We ate stuffed mushrooms and crayfish corn chowder at C’est Bon. The food and atmosphere are great at this quaint little restaurant. We planned on going to the movies several times during the week, but we always got caught up in something or someone at home. Jamie Lynn had friends over for the weekend, so I had a houseful of girls. They stayed busy and didn’t want to leave the house. It’s hard to convince Jamie Lynn to go to the movies or shopping. I predict that in a couple of years, this won’t be the case. Brit went to Jamie Lynn’s dance school with her this week. 

We felt bad, because the students were a bit distracted by her visit. But one thing was for sure -- watching Jamie Lynn and her friends made Britney miss her old dance classes. 

Both Bryan and Jamie Lynn’s birthdays are in April. I’ve got to get my creative juices flowing! I have a pretty decent idea for Jamie Lynn’s birthday, but Bryan is a difficult guy to surprise. Britney and Lauren will have to help me with him this year. 

The Grammy’s will be Wednesday night this week. Britney is a presenter this year. After the Grammy’s she’ll also be working on her next video, “Overprotected.” Britney leaves for the overseas promotional tour next. 

My mother was from London, England. I always hated watching my mom leave on a plane when she left for a visit. I still get the same feeling when I watch Bryan or Britney fly away from home. The emptiness I feel is even greater watching my children go. I never want their vacations to end. 

Tour Dates:
Fri, 5/24/02 Mandalay Bay Las Vegas, NV 
Sat, 5/25/02 Mandalay Bay Las Vegas, NV 
Tue, 5/28/02 PNE Coliseum Vancouver, BC 
Wed, 5/29/02 Tacoma Dome Tacoma, WA 
Thu, 5/30/02 Rose Garden Portland, OR 
Sat, 6/01/02 Oakland Arena Oakland, CA 
Sun, 6/02/02 Compaq Center San Jose, CA 
Tue, 6/04/02 Staples Center Los Angeles, CA 
Thu, 6/06/02 Staples Center Los Angeles, CA 
Mon, 6/10/02 Arco Arena Sacramento, CA 
Wed, 6/12/02 America West Phoenix, AZ 
Fri, 6/14/02 United Spirit Lubbock, TX 
Sat, 6/15/02 Alamodome San Antonio, TX 
Sun, 6/16/02 Compaq Center Houston, TX 
Thu, 6/20/02 United Center Chicago, IL 
Fri, 6/21/02 Conseco Indianapolis, IN 
Sat, 6/22/02 Savvis Center St. Louis, MO 
Mon, 6/24/02 The Palace Detroit, MI 
Tue, 6/25/02 Copps Coliseum Hamilton, CAN 
Wed, 6/26/02 HSBC Buffalo, NY 
Fri, 6/28/02 First Union Center Philadelphia, PA 
Sat, 6/29/02 Fleet Center Boston, MA 
Fri, 7/05/02 Meadowlands Arena East Rutherford, NJ 
Sun, 7/07/02 Convention Center Atlantic City, NJ 
Tue, 7/09/02 Nassau Coliseum Uniondale, NY 
Thu, 7/11/02 MCI Center Washington, D.C. 
Sat, 7/13/02 National Car Rental Center Ft. Lauderdale, FL 
Sun, 7/14/02 TD Waterhouse Orlando, FL 
Thu, 7/18/02 CenturyTel Arena Bossier City, LA 
Fri, 7/19/02 New Arena Oklahoma City, OK 
Sat, 7/20/02 Alltel Arena Little Rock, AK 
Mon, 7/22/02 American Airlines Arena Dallas, TX
 

She is so adept at promotion that Herbal Essences and Pepsi products both make appearances in her new movie, "Crossroads." She also uses the movie to promote her latest CD, "Britney."

Spears often gets ridiculed for baring all in public. But she's proud of her sexuality and her body, and she wants to share it.

As children, we are taught to be proud of who we are. Yet most teenage girls hate the way they look and have poor self-images.

The United States is one of the few countries uncomfortable with such openness. Europeans tend to think this discomfort is backward. They could very well be right. If people did expose a little more, then maybe we wouldn't feel so self-conscious about our differences.

To nonfans, it is difficult to see why Britney causes such a commotion. "If it were about the music, Britney Spears would be a porn star," says a character on "The Hughleys," a TV sitcom.

But what many critics fails to see is a talented young woman who took a chance. She has self-confidence, and I think that's what makes her special.

