Two days before her latest album "Circus" drops, Britney Spears' biggest fans and toughest critics will get a behind-the-scenes look into the life of the mega-star as she mounts what has been described as a comeback of epic proportions. In "Britney: For the Record," an exclusive 90-minute documentary airing Sunday at 10pm on MTV, the creators (a production house called @radical.media, known, quite interestingly, for heady historical works like the Oscar-winning documentary "The Fog of War") were given unprecedented access for three months to document Britney's day-to-day life.
The film is being billed as Britney's opportunity to tell her side of her story in her own words. The filmmakers claim no topic was off-limits, so viewers will get a rare glimpse at what has been happening in the "Overprotected" pop princess' life for the last several years -- as well as her aspirations for the future. The thing is, this television event sounds suspiciously similar to a few of the pop tart's previous biographical projects, all of which depicted the superstar in the worst possible light. Can "Britney: For the Record" really set the record straight?
Needless to say, we were beyond skeptical.
Watch an exclusive extended trailer of "Britney: For the Record":
Back in the summer of 2005, the now defunct UPN network aired the reality series "Britney & Kevin: Chaotic," which chronicled the unlikely couple's courtship leading up to their wedding. The show included personal video footage shot by Britney and K-Fed while on tour in Europe (as they lounged around "preparing" for their nuptials). The show was hard to watch as Kevin often struggled to put coherent sentences together and Britney rambled about their sex life, going so far as to share the number of times they got busy during yet another lazy day. Coming out of "Chaotic," Britney's so-called "real-life" revealed nothing short of a narcissistic celebrity already bored with her fame.
The following year brought a rapid sequence of negative publicity: Tabloids reported that Britney's marriage was on the rocks and that she was a bad mother; she was caught speeding down LA's Pacific Coast Highway with her son Sean Preston on her lap, and then she nearly dropped her baby in New York while holding the tot in one hand and a cocktail in the other. At the end of the PR nightmare, Britney was desperate for some damage control and sat down for a candid chat with "Today" show host Matt Lauer on "Dateline." Despite her tears and her plea for the paparazzi to leave her alone, viewers were stunned by her ragged and disheveled physical appearance. She chomped on gum throughout the interview, her makeup looked pitiful at best, her denim skirt was too short, her top was too low, and her hair looked over-bleached and in need of a good brushing. She was seeking the public's support via one key message: She was just like any other ordinary woman. Unfortunately, all people felt for Britney after the interview was pity.
It seems every time Britney has tried to explain herself, she has only made things worse, so can you blame us for having our reservations about the upcoming MTV special?
Trust us, we're not exactly Ms. Spears' biggest fans, and we were certainly prepared to poke fun at what we thought would be another catastrophe courtesy of the former Mouseketeer. But when MTV and Britney's longtime manager Larry Rudolph screened 30 minutes of footage from the documentary for the press Thursday night in Santa Monica, our eyes were glued to the screen in fascination as the jaded star openly admitted that her rise from country girl to international celebrity came with a painful price that she could've never imagined.
As if to start with a clean slate and mark the beginning of her latest comeback, the first day of filming for the documentary coincided with the night Britney took home her VMA awards from the September 7th show. Before arriving at the VMAs, her father Jamie Spears (who took over management of her affairs following the infamous head-shaving fiasco of '07, and has since helped his daughter get her life back on track) cooked her Velveeta cheese grits, every Southern girl's favorite breakfast. We also get to tag along as Brit and her entourage (Rudolph, another manager, her father, her personal assistant, bodyguards, and various folks ranging from make-up artists to hair stylists) into the recording studio… to her favorite boutique… to dinner with friends… to a Broadway show in Manhattan… to her mansion in Malibu… and everywhere in between.
Highlights of the first 30 minutes we screened include Britney opening up about her much-publicized and painful break-up with her former boyfriend Justin Timberlake and how she reacted to the heartbreak, her wish to be Sarah Jessica Parker for a day (or at least getting to dress like the "SATC" star), her description of the "Groundhog Day" nature of her grueling career, her realization that she's grown up, sad, and lonely, and her failed marriage to Kevin Federline. (All that in just the first 30 minutes!). What will the next hour of the film hold? We'll find out soon enough, but we're really hoping Brit finally comes clean about her high-profile troubles, including stints in rehab and psychiatric hospital units, an ugly divorce, losing custody of her two sons, her bizarre and unhealthy relationship with Adnan Ghalib, and struggles with her mother Lynne.
Filled with candid interviews, laughter, and tears, this intimate (and oftentimes hilarious) backstage pass should indeed provide unrestricted access to the world's most-gossiped-about girl and clearly solidify her status as the pop culture icon of her generation. We were captivated with a mere sneak peek, so we'll definitely be tuning in to see the rest of the documentary, which we're betting will end up as one of the year's top television moments.
Talk About It: Do you think Britney's ready for a comeback? Will you be watching the doc?
Britney's Best & Worst: Check out this list of Brit's 27 Most Memorable Moments
"Britney: For the Record" premieres on Sunday, 11/30 at 10pm on MTV.
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