Britney Spears
Jamie Spears Suspended as Conservator of Britney Spears’ Estate
Jamie Spears has been removed as the conservator of his daughter’s, Britney Spears, conservatorship that has been in place for 13 years. In a move that was a long time coming, on Wednesday according to the New York Times, Judge Brenda Penny granted a petition that removed Spears from his current role, saying that it was no longer in the pop star’s best interest. In August, it was reported that Spears would be willing to step aside from his position in due time. “The current situation is not tenable,” Judge Penny said. Certified public accountant John Zabel has been appointed as temporary conservator of her estate. This was the first hearing since June 23, when Britney Spears told Judge Penny that she didn’t want or need the conservatorship anymore. “I’ve been in denial. I’ve been in s...
Jamie Spears to Step Down as Conservator for Britney Spears (Report)
For the latest development in the ongoing Britney Spears conservatorship saga, the pop star’s father, Jamie Spears, has agreed to step down from being her conservator. While that’s a big win for the iconic pop star, it doesn’t come without its own points of contention. According to documents obtained by TMZ, the father’s attorney took some shots at Spears even as he agreed to step down. “There are, in fact, no actual grounds for suspending or removing Mr. Spears as the Conservator of the Estate … and it is highly debatable whether a change in conservator at this time would be in Ms. Spears’ best interests,” the statement reads. Nevertheless, even as Mr. Spears is the unremitting target of unjustified attacks, he does not believe that a public battle with his daughter over his continuing se...
The 40 Greatest Music Video Artists
Music videos are the perfect bastard child of art and commerce, even more than pop music itself. A promotional visual accompaniment to a popular song doesn’t need a coherent narrative (although on rare occasions, they do). It just needs to suit the song, sell the record, and possibly make the artist look cool. But since the launch of MTV 40 years ago this week, a select few recording artists have helped raise music videos to an art form — sometimes by accident, and sometimes by carefully curating the work of brilliant directors like Mark Romanek, Hype Williams, and Spike Jonze. Here are 40 artists from the last four decades that helped video kill the radio star. 40. Lil Kim [embedded content] Although earlier female MCs like Salt-N-Pepa and Queen Latifah used music videos to help launch th...
#FreeBritney: Dance Music Artists Weigh In On Britney Spears Conservatorship Battle
After the latest setback in Britney Spears‘ explosive conservatorship battle, the #FreeBritney movement has mutated into a full-blown crusade. With legions of supporters that seem to be growing by the second, the movement is unafraid of locking horns with a justice system they deem to be wicked. Their fervent support of Spears has remained resolute as she remains ensnared in a 13-year legal arrangement that has given her father, Jamie Spears, complete control of her life. In a 20-minute statement provided by Spears in late June to a probate judge in Los Angeles, the pop icon harangued the conservatorship, saying she wants to sue her family after being “abused” by a therapist, among other shocking allegations. Despite her pleas for help, the court ultimately denied her req...
Watch Courtney Love Emotionally Cover Britney Spears’ ‘Lucky’
Yesterday, the New Yorker published an extensive investigative piece about Britney Spears’ conservatorship. Courtney Love spoke to journalist Ronan Farrow about her encounters with the infamous Hollywood figure Sam Lutfi (she calls him a “street hustler” in the article) and business manager Lou Taylor. “An honor to speak to an honorable man. Speak again soon,” she tweeted when the story went live. A few hours later, the Hole frontwoman shared an acoustic cover of Spears’ Oops…I Did It Again track “Lucky,” which is all about the loneliness that so often accompanies fame. Near the end of the performance, Love was wiping away tears. See Courtney Love cover Britney Spears’ “Lucky” below. Last week, Spears spoke openly about her conservatorship for the first time during a he...
