Here are some photos of Britney Spears in Las Vegas earlier this week. She made an appearance at Planet Hollywood to promote her new album, Britney Jean, and to do some advanced publicity for her “residency” at the resort beginning December 27. I have mixed feelings about this Vegas thing coming through… on one side, I do think she’ll enjoy being in one place and the money is always great. On the other side, I kind of feel for the fans who are going to go see her – will the experience be worth it? When she was touring, everyone talked about her lip syncing and her “off” dance cues. So… it could be a real mess. For the fans.
Speaking of disappointments, it seems like Britney Jean (the album) is not winning critical praise. Of course, it’s not like she’s making the album for the critics, but Britney’s father/conservator and her manager are still shielding her from the criticism:
She’s going to have to “Work Bitch” to find out what the reviewers are saying! RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned that Britney Spears — on the verge of commencing her residency at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas — is being kept in the dark about negative reviews of her latest album, titled Britney Jean.
“Britney’s manager, Larry Rudolph, and father, Jamie, won’t allow her to see any of the bad reviews,” a source close to the situation said, noting the pair remain conservators of Spears’ estate and manage both her financial affairs and daily life.
“Britney doesn’t even have access to the internet and lives in a bubble! Her team will allow her to believe that the album is being well received. No-one wants to upset Britney. If she were to read anything negative, it could send her into a bad tailspin and both Larry and Jamie know that can’t happen with her upcoming shows in Vegas about to launch.”
Reviews for Britney Jean have been less than glowing: ABC News music reviewer Allan Raible gave the album a mere two stars, declaring: “I can’t quite recommend Britney Jean. It’s a conflicted record with too many flaws to be considered even good on the whole, but it does show some promise. Britney Spears is still very much a pop confection, but those repeated lines in “Perfume” ultimately almost save the day. For one fleeting moment, she had me smiling.”
Meanwhile, the Chicago Tribune called it a “skimpy 36 minute album,” which relies on T.I. and Spears younger sister Jamie Lynn to “lighten her workload.” — while the Boston Globe charged, “Nowhere does “Britney Jean” sound like Britney Spears.”
There is some consolation, however: The album is currently number one on iTunes — so clearly the fans are liking it!
Ha, the album is only 36 minutes long?! OMG. That’s hilarious. As for the critics… I do wonder what people expect from her? Do you go into a Britney Spears album thinking “this is going to be solid work from start to finish”? No. Of course not. Britney has always been about the singles and producing (admittedly great) dance and pop tracks.
Meanwhile, Britney recently appeared on Ellen and she discussed whether she had ever kissed Ryan Gosling:
Photos courtesy of WENN.
She looks amazing! So youthful and happy.
+1000
Better than she has in the past 8 or so years. Incredible.
UGH! Of course they are shielding her, Once a-fucking-gain: Why cant she just be rich and front perfume makeup a foundation an industry, invest and BE RETIRED in a frigging Island or farm of choice wearing her cutoff and ratty hair? Why does a woman with the legal capacity of a kid and more money than she can spend NEEDS to be trotted out for this type of shit and brutal schedule when her mind and body are clearly not up to it?
It’s all about the money, money, money….
Seriously. Larry and Daddy Spears will milk every last drop from this poor, miserable child. She and I are the same age, and I cannot, CANNOT, imagine how her life feels. It’s dystopian to me: sort of a Brave New World situation, where you think you’re happy, because you don’t know any better, and you’re taught to enjoy your role in life from birth.
“I’m pretty, I’m much prettier than those dirty poor people. Being pretty is wonderful. I’m so glad I’m not smart like Larry and Daddy. They have to make all these hard decisions and manage my money. I would rather be pretty and have a nice voice than be smart.”
It’s chilling.
Agree. Being Britney’s age you really notice how weird her life is compared to yours.
