"Boys" on the single charts:
UK #7 (debut)
Ireland #10 (debut)

"Anticipating" on the single charts:
France #53

"I Love Rock and Roll" on the single charts:
Argentina #10
Russia #10
Austria #19
Sweden #21
Australia #21
World #29
Belgium #37
Canada #38
Germany #43
Netherlands #62
Switzerland #68

"Britney" on the album charts:
France #34
Belgium #35
Ireland #37
Australia #46
Austria #49
New Zealand #49
Canada #52
UK #63
Netherlands #92

Both girls have been dating hunky star PHARRELL WILLIAMS - one half of top R&B production team The Neptunes.

A friend of Pharrell said: "He has been bragging about going out on dates with Britney. We were all really shocked, because everyone thought he was seeing Beyonce at the time.

"Both are pretty determined women who won't give him up easily - so there could be some fireworks between the two of them."

Pharrell met Britney, 20, when he was working on her new album and they hit it off immediately.

But that came as bad news to Destiny's Child beauty Beyonce, also 20, who has been seeing Pharrell for the past few months.

The girls were not exactly the best of mates before they became love rivals. They frequently fight it out at the top of the charts.

They are also both desperate for a new man after having their hearts broken by two-timing boyfriends. Britney split from N-Sync singer JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE after he cheated on her with singer TONYA MITCHELL.

And Beyonce is also looking for Mr Right after splitting from the high school sweetheart she dated for five years.

"He had other girls and played his game," said Beyonce, who stars in the new Austin Powers movie Goldmember. "I won't let anyone do that to me again."

Time to take cover!

Has good-girl teen idol Britney Spears gone bad?

"A girl can only be so good," said E! Online writer Mark Armstrong. "These are just moments where a pop star is caught off-guard or caught acting normal."

Spears' recent antics have left some wondering whether the 20-year-old pop icon is trying to exchange her wholesome image for a more devilish persona. But some fans and Britney experts refute that theory. 

"I don't think it's a publicity stunt," said Damon Romine, editor of Teen Beat and Tiger Beat magazines. "In reality, it's just Britney being a girl her age."

Though the Web master of one Spears fan site said some followers were put off by her recent moves, he said most of them realize she's had a rigorous schedule and rocky personal life recently.

"Some of them are disappointed. They're not understanding why she's doing it," said Ruben Garay, 20, who runs Worldofbritney.com. "But most fans understand that she is just fed up with everything. The reason why all these things are happening is that she just needs a break."

Spears herself has said there's no larger motive behind the incidents, and has offered an explanation for at least a few of the bad-girl things she's done.

"I'm human too. I get mad like everyone else," she said at a news conference in explanation of why she gave the finger to a crowd in Mexico. Spears said it was aimed not at her fans -- who were outraged -- but at the swarming paparazzi.

"I love my fans here. I embrace them completely," she said. "It was the paparazzi that I was mad at."

As for the abbreviated concert, lightning and thunderstorms were cited as the reason the rest of the show was called off.

She'd sung four songs and was smack in the middle of her fifth, "Stronger," when she stopped dead.

"I'm sorry, Mexico," Mexico City's Milenio newspaper quoted her as saying. "I love you. Bye."

Spears' Mexico moves and photos that circulated of the normally pure star toting a cigarette all happened around her much-publicized break-up with 'N Sync band member Justin Timberlake. 

And last year Britney -- not realizing her mike was on -- could be heard saying the F-word during a sound check at Brazil's Rock in Rio festival. Apparently there was a misunderstanding over whether there would be opening music -- referred to as "vamp" -- playing before she came onstage.

"Don't tell me they're just letting the audience [expletive] stand out there like that. Oh my God," Spears said. "OK, let's hurry, y'all, seriously. This is retarded. They told me they were gonna do a vamp." 

The clip of her rant was soon being played on numerous radio stations and feverishly downloaded on the Web. 

No doubt part of the widespread publicity stems from the simple pleasure the public gets in seeing a larger-than-life star acting so, well, human.

"What people find most amusing is to see Britney act like a real person," Armstrong said.

Not to mention the fact that all these little acts of rebellion are typical of someone on the cusp of adulthood. In this case, however, Britney is coming of age in front of the whole world -- and many of her fans vow to stick with her through the bumpy ride.

"It's part of growing up," Garay said. "I've learned to accept her whatever level she decides to be on. The diehard fans, she's never going to lose. They will support her all the way."

