Back in January we learned that Britney Spears’s newest album, Circus, was certified platinum after selling one million copies. This week, during Britney’s tour stop in Toronto, Canada, Brit Brit was awarded with a huge plaque in honor of her album reaching platinum status. Here are a couple pics of Britney with her manager Larry Rudolph and some industry folks posing with her latest award:

Jive Records presented Britney with a plaque yesterday to certify 1 million units sold! Circus was certified Platinum by the RIAA! Congratulations Brit! Britney and manager, Larry Rudolph, met with Barry Weiss, Tom Carrabba, Peter Thea and Teresa LaBabera-Whites, to celebrate the great news.

Aww … Britney looks so happy but also so tired. She is working really hard on this tour but she is hanging in there like a champ. My initial fear was that Britney would start out the tour strong and then begin to wane — after all, it had been many years since she had performed on the concert stage. But I understand that she’s been chuggin’ along putting on great performance after great performance, night after night. It’s a nice sight to see our dear Britney hoisting up awards like this … it’s been a long time since we’ve seen pictures like this. It used to be de rigeur for her to receive these platinum awards soon after she released albums back in the day. It’s amazing to see her back on top … where she belongs. The Circus starring Britney Spears continues to wind its way around the country. It arrives here in SoCal in a few weeks … and I’m still waiting ;)

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Rolling Stone magazine is reporting that Britney Spears’s latest album Circus has just been certified Platinum, which means that at least one million copies of the album have been sold in just the US alone:

Platinum was the theme of the week as Britney Spears’ Circus, Nickelback’s Dark Horse, Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreak and the Twilight soundtrack all crossed the million-selling plateau on their way to charting at three through six, respectively.

Woot! Congrats goes out to our dear Britney on her latest Platinum Album accomplishment. Circus is a great disc, I’m very happy it has finally reached this plateau. Could 2009 turn out to be an even bigger year for Britney? I say, YES! I can’t wait to see what’s to come. Love and congrats again, Brit Brit!

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Here is my list of my top picks in music for 2008 … sadly, this wasn’t a great year for music. As I sat down to go over my fave releases of the year, I found that there wasn’t much to choose from. But, even tho the pickin’s are slim that doesn’t take away from the quality of the music that was released this year. Here, in reverse order are my fave albums of the year:

In the #10 position, Beyoncé’s I Am …:

Altho I didn’t love every single track on this album, much of it is really fun and very memorable. Honestly, for Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It) alone the album is a hit. I may not be totally on board with the whole Sasha Fierce thing but as long as Beyoncé keeps bringin’ the jams like the ones on this album, I think I can get used to it.

At #9, Jason Mraz’s We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things.:

I’ve been a minor Jason Mraz fan for a while now but this album really won me over to Team Mraz. I must admit, I didn’t really pay that much attention to him before he started blogging on My Space but once he got my attention, I was hooked. I’ve yet to listen in full to Jason’s other albums but if this one is any indication, I think I’m gonna like what I hear. Additionally, Mraz just published his own book of Polaroid photos … which wins my heart in other ways as well.

At #8 is Juliana Hatfield’s How To Walk Away:

Juliana always comes at us with great music and this album is proof positive that she’s still got it. For me, this album was an even better treat because I ordered it from her official website and it came packed with a bonus disc of demos that were recorded with the album. I really wish more people knew about Juliana … I think she appeals to so many people. I’m just glad that she continues to make music because discs like this one are always welcome on my iPod.

In the #7 position is the Ryan Adams and the Cardinals album Cardinology:

Ryan Adams releases music almost on a daily basis and, amazingly, it’s all good. While I wasn’t too crazy about Easy Tiger, I really loved Cardinology. My only regret is that the album is too short. I wish there were about 3 more songs on the disc but, knowing Ryan, I’m sure it won’t be long before we get a whole new disc of stuff to enjoy.