It really really is!, let’s not even discuss the Fiancé Conservator thing… It was so creepy and Olden timey?: Making decisions on her body for her but also… Being a love interest? So creepy
Britney could retire. She could get her money back from her dad and we wouldn’t hear from her again. Instead she’s lied to and told the public wants more of her. She’s paraded out. It’s sad. She’s still not mentally healthy.
I disagree with pretty. She is very troubled and living i a safety bubble othes have created for her. Not one where she’s willingly thought up and given her father power over her finances and love life. Poor Brit. The future Norma Desmond.
@ QQ and PrettyTarheelFan:
You took the words right out of my head! Couldn’t agree more…besides it’s not as if she is really that talented a musician. . .just sayn’
QQ, took the words clean out of my mouth. It’s so sick and I can’t believe that the legal system that enforced this situation is allowing this. The woman can’t cut her own food without the assistance of daddy and her manager but she can be wheeled out for a concert a few times a week? It’s so wrong.
This is horrible! Clearly, Britney doesn’t have the mental capacity to sign a contract, and here she is being manipulated and used by the man who is supposed to love and protect her. Brit reminds me of Carroll Baker in ‘Baby Doll’, just a little girl trapped in a nightmare.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrcnWKvDjwk – BABY DOLL (1956) Original Carroll Baker Trailer
I agree and it saddens me.
Urm, I might be wrong. But wasn’t the reason she spiraled out of control some years ago BECAUSE she was left to her own devices? I don’t think Britney would go away even if her Dad and manager release their grips on her. She strikes me as a woman who always wants to please whoever is prominent in her life at the moment. And there’s always going to be someone trying to take advantage of her celebrity status. The very least Jamie and Larry are doing is keep her on track.
For what it’s worth I agree with you. I’ll never forget when she was with the psycho Sam Lufti and really going off the rails putting herself and her children at risk. Her Mom had to buddy up to the scum just to get near her daughter. She testified during the conservator trial he would grind pills and put them in her food.
I also work some with mental health and for some patients it’s better for them to keep busy. She may also want to preform. While I don’t think her parents always make the right decision, I do think they have her best interests at heart. She strikes me as so lonely but unable to tell if someone is taking advantage of her which is maybe why they try and screen her BFs. Creepy but we don’t know what kind of mental illness she might have.
Just my two cents! Love Britney now and forever!!
You are absolutely correct. She was left to her own devices, not working, and just driving around aimlessly being crazy. Now people want to whine about poor, used, cash cow Britney, but I think she NEEDS to work to stay focused.
Bless her heart. That’s all.
She’s looking the best she did in a while. I’ve also watched her interview ET and she seemed really good which is a big changed from her “robot-looking” days. I’m really happy for her, hope she keeps it up.
Also, wasnt Work It, B*tch a big hit? And I absolutely love Perfume and Brightest Morning Star. They both sound like chart-topping songs. I hope the album is a hit.
Not a big hit, a moderate one, didn’t even crack the top 10.
God, I love Britney but this album – not gonna lie, it’s so disappointing. I wasn’t expecting an AMAZING album but I thought it was gonna be easy, brainless pop that I can dance to with the occasional ballad. It’s so hard to listen to all the way through. I’ve tried three times but I always end up playing something by some other artist.
I dunno, I feel like she doesn’t really wanna do this any more and like her team should just let her be.
I think she will stop after Las Vegas.
She is beautiful!!!!
RADAR ? LOL ….
What kind of sad life does she lead? She can make no decisions for herself, even regarding her career. She is shielded from the outside world and has a boyfriend that is clearly hand picked and on the payroll. Is this right? I know she was/is not well but is it right to take the freedom of choice away from a person. It just doesn’t seem right.
I know. It makes me sad for her.
I’ve always loved Britney and life does make me sad. She’s like one of those sad circus bears dressed up and forced to ride a bicycle around in a circle.
I want to wrap her in a blanket, make her some miso soup, and tell her she doesn’t gave to do this any more.
Man, judyjudy, your metaphor conjures up an image that is so depressingly accurate.
