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Britney Spears Speaks Out About Lip-Synching

Sara Harowitz — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:09:15 +0000

Wait, so you’re saying she doesn’t really sing at her shows? Well, that is shocking.

After a frenzy of negative reviews for her Circus tour, Britney Spears is speaking out over the lip-synch scandal that started in Australia following her first two shows there, according to rollingstone.com.

“I hear there is a lot of controversy in the media about my show,” a statement by Spears said yesterday. “Some reporters said they love it and some don’t. I came to Australia for my fans.”

The Australian press reported that concertgoers for Spears’ first two concerts in Perth began leaving the venue after only a few songs of Spears’ set, when it became evident that she was lip-synching. Spears has also been criticized for what the media has reported as a lack of engagement with the crowd. She only talked to the audience once, telling them how beautiful Australia was.

The scandal was heightened when New South Wales’ fair trade minister proposed marking all Circus tour tickets with a disclaimer that said the show was pre-recorded and mimed.

Spears’ lip-synching has been widely reported in the media since the Circus tour kicked off in New Orleans on March 3. And some may argue that the pop singer has been lip-synching since her …Baby One More Time days.

Still, those behind the circus are supportive.

“It’s been all over the Internet for nine months,” said Paul Dainty, Spears’ tour promoter. “This show is about an incredible spectacle, which it is.”

Yet somehow, the voice of reason has come from unlikely vocal chords: those of John Mayer. The Battle Studies singer tweeted on the weekend, “If you’re shocked that Britney was lip-synching at her concert and want your money back, may life continue to be hard for you.”

After a four-day break, the Circus tour will resume tonight for the first if three shows in Melbourne, Australia.

Britney Spears Angers Australians, Inspires Lip-Synching Legislation

Emma Renda — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:03:17 +0000

Britney Spears’ first show of her 14-gig Australian tour was a bigger spectacle than expected.

A review in the Sunday Telegraph claims fans stormed out halfway through the show in Perth in an outrage over her lip-synching. But today, News.com.au filed an article giving the other side of the story: that one Australian reporter fabricated the whole thing.

It’s a case of “you had to be there”, but for Spears, it’s still hurtful. Paul Danity, her Australian tour promoter, says she is “extremely upset” and has been holed up in her Perth hotel since the incident on Friday night.

Reports were circulating the fans walked out of the show, despite having paid up to $1,500 for tickets and driving more than two hours to get there.

“It’s the biggest lie I’ve ever heard,” Dainty told The Australian.

“I’m so angry. We can take heat if there’s something wrong and people can review shows badly — that’s something you have to live with — but to say people stormed out of the show was an absolute fabrication.”

The Perth Burswood Dome released a statement in Spears’ defense.

“Last night’s concert (Friday) saw record crowds turn out for her first performance in Perth and from Burswood’s perspective the event was a huge success.”

Adam Leber, Spears’ manager, took to Twitter to support Spears and her followers.

“Its unfortunate that one journalist in Perth didn’t enjoy the show last night. Fortunately the other 18,272 fans in attendance did. – Adam,” he wrote.

But Australia isn’t letting her off the hook that easily.

The Sydney Confidential reported that Spears’ lip-synched tour has inspired a move for legislation to require artists to reveal to ticket-buyers if they plan to mime their concert. China has already introduced a “name and shame” policy following the lip-synching debacle at the 2008 Olympics opening ceremony.

Virginia Judge, Fair Trading Minister and Minister Assisting the Premier on the Arts, told the Daily Telegraph she would not tolerate a “Mickey Mouse performance.”

“Let’s be clear – live means live. If you are spending up to $200 I think you deserve better than a film clip,” Judge said. “The NSW Government would be happy to look at options, such as a disclaimer on a ticket which would warn consumers a performance is pre-recorded.”

Steve Dixon weighed in on the opposite side, saying people pay for the show as much as the music.

“This is a pop spectacular, this is a showband show. You come for the experience,” he told the Telegraph. “There is a lot to see about this show, there’s nothing like this in the world. Britney Spears will entertain you, that’s what people come for. We absolutely give them a show.”

