Britney Album Heading to No. 1

Pop's newest explosion exploits our obsession with sexuality, salaciousness

(NEWSER) - “Lady Gaga is pretty skanky,” writes James Brady Ryan for Nerve. “That might sound harsh, but there are some facts we all must face: the girl is no fan of pants, for one thing.” She may be crass, outlandish, and over-the-top sexual—but “she is also completely awesome.” And what makes her different from fellow blond sexpots like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera is that Gaga “is a skank with a brain.” More»

Will be singer's fifth No. 1

(AP) - Britney Spears' latest CD, Circus, has landed her back at a familiar position—No. 1. The singer's comeback CD—make that her second comeback CD—will top the album charts next week, according to her label, Jive. Though Nielsen SoundScan does not release its official figures until today, estimates have the record selling as many as 500,000 copies in its first week of release. More»

But delivers uninspiring 'performance'

(NEWSER) - Comeback kid Britney Spears swept three MTV Video Music Awards last night—but delivered an uninspired performance, reports ABC News. Fans had hoped Spears' appearance would redeem her image after the star's last addled MTV performance. But Britney delivered a meek Valley Girl skit with Superbad star Jonah Hill, lamely inquiring, "What is your deal?" when he began to make out with her—and a stiff teleprompter read. More»

Singer's 'GagaVille' farm will release exclusive tracks

(NEWSER) - Gaga for Gaga? It’s time to start a virtual farm. Lady Gaga is releasing exclusive new tracks from her album via a special “GagaVille” estate in FarmVille, the AP reports. Players of the online game must accomplish certain tasks to hear one new song per day between May 17 and 19; non-exclusive songs can be unlocked in the following days, ahead of the release of her album Born This Way on May 23. More»

Though she probably had little to do with its edginess, critics say

(NEWSER) - Britney Spears’ new record is actually pretty innovative for a pop album—though Britney herself may have little to do with that.

• Femme Fatale is “the rare dance-pop album that never flags, each track preposterously overstuffed with hooks and sensations,” writes Jody Rosen in Slate . Spears is “a great avant-gardist”: These are some “absurd” tracks, but her “star power provides cover for the weirdness—anything she records, no matter how strange, instantly becomes pop.”