Somebody needs to thoroughly route her Simon Legree of a father! Like the mustache twirling, top-hatted villain of old who ties his victim to the railroad tracks, Jamie Spears is the grasping and greedy dastardly guardian with control of her fortune. Now he’s back in court asking for more of Britney’s money.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/17/britney-spears-father-conservatorship-money_n_4115620.html
Really sad but true. This:
“Her team will allow her to believe that the album is being well received. No-one wants to upset Britney. If she were to read anything negative, it could send her into a bad tailspin and both Larry and Jamie know that can’t happen with her upcoming shows in Vegas about to launch.”
You know, when I was reading that last sentence, I thought that the ending was going to be “and both Larry and Jamie know that can’t happen because Britney is still emotionally fragile and they want her to keep healing and get better.” And then I read about how it’s actually about not disrupting the income stream from the Vegas shows.
Silly me.
Since she work with will.i.am her music it is not good ..
Will I am is horrible. Britney needs to work with the producers who did Blackout (one of her best albums) or work with Pharrell again. They made great songs for her. I like Britney Jean but I don’t love it. I also don’t understand why this is suppose to be considered her “most personal”. I’ll probably have to listen to it again
I LOVE YOU ! Check my last comment … the last one … i read your comment after i post my last one … 🙂 #43
Go Britney! She looks gorgeous, healthy, and her weave is on point. I think she’ll surprise everyone in Vegas and do an amazing job. I think her team should shield her from all the negativity! She’s been through ALOT & still seems pretty fragile and anxious in interviews.
See, if I were describing someone as “healthy”, I would not also include descriptive terms like “fragile” and “anxious”. Britney Spears hasn’t been healthy for years. She’s mentally ill, medicated and unable to care for herself . The pressure of continuing to perform is not therapeutic for her well-being.
Amen. This girl should be living out her life with her kids. She’s clearly not okay. It’s reprehensible what her dad and manager are doing to her.
It’s freakin Radar which has bullshit stories so many times and most of their stories have spelling errors and grammatical errors. People are always making fun of the hack people they must hire if they can’t be professional enough to get things right.
I don’t know why exactly, but Britney has always seemed like something computer generated to me.
I think it’s because she has never really revealed who she is as a human being.
I don’t think she knows.
I’ve seen Britney twice in concert, both were the Circus tour, and she actually did great. My only beef then was that she never talked to the audience, but she did however dance much more than she does in her videos anymore, and they were cool shows visually. I’m flying to Vegas to see her front row on Valentine’s Day, and I have high expectations this time around. She seems a lot more in to it now than she did back in 2009.
I listened to her new album. I really dig all of the dance tracks, I just don’t like most of the ballads, but then again I’ve never liked her ballads in general. The album is actually 12 songs or so, I think, so the number of songs is normal, they are just shorter tracks on some of them.
Cute but vacant.
That whole piece was sad and scary. Why is her dad doing this to her? It’s awful. If they’re going to treat her like a child but give her adult responsibilities… I dunno, I think they should let her live her life how she wants.
She looks really pretty but her nose looks different. More pointy.
Sad. I get that whole Michael Jackson vibe from her family. It just feels like they are using her for their own personal gain. I could be wrong, I hope I am. She does look happy though.
So on point about the Jackson thing. Her dad will be the very one suing her management if anything happens to her even though, just like Katherine Jackson, he’s not going to encourage his cash cow to take it easy any time soon.
She’s still young enough that her handlers are willing to sacrifice her peace of mind and mental health for the last kick at the can. Either there is not enough money to keep everyone happy and paid and employed yet for the rest of her life, or there is not enough money now for everyone to leave her alone. She’s got a lot of years left to live, and a lot of recent memories of how it used to be. I bet she agrees with her people, filling her head with delusions of grandeur; “Britney, yo so much better than that Cyrus chick, yo are the Queen, they’s othahs is jus’ posers! Yo git yo butt out there and kick ass, gurrrrl… Show ’em how iz done! Think o’ the dough yo still be rakin’ in, dis train iz jus’ pickin’ up steam! Blah blah blah” And you know she’s agreeing with everything (don’t ask me what kind of accent I was going for there…) they’re saying.