Britney Spears Makes First Statement Following Court Appearance: ‘I Apologize for Pretending Like I’ve Been Ok’
A day after speaking at a hearing in Los Angeles for the first time about her desire to end her conservatorship, Britney Spears took to Instagram to issue her first public statement. In the post, which included a quote from Albert Einstein, Spears apologized to her fans for posting that her life seemed to be going great when it wasn’t. “I believe as people we all want the fairy tale life and by the way I’ve posted … my life seems to look and be pretty amazing,” she said. “I think that’s what we all strive for !!!! That was one of my mother’s best traits … no matter how shitty a day was when I was younger … for the sake of me and my siblings she always pretended like everything was ok. I’m bringing this to peoples attention because I don’t want people to think my life is perfect because IT’...
Britney Spears Hits Back at Conservatorship in Impassioned Testimony: ‘I Just Want My Life Back’
In a fiery virtual hearing, Britney Spears hit back at the conservatorship that has encompassed her life for the past 13 years, demanding that her father, Jamie Spears, be removed from it and that it end altogether. “I’ve been in denial. I’ve been in shock. I am traumatized. I just want my life back,” Spears said to Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny during the Zoom call, according to The New York Times. “I want to end the conservatorship without having to be evaluated. I shouldn’t be in a conservatorship if I can work. The laws need to change. I truly believe this conservatorship is abusive.” “My dad and anyone involved in this conservatorship, including my management … they should be in jail,” she continued. “I truly believe this conservatorship is abusive. I don’t feel like I...
The 20 Best Rock Songs by Pop Stars
Olivia Rodrigo may be a teenage pop star who works for Disney and first scaled the Hot 100 with a piano-driven ballad, but her second No. 1 of 2021, “Good 4 U,” is a surprisingly feisty pop-punk song. And Sour’s even harder-rocking opener “Brutal” is currently ascending Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart. Rock music has been deeply intertwined with American pop ever since early rockers like Little Richard and Bill Haley started scaling the charts. But since the ‘80s, Top 40 radio has largely favored sleeker tracks with synthesizers, drum machines, and influences from genres like dance music, R&B, and hip-hop, with only occasional bursts of electric guitar and live drums. Plenty of rockers have become pop stars, from Pat Benatar to Bruce Springsteen, but there are also pop stars who ...
Britney Spears to Address Court at Next Conservatorship Hearing
Britney Spears has stayed silent outside of a few vague Instagram posts about her long-standing legal conservatorship. But at a hearing on Tuesday, Spears’ attorney requested that Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny schedule another hearing where Spears herself would address the court. Spears has been battling her father and conservator, Jamie Spears, in recent years. “My client has requested a hearing at which she can address the court directly,” the singer’s attorney, Samuel Ingham, told the court on Tuesday, according to Reuters. “My client has asked that it be done on an expedited basis.” Spears is scheduled to speak on June 23 at 1:30 pm PT. Last month, Ingram asked the court to remove Jamie Spears as the conservator and replace him with Jodi Montgomery, who p...
Justin Timberlake Issues Apology to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson: ‘I Know I Failed’
Justin Timberlake has apologized to his ex-girlfriend Britney Spears as well as Janet Jackson in a lengthy Instagram post on Friday. Why now? Timberlake’s past behavior dating back several decades has come under scrutiny following last week’s release of the Framing Britney Spears documentary that dissected the misogyny she’s faced in her career. Timberlake also infamously faced little responsibility for the “wardrobe malfunction” that took place at the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show where he ripped a piece of Jackson’s wardrobe off to expose her breast. In the wake of the incident, Timberlake’s career took off while Jackson faced scorn and scrutiny, and debatably, her career was never the same. “I’ve seen the messages, tags, comments, and concerns and I want to respon...
Britney Spears’ Hidden Music Messages: A Timeline
Over the last decade, Britney Spears’ supernatural pop star status became overthrown by the haunting shadow of her conservatorship. Established in 2008, following messy custody battles and an involuntary psychiatric hold, the artist’s estate and finances were placed in the hands of her father Jamie Spears and attorney Andrew Wallet. In recent years, the topic of Spears’ creative and financial freedom has ballooned into a prominent discussion in modern pop culture. This year, The New York Times resurrected the conversation with its Framing Britney Spears documentary. Released on Feb. 5, it chronicles Spears’ career, the sexism she faced by the media, the origin of the conservatorship, how it has since affected her life, and the fan-driven #FreeBritney movement that follows her court proceed...
