Britney Spears Debuts At #1

NEW YORK — Britney Spears' latest CD, "Circus," has landed her back at a familiar position _ No. 1. The singer's comeback CD _ actually, make that her second comeback CD _ will top the album charts next week, according to her label, Jive. Though Nielsen SoundScan does not release its official figures until Wednesday, estimates have the record selling as many as 500,000 copies in its first week of release.

"This is going to reinforce her icon status," said Barry Weiss, chairman and CEO of the BMG Label Group, which includes Spears' label. "It's not just a No. 1 album."

Indeed, it's not. For Spears, who has rebounded after a disastrous year that included rehab, a custody battle for her two sons and court-ordered supervision by her father, it is another step in her bid to reclaim her status among pop's elite.

"At the end of the day, I think she is America's pop princess, and the world's pop princess, and this just reconfirms it to everyone who doubted it," said her manager, Larry Rudolph.

While her last CD, "Blackout," also debuted at No.1 when it was released in October 2007, it quickly fizzled on the U.S. charts, despite receiving critical acclaim, because Spears didn't really promote it amid the chaos in her life.

Things appear to be different this time around. Spears has been showing off her dancing moves and taut body during high-profile appearances on shows like ABC's "Good Morning America" and was also the focus of a documentary, "Britney: For the Record." The special, executive produced by Rudolph, aired on MTV in the days before the release of "Circus."

"The documentary had a huge role," said Rudolph. "People were able to see Britney, to see her tell her story. I think they got the true sense of who she is, and they appreciated it."

"Circus," which debuted to mainly positive reviews, was released on the singer's 27th birthday, Dec. 2. The CD's first single, "Womanizer," was a No. 1 hit, and her latest single, "Circus," was the most added song at pop radio, her label said.

Story continues below

advertisement

Spears plans a nationwide tour that is set to kick off March 3 in New Orleans.

Weiss said Jive decided to release "Circus" just a year after "Blackout" because of the strength of the music, and said recording the CD was a great constructive outlet for the singer.

Rudolph said when it comes to crunching the numbers, Spears is not all that interested in how many copies she sold the first week or her chart positions. But, he added: "Professionally, she's feeling great. ... It's great for her to hear that she's got a No. 1 album again."

One of entertainment's biggest names, Spears has been a multiplatinum sensation since she made her debut over a decade ago. She's sold more than 30 million albums in the United States alone.

___

On the Net:

http://www.britneyspears.com

Comments

[Tatiana]

Who What Where & Why?

[CynicalGirl23]

Personally, I don't believe the hype.

[PhDiva]

I'm not a fan, but Britney makes great pop dance music and she's a natural performer. If it were so easy to be a pop star why have so many other wannabe stars faded away while Brtiney is still here? I used to make fun of her and dismiss her, but I had to stop. She's got great producers, and she's standing the test of time. The big story here is that her family stepped in to save her from total disaster. Think of how easily this woman could have become a famous suicide or overdose victim. I think her parents and her desire to get her kids back into her life may have saved her life. Somehow, though, I think Kevin Federline's ex is probably raising her children along with her own.

[SeaRover]

What additional evidence does one need to know that Armageddon has arrived?

[LoRiseAntlers]

For a woman who has absolutely no talent,Britney does okay for herself.

[rektruax]

She is merely one in a long list of incredibly lucky blondes...

[eklektikone]

All of this is so contrived. It's the story already written, a script reworked, a very predictable and transparent script: starlet returns to top. And Brittney is complicit in engineering all of this -- her documentary didn't answer many questions -- like why'd you shave your head? She suggests everyone does this at some point. She doesn't discuss the hospitaliz­ation/psyc­he ward episode of her life, and on and on. The whole special wasn't a documentary, it was a carefully orchestrated advertisement which has worked like a charm.

Having a hit record or two, and being "loved" by people who don't know you is not a life. At the end of the day, this woman has two children she needs to parents and needs to find a way to exist beyond pop starlet. The whole affair -- her career, her "I'm not that innocent." "not yet a woman" spiel is just pathetic and so not the kind of role model little girls need.

But, hey, hurray, we've got another Brittney album and hit records. That's all that apparently matters. YAAWWWWNNN.

[LisaLasVegas]

I really like "Circus". Congrats, Brit, on the incredible progress you have made in the past year. You aren't a pop-wreck now, you are a pop-princess once again. I hope you have an even better 2009.

[ColoradoDan]

Britney ... Coldplay .... this is the #1 level stuff.

The dumbing down of our nation is now complete.

Bring back the 70's anytime please.

[klandish]

I'd take the 70's back any day. Even the Disco Dance music had more feeling than this tripe.

[rektruax]

Bobby Sherman? Shawn Cassidy? Leif Garrett? It would appear there has always been plenty of schlock occupying the top slots. The focus has merely shifted to girls. The Blind Man in the Bleachers?!? Save All Your Kisses For Me?!? Billy, Don't Be a Hero?!? And who can possibly forget the opus that set a generation free.. Ain't Gonna Bump No More With No Big Fat Woman?

Few (if any) of the bands I really liked saw commercial success back then either. Nothing's changed.

[GuyFawkes]

Exactly. Whenever anyone says the good ol' days were better, it's more a product of selective memory more than actual reality.

[LMPE]

What does it say about our country when this no-talent train wreck's album debuts at #1?

Why can't Dawn Wells (Mary Ann on "Gilligan's Island") be as well known as Britney Spears? She wouldn't even suffer the train wreck life (arrest for marijuana possession doesn't count).

[AngryAmish]

Huh? From Brit Brit to Mary Ann in one sentence? Love it. Free association is the fastest way to my heart!

[rektruax]

I would venture to say she was in her time.

The planet spins...

[decrepittex]

BFD!

[houstonbch]

Thank you Larry Rudolph for salvaging the wreckage formerly known as Britney Spears!!! The world needs it's pop stars, and she is the raining Diva in Training.

I am, however, mystified by the add on the lower right side of this screen that boasts her IQ as 125. Really? Couldn't they at least make an attempt at sincerity?

[Damian41]

The world needs its pop stars?
Really?

I'm not sure about the world you live in but my world was just fine when Britney was running around going nuts. She can't sing, her music is over-mixed drubble and most of her "live" performances are about as live as Ashley Simpson's are.