MTV's Britney Spears: 30 Videos for 30 Years music video bracket is probably the most time I have ever spent on a bracket (even more that last season's SYTYCD bracket that I made) and maybe even the most time I've spent on a branded digital idea/site. The bracket is simply brilliant. You click on a box that pairs up two Britney videos which you can then watch the videos and vote for your favorite to move onto the next round. After you submit your vote, you can see what the results are thus far.
As an avid Britney fan, having to choose the number one Britney Spears video is like asking your dad what his favorite Nicholas Cage movie is... there's just too many favorites. Britney has so many iconic videos and hits but if I had to choose I would go with her old stuff that had lots of choreographed dance. My favorites are Crazy, Stronger, I'm a Slave 4 You, Toxic and Piece of Me.
Sad to see "Born to Make You Happy" wasn't on the bracket but I guess the video did kind of suck. Click here for the bracket
If Femme Fatale was a club, I would go clubbing every night. Tonight I attended my first paid Britney Spears concert at the IZOD Center in New Jersey (the only other Britney concert I've attended was a film-for-TV-special on Waikiki Beach about a decade ago). It was everything I imagined it would be--non-stop dancing, strobe lights, sequined bras, fireworks, sassy dance moves and lots of gay boys in attendance. I am a long-time Britney fan and was pleasantly surprised by the entire production--the lighting, costumes, song choices and just Britney's ability to get a crowd going the way she used to. I loved every second of it!
Before you judge me (boys especially) for being a Britney Spears fan, you have to understand that Opps! I Did It Again was one of the first CDs I had ever bought as a 13 year-old at which I listened to on repeat for weeks on my Sony Walkman CD player (remember CD books?!). Pop music, Britney Spears, midriff bearing tops--that was my life as a teen, and over a decade later, every new Britney song and album reminds me of how awesomely fun life was back then and can be when listening to pop music.
See, Britney defies traditional music stardom because for over a decade she is able to produce hit after hit and sellout concerts without fail. There is human quality about Britney--that want to "just have fun"--which she established early in her career and which all her fans identify her by. What she has playing on her side is the sentiment of FUN, the nostalgia of that high school dance, the college party or that epic night in Vegas. We remember moments in our lives based on her chart-topping hits ("Womanizer" fittingly came out when I was in London) and even moments in her personal life serve as milestones, like that time she married her friend Jason in Vegas, her awful reality TV show with K-Fed and her infamous head shaving.
Manufactured image, lip-syncing, weight gain--in our eyes Britney Spears can do no wrong as long as she continues to exude that fun, kick-ass Britney factor on stage. Am I right that Glee dedicated an entire episode to her? I don't watch that show.
Simply, Britney was the Bieber of my time.
Catch a one-hour MTV special "Britney Spears: I am Femme Fatale" this Sunday at 9 pm EST, and for all of you who wonder does Britney still have it? Watch a crowd-shot video of her GMA performance of Till the World Ends that captures that spark we crave in a Britney performance (starts around 0:55):
This was not the version that premiered last night on MTV, because I would definitely remember if Britney was trying to sell me her new perfume Radiance, Make Up For Ever Professional foundation, SONY flat screen TVs and online dating service Plenty of Fish. Despite the forced advertising of these products, I actually prefer this version of the video because there is MORE DANCING!
Britney's Circus Tour kicks off tonight in New Orleans, and EVERYONE is excited. Why? Because this is the comeback critics have said wouldn't happen and all the fans prayed for. Why did we, the fans, know that Britney Spears would comeback giving us more sex appeal and hits? Because beyond the weight gain, divorce, breakdown, rumors, bald head, etc., BRITNEY SPEARS IS AN AMAZING PERFORMER AND SHE KNOWS IT.
Formulaic or not, I am a fan of the Britney phenomenon... I think at the very core of her success is her want to succeed, not because of her manager, producer or publicist.
Why we love Britney: 1. Britney makes us feel sexy (rawwrrrr) 2. We relate to Britney's music (being a slave for someone or part of a circus) 3. We all know Britney is human (beer belly, muffin top) 4. Her music is critical part of starting a night out Thanks for pushing the envelope Britney. Since age 12 to now 22, I still think you are an icon.
Before I studied abroad in London, I was an alternative, pop punk, screamo, mainstream music kind of girl (The Starting Line, Senses Fail, Mae, etc). Then after going to free shows and crazy raves in Brick Lane, Old Street and Camden, I realized there's a lot more than just Lil Wayne and T.I. Electronic music is AWESOME... makes you wanna convulse like you have a seizure and there's no dirty grinding involved.
If going to London is too far to experience cool music, here are some UK sites:
The Ting Tings aren't bad, but two other UK groups that I think deserve more attention are the Foals(fav song: "Cassius" and "The Race for Radio Supremacy") and Belleruche(fav song: "Northern Girls" and "The Itch"). However, an overdose of European music can get you longing for Top 40... I know every time I heard Britney Spears in London I got excited. No one will ever top Britney.
