01 #5
week (03) ending 12.01.01 #3
week (02) ending 11.24.01 #2
week (01) ending 11.17.01 #1 (debut)
 

The campaign will be comprised of a series of ads depicting the mega-star in her signature roller skates in five different outfits. The Britney 4 Wheelers ads, photographed by renowned fashion photographer Stephane Sednaoui, will appear in leading trade magazines and national teen, lifestyle and fashion magazines worldwide beginning this month. The publications include Teen People, Seventeen, YM, Entertainment Weekly and US Weekly, among others. 

"The SKECHERS/Britney Spears relationship began with a successful international Sport shoe campaign in 2001. From our first Britney Sport ads, customers have asked retailers for 'the Britney shoe.' We believe this is an indicator of Britney's endorsement power, as her influence helps build our brand's growth worldwide," said Michael Greenberg, president of SKECHERS USA. "By exposing consumers to our worldwide Britney 4 Wheelers campaign, we believe that she has the charisma, popularity and global appeal to place Britney 4 Wheelers at the forefront of consumers' minds - and on their feet." 

The Britney 4 Wheelers line has received an overwhelming response from key domestic department and specialty stores, which have placed orders for summer 2002 delivery. Britney 4 Wheelers will also be available at the Company's domestic and international concept stores, through a dedicated Britney 4 Wheelers Web site operated by the Company, and in select international markets. Additional licensing opportunities to complement the Britney 4 Wheelers line are also being considered for development. 

SKECHERS USA, Inc., based in Manhattan Beach, California, designs, develops and markets branded footwear for men, women and children. The Company offers a balanced assortment of basic and fashionable merchandise, which is sold to department stores and specialty retailers, as well as directly to consumers through company-owned SKECHERS retail stores and e-commerce. A global concept, the Company sells its product in more than 100 countries and territories throughout the world. For further information on SKECHERS, please visit the Company's web site at www.skechers.com or call the Company's information line at 877-INFO-SKX. 

This announcement may contain forward-looking statements, which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "believe," "belief," or other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements and reported results shall not be considered an indication of the Company's future performance. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include, among others, a decrease in sales during the back-to-school or holiday selling season, change in consumer demands and fashion trends, potential disruptions in manufacturing related to overseas sourcing, cancellation of order commitments and decreased demand by industry retailers, and the inability to sustain prior growth and other factors affecting retail market conditions, including those factors addressed in the Company's 10-K for the year ended 12/31/01.

At least that's still the "official" stance a spokesperson for the couple takes when asked of the status of their relationship. And if you believe that, some might think you were born yesterday.

The official media statement is in direct opposition to a month's worth of unconfirmed reports and anonymous eyewitness accounts that say the king and queen of the teen-pop prom have ended their reign. While public opinion favors the notion that the romance is kaput — gossip columnists citing Britney shakin' it with model Marcus Schenkenberg, and Justin hobnobbing in strip clubs and leading throngs of models into his limo have no doubt helped foster the belief — the "company line" has remained the same for over a month. 

So are they staying together through some stormy weather or have their ships already sailed separate ways? 

Even the supposed sweethearts have avoided answering the question directly. Last week on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show," Timberlake said, "[Britney] will always be special to me no matter what happens ... and I would never, ever do anything to disrespect her or degrade her." And a slyly grinning Britney told a British TV show in late March that she's "single, right now," which, given the context of the moment, seemed to indicate that she was simply without a boyfriend that very moment as she stood on the stage. Well, no kidding. 

Talk of the relationship's termination began in mid-March, when tabloids reported that the romance had ended. Spears almost immediately denied the break-up in an interview with MTV Italy, and days later a media statement was released jointly by Spears and Timberlake that reinforced her position on the subject. "To set it straight ... they love each other very much and have not broken up," the statement began. 

If even the couple has been able to take the omnipresent inquisitions in stride, albeit with tongue firmly planted in cheek, why hasn't there been an official update? Why do their handlers continue to deny what most folks believe is the truth? And more importantly, why do we still care?