During the interview, which aired Thursday (August 1st) on the program, Spears said that the concert stage at Foro Sol baseball stadium was struck by lightning. "The whole stage is metal and the stage was hit by lightning and not safe," she said. "The dancers on stage slipped--it wasn't safe at all for us to continue the show. This was not a rainstorm. This was a lightning storm. The stage actually got hit by lightning, it wasn't safe for us."

Spears noted that she was told not to perform at all due to the severe weather, but she decided to press on. "I did a show and I gave it my all," said Spears. "They told us not to go on, but I said, 'No, I have to go out there.' I think I made an effort and that matters." Spears added that it was her decision to make sure that the fans in attendance ultimately received refunds.

As for the infamous "middle finger" incident--in which Spears was captured on camera flipping the bird to overzealous paparazzi and cameramen chasing her in vehicles--the singer chalked up her actions as being a "defense mechanism". 

Spears also noted that the universally accepted meaning attached to the raising of the middle finger was, of course, not meant for the fans at all. "The cameras...We were almost in a wreck and they were getting out and shaking vans," she explained. "We were in danger and I didn't think it was my fans. It was just a defense mechanism, and I wouldn't do it again." 

Life just seems to go one way or the other for Spears these days. 

In the past year, she broke up with 'N Sync's Justin Timberlake, was sued for allegedly stealing two songs, and has been challenged in the charts by a batch of young female singer-songwriters. 

But she also opened a New York restaurant, toured, had a video game made about her, starred in a successful movie and was named the most powerful celebrity in the world by Forbes magazine. 

The dramatic swings of pop superstardom make Spears' stage hip-shaking look downright geriatric -- well, almost. In her latest video, the Neptunes-remixed "Boys," her shimmy proves too much for even Austin Powers.

CNN "Music Room" host Sasha Rionda caught up with the 20-year-old singer during her tour, and they chatted about Spears' eventful year. 

Rionda: What is different with the "Dream within a Dream" tour? It seems to be much more daring than your previous tours. 

Spears: This is my third tour, and I had a lot more involvement with this tour. I got to choose the dancers, you know, choose everything, so it was like a bigger deal for me because it was, like, my baby and my project. 

Rionda: Now that you're no longer a teenager, are you trying to target your material more for adults? 

Spears: You know, it's not something that you try to do, [say] "I'm going to sing to this person or that person." I just sing what I'm feeling at the time and hope my fans will like that and appreciate that. 

Rionda: How is your music changing? 

Spears: Lately, I've been really interested in a lot of hip-hop music. I've been really influenced by that. I think I['ve] incorporated a lot of that into my music lately. 

You know what? It changes every day. Who knows? Six weeks from now, I'll probably be singing rock music. It's just whatever I feel at the moment. 

Rionda: Actually, your new song "Boys" has a rap edge to it, doesn't it? Tell us about that song. 

Spears: I really love the version that we did on the album, but ... the Neptunes are amazing, and I knew that they could come in and do something really different with it -- have a dance break in it here or there -- and they did. They took the song and they completely redid it, and it's very cool. Thankfully, they liked it so much, they were able to put it into the Austin Powers movie. So I'm really excited about that. 

Rionda: How was it shooting the video with Mike Myers? 

Spears: It was very cool. I loved it. He is the sweetest guy. It was really hard for me, because the whole time I'm supposed to be in character and be really cool. No, it didn't work! The set was really refreshing, because everyone was laughing and he was very cool to work with. 

Rionda: Of all your music videos, which did you have the most fun filming? 

Spears: Probably my first one, "Baby One More Time." Because it was my first video, the energy (was there). Everyone was really nervous because it was my first time. 

Rionda: Do you have a lot of input in the making of your videos? 

Spears: Yeah, that's the most fun part about doing a video. It's like, "Oh, I want to do this." For example, with the "Overprotected" video, that was all my idea, my own creation. It was really fun to watch it back. Yeah, you have to [have input]. That's what makes it special. 

Rionda: I heard you had a little "oops" moment in the making of the video for "Oops! ... I Did it Again." 

Spears: Yes we did. I was lying on the floor -- it's the scene where I'm lying down and the camera is supposed to be an overhead shot of me. All of a sudden, the camera just falls on my head in the middle of the whole video. It was really kind of bad. It was a very "Oops, I did it again" video. 

Rionda: What did you do? 

Spears: I had to go get stitches. 

Rionda: But I heard you went back to finish the shoot. 

Spears: Yeah, I did. 

Rionda: You trouper! 

Is the song "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" autobiographical? 

Spears: You know what, I think that song was really written for the movie "Crossroads," but I can relate to it to a certain extent. 

Rionda: Dido wrote the song. As you move to the next stage of your career, would you like to collaborate with others? 

