Yesterday afternoon, MTV hosted a screening preview of their new documentary Britney Spears: For The Record here in SoCal and, I am sad to report, it doesn’t sound like things went off as planned. Firstly, MTV worked with a PR company called 1iota to fill the audience with fans and, apparently, over-booked the venue which could only hold 200 guests … sending out 300 tickets and then cherry-picking the prettiest people to seat inside for the screening — leaving a lot of invited fans outside and pissed. Secondly, Britney Spears showed up to surprise the fans by attending the screening with them (appearing for a taped segment that would be aired with the documentary on November 30) but, according to reports from fans who were at the screening, Britney looked entirely uncomfortable the whole time … and then left before answering any questions from the fans. All in all, it doesn’t sound like the screening event was that much of a success in person … it’ll mos def look pretty flawless once (and if) it airs on TV later on. Here is a pic of Britney making her way into the MTV studio for the taping yesterday and a couple of pics of Britney after she left the event early to grab a caffeinated drink at Starbucks:
Regarding the way that some fans were shafted at yesterday’s screening, I’m not really that surprised. These things happen all the time. PR companies tend to over-invite people in order to make sure they have enough people to fill seats AND they do like putting the prettiest people in prime positions, especially if they are filling an audience that will be recorded for TV. Now, about the way Britney acted at the screening … well, this has got me worried. By reading all of the fan reports (posted HERE), it does feel like she didn’t want to be there in the first place and was in no mood to interact with anybody — not a good sign. It is really beginning to sound like she is moving too fast with all of this work on her comeback, which can’t be good for her. If she’s not ready and still presses forward, she risks having another breakdown. At this point, I think it’s far too late for her to call things off completely but I am starting to get worried, especially in light of this new behavior. Regarding the actual documentary itself, despite the fan/Britney drama, it was screened yesterday and People magazine has a review of the 90-minute Britney Spears: For The Record film HERE.
Even still, Britney‘s manager Larry Rudolph insists that she is ready to make her comeback and spoke to People magazine about her readiness. After the jump, check out a new promo video for Britney‘s album Circus and read some of Rudolph‘s comments about Britney and her comeback …
Although Britney Spears admits in a new film that she “totally lost my way, lost focus, lost myself,” that won’t stand in the way of her comeback, says her manager. “She’s definitely ready,” Larry Rudolph tells PEOPLE, following a sneak peek of Spears’s riveting MTV documentary, Britney: For the Record, airing Nov. 30, in Santa Monica, Calif. “She loves to work,” he says. “She’s a very strong person. Everybody goes through setbacks in their lives. [But] every day, I see her getting happier and stronger.” One of her biggest victories this year? Regaining visitation with Preston, 3, and Jayden, 2, her sons with ex-husband Kevin Federline. So while her musical comeback is important, Spears has made it clear that motherhood comes first, says Rudolph. “Her kids and balancing her life with her kids is an incredible priority – the No. 1 priority in terms of how I operate with her,” he says. Spears’s boys can be seen in the film, which follows the pop star over three months as she records her upcoming album Circus, wins big at September’s MTV Video Music Awards, and speaks frankly about her problems – including her failed relationships with Federline and Justin Timberlake. The idea for the candid documentary sprung up during a conversation Spears and Rudolph had over dinner several months ago. “It evolved and became a question of, What will she do? What will she say? How will she say it?” he says. “How will people view her after what she’s been through and after all that they’ve seen in the tabloids over the past year or two?” Adds Rudolph: “This became sort of a great way for her to say what she needs to say on her terms.”
While I am very excited to have Britney back on the scene with a new album and a proposed new tour, I am concerned that it may be a little much for her right now. Up until this point, I assumed that she was really ready … but this new behavior has got me worried, y’all. I guess we’ll see how things play out over the coming weeks (and she’s got a lot of work to do — performing on Star Academy in France, X-Factor in the UK, Good Morning America here in the US to name just a few commitments) … I just hope she can really handle it all.
[Photo credit: JFXonline, X17; Source]
it’s really sad to hear that about her depressive state :( it must be hard, wanting to share your music with your fans but not be ready for that kind of publicity and overwhelming attention. i hope she’s going to be okay.
I’m not a very big britney fan but even I knew things were moving too fast, maybe that’s why I could tell since I was able to be objective. Everyone said how happy they were that larry rudolph was back to help her but I really feel he’s the one pushing her to release more albums, even when she’s not ready
i am getting the impression she’s not ready as well. she looks great but maybe she needs some time off from the spotlight. can’t she just work out and hang with the babies for a bit?
that first pic looks off… are we sure that is britt? she just doesn’t look right in the pic, is she using a look a like these days?
She is coming out of a pretty serious state of depression, really, and if you’ve ever suffered from this you know it is difficult to put yourself out there again. You can say you’re fine till you’re blue in the face, but the reality of the situation will always show itself. I hope she can hang in there.
i said from the very start (and again once the world tour was annoced) she was moving to fast. its too much stress/pressure. once she got on her feet, she needed atleast 6 months – year to just get everything back to normal.