Spears’ has three shows in Melbourne this week, and then heads to Sydney before wrapping up the tour in Adelaide at the end of the month.

Britney Spears Debuts New Music Video, ‘3′

Joelle Tomlinson — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 02:14:36 +0000

After a series of sneak peeks and teasers on her Web site and Twitter, Britney Spears officially debuted the music video for her hit single “3″ on Friday (October 30). The sexy, fast-paced clip for the song, which will be included on The Singles Collection when it’s released next month, made its big debut on her site.

According to mtvnews.com, the video, shot by director Diane Martel earlier this month, is a series of glamour shots and dance breaks. The video opens with Britney in a sparkly little black dress, spritzing herself with perfume and putting on mascara. Then it cuts to a shot of her holding her hair up provocatively and singing the song’s sexy opening lines: “1,2,3/ Not only you and me/ Got 180 degrees/ And I’m caught in between.”

The video promotes the sexy side of Britney that she unleashes here and there. Shots of the pop star in black and white, wearing a halter-cut leotard in a steamy room, are cut with images of just her legs in lacy tights walking across the screen.

Dancing is also heavily focused on in the video, especially the close-up shots where you can not fully see Britney’s body. In some sequences she is flanked my male dancers or standing in a lineup of sexy women who do acrobatics on a raised ballerina bar as she flounces around.

Late Thursday, before the video premiered, Britney tweeted, “Can’t wait for y’all to see my new video tomorrow morning. I think you’re really going to like it!”

Britney Spears’ ‘3′ Debuts at Number One

Sara Harowitz — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:37:49 +0000

There was no “oops,” but she sure did it again.

Britney Spears debuts at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with her new single, “3,” according to Oh No They Didn’t. The new song makes Spears the first artist to debut at #1 in over three years and also debuts at #1 on the Billboard Digital charts.

Rolling Stone Magazine labelled “3″ as an “instant Britney classic” and gave the song a four star review. This is sure to add anticipation to the release of Spears’ greatest hits album, The Singles Collection, on Nov. 10. According to Billboard Magazine, Spears is the first artist outside those of American Idol fame to claim the #1 Billboard position since Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing)” in 1998.

“I want to thank my fans for making ‘3′ the #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100,” Britney said in response to her song’s success. “I am truly blessed with the greatest fans in the world, and I am so happy y’all love it because I do this all for you. I can’t wait till you see the video.”

The video for “3” will soon premiere on Britney.com, BritneySpears.com and her other official web properties.

“3,” recorded with hit-maker Max Martin, is the only new song to appear on The Singles Collection. Two versions of the album will be released; a standard version and an ultimate fan box set.

The standard version will feature 17 of her chart-topping favourites, along with the new single, “3,” all on one CD. It will be available on Nov. 10.

The box set version will contain all 29 of her singles, including the new song. Each single will come on its own disc, packaged in its own slip sleeve case with original artwork, and will include a b-side or a remix of the track. The box set will also include a DVD featuring all of Spears’ music videos in chronological order. The collection will also include a special booklet featuring images and fun facts about each track. This version of The Singles Collection will be available on Nov. 24.

During her 10 year music career, Spears has had 5 albums debut at the #1 spot on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. She has also had 23 singles hit the Top 40 Billboard Pop Singles chart. Worldwide Spears has sold over 63 million albums.

While her comeback attempt with 2007’s album Blackout didn’t live up to usual Spears success, Spears re-vamped and came back hard shortly after with 2008’s highly successful Circus. With the success of this album, Spears showed the world why she is considered pop royalty. She is currently on tour in support of Circus.

Britney: 1, K-Fed: 0

Emma Renda — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 01:20:17 +0000

The scales in the Britney-K-Fed world are perpetually skewed. One is doomed to be crazy or in rehab or bald while the other is acting the model parent for the paparazzi. It’s like a law of physics or something.

So, just as Spears began to clean up her act, Federline took a very public plunge into the depths of obesity, baring his flabby chest for the paparazzi at a pool in Miami on Saturday.

The photos available on JustJared.com, among other gossip websites, are disturbing at best, but they also beg the question as to how he can hang on to volleyball player girlfriend Victoria Prince. And obviously, how he snagged Spears in the first place?

