Britney Spears

Cantor · December 2, 2004

Britney Spears

Born: December 2, 1981

Birthplace: Kentwood, Louisiana

Britney Jean Spears was born in rural Louisiana (Kentwood) on December 2, 1981, to Jamie and Lynne Spears. As a child, Britney attended dance classes, and she was great at gymnastics, winning many competitions and the like. But, most of all, Britney loved to sing. At age 8, Britney tried out for "MMC" (1989), but was turned down due to her young age. This directed her to an off-Broadway show, "Ruthless", for a 2-year run as the title character. At age 11, she again tried for "MMC" (1989) and this time made it as a mouseketeer along side many stars of today (Justin Timberlake and J.C. Chasez of N*Sync and Ryan Gosling). Her big break, however, came when she was signed as a Jive Recording Artist in the late 90s. With the release of her debut album, "...Baby One More Time" in early 1999, Britney became an international success, selling 13 million copies of "Baby" and 9 million (as of July 2001) of her sophomore album, "Oops!...I Did It Again," released in May of 2000.

Trivia:

Attended Park Lane Academy, a private school in McComb, Mississippi until October 1994. She was on the girls basketball team in Park Lane Academy.

Was offered a role in Scary Movie (2000), but was forced to turn it down, due to concert scheduling.

Older brother, Bryan Spears, was born in April 1977.

Her idols are Madonna and Mariah Carey.

Younger sister, Jamie Lynn Spears, was born in 1991.

Studied at NYC's Professional Performing Arts School.

Mother, Lynne, was a second grade teacher, dad, Jamie, is a building contractor.

First Solo Artist ever to have a number one Album and Single on the Billboard Charts at the same time with a Debut.

Worked at a novelty shop before making it big.

One of "Teen People" Magazine's "21 Hottest Stars Under 21." [1999]

Caused a stir with the American Family Association by posing in her underwear on the cover of Rolling Stone. [1999]

Fought rumors of breast implants. [1999]

Was one of People's 50 Most Beautiful People. [1999]

Ended up as the youngest cast member of "MMC" (1989); during the initial audition, she won the part after Jessica Simpson freaked out at the final question during the initial audition.

Dated Justin Timberlake. [1998-2002]

Purchased a $1.5 million loft in Greenwich Village, Manhattan for her brother Bryan. [2000]

Announced that she will attend college and that she eventually wants to study entertainment law. [2000]

In Britney's first song 'Baby One More Time' there is a line "My loneliness is killing me" and in another of her songs, 'Stronger', there is a line "My loneliness ain't killing me no more."

Is a natural-born blonde. However, she dyed her hair brown in 2003 for a short period.

Britney's flesh-colored outfit at the MTV Video Music Awards created a stir, as it made her look scantily clad. [september 2000]

Requested that writers change the lyrics of her song "Born to Make You Happy." The original version contained sexually explicit lyrics, and Britney felt she was too young to be singing it.

Chicago-based DNA Visual Business Solutions filed a lawsuit against Britney and her marketing companies, including Britney Brands, Inc., claiming that they failed to pay fees due to the web-designing company for helping to set up the pop star's website www.britneyspears.com. [October 2000]

Accepted an endorsement from Pepsi to do TV commercials promoting the soft drink. The first commercial was slated for the 2001 Academy Awards. [2001]

Was selected as #2 among the 100 sexiest women in FHM Magazine. Singer and actress Jennifer Lopez was #1, and Christina Aguilera was in the Top 20. [2001]

Her third album is slated for release in October 2001. [February 2001]

Britney's video for "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know" features Britney doing a love scene with a 23-year old male model. The original cut contained material so sexually explicit that Britney's mother Lynne Spears ordered that some parts of the video be edited for content before its release to the public in the spring of 2001. [March 2001]

In her first starring role in film, Britney's character was supposed to swear. Britney ordered that the curse words be taken out so not to tarnish her image for the younger pre-teen viewers of her movie. [2001]

During the concert "Rock in Rio" in Brazil, a tape recorder caught Britney swearing on a microphone she wasn't aware was connected. She was complaining about the fact that they weren't playing a vamp before she was to go on stage. Tape recordings of the incident were downloaded by Napster users. [2001]

Host of the American Music Awards 2001.

Two Texas DJs created a panic for Britney's fans when they falsely reported that the pop princess and her boyfriend, 'NSYNC's Justin Timberlake, were in a car accident and that Britney Spears had died in the crash. In reality, both Britney and Justin were alive and well and had not been in any car wreck. [June 2001]

Wrote 2 books about herself, one with her mom.