She just had an off day..
She is ready,
she wants it
and she will do great
I was there yesterday and i agree with a lot of what the fans said she was really nervous and so not ready for promo for the album. Everything was very unorganized and that could have played a part in everything that happened. I’m not a huge Britney fan but I enjoy her music and it was a pleasure to be so close to her. She looked amazing better then i’ve seen her in years, but that was it chick is still out of it. I found myself just watching Damion the whole time because Britney was boring me to death. I hope for her and her fans sake a comeback is a comin’ but sadly it might not happen until the next album. Brit you aren’t ready take care of yourself and be with your kids.
Gotta love MTV and their obsession with the pretties… I can’t say I blame Britney for being uncomfortable, though. All these people are there to see what made her fall and her personal struggles and she doesn’t know them at all. I would probably feel a little wierd, as well.
She carted off to psych wards twice, eight months ago. Is it really that big of a shock that it’s too soon for her to be coming back?
For all the success she’s having lately, I still think this Larry guy is bad news. He’s a great manager, but doesn’t he seem like a creep? I remember watching the VMA’s this year and when they sat with each other he seemed like her parole officer or something. This woman’s getting back to her right state of health and he wants to overwork her with all this new publicity. I saw this coming a mile away. She’s still being controlled, I think they need to relax on her a lot. This has got to be a lot of stress on a woman who had wayyy too much freedom and got used to it. Now it seems like she’s being forced to do all this work. I think the focus on her kids is wonderful, that’s what counts. But all this work for a new album is becoming too stressful.
That really doesn’t look like her in the first pic. More like a morph of Nadine Coyle (sp?) and Rachel Bilson or something.
although i am/was excited for her comeback, i always felt she was moving too fast after everything she went through. this stuff takes time and doing promotions takes a lot out of a person. i hope this is what she wants and is not something else being forced on her.
I’m sorry but I feel she has serious issues that have yet been dealt with. Yes, she looks much better but I think she really needs to be in some kind of therapy. If she keeps getting pushed, she is going to end up where she was earlier.
What concerns me is that in one of the earlier blog posts there was a video where Britney claims dance is her therapy. I think she needs traditional therapy as well to deal with her past and move on with her future…..she needs some coping skills in place to deal with her lifestyle and learn how to parent her small children….to be able to take control of her life. She looks great now but she is not in charge of her affairs-I really wish those in control of her would make her learn how to live first and then make a comeback later. I’m worried about her. I don’t believe a person can undo several years of wild living in just a few months with no therapy.
Maybe she just had a Bad Day, Britneyspears.com reported that her fans were left out, so maybe she was upset because she knew that most of the people in the room weren’t real fans and were there just to be shown on t.v. , but really i don’t know, I Think she’s ready to perform, to sing, but that’s it, she doesn’t want to do interviews or interact with anyone, because she’s afraid what they may ask, she just doesn’t wanna talk about it, when something hurts you, you want to totally forget about it, and not talk about it everytime someone asks….
One thing everyone seems to be forgetting is that in the past, in these situations, she was either drinking or self-medicating in some way. She is learning, all-over-again really, to handle these situations sober or at least not over-medicated. Not to go all Dr. Drew on ya, but that is a scary thing. I completely agree with Trent and some of you other posters that she needs to take “baby steps” so that she doesn’t end up back where things began to go bad. I’m pulling for her, but I wish she’d slow it down a bit, for her own good.
I imagine the film might, at points, be hard for Britney to watch. Depression doesnt just go away. i am glad she is back, but I hopes she takes the time she needs to be healthy…
Though I have not seen the doc yet, what has been shown in the clips or the People review is very strange. Everything she is saying is promting me to ask why…Why are you not a cool chick anymore, why are you complaing about your life so much, why did you have a breakdown. That is what we want to know and its NOT being said. Like are you bipolar and now you are on medication for it so now you do not act like yourself, that would make sense to me.If she really has mental issues shouldn’t she be an advocate for it and spread the word that life can go on. I don’t like how she is complaing so much now when her father is helping her. This is classic Britney Spears she has ALWAYS complained about not being able to be free and do her own thing. Her answers are just as bizzare and scatter-brained as always. Shame on Larry for thinking she is ready for all this publicity. Oh and don’t think for a minute she isn’t fully medicated look how blazay she acts and she is probably reading cue cards. Sorry just pointing out the obvious.
I have to say, back when I read that Britney had let Larry back in her life again, I was happy, since he seemed to be such a good influence of her, both personal and professional.
However, after reading his comments recently, and reading about her behaviour at the screening, I have to wonder if he’s got her best interest at heart?
I don’t think she’s ready for this kind of commitment. I mean yes, I agree that for the past couple of years, she’s been doing press junkets under the influence, so now she’s re-learning to do things without the “cushion” of drugs, but I don’t think she’s ready.