"It's Britney, Bitch"

Despite my blog title "Guilt Free Pleasures" and the fact that I try really hard to not feel guilty or bad about liking things that other people might look down on me for (I try to just be who I am and like what I like), I have always had a little trouble admitting my love for Britney Spears out loud.

But here it is. I love Britney Spears. Her music is catchy and danceable, and she puts on a great performance. She's a mess, but I honestly don't think that's entirely her fault. I am pretty sure I would be a mess if I grew up the way that she did - in the public spotlight under the constant scrutiny of the paparazzi with all sorts of people pushing her to be a certain way or using her for her money and fame. As George Clooney said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, I would be shooting coke under my eyeballs if I had to deal with that stuff too, especially at such a young age.

I really want Britney to come back. I want her to succeed - to rise above all this crap she has to deal with and to say "I'm back and I'm better than ever. Screw you all for the way you've treated me." I just don't know if Britney wants to come back... In fact, I'm not so sure she ever wanted any of this in the first place and I sometimes wonder if maybe her super duper stage mom didn't push her into a career she wasn't ready for or really wanted. I mean, every little kid "wants to be famous" because they don't know about the bad things that come with fame, and so it's easy to get caught up in that if your parents are pushing you to be a star at a young age and you're actually successful. And I'm sure she enjoyed/enjoys performing. But I wonder if that was ever really her dream, or if she just assumed it was because that's the life she lived and she never knew anything different.

I know the internet has been buzzing with her new tracks. Unfortunately, it seems like everyone just loves to hate on the poor girl right now. While I will agree Cold As Fire [mp3] is pretty bad and I hate the affected baby voice she sings in for that song (she sounds younger than in "...Baby One More Time"), I actually really like Gimme More [mp3]. It's no Toxic, but it's a solid, sexy dance song. People are saying "it's not original" and things like that. But hello? It's Britney Spears. We don't listen to her because she's breaking new musical ground. We listen to her because you can dance to her music, it's catchy, and you have a good time. It's not like she's the one even writing most of the stuff anyway. And I think it's definitely a good start to a comeback.

Last night Britney opened the VMA's. Beforehand, the way people were talking, it seemed like how she did was going to determine the entire rest of her career and this whole comeback business. Like, if she failed last night, she would've been written off for good. I myself do not have cable so I was unable to actually watch the performance live. But thanks to the miracle of the internet, I got to see it about one hour later. I think she looked good. Her performance was definitely not one of her most impressive and everyone's loving to hate on that too. The dancing was mediocre at best (which is really her strength...). And I have to admit she looked a little nervous. But, especially for someone who had two kids, a nervous breakdown of sorts and shaved her head, she looked good in her little sparkly bikini costume, blonde wig (it actually looked pretty real to me and it didn't fall off, which is key) and high-heeled stiletto boots (which I'm pretty sure weren't easy to walk in, much less dance in). And I'm sure she felt the pressure for this performance to go over well, so I can understand her being a nervous. And the most important thing: there were no major disasters. She didn't throw up or pass out or fall down. Her wig didn't fall off. She didn't attack anyone with an umbrella. She showed up and on time as far as I know. So maybe this is a new - though cautious - beginning for Ms. Spears. I just wish she would stop partying so hard and hanging out with the likes of Paris Hilton. But maybe she can get on the right track yet.

Here's to you Britney. May your comeback be splendid and may you rise above all the crap in your life to find happiness. Tata dahlings.

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