Warm Welcome for Britney in Brisbane

Anna Caldwell

November 22, 2009 09:30pm

THEY all knew the miming would be shameless. But with a hefty roar of welcome from Brisbane fans tonight, the message from almost 10,000 fans to starlet Britney Spears was clear - they didn't mind.

If the "leave Britney alone'' and "save Britney" T-shirts were any indication, the Spears army was poised to defend their lip-synching heroine on the back of successive bad reviews.

Lip-synching aside (which was never a surprise), Spears doesn't move as well as she used to.

If you remember the blonde teen who busted moves in Hit Me Baby One More Time, you would have been sorely disappointed by the woman who strutted more than anything else and was carried (literally, at times) by her breath-taking back up cast.

But the fact is this - as far as comebacks go, the Spears Circus is spectacular.

Far from the images of the popstar-turned-trainwreck that have been beamed around the world in recent years, tonight Spears appeared on stage as a glowing teen idol.

Hoisted high above the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in the arm of an umbrella, she was the ringmaster - it was hard to believe this was the same woman who has been the protagonist of countless scandals, ranging from head shaving to carrying her baby unrestrained on her lap in the car.

Her sculpted body carries off the skimpy costumes she flaunts, and her wide smile and bright blonde hair scream glossy pop star perfection.

There is no denying she has a set list that's defined teen pop over the past decade.

Brisbane fans have waited a long while for this three-ringed circus - she doesn't sing and she doesn't move like the best of them, but as far as her glitter-clad army was concerned, Britney was back.

Lip syncing Spears' tour tickets on sale for 55 pence

The lip-syncing backlash against pop princess Britney Spears has caused the prices of her Australian tour tickets to plummet from a whopping 800 pounds to as little as 55 pence.

Hundreds of tickets for the 'Womanizer' hitmaker's Australian tour have gone up for sale on eBay
following complaints about her miming, reported Daily Mail online.

The American pop star has faced a backlash from Australian fans who had walked out of her two-hour 'Circus' shows and demanded their money back after discovering that she was miming the songs.

Dozens more tickets went on sale on Thursday after the pop princess failed to wow fans with her first Melbourne show on Wednesday evening. The starting price for some tickets has been as low as 55p.

Most fans are offering tickets in pairs or multiples, creating a buyers' market with tickets being sold well under their face value of 90 pounds.

The 27-year-old performer is reportedly hurt by the "cruel" critical reviews of her opening shows in Australia and issued a statement earlier in the week saying she was not performing for the critics but for her fans.

Reports suggested that some of the fans were so disappointed that were offering to give away premium tickets outside the show venue.

Britney Spears fans slam 'mime'

Britney Spears speaks on Australian Circus tour miming row
By Alyssa Braithwaite

BRITNEY Spears has hit back at critical media reports of her Circus tour, saying she came to Australia for her fans.

The pop star arrived in the country last week amid controversy over her lip-synching stage performance, and soon faced reports that disappointed fans walked out of her opening show in Perth.

Spears has been keeping a low profile since arriving in Melbourne earlier this week, but she responded to the criticism today.

"I hear there is a lot of controversy in the media about my show," Spears said in a statement.

"Some reporters have said they love it and some don't. I came to Australia for my fans!"

Spears is due to play the first of three sold-out shows in Melbourne on Wednesday night, and has been indulging in some retail therapy.

"Went shopping on Collins Street yesterday and got a lot of my Christmas presents. Melbourne is beautiful. Can't wait to see more. -Britney," she wrote on Twitter on Tuesday.

Aussie DJ Havana Brown, who is touring with Spears, said she is surprised by the savaging the pop princess has received here.

Brown said there was no negative reaction from fans and the media about lip-synching and lacklustre performances in Europe, where they toured before Australia.

"I think it's quite well known that she has lip-synched in the past. I don't think it's any surprise to anybody," Brown told AAP.

"There was nothing like that in Europe. I think everyone knew what they were in for, and I think everyone should know here as well.

"I'm not quite sure what the fuss is about."

Brown was personally chosen by Spears' father and manager to open the Circus tour in Europe and Australia.

The Melbourne native gets the crowds warmed up for Spears each night and then sits back to enjoy the spectacle.

She said there was an "incredible response" at the first two shows in Perth, and she hoped Aussie fans would make up their own minds about the concert.

"It's sad. I want people to be positive about her - she's doing so well, and she's looking so good, and the show is amazing," she said.

"I want everyone to make their own opinion, rather than be persuaded by what's been in the media."

AAP acb/jl

Britney prefers 'iconic' Beatles to Elvis Presley

Melbourne, October 29 (ANI): Britney Spears has revealed that she prefers rocking to the tunes of the Beatles rather than those of Elvis Presley.

The pop princess was asked in an interview via email who would she choose between the two music legends.