Spears, these days, is looking better than ever. She has lost her rehab/baby-bearing weight, and seems to have her hair under control at last. She has been spending a lot of quality time with her sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James, including taking them on vacation in Miami with her parents, and her sister, Jamie-Lynn and her daughter Maddie Briann.

The holiday is a time-out from Britney’s Circus tour that has been going worldwide all summer. She has also released a teaser in advance of the MTV VMAs on Sept. 13 with host and comedian Russel Brand (Forgetting Sarah Marshall).

The video is just one of many celebrity commercials for the VMAs, as Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and Leighton Meester have also released their own themed shorts in preparation for the awards show.

Sweden Protests Spears

Vanessa Baker — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 02:26:04 +0000

Four Swedish newspapers plan not to cover Britney Spears’s upcoming concert because of outrageous rules for using photos from the show, reports Perez Hilton. The pop singer has placed several restrictions on using photographs of her taken during the upcoming show, including no resales, expiration of shots after 30 days and not being able to use photos if she looks bad.

The media contract “prohibits papers from publishing pictures of Spears which arrangers deem unflattering” and states that the American pop star be given ownership rights to the pictures her management finds favourable.

The concert is planned for Tuesday in Stockholm and is part of the singer’s current world tour – The Circus Starring: Britney Spears.

“The next step would be to tell critics they can’t write anything critical,” said Roger Turesson, photo editor for Dagens Nyheter, one of the papers boycotting the show.

Britney Spears Considers Judaism

Vanessa Baker — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 20:40:22 +0000

Perez Hilton reports Britney Spears is considering converting to Judaism for her latest love interest, her agent Jason Trawick. She has been seen wearing a Star of David necklace and has enlisted the help of a rabbi to guide her along her spiritual path.

“Britney wants to try the religion Jason was brought up with,” said a source close to her.

In 2005, the 27-year-old Christian dabbled in Kabbalah on the advice of Madonna.

Joelle’s Top Five: Girls We Love To Hate

Joelle Tomlinson — Thu, 07 May 2009 15:00:20 +0000

We are all familiar with this pandemic. We complain, gripe and moan about these starlets every move, but never admit that we revel in watching them struggle. We love them for their inability to maintain a clean slate, and in contrast, their remarkable ability to infiltrate our daily conversations.

5) Angelina Jolie

Why do females hate Angelina Jolie? There is one reason: jealousy. Not only did she steal Brad Pitt from his “golden marriage,” she also happens to be one of the most beautiful women in the world and has the nerve to be happy with her ever-increasing family. Why do males hate Angelina Jolie? Because they can’t have her.

4) Lindsay Lohan

The thing that bothers me about Lindsay Lohan is the amount of paparazzi intently tracking the once-adorable ”Parent Trap” starlet. At least with the other celebrity women, their attempts at comebacks are remotely applaudable. With Lohan, it’s a constant string of oh-so-dramatic personal issues th…eyt barrage society at regular intervals. Hate almost wouldn’t be the proper adjective, perhaps simmering resentment, or merely a lack of interest.

3) Miley Cyrus / Hannah Montana

I don’t know which one people hate more. The nasal Miley Cyrus who inexplicably irks most people, or her alter-ego, the spunky, G-rated Hannah Montana. There is no fortified explanation for the vast hate directed towards this celebrity, but her general personality seems to do it for most people. Let’s put into consideration that she performed next to the flawless Taylor Swift at the Grammy’s, that can’t be helpful for anyone’s image.

2) Paris Hilton

Paris Hilton is the perfect example of an individual that made it big without truly demonstrating an aptitude for anything valuable. Her signature “that’s hot” catchphrase become a disturbing worldwide phenonenon, and even worse was the masses of tweens bearing this two-letter phrase on their department store t-shirts. Nobody will willingly admit to loving Paris /Hilton, but everyone knows this girl has got it figured out, and they just want to know the big secret.

1) Britney Spears

I feel as though an explanation isn’t necessary. Personally, I have never met an individual without their own input on the infallibly chaotic Spears. From overnight marriages in Vegas, to marriages with questionable back-up dancers and bald stint, Spears is certainly one to keep the public guessing. Essentially, you can draw your own conclusions, but Spears was right when she choose “Circus” as the focal point of her 2008 comeback.