Spears left her friends and family to try to make it in a very difficult business. While not every girl dreams of being a pop star, they can watch her, hear her message and follow their hearts. They can take a leap at finding their dreams and living life to its fullest. Her many personas are the characters she plays while she tries to find herself. When all is said and done, Spears is a down-to-earth girl from Louisiana who likes to have fun.

Spears' first film, "Crossroads," was written specifically for her. She even helped with the basic concepts. While the plot is really bad, the movie is really about her branching out into other entertainment forms.

This film is really just a trial run to see if Spears can play a a leading role. She can, at least in this movie. Of course, there's a very fine line between Spears and the character (Lucy) she plays.

Lucy is an over-protected little puppet. She's an academic standout in high school, but her accomplishments are for her father, played by Dan Aykroyd, not her. He wants her to be a doctor. She's unsure about her future. She does know that she wants to make her own decisions.

Lucy and her friends set off on a road trip. In a small way, this is a reflection of Spears' own life. Spears missed out on high school, much like Lucy, who "never went to a basketball game ... or just hung out."

Lucy and Spears are highly motivated and ready to leave small-town life. Both recognize there is a lot out there they want to see. Both are struggling to grow up but find outside pressures make it difficult. In Lucy's case, it's her father; in Britney's, it's the media.

This need for self-discovery and independence is something that all adolescents go through. At some point, the apron strings need to be cut, and children need to live their own lives.

This is very much a coming-of-age story. At 20, Spears is barely out of her teens, still trying to come into her own. Lots of teenagers experiment with different looks and activities. Sure, she's a bit more public with her experimentation, but so what? There are far worse role models out there for kids. No one is perfect, though for some reason we, as the public, expect celebrities to be.

She is a beautiful, intelligent and confident young woman. In our society, those qualities can be difficult to find.
 

Grade for Crossroads: B

Grade for Spears: B

Then I realized a few things.

I was going to have to fork over cash to see this film. I was going to add to the box-office sales. I also realized I had to find someone to go with me. No one I know likes Britney enough to willingly endure 90 minutes of Britney-filled, um, fun. I resorted to bribery to get a friend to come along.

One of the most interesting parts of the movie was seeing who was in the theater. Teenage girls filled most of the seats, with a few annoyed-looking boyfriends thrown in the mix.

While only a few of the girls were under the age of 10, seeing them there at all depressed me. These little girls look up to Britney, and they were about to see her in a PG-13 film, taking part in things she shouldn't. That's one of the things that bothers me most about Britney: She's treated like a role model. She says she's a "good girl." Supposedly, the risque clothes, provocative dancing and suggestive songs are part of the act. Well, the act is what makes her famous. It's what little girls see and want to imitate.

The opening scene of "Crossroads" introduces us to three young girls who are burying a box of dreams and vowing to unearth it on graduation night. Next, we see Britney dancing and singing in her underwear. Hey, I can watch this on MTV for free!The three girls are graduating. Over time, they've grown apart because of their different personalities. Lucy (Spears) is the wholesome, straight-A nerd. Her former friends are Kit (Zoe Saldana), the prissy, popular girl, and Mimi (Taryn Manning), the pregnant girl from the wrong side of town.

Long live stereotypes!After they dig up their box, we learn that Mimi is going to Los Angeles with the mysterious musician, Ben (Anson Mount), to audition for a record contract. Kit goes to see her boyfriend, and Lucy tags along to find her long-lost mother.

The film is totally formulaic. The girls sing and bond the whole time. An attraction between Lucy and Ben grows. They talk about alcohol, weight, sex, following your dreams, blah, blah, blah ...

Compared to many teenage films, this one is pretty tame when it comes to the gross-out jokes. The infamous sex scene between Lucy and Ben is less suggestive than Spear's "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know," sex-on-the-beach video.

The acting is pretty sappy, but not just Britney's. The girls slip in and out of their Georgia accents. Sometimes I couldn't understand Manning at all.

The thing that makes this teeny-bopper movie worse than most is Britney's presence. She's not an actress or even a singer. She's a persona, an image. I consider her a product. Her goal is to sell something, be it music or soda or a movie. There is a scene where Lucy reads a poem to Ben, who later sets it to music she sings in the finale. Gee, it just happens to be her latest single, "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman," now available on the album "Britney."

And do you know what the audience did when she read her poem? We laughed. The theater was full of girls who knew this was ridiculous. If it hadn't been Britney (and if the song wasn't quite so annoyingly vapid), we probably wouldn't have found the scene so hilarious.