"Beatles, they are just so iconic," the Herald Sun quoted her as saying.

he singer, who will soon begin her Australian tour in Perth, was also quizzed about the frequently played song on her iPod.

She said: "Right now its Beyonce's Halo. It just puts me in a trance, it's so well written and she is so intense singing it." (ANI)

Britney's Being Pulled in Too Many Directions

In Celebs by Meieli Sawyer Detoni

Britney Spears is having trouble keeping it together because her father Jamie has put too tight of a leash on her, reports say. The comeback queen might not be all she seems, insiders say, since she's been having trouble processing exactly what's going on in her life.

Jamie, Britney's dad, is said to guard her so closely that she's actually lost track of what day it is, as well as the actual time (what?). Word has it that Britney's floating in and out of reality, with barely a bearing on the real world:

"She is so out of it she just doesn't care anymore. She just does what she's told and is totally in her world. She'll even call people at all hours of night for a general conversation and acts like it's the middle of the day or something."

Jamie's been careful to keep Britney from bad influences, but others say he's going too far. One source said that Britney's staff has been fired systematically to keep her from finding someone to lean on.

"Britney's family has seen what happens when she gets too close to outsiders and they lose control, they don't want it happening again," spilled the source.

Today is "Baby One More Time" 11th anniversary

Let's celebrate the anniversary of Britney's first single launched 11 years ago this day. Enjoy!

Love with Jason Trawick Saved Britney?

After a terrible marriage to Kevin Federline and rocky flings with JR Rotem, Isaac Cohen, Howie Day and Adnan Ghalib, Britney Spears may have found The One.
That would be Jason Trawick, her agent-turned-boyfriend.

"'He's the kind of man you would dream of your daughter marrying. The kids love him, and he's stable,'" says Brit's mom Lynne Spears, according to Us.
Jason Trawick, 37, stood by Britney during her darkest moments, like when she was involuntarily committed twice to a psychiatric hospital in early 2008.
During that period in her life she lost many people close to her - not to mention custody of sons Sean Preston, 4, and Jayden James, 3. But Jason stayed.

Jason Trawick has saved Britney Spears. We'd actually give more credit to her father, Jamie, but there's no question that her new boyfriend is a great influence.
"Most everyone else abandoned her, but Jason refused to be completely cut out of Britney's life," says a source close to her "He's very protective of her."
Besides his quick wit and ability to make her laugh in any situation, the best attribute of Jason Trawick is that he accepts Britney Spears - drama and all.
"She has been honest with Jason about what she’s been through in a way that I don't think she's been with other people, and he always preferred to not sugarcoat the harsh reality of what happened to her," says a pal.
"He tells her that she should take responsibility for her own actions."
Bold idea. Now we just need Jason to date Lindsay Lohan next.

Kevin Federline to join Britney Spears in Australia

From: The Daily Telegraph

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Down under visit ... Britney Spears and Kevin Federline. Source: The Daily Telegraph
BRITNEY Spears is set to bring some baggage from her past when she hits Australia for her national tour next month - her ex-husband Kevin Federline.

Federline is to jet in to look after the couple's two boys, Sean Preston, 4, and Jayden James, 3, while Spears tours and is also planning on raising money for a children's charity.

Federline, who has put on weight since he was a back-up dancer for Spears, is also expected to be looking newly slim when he arrives in Australia.

A contestant on US reality show Celebrity Fit Club, Federline has already lost 20kg and is expected to be looking even leaner. He and the boys will join Spears for her concert leg in Brisbane.

Britney Spears With Jason Trawick Together Again

They haven’t been pictured together in months, and it was rumoured that the never confirmed relationship between Britney Spears and her manager Jason Trawick had come to an end.

But then yesterday in Los Angeles we managed to spot the pair going a little drive together, and by the looks of it they seemed happy as Larry in each other’s company. Which begs the question; are the two still an item, or were they ever actually dating at all?!

Well whether she’s dating Jason or not, we just bet Brit is glad not to still be with sleazy British Paparazzo Adnan Ghalib, who is currently facing a year in jail after pleading no contest in court yesterday after he allegedly fled the scene of an accident where he reportedly drove his car toward a man serving a restraining order against him from Britney’s dad.

Britney Bought a Bird as Her New Pet

Britney Spears New Pet: Yellow Parakeet

With singer Britney Spears’ Circus world tour coming to an end, the pop princess has decided to treat herself. But it wasn’t clothes, shoes or handbags she treated herself too, it was a pet parakeet that she bought herself.

According to reports from newspostonline.com, 27-year old Britney was at a Calabasas, California pet store shopping for dog food on September 30th, when she noticed the bird and just decided that she had to buy it.

An eyewitness said that the “Toxic” singer, who was also seen spending a lot of money on sugary delicacies for her sweet tooth, settled on the yellow parakeet and bought a big white cage and several toys for the bird too.