Rant ‘N Rave: Best/Worst of April

Irene Ogrodnik — Sun, 03 May 2009 22:00:20 +0000

Music artists and movie stars never fail to entertain me (however, I do get easily amused). Whether I laugh with them (or, in most cases, at them) or actually pity their heartaches and failures (which doesn’t happen often)—I always look forward to the next celebrity hook-up/screw-up.

And the month of April did not disappoint. Here are the five best and worst moments in pop culture that made me grateful that such somewhat petty life moments in my life aren’t publicized for the world:

BEST:

5) Pink Reunites with H(e)art:

One can’t help but assume the following:

a) Pink’s estranged husband Carey Hart decided to give his relationship another try after watching the boyfriend/husband torturing, knee-breaking video his wife created for her single ‘Please Don’t Leave Me.’

b) Pink and Carey realized that they are meant to be with one another, at least for another year.

Either way, I’m happy.

4) LC leaves The Hills:

I’ll admit. I really cannot watch an entire episode of this series without feeling like I lost some brain cells. However, Lauren Conrad was the show’s only salvation. She’s the least annoying and somehow the most genuine–which is why she needs to move onto better things. The only real downfall? More airtime for douche Spencer Pratt.

3) Ronson and Lohan Breakup, Again…Again:

I strongly believe that Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson find great amusement in their relationship. From their constant bickering, PDA and breakups, these two don’t know when to stop. Lindsay should consider adding “relationship therapy” along to her list of “Things I Need To Attend Rehab For.”

2) Ooh ooh baby—Wolverine prequel finally hits theatres:

Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds and Taylor Kitsch = Yummy. Need I say more? I think not.

1) Susan Boyle Proves Simon Wrong. Let’s rejoice:

Overnight singing sensation Susan Boyle made us realize that a lack of conventional physical beauty and youth doesn’t always amount to failure. While Simon Cowell saw money signs in his eyes during her performance, the rest of the world was just pleased Boyle didn’t sound like Beyonce’s altered live recording on the ‘Today’ show.

WORST:

5) Mel Gibson’s New Leading Lady Drama:

I can’t quite understand why everyone is making a big deal out of this relationship. If Gibson and his wife were indeed separated for a few years prior to any of them having a relationship with other people, then kudos to Gibson for hooking up.

Besides, I’m sure Oksana (whose name gets butchered by television and radio media) just wants him for his money. Which, unfortunately for her, might not be as much as she thinks after Gibson settles his divorce with his wife Robyn.

4) Britney’s “stay away from me” order:

Dear Ms. Spears is not meant to live a life void of relationship drama. While a judge issued a restraining order against Spears’s former manager, Sam Lutfi, for another three years, I’m positive that it’s not the end for them two. If Britney ever falls back to her old, unstable ways…Lutfi will be the first person she’ll call (along with a hairdresser).

You’ll see.

3) Beyonce’s horrific altered voice recording:

After Howard Stern aired an alleged recording of Beyonce screeching through a rendition of “If I Were a Boy,” many assumed that the Grammy winning star either hid behind pre-recorded tracks or suddenly went tone-deaf.

TMZ, however, came to the rescue by reporting that they spoke to the individual responsible for altering the recording. Phew. For a moment there, I assumed Beyonce was suddenly taking vocal pointers from Britney.

2) Miss California Same-Sex scandal:

By now, we have all heard of the “scandalous” moment involving Miss California and Perez Hilton. While I will refuse to comment on the situation, I do send out my sympathies out to Miss North Carolina. Even though she won the Miss USA crown, she has barely received the same news coverage as her runner-up competitor.

1) Heidi and Spencer get married (officially)…doomed for life:

It’s not hard to see why I think that any girl is too good for Spencer Pratt. Heck, I wouldn’t even wish such a man upon Lohan. This idiot is the epitome of an arrogant jerk bag. I may not be Montag’s biggest fan either, but even I don’t think she should spend the rest of her life with someone like Spencer.

If, by some miracle, Spencer grew up and humbled down, I might just reconsider my awful view of him. As for now, I already pity the children they don’t have.

