Britney Spears has not been treated kindly by the media tabloids. Her very public meltdown a year ago was captured on the pages of magazines around the world and the story was not flattering. A failed marriage to Kevin Federline, a nasty custody battle which raged for two years and a seemingly mental breakdown that landed her in the hospital on several occasions appeared to doom the young pop star, who only a short time before had captured the public's attention with her debut album, …Baby One More Time. Where did that youthful innocence go? While that may be long gone, it seems the star of Britney Spears may be on the rise again. She is appearing on the cover of Rolling Stone this week and it seems that her story is changing, once again.



Britney Spears was in the spotlight ever since she was a young girl. At age 11 she ascended to the prestigious title of Mouseketeer, alongside other future stars Justin Timberlake and Ryan Gosling. Things really started looking promising for Spears though when she was signed to Jive Recording in the late 1990s. Her debut album, …Baby One More Time, hit the stands in early 1999, and the blonde, smiling and playful Britney captured international attention for her pigtails, schoolgirl outfit and bouncy dance moves. The acclaim for Britney Spears was so great that she was soon being described as the “Reigning Princess of Pop,” by various magazines around the world. A pair of Britney Spears tickets was fast becoming a hot item on the pop music market. If you're looking for your Britney tickets, head over to http://www.stubhub.com/britney-spears-tickets.

She followed up with her sophomore effort, Oops!...I Did it Again in May 2000. Again, she dominated the airwaves with her new singles and embarked on a worldwide tour in an effort to promote her work. But all was not a fairytale for this pop princess, her sexy style was being described as scandalous and her proclamation that she would “remain a virgin until she married” created on going gossip fodder in the press. More albums would follow through the early 2000s, although none seemed to contain the same spice and popularity as her first two records. Her public kiss with Madonna and Christina Aguilera at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards again caused a stir with the media.

In 2004, things started heading downward when Spears married her childhood friend Jason Alexander, only to get it annulled 55 hours later. A few months later she was engaged to Kevin Federline, who at the time was already married and expecting his second child. She then gave birth to their first child, followed two years later by their second child, which in turn was followed by complications within the marriage and an eventual divorce. Throughout this entire time, Spears admitted herself to a drug rehabilitation clinic, shaved her head, flashed cameras and was caught driving with her baby on her lap instead of in a car seat. Custody battles ensued with the ultimate result being that Federline would retain sole custody with Spears granted visitation rights. The entire debacle seemed to go on for years, as Spears emerged as a caricature of mentally unstable failed pop star.

With a new album out soon and a big spread in Rolling Stone, the future seems to look a little bit brighter for Spears. Perhaps it is time for her to pick herself up, dust herself off and try again…one more time.