If I felt like Britney wasn't always trying to sell something, perhaps I could be more tolerant. But at this point, I don't think she'll ever be considered a respectable musician or actress. She might as well keep hawking whatever product she can get her face on.
 

Grade for Crossroads: C-

Grade for Spears: Is there anything lower than an F?

At MTV's 2000 music-awards shindig, Britney Spears achieved what scientists had long thought impossible. The erstwhile ear-wearer sexed up her image.

Consider that when you start your music career as a well-endowed teenager who pops out of her blouse for a Rolling Stone cover and bops around in a music video in a naughty schoolgirl outfit, this is no easy feat. Eventually, conventional wisdom says you catch a draft and want to put some clothes on.

Not our Britney.

In September 2000, Miss Spears was 18, so authorities could do nothing when she took to the stage for a performance of the illustrious "Oops!...I Did It Again" and proceeded to pare down to an outfit that would make a Showgirls-era Elizabeth Berkley blush.

The act was hailed by dirty young and dirty old men the world over and reviled by mothers, who feared their impressionable daughters would similarly drop their clothes.

Dear Britney remained unfazed. As she later told MTV Diary: "I honestly had no idea it was gonna be such a big deal. I still don't see what the big deal was."

Somebody should loan her the bootleg tape.

"But when she went to pay, her credit card was declined," a spy tells next week's New York magazine.

Spears tried another card, but it didn't work, either. Luckily for Britney, her bodyguard's credit card was approved. 

"Britney wasn't embarrassed at all," said the spy. 

Spears has been transformed into a virtual pop princess -- complete with leather catsuit, flowing locks and ample cleavage -- for her first assault on the video games market. 

Programmers at U.S. games maker THQ Inc. say "Britney's Dance Beat" offers adoring fans the chance to perform with their idol, if only in a virtual world. 

"Audition to Britney's most popular songs to see if you can keep up with the other dancers," the company says on its Web site (www.thg.com). "If you're really good, you'll get access to exclusive video and concert footage." 

Designed with the help of Spears, the game will be available for PlayStation 2 in May. Versions for Game Boy and Xbox will follow later in the year, the company said. 

1.Queen of the Damned, $15.1 million 
2.John Q., $12.5 million 
3.Dragonfly, $10.4 million 
4.Return to Neverland, $9 million 
5.Crossroads, $7.1 million 
6.Big Fat Liar, $6.7 million 
7.A Beautiful Mind, $5.2 million 
8.Hart's War, $4.5 million 
9.Super Troopers, $3.9 million 
10.Collateral Damage, $3.7 million 
 

Experience Britney Like Never Before!

She's young, beautiful, and talented. Her dance moves are as hot as her songs. And, only the best dancers can join Britney Spears on her world tour. See if you have what it takes to back her up. 

Features:
- Starring Britney Spears, realistically transformed into 3D
- Choose from a variety of dancers to represent your skills
- Groove to Britney's hottest songs like "…Baby One More Time" and "I'm A Slave 4 U"
- Unlock exclusive Britney concert videos and 360o Immersive Videos that let you control the camera
- Single and 2-Player dance competitions

"Britney" on the album charts:
Argentina #5
France #14
Austria #17
Belgium #17
Canada#18
Switzerland #21
Denmark #28
Sweden #29
Czechia #30
Netherlands #56

"Overprotected" on the single charts:
Sweden #6
World #10
UK #12
Norway #13
Belgium #14
Ireland #15
Denmark #16
France #16
Netherlands #20
Canada #22

The 73-year-old sex therapist says she wants to tell the 20-year-old pop sensation that it's OK to be sexy on stage — but don't forget who you are. 

"I want to tell [her] that you can do these sexy kind of movements but at the same time in your interviews you have to say that you know that that's for the camera, that's for show business," says the good doctor. "But your core, your inner self, is not changing."

Dr. Ruth, best known as the grandmotherly radio talk show host who stresses the importance of contraception, is one of the more unlikely Grammy nominees. She's nominated in the category of Best Spoken Word Album for Children for her CD Timeless Tales and Music of Our Time. 

'I Got Kissed by Elton John'

Dr. Ruth admits she's out of her element. One of the few nominees she's even heard of she refers to as "the U2." 

"I know that the U2 love me," she said. "I know I got kissed by Elton John. I hear he's a fan of mine. … And all the others? There isn't one that I know." 