What were you thinking Heidi?

Rant ‘N Rave: Parents of Celebrities

Irene Ogrodnik — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:52:53 +0000

Granted, parenthood is complex. Children need unconditional love, stability and guidance.

When parents fail to provide any of those needs, you end up with the childhood version of Drew Barrymore.

Based on the number of celebs who have entered rehab in recent years, it’s obvious that more than a handful have some loose screws. While many blame a star’s inability to adjust to a lifestyle of fame and fortune for their problems, perhaps more responsibility should be placed on those who have raised them.

Before you leave me a 500-word thrashing on how I must not understand the difficulties of parenthood, realize that I am not claiming that any parent of a celebrity is a horrible person—just someone in vital need of re-evaluating their very questionable parenting skills.

Without further ado, here are parents of celebrities who, like many of their children, need some mental help:

Dina Lohan:

I never thought I would say these words together in a sentence, but here it goes:

Poor Lindsay Lohan.

Lindsay can somewhat blame her out-of-control behaviour on two people in her life. Her parents. But while Lindsay easily points the finger of blame at her alleged abusive father, there is one guilty party she tends to overlook.

Her mother. Dina fame-whore Lohan.

There’s something to be said about a mother who, without her daughter’s approval, hired ‘Entertainment Tonight’ cameramen to follow her visit to the drug rehabilitation centre where Lindsay was receiving “treatment.” Dina also uses her other daughter, fifteen-year-old Ali, to star on their reality show ‘Living Lohan.’ After watching just a few episodes, it’s clear that Dina uses her daughter’s doomed-to-fail career to progress her own.

But it doesn’t stop there.

When Dina is not capitalizing on either daughter’s fame, reports claim she’s out partying and drinking. I can now see why Dina won the Long Island “Mother of the

Year” award back in 2008. Who else was in the running for the title? Courtney Love? You know, the mother who allegedly shot heroin while pregnant with daughter Francis Bean?

So how does Dina (the woman who takes credit for every (rare) good decision Lindsay makes yet denies involvement in every bad choice) expect her daughter to succeed in rehab treatment she receives when she acts out in the exact same uncontrollable way?

While I refuse to absolve Lindsay of any responsibility for her actions, I feel a slight compassion for her knowing that Dina is acting more like a (crappy) best friend than a mother.

Michael Lohan:

There’s no need to state why Michael Lohan will not be winning a “Father of the Year” award anytime soon. But I’m positive that his suspected domestic abusive past or the fact that he’s been in prison more than once doesn’t make him qualify. Then again, stranger things have happened (refer to “Dina won the Long Island ‘Mother of the Year’ award” comment above for further explanation).

Joe Simpson:

The father of Jessica Simpson and Ashlee Simpson-Wentz surely knows how to creep people out.

From his inappropriate comments about his Jessica’s sexiness and size of breasts (The whole “She’s got double D’s! You can’t cover those suckers up!” 2004 GQ magazine interview quote is permanently and painfully burned into my memory) to his overall control of Jessica’s lifestyle, Joe needs to back down and spend time AWAY from his daughters. Even though she is 28, Joe barely allows Jessica out of his sight. I suddenly have an uncomfortable feeling that Joe must’ve attended Jessica’s wedding night with Nick Lachey—just to make sure that she was okay. How romantic.

Lynne Spears:

While Lynne Spears states that she was not a pushy “stage mom” when it came to her daughter’s career, I have a difficult time buying into her claims. I doubt that any child, regardless of how much they want to achieve fame, crave the daily lifestyle that Britney had to endure at her age in the showbiz.

While Lynne appears to have better intentions for her children than Dina Lohan, it is difficult to truly understand her parenting skills (considering both her children have babies and unpredictable/unstable relationships with men).

Linda Hogan:

I have nothing against women dating younger men. But Linda’s relationship with a 19-year-old boy is not the same. When a parent dates a student from their child’s yearbook class page, red flags need to go up. Then again, the rest of the Hogan family lacks a record of smart life decisions (Hulk Hogan’s comment about “totally” understanding disgraced football player O.J Simpson takes the cake).