She does strike me as the kind of person that would love to just sit back, for the rest of her years, on permanent vacation, eating and drinking what she likes, not changing clothes for days. I just bet though, the people around her, even her father, look at her and think while she still has some energy, her looks, a voice, it is a waste of opportunity to not keep her working. She is not a person, she is a commodity, and she does not have the wherewithal to fight against the machine that runs her life.
Sad.
Best possible explanation I’ve read so far. Your description of the Britney-that-might-be made me wish that she has that laid-back life for herself someday. How awful, seemingly never to relax, never to be free of “am I doing it right, Daddy” anxiety.
She looks great here–very healthy and collected but for someone who has been in showbiz most of her life, she looks deeply, deeply uncomfortable on stage.
Teenagers have more freedom then she does. Yes, she’s a grown woman who has “issues” but shielding her from life in the long run will not help. She will rebel @ some time. She has more then enough money to live on. Let her retire & move back to Louisiana so she can live a normal life.
Agreed. She is not permanently incapacitated. With the right meds and therapy she will eventually be able to stop the conservatorship. This doesn’t mean her life will be all roses or that she won’t have relapses, but she isn’t a total invalid like she’s made out to be.
I’ve never been disappointed by a Britney Spears album. You could play all of her albums straight through and they’re all great with the exception of a few songs. Maybe I’m just a big fan but I can’t say the same for most artists these days.
Ya know, I’m a bit of a music snob but I have to agree. You know exactly what you’re going to get with a Brit album and most of them are totally enjoyable. If I need a pick me up I just listen to Femme Fatale because it’s pretty solid all the way through.
A lot f people didn’t care for Circus as a whole, but I loved it as a pop album.
Britney is so good she uses Taylor Swift as her backup dancer, that red hair ain’t fooling anyone. Bow to the Queen!
I guess you missed Carrie Underwood in the last pic. LOL!
Hahahahaha. That’s too funny.
The more I hear about her life, the worse it sounds. Why don’t they just let her retire and eat cheetos barefoot? Surely she doesn’t need the money.
I feel so bad for her. I wish they would just let her go enjoy her kids, her cheetos and her money. She always looks very manipulated. Makes me sad.
I’m having a ‘Leave Britney Aloooooooone!’ moment. Lord, I just want the poor thing to be okay. Her conservators flogging her out on stage to keep them with an income is horrendous. Isn’t there an impartial party that can take over or is this a Lohan situation where no matter who is making the decisions they’re all relying on that money?
She could very happily retire to Louisiana, be the Cheeto fuelled soccer mom she always wanted to be and, whenever she needs an ego boost, make a surprise guest appearance here and there. There’s no need for this.
I think it’d be kinda nice to live in a bubble with no cell phone or internet!
@Jacqueline – Only if it was *your* choice, though, & not the result of manipulative deception.
I agree with others here. Why does she need to perform all the time? Can’t she retire and spend time with her kids and do occasional fun and simple projects? Perhaps local charity work? If they want more money out of her they can just smartly invest it. Because she has the legal status of a child they are treating her like a show biz kid, with no real choice about whether to perform.
She’s been performing since she was a kid. It’s probably something that she needs to do and not necessarily something she wants to do. Being a performer seems to be the only thing that has been consistent in her life.
She probably loves to perform and would want to continue to do so throughout her life, but there’s no need for it to be on this scale. A studio album every few years, a concert performance or commercial here or there, and only very limited media and publicity appearances seems like more her speed. Maybe even just being a local dance teacher could satisfy her need to perform. She seems so uncomfortable and coached now on the big screen and stage. I just don’t feel she’s living on her own terms. This just seems like too much for someone who is still most likely in the process of figuring out to how to manage her mental health issues (she’s still under a conservatorship, after all!). All this exposure is probably slowing her progress; I see progress in these pictures, but still.