Spears: Yeah. I love being able to have other artists come in and have their input on things. It's more fun that way. On the next album, I'm already thinking about other people I'd like to work with. 

Rionda: Can you tell us who? 

Spears: No, I'm not going to tell you. It would ruin my surprise. 

Rionda: Secrets! There seem to be a lot of young female artists emerging at the moment. Are there any that you like or admire? 

Spears: I really love Shakira. I think she is amazing. I like how she's very rocker-oriented. She can move, she can dance and she's beautiful. I like her. 

Rionda: What are you listening to at the moment? 

Spears: I'm listening to Lauryn Hill's new album. I think it's amazing. It's kind of sad, but it's good. It's a feel-good album. 

What else? I love Jay-Z. Shakira's new album is great, and my bodyguard has all these new rap songs that he's always playing on the bus. So I'm always listening to Nelly and stuff. It's a variety of stuff. 

Rionda: How does it feel to be named Forbes' most powerful celebrity? 

Spears: It's very flattering to be called that. They told me that about a week ago and I was like, "What, me? Okay, this is cool!" I was very happy. 

Rionda: What is your plan for staying at No. 1 on the list, then? 

Spears: I don't have a plan. I just do what I love to do and hope people appreciate that and see what happens. 

Rionda: You are known to be an admirer of Madonna, and she's a champion at reinventing herself. What is the secret to lasting in the music industry? 

Spears: I think that there's no real secret. You just have to love what you do and be motivated to do it. I just think there are a lot of people that after a while think, "Okay, I want to do something else." I just love what I do, and I think your drive says a lot. I think it boils down to talent, but I think your drive to be a good person and to stick to what you do (is important). 

BILLBOARD 200 HISTORY: Britney
week (38) ending 08.03.02 #78
week (37) ending 07.27.02 #101
week (36) ending 07.20.02 #99
week (35) ending 07.13.02 #98
week (34) ending 07.06.02 #104
-
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 last week was in Mexico City. Jamie Lynn and I would have flown there, but Jamie Lynn was working at Nickelodeon. Britney did some major shopping in Mexico for her new apartment in New York. She called me every time she found another amazing buy. Brit and her crew hated that the second show was shut down by the production manager because of a lightning storm. There were 50,000 screaming fans in the outdoor arena. Britney almost slipped 3 times during the first 5 songs. Lightning was hitting the stage. In the end, Mother Nature won - Brit couldn't finish the show because of safety concerns for herself, the dancers, the crew and the audience. She flew home an hour earlier than planned. 

Jamie Lynn and Britney are staying busy. A little work, a lot of play. Jamie Lynn's puppy, Izzy, is keeping us all entertained and busy. Izzy is literally a handful. She weighs 1 lb. and 10 oz., yet she holds her own with our 90 lb. German Shepards and our Poodle. No more dogs! Four is enough!! 

Laura Lynn is visiting with us for a week. Several of her dance friends from Louisiana State University are also here for a dance convention. Big Rob and Moe, Britney's bodyguards, will have their hands full for the next few days!  

She says they nearly hit the vehicle she was in so she let them know what she thought of them. Some had taken that as a sign of how Spears felt about Mexico, but she says she loves her fans there, and the gesture was really aimed at the camera people. 

Her Mexico City shows this past weekend were the last on her tour. 

Now, she says she's going to "take six months off and just have Britney time and just do what Britney wants to do." 

Earlier this summer, Spears and Justin Timberlake said bye, bye, bye to each other after three years together, but it wasn't easy. 

Less than six months later, Timberlake says he still can't say the words "break up." 

"It hurts too bad to say it," the 'N Sync  member told People magazine for its June 24 issue, in which he's named among "America's Top 50 Bachelors." 

"You get to a point where you're crying yourself to sleep at night," he said. "I feel like I'm in the middle of a soap opera. I honestly know what it's like to have a broken heart now."  

Spears reportedly began the Foro Del Sol Stadium show, the finale of her Dream Within a Dream tour, during a break between two storms. The label said the decision was made to ensure the safety of Spears and the other performers, her crew, and the audience, and that many of the robotic lights and pyrotechnics were malfunctioning because of the fierce storm.

The artist had performed for about 35 minutes for the more than 50,000 fans who braved the weather when the decision was made to call off the show. She was in the midst of performing the single "Stronger," when she left the stage, saying only "I'm sorry Mexico. I love you. Bye," according to a report in local paper Milenio. Now that the tour is finished, Spears told reporters she will "take six months off and just have Britney time and just do what Britney wants to do."

Beginning Thursday (August 1st), fans can receive a full refund for their tickets from the point of purchase.