Pop stars like Spears, who's going to the Grammys as a presenter, have an obligation to their young fans, Dr. Ruth says, and she's going to let them know.

"They have an obligation of knowing that millions are watching them, mimicking them, dreaming of them, wanting to be like them," she says. "So I want them to stop with this stupid piercing of navels and tongues and other — ick!"

Dr. Ruth's children's record faces some stiff competition at Wednesday's awards. The other nominees are Dr. Seuss — How The Grinch Stole Christmas CD Read-Along (Various Artists); Oscar Wilde: The Selfish Giant & The Nightingale and the Rose (Vanessa Redgrave and Stephen Fry); Mama Don't Allow (Tom Chapin); and A Series of Unfortunate Events — Book 1 The Bad Beginning (Tim Curry). 

But the famed sex therapist isn't one of those folks who say "I'm grateful just to be nominated." She wants to win, and can already envision that Grammy perched on her piano, next to her Ace Award. 

"I can taste that winning. But if I don't, I still have to smile," Dr. Ruth says. "I have to smile because those stupid cameras are going to be right in my face to see if I cry or not." 

Track Listing:
1. Get The Party Started (Sweet Dreams Mix) - Pink
2. I'm A Slave 4 U - Britney Spears
3. Family Affair - Mary J. Blige
4. Whenever, Wherever - Shakira
5. Ain't It Funny - Jennifer Lopez
6. Livin' It Up - Ja Rule
7. Roll Out (My Business) - Ludacris
8. Lights, Camera, Action - Mr. Cheeks
9. Raise Up (All Cities Remix) - Petey Pablo
10. Caramel (Trackmasters Remix) - City High
11. Turn Off The Light - Nelly Furtado
12. Gone - *Nsync
13. Emotion - Destiny's Child
14. Differences - Ginuwine
15. Drowning - Backstreet Boys
16. Stuck In A Moment - U2
17. Just Push Play - Aerosmith
18. Dig In - Lenny Kravitz
19. I Wish You Were Here - Incubus
20. Giving In - Adema
 

BILLBOARD TOP MUSIC VIDEO: Britney Spears: Live From Las Vegas
week (01) ending 02.23.02 #1(debut)

BILLBOARD TOP MUSIC VIDEO: Britney: The Videos
week (13) ending 02.23.02 #6
week (12) ending 02.16.02 #4
week (11) ending 02.09.02 #3
week (10) ending 02.02.02 #3
week (09) ending 01.26.02 #2
week (08) ending 01.19.02 #2
week (07) ending 01.12.02 #2
week (06) ending 01.05.02 #2
week (05) ending 12.29.01 #2
week (04) ending 12.22.01 #3
week (03) ending 12.15.01 #2
week (02) ending 12.08.01 #1
week (01) ending 12.01.01 #1(debut)
 

Believe it or not, Miss Brit's Neptunes-produced jam has joined the ranks of certifiable club bangers like State Property's "Roc the Mic" and Mr. Cheeks' "Lights, Camera, Action!" — songs that, no matter what you're doing, you just have to hit the dance floor and wild out when the DJ throws them on.

Now producer Rodney Jerkins is out to show that the hip-hop community's love for Britney is not a fluke. Jerkins, who did some production work on Spears' Britney, has remixed that album's next single, "Overprotected."

"They needed a remix that's crazy," Jerkins said early last week. "I kinda had fun with it 'cause I took it old-school. It's an old-school-type rhythm, which I think is kinda cool because it's an element she never had, but I still gave it her edge. I was up all night rocking that joint. [It has the] same lyrics, I just reproduced the track."

Jerkins said he's not surprised that the pop queen has become popular in the hip-hop clubs.

"She reinvented herself," he explained. "Everybody thought she was gonna come back with another 'Oops! ... I Did it Again,' but she went left and came with the 'I'm a Slave 4 U' joint, which is basically a club banger. You gotta big up people who reinvent themselves. I always said she was gonna be one of the people that's gonna be around for a minute, because I see that in her."

Jive Records said the Jerkins' Dark Child remix of "Overprotected" will hit the radio in the middle of March. 

BILLBOARD 200 HISTORY: "Britney"
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) 

“SHE IS NOT a girl,” said Dr. Gustav von Helmholtz, who organized the Dusseldorf event. “However, she is not yet a woman.”

The question of whether Britney Spears is a girl or a woman has puzzled scientists for years, so the Dusseldorf findings—that Ms. Spears is not a girl, not yet a woman—represent a significant breakthrough.