Some of you don't. According to an MTVNews.com poll, half of the respondents answered that they are completely fed up with the daily "are they or aren't they" speculation (though they still felt it was worthwhile to voice their opinion on the subject). For the caring half, of which the majority believes the flame has long been out, some insight into the spiral of denial might help them understand the reasoning behind why the couple's publicists haven't made it a priority to set the record straight.

The Britney-Justin conundrum is just the latest incident where official denials have later been rebuked by the truth — or popular opinion, as the case may be. Madonna denied accusations of her pending nuptials to Guy Ritchie a month before the two said, "I do," in December 2000. Puffy let rumors fly for a month before announcing last Valentine's Day that he and Jennifer Lopez had hit the skids. And Brandy had been secretly married for months before she led on publicly that she tied the knot last summer.

What these incidents have in common is that they concern the artists' personal lives, not their professional careers. While some tabloid newshounds argue that the price of success is fame and being in the public eye means forfeiture of one's right to a personal life, others reasonably point out that maybe it's just not anybody's business. Regardless, the fact is that sometimes personal relationships aren't as clear-cut as plans to release an album or embark on a tour.

"Relationships between people are a complicated situation," said one music-industry publicist with 25 years of experience. "It's unreasonable to think that we can distill it down to a one-phrase comment. It could be that people are expecting answers where there really aren't any."

That's fair, but why not just come clean? 

Releasing such an end-of-the-line statement as "it's over" would also make getting back together — not completely beyond the realm of possibility — much more complicated. If the couple does reconcile, wouldn't another statement be required to keep current? The press would then want to know why and how they reunited, prompting yet another statement. The cycle could theoretically continue until, after the most minor of spats, a statement would be issued simply as a preemptive strike to quell any break-up rumors before they ever get off the ground. Sometimes it's just easier to avoid broaching the matter altogether.

"Who knows?" pondered another publicist, with a three-decade background, "maybe the final decision hasn't actually been made on whether a couple is breaking up. Maybe they're still trying to work it out. Maybe one of them doesn't want to be broken up so they're denying it. There are all kinds of personal reasons why you would deny something."

Of the multitude of motives for doing so, a principal reason to shake off allegations is to avoid the instigation of an "all-points bulletin" in the media, as was the case when Madonna didn't admit wedding bells were ringing just around the corner.

"When you're as public as those people are, you want to keep your wedding as private as possible," the same source said. "If you give a date out, or you acknowledge the fact that you're getting married or you're breaking up, you're really just inviting press attention."

Good points all, but why deny the accusation instead of issuing the ever-popular response you see in the movies: "no comment"?

"Anybody who thinks 'no comment' is no comment is out of their minds," the first flack explained plainly. "It clearly is a comment — it's an evasive comment."

"No comment" is virtually admitting the presented accusation is true, since it's not an outright denial. Perhaps inadvertently, the publicist is also hinting that there's more to the story than there appears to be. Like a drop of blood in shark-infested waters, it can start a feeding frenzy, indicating to most journalists that they're onto something. If the goal is to let the story die quietly, that's not the message you want to be sending.

So if it's best to issue a denial, what happens when there isn't a shred of truth to the finger-pointing? How does a publicist, who has issued "denials" in the past, deflate an unsubstantiated rumor without seeming like the boy who cried wolf?

"Deny it like you mean it, in a way that's appropriate for the situation," the first publicist said. " 'That's the most ridiculous thing I ever heard!' 'Absolutely no basis in fact.' 'It's utterly ridiculous.' Most journalists get the message." 

She had been due to perform at a 10,000-capacity outdoor arena at Sydney's Fox Studios. 

Organisers switched it to a smaller indoor venue after a downpour and the prospect of more rain.

Giant video screens were set up in a nearby car park for fans who couldn't get inside the smaller concert hall.

Britney initially went to Sydney the morning after the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States and canceled most of her media engagements then.

Spears is also scheduled to appear in Sydney at the Australian premiere of her film Crossroads.