At #6 is the new Leona Naess album Thirteens:

I was SHOCKED when I learned that Leona Naess had released a new album months before I heard about it … but was very happily surprised. Thirteens is a great album of somber and poignant tunes … and comes with 13 bonus tracks that are still downloadable HERE. One can never have too much Leona Naess … the hits just keep on comin’.

After the jump, check out my Top 5 Fave Albums of 2008 including my fave of the bunch AND my list of Top 10 Singles of the Year …

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It’s official! Britney Spears’s new album Circus has debuted in the top position on the Billboard magazine Top 200 Album Chart this week!

Britney Spears’ latest CD, “Circus,” has landed her back at a familiar position — No. 1. The singer’s comeback CD — actually, make that her second comeback CD — will top the album charts next week, according to her label, Jive … estimates have the record selling as many as 500,000 copies in its first week of release. “This is going to reinforce her icon status,” said Barry Weiss, chairman and CEO of the BMG Label Group, which includes Spears’ label. “It’s not just a No. 1 album.” Indeed, it’s not. For Spears, who has rebounded after a disastrous year that included rehab, a custody battle for her two sons and court-ordered supervision by her father, it is another step in her bid to reclaim her status among pop’s elite. “At the end of the day, I think she is America’s pop princess, and the world’s pop princess, and this just reconfirms it to everyone who doubted it,” said her manager, Larry Rudolph. While her last CD, “Blackout,” also debuted at No.1 when it was released in October 2007, it quickly fizzled on the U.S. charts, despite receiving critical acclaim, because Spears didn’t really promote it amid the chaos in her life. Things appear to be different this time around. Spears has been showing off her dancing moves and taut body during high-profile appearances on shows like ABC’s “Good Morning America” and was also the focus of a documentary, “Britney: For the Record.” The special, executive produced by Rudolph, aired on MTV in the days before the release of “Circus.” “The documentary had a huge role,” said Rudolph. “People were able to see Britney, to see her tell her story. I think they got the true sense of who she is, and they appreciated it.” “Circus,” which debuted to mainly positive reviews, was released on the singer’s 27th birthday, Dec. 2. The CD’s first single, “Womanizer,” was a No. 1 hit, and her latest single, “Circus,” was the most added song at pop radio, her label said. Spears plans a nationwide tour that is set to kick off March 3 in New Orleans. Weiss said Jive decided to release “Circus” just a year after “Blackout” because of the strength of the music, and said recording the CD was a great constructive outlet for the singer. Rudolph said when it comes to crunching the numbers, Spears is not all that interested in how many copies she sold the first week or her chart positions. But, he added: “Professionally, she’s feeling great. … It’s great for her to hear that she’s got a No. 1 album again.” One of entertainment’s biggest names, Spears has been a multiplatinum sensation since she made her debut over a decade ago. She’s sold more than 30 million albums in the United States alone.

Woot! More great news for the Britney Comeback campaign. Unforth, this report is wrong in saying that Blackout debuted at #1 on the Soundscan chart last year … it actually debuted at #2 and The Eagles nabbed the #1 position. But that was last year, this is a whole new year … a whole new beginning for our dear Britney Spears. Much love and congrats on her latest #1 album … something tells me, it won’t be her last :)

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Britney Spears, who released her new album and celebrated her 27th birthday one week ago today and who released her newest music video this past Thursday (after the vid leaked to the Interweb the day before), has unveiled the cover artwork for her new single Circus … check it out:

This photo is hawt, y’all. I love this artwork much better than the artwork for Womanizer. I am dying to hear remixes of Circus … the song is so infectious as it is, I bet the remixes are gonna rule.

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Here is the official, definitive version of Britney Spears’s new music video for her new single Circus:

This version isn’t that much different from the first version that we got to see yesterday but it is nice to see a much cleaner version in higher quality.

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Here y’all go, freshly leaked onto the Internets:

Posted from my BlackBerry :) Gettin’ on a plane now!

UPDATE: BritneySpears.com is reporting that this grainy version of the Circus video is NOT the final version and that a director’s cut of the vid is still set to premiere on Friday Thursday night. This music video is hot … can it even get any better? I guess we’ll find out.

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