Furthermore, the news that Ms. Spears is not a girl, not yet a woman is crucial, the conference participants appear to be saying, because it will determine how people treat the multi-platinum artist in the future.

“There is no need to protect her,” said Dr. Reimar Ertel, one of the conference participants. “It’s time that she learned to face up to this on her own.”

Some of the scientists who attended the Dusseldorf event indicated that, given her unique status as someone who is not a girl, not yet a woman, Ms. Spears might need, in the words of Dr. Hans Mintrop, “time, a moment that is hers, while she’s in between.”

The findings of the Dusseldorf scientists, as documented in a report by Dr. Johann Wiechert, were ultimately upbeat about Ms. Spears’ future.

“She’s not a girl, don’t tell her what to believe,” Dr. Weichert wrote. “Not yet a woman, she is just trying to find the woman in her, yeah.” 

Of course this isn't the first time that pop stars have made the leap into game life. The Spice Girls, Wu-Tang Clan and David Bowie have all been featured in games. More and more popular artists are being recruited to provide songs or even full-length scores from Trent Reznor to Thomas Dolby and Devo. It's one thing to have "cool" music inside a game and another to expect listeners to shell out for the soundtrack. Labels from Atlantic to Astralwerks have all tried with mixed success to cash in video game soundtracks. However, with the exception of Wipeout XL, a star-studded electronica game-track released in 1996 by Astralwerks, they pretty much suck.

The Britney game tries a bit more wisely to cash in on the dance game craze that's been sweeping Japan and creeping into the U.S. Dance-by-numbers games like Beatmania and Dance Dance Revolution have become the video game version of Karaoke madness. Like Britney's game, the action is like a cross between Simon Says and that scene in The Jerk where Steve Martin tries to get rhythm. If you manage to get into the groove, you score points and move on to more complex tunes; if not, you crap out and have to make like Dance Fever's Danny Terrio for the same round all over again.

Still it remains to be seen whether even superstars like Britney can survive the leap. Surely there's a lot of cash at stake -- especially considering that the game industry now generates more $8 billion per year, more than movie ticket sales. Britney might heed the wisdom of singer-songwriter Poe who once recorded a couple songs and digitized her body to star opposite Bruce Willis in a 1998 game called Apocalypse. Being inside a computer game, she said at the time, felt kinda creepy: "I'm this superhero character who gets completely dehumanized." That's showbiz.  

Spears is coming to Australia for the launch of her first movie, Crossroads, which opened in America last week to mixed reviews. 
While Spears will attend a premiere of the movie in Sydney on April 18, no public appearances have yet been planned during her day in Melbourne. 

Crossroads opens in Australia on April 19. 

Spears landed in Sydney on September 11 last year, and cancelled a press conference out of respect to the World Trade Centre victims.  

Last week Britney attended the Los Angeles and New York premieres. Each time we viewed the movie, we became more excited… and apprehensive. Seeing all the people there and also at TRL was a tremendous encouragement. You supported her again and made this new challenge a success. As always, you are the greatest! 

Britney is “chilling” for now. She surprised Laura Lynn with a two and a half pound Yorkshire terrier for her birthday. Britney flew to Baton Rouge to see her and attend her birthday party. Brit arrived just in time for the party. We had jet problems and were an hour late, but once we got there, the party turned out to be huge. Everyone had a wonderful time. 

The next day the girls went shopping in the little boutiques. They had the perfect weather to ride with the top down in the convertible. Brit and Laura Lynn took pictures of Gabby, the new puppy, while they played with her outside. She is the cutest puppy! We are going to spoil her. 

With hard work, lots of prayer, and support from her loyal fans, Britney has once again lived a dream. She never loses touch of these three important factors. They are truly the keys to her success. 

From Britney and myself, thank you again for your support.  

That much is right. Crossroads producer Ann Carli says a montage was shot that included the three actresses "flashing" hotel guests — but they were shot from the neck up, with no nudity.

The sequence was too long and the scene was cut.

"The studio (Paramount) never even knew about it," says Carli.

She added, "We're thinking of using it on the DVD. It's that innocent. It was a cute segment that didn't really work."

Meanwhile, HBO says there's nothing to a report that Spears will guest on Sex and the City as the niece of Samantha Jones, played by Kim Cattrall, who appears in Crossroads as the mom who abandons Spears' character. Spears supposedly would have seduced Samantha's boyfriend.