Jive announces that her third LP is due November 6, 2001. [July 2001]

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) complained to her about the use of four caged cheetahs and a snake for her performance at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, claiming that animals trained for performances are mistreated during the training. [september 2001]

Announced that she aims to raise $2 million from her fall tour earnings to donate to the children of police officers and firemen who died when the World Trade Center collapsed. [september 2001]

Her deal with Pepsi will net her upwards of $10,000,000 million. [2001]

She was the big winner at the 1999 MTV Europe Music Awards held in Dublin. Spears won the awards of Best Female, Best Pop, Best Breakthrough Artist, and Best Song for her hit "...Baby One More Time." (November 11, 1999)

Named one of E!'s "top 20 entertainers of 2001".

She was a aerobic instructor at the gym her parents owned.

Turned down an offer to pose nude for a PETA anti-fur campaign ad. [2001]

Voted one of the "Fun and Fearless Females" by Cosmopolitan Magazine (2002.)

Though it had been rumored that Miss Spears would be guesting on the sexually suggestive HBO series "Sex and the City" (1998), playing the niece of Kim Cattrall's character Samantha Jones, a spokesman for HBO denied the reports, saying no such negotiations ever took place.

Britney's Crossroads (2002) co-star Taryn Manning denied reports that she, Spears, and Zoe Saldana did a topless scene that was cut from the final edit of the film. According to her and the film's producer, Ann Carli, the "flashing" scene was filmed only from the neck up, and none of the three actresses involved was actually topless during the shoot. [March 2002]

Arrived an hour late for the UK premiere of Crossroads (2002) in 2002 and snubbed fans who had been waiting for her to arrive.

She and boyfriend Justin Timberlake broke up. [March 2002]

Was voted by 'People' magazine in 2000 as the fourth most influential person of that year.

Is currently the most searched for name on the internet. (April 2002, is currently number 2 on the Lycos50 - a chart for web searches, where she has been in the top 10 for nearly 140 weeks!)

Was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful People by People Magazine in 2002.

Was ranked 5th of the 100 Sexiest Women by FHM Taiwan (2001).

Came in at #2 in the American edition of FHM's Sexiest Girls of 2002 poll. [June 2002]

Is currently at work on her fourth album, which is due in October 2003. [March 2003]

Ranked #30 in Maxim's Hot 100 Issue 2003. Placed just ahead of Brittany Murphy and Mya, and behind Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, 'Rachel Nicols' , Kelly Clarkson, and Halle Berry.

Ranked #2 in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women In The World 2003, in front of Carmen Electra and behind top-ranked Halle Berry.

Ranked #2 in the "Awesome Multitaskers" section of Stuff's 125 Sexiest Women of the Year 2003 issue, along with hyphenates Jennifer Love Hewitt, 'Tyra Banks' , Mandy Moore, Beyoncé Knowles, Jaime King, Samantha Mumba, Janet Jackson, Estella Warren and Taryn Manning.

17 November 2003: Received star on Hollywood Walk of Fame. She is tied with Melissa Gilbert for being the youngest person to accept a Walk of Fame star.

Taking "a joke too far," according to a statement released by her label, Spears married childhood friend Jason Alexander at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, but quickly had it annulled. (3 January 2004)

Is a huge fan of Björk.

Has British ancestry on her mother's side of her family.

She finally gained the top spot in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2004", moving up from #2 last year. [May 2004]

The other understudy for her off-Broadway role in "Ruthless" was now famous actress Natalie Portman. The two still keep in touch and met recently through a party in New York City.

Shoe size is 6.

Is good friends with Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Engaged to Kevin Federline (June 2004)

Was ranked #4 on VH1's 100 Hottest Hotties.

Considered for a role in Chicago (2002). The part went to Lucy Liu.

Acquired a white maltese dog named Lacy [2004]

Was considered for the role of Daisy Duke in Dukes of Hazzard, The (2005). That role eventually went to Jessica Simpson.

Is the first woman to have four albums go straight to number one on the American charts.

Had emergency arthroscopic surgery after she injured her knee an the set of her music video "Outrageous" (spring 2004)

Stepmother to husband Kevin Federline's two children.

Her wedding dress was designed by Monique L'Huillier

Has a tattoo of a small black-winged fairy on the back of her spine.

Is considering the idea of taking her husband Kevin Federline's surname, which would change her last name from Spears to Federline.

Wrote a "letter of truth" to her fans which was published on her official website, telling her fans that she needed to take a hiatus from her career to concentrate on her marriage with her new husband Kevin Federline and start a family with him. The move thus displeased her bosses at Jive Records.

Her perfume "Curious" was one of the best selling fragances of 2004.

Angered the animal rights group PETA for wearing a fur jacket on the cover of her "Greatest Hits Album: My Prerogative". She claims she was told it was fake fur. This is the second time PETA has criticized her after she performed on stage with a caged tiger and a snake at the 2001 MTV music awards, after which she apologized and posed for an anti-fur poster.

Ranked #1 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women in the World" (2002).

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- QBall