Brian Farrell, THQ president and chief executive, said the company's first- quarter results were driven by solid sales of many new titles after Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and Nintendo  Co . (J.NTD) introduced new game consoles late last year. Those followed Sony Corp .'s (SNE) PlayStation 2 , released in 2000.

Farrell said THQ will increase the number of games it introduces to 80 this year, up from 70 last year.

On a conference call with analysts, Farrell said Microsoft 's launch of its XBox console in Japan has been "disappointing," with only 200,000 units sold there to date.

"They need compelling content to succeed in that market," he said.

Farrell said the XBox launch has gone well in the U.K., though the story is somewhat different in continental Europe. He expects Microsoft to lower XBox's retail price "sooner rather than later."

He said THQ's internal projections show Sony having a total installed base of 15.5 million to 16 million PlayStation 2's in 2002, followed by Microsoft with 4.5 million to 5 million XBox consoles, and Nintendo with 3 million to 3.5 million for GameCube and 12 million GameBoy Advance handheld game machines.

For the first quarter, THQ, Calabasas Hills, Calif. , reported net income of $ 2.8 million, or 7 cents a share, on revenue of $79.7 million. This compares with profit of $860,000, or 3 cents a share, on revenue of $59.3 million in the year-earlier period.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial/First Call had expected earnings of 6 cents per share for the latest quarter.

Farrell said THQ's wireless initiative is going well, but the revenues generated are so slight that THQ hasn't included sales of titles for wireless phones in its financial guidance. "I still like the potential for wireless, but it's still a couple of quarters out," Farrell said. "We don't have delusions of grandeur in the near term."

The company said it anticipates sales of $80 million to $85 million and earnings per share of 10 cents to 12 cents for the second quarter. For all of 2002, the company expects sales of $510 million to $520 million and earnings per share of $1.22 to $1.29.

Shares of THQ closed Tuesday at $35.45, up 40 cents, or 1.1%, on volume of 2.3 million, compared with daily average volume of 1.2 million.

Farrell also said that Sony and THQ are teaming to aggressively market pop singer Britney Spears' "Britney's Dance Beat" title for PlayStation 2 in May, with television advertising planned to reach out to female gamers and drive hardware sales. 

The increases were driven by strong sales of the company's games during the quarter that extended across all the consoles released during the holiday season of 2001.

"Product releases during the quarter for each of the new game consoles, as well as for PC, handheld and wireless systems, spanned the demographic range from kids to core gamers and everyone in between," THQ president and CEO Brian Farrell said.

Farrell noted that the top-selling games for the Calabasas, Calif.-based company were Sonic Advance for Nintendo's Game Boy, WWF Raw for Microsoft's Xbox and Britney's Dance Beat for Game Boy Advance. The PlayStation 2 version of the Britney Spears game launches in May.

According to THQ, WWF Raw had the best first-week sales ever for a third-party game for Xbox.

Popular titles on the original PlayStation from THQ included SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge and RocketPower: Team Rocket Rescue.

Precise sales figures on all of the games were not released. THQ released 12 games during the quarter, with the majority of the company's revenue coming from the Game Boy, Game Boy Advance and Nintendo 64.

As a result of the expansion of the Nickelodeon/THQ deal that was announced during the quarter, two new titles were announced for next year: Interstellar P.I.G., based on William Sleator's novel, and Tak and the Power of Juju.

As part of its deal with Marvel Entertainment, those two companies will create a videogame in 2003 titled The Call, based on the heroism shown by New Yorkers during Sept. 11.

For the rest of 2002, THQ said it anticipates second-quarter revenue to register between $80 million and $85 million, with total sales of $510 million to $520 million on the year.

THQ's stock split 3-for-2 on March 26.

Results were announced after the close of trading Tuesday. Shares were up about 1% to $35.45 in regular trading. 

Now friends are worried that partying Britney, 20, has developed a dangerous taste for alcohol.

To see the dramatic pics of drunken Britney and to read all about her booze-fueled rampage through U.S. and European hotspots, be sure to buy the latest Star on sale at supermarkets and newsstands this week.