Britney vs. Love, Family and Fame
Move over Truth or Dare, because Britney: For The Record is here.
During Thursday evening’s advance screening of MTV’s Nov. 30 documentary, it became clear that Madonna passed the pop star baton to Britney Spears during their infamous 2003 on-screen kiss. Like Truth did for Madonna fans, For The Record takes viewers on a raw-yet-produced cathartic journey into Britney’s behind-the-scenes life.
Introducing the documentary at MTV’s Santa Monica screening room, Britney’s manager, Larry Rudolph, said he hopes it shows Britney “in a way you haven’t seen this girl before.” And, it did. The screening presented approximately half of the program’s 62 minutes, but it’s evident that For The Record shows Britney grappling with and reflecting upon love, family, and fame.
LOVE:
Brit tackles both Justin and K-Fed. She explains that her break up with Justin left her devastated and wondering, “What am I supposed to do with myself?” The K-Fed split, however, clearly affected her much more deeply. To cope, she became a “goer” and a “party girl” to prevent herself from confronting her reality. Having witnessed her umbrella-thumping-head-shaving-post-Federline downward spiral, we already knew that, but listening to Britney tell the story in her own voice — instead of through paparazzi pictures — seems healing both for her and potentially for the audience.
FAMILY:
The most uplifting portions of For The Record come from Brit’s dad and conservator, Jamie Spears. He cooks her “breakfast of champions,” consisting of Southern-style cheese grits made with pre-packaged, sliced American cheese. He explains that Brit is best when busy doing what she loves — singing, dancing, and performing. And, best of all, Jamie asks Brit about the high heels she wears in her Womanizer video: “Nice hooker shoes, baby. Can you dance in those?”
FAME:
When talking about fame, however, Britney can’t hold back the tears. She doesn’t want to be a “victim of success,” nor does she condone complaining about celebrity status. Simultaneously, however, she points out that Jessica Alba gets to go to the grocery store without an army of paps and even Jamie Lynn Spears can go out in public with her baby without being mobbed.
Britney, on the other hand, describes herself as a “very private person” who, nonetheless, must accept that “everywhere I go, there’s someone there.” Britney further describes her current conservatorship-controlled life as “too in control, no excitement, no passion, and really boring.” She says, “I used to be a cool chick. I’m not really that way anymore.”
Fortunately, Britney is wrong. A cool chick is someone who can open up, express her feelings, and share herself with people in her life. Although she may not realize it, this is far from boring, and fans likely will respond with passion.
Popsquire will be watching Britney: For The Record on MTV, Nov. 30. You should, too.
[Photos courtesy of MTV]