I’m not exactly surprised it’s not doing well… I feel bad for Britney but in reality, she can’t sing to save her life.
They’ve done exactly zippo promo around this album so am not surprised it’s not bigger. She’s a cash cow – sad but true.
I’d wish for her to go away & figure out what she wants artistically, but I don’t think she knows at this point – she just does what she’s told. So sad.
I think her personality is coming back slowly. She feels more alive lately in interviews. She was completely robot. But lately sometimes she seems like herself in some brief moments. I wonder how she behaves in her home, behind closed doors. Because she obviously is afraid to say something not right in interviews and always looks scared to be there. And scared of questions.
But she has to be different behind camera. I really wish they would do some documentary, where Britney would travel with camera crew, to her home, show her kids and talk about her daily routine. Like MTV Diary used to do. I think that we would see Britney in better light and more like herself.
I watched the Ellen interview and your description is spot on. She seemed scared of every question.
Why do you have to pick the most unflattering pictures of her possible at all times? Her new album does kind of suck but it’s not true that they always do, her last 3 albums before this one were all really good from start to finish if you ask me. This one is just really weak for some reason.
But she’s been looking gorgeous lately and it’s almost like you’re trying to make her look as ugly or fat as possible when she isn’t.
She looks great, but anyone declaring she’s finally fine is in deep denial. I just watched the clip from Ellen and she looks like a scared little bunny who stands in the middle of the road, paralysed by approaching headlights. She’s so.. awkwardly demure. The “real” Britney used to be over the top, mischevious, allusive.. If asked about kissing Ryan Gosling, she would have played along with Ellen by giving a totally inappropriate, funny comment.. I feel so sad for her, She just gave very brief, hesitating answers, you could see that she was feeling the pressure and was afraid to go off the script. She definitely tries to give an impression of normality, but that doesn’t mean we buy it. Get well Britney, we all root for you.
I saw her with Mario Lopez in an interview and she was adorable, laughing and giggling and teasing each other. I heard her with Ryan Seacreast and she was so open and relaxed and cute. She is doing so much better. The light is back in her eyes. She will never be 100 percent the old Brit. She is suffering from Bipolar Disorder, but she is dong amazing compared to a few years ago.
she looks happy lately and not as out of it. I want her to be okay.
She has looked dead in the eyes for a long time now…
What a dynamic duo: the grown man living off his daughter, and the pimpager who unleashed Miley Cyrus’ tongue on the world. Suuuuuure, Britney’s in GOOD hands.
I’ve heard many reports of mental illness, but what precisely does she suffer from? I can’t help but root for Britney! I think she was really unwell for a while and I wish her a nice, happy life!
There is a lot of SPECULATION out there about what exactly she suffers from. Bipolar disorder is a favorite, and there are rumors of severe drug abuse. However, this topic is a huge issue with me as a licensed mental health counselor because the truth will never be known. So-called “sources” are likely little more than someone who knows someone who knows someone because with how tightly she is guarded that information will never see the light of day. My suspicion based on the conservatorship alone is that there are likely several issues she is struggling with. For this level of control she is a very, very ill person, and for as bad as things played out publicly there had to be significant behavioral concerns privately. I can’t stress enough how difficult it is for someone to get a conservatorship, especially over someone as successful as Britney despite what she was going through.
It looks like she is completely flattened out by some meds.
I don’t agree. It seems work stabilizes her. Mentally shaky people don’t do well with retirement. For these lifer performers, Vegas IS retirement
I’m certainly not up on the fine details of Britney’s conservatorship, but I have to chime in with the poster above that mentioned work being a stabiliser. I’ve seen it before. Sometimes people with mental illness need a regimented schedule or life to help give them balance. Especially if they’re still struggling. I certainly have my suspicions that might not be the whole story, but I’ve personally observed people detiorating from mental illness after structure is lost in their life. I certainly wouldn’t rule a need to have Britney occupy her time with work as something her psychologist/therapist might endorse as helpful to her.
I worry that this night after night show in Vegas is going to prove to be too much for her.
She seems fragile, and I’d hate to see her lose the ground she seems to have gained.
I hope that her handlers will be careful.
It’s not night after night. She has it set up pretty darn cushy, and like Garth Brooks it is all set up to their needs so they can be home with their kids. My post below has how many days a week and how many shows a year.
She’s really been out and about interviewing away and seems so much happier and so much more like the old Britney. She seems very excited about the residency in Vegas. She’s really not doing that many shows a week and gets to be with her kids. From what I’ve read it will be two weekend shows and one mid week show so many weeks a year, which will add up to fifty shows, so about five months out of the year averaged out, with the option of on a private airplane flying the short trip home right after the gig if she wants or staying at the hotel suite she’s been provided for her tenure overnight. I’m happy to see her doing so good these days.
I’ve always appreciated her legs – I’ve got similar calves (big, start from my ankles) and Britney has always helped me appreciate my calves.
Blackout was a flawless album, from start to finish. Her best.
She just seems really uncomfortable in her skin when doing press and in interviews. Even after all these years, she comes across as very awkward and stiff as a board. When you look at pics of her, her body language says alot and its so sad she never seems fully relaxed. I agree with the other commenter who said she seems she would be fine just lounging around, just living for the rest of her life. Her father and manager need a cash cow though.
I listen the FULL album. I’m a fan. BIG fan of BLACKOUT. I think also i’m fan because she is a good person with a good head and heart. Yeah, she do lypsing. But hey ! She is a legend and have a Millions for Vegas Show. So just that tell you everything about her. I can just to be happy for her because i thing she deserve that. She is not a hypocrit or “Look at Me” person.
Britney Jean : 7/10 for me. Quietly, with all her mind now, she want to put herself implicate. In Blackout (2007) She was Executive Producer (She record this album when she was pregnant with Jayden in 2006 and still married to K-FED). And is one of the best Pop album of 2000 era. BUT she need to say to Will.I.Am : ” .. thank u very much good luck on your future project.” YEAH … I think she need to work with Danja or Pharell or people who know her because they give her SO good music in the past. No Offense.
WHERE IS DANJA ????
AND for all this bullshit rumor about NO Internet … PLEASE BITCH ! People have a lot of visibilty on their site when they put bullshit like that. DON’T TALK ABOUT YOU ! I Respect u so much … i’m waiting every morning for your news !!!!! I talk about RADAR ….
BEST SONG ? : It Shoul Be Easy (FT. Will.i.am) yeah i know lol … but it is the better song anyway 🙂 GOOD Week-End Y’ALL !
Kinda makes you wonder if her sister got pregnant at 16 on purposes. Jamie Lynne sealed the deal to forever be out of showbiz with that move. Was it intential?
sigh. Dumb as a slug, not cute, vacant, VERY LITTLE talent.
Take your millions and move to Europe.
Rolling Stone gave her a 3 1/2 out of 5, which is better than what they gave Katie Perry and Lady Gaga.
I totally root for Brit. Blackout was such a good album! This album is okay, but there are only about 3 songs on it that I really like. Brit does seem to have more light in her eyes but she still seems awkward in interviews like she has lost all her confidence in herself. She looks so uneasy.
I hate how she doesn’t promote her albums anymore with performances on talk shows. God, don’t you guys miss seeing her on SNL too? It’s sad.
I not get why her dad is being made out to be the bad guy here. Have people forgotten how tragically broken she was mentally before dad took over via conservatorship? Had her dad not stepped in she would be dead right now. Lay off dad. He stepped up and saved her life. Lindsey Lohan should b so lucky