Recaps, commentary, highlights of your pop culture favourites and mine! Email me: timmybopper@yahoo.com

 
As terribly troubled and messed-up Dateline NBC made Britney Spears out to be last Sunday, ABC's Primetime Thursday painted an entirely different picture. (Watch the interview HERE)There she was, the seemingly perfect Britney Spears - biting her nails, cracking her knuckles, looking nervous, looking embarrassed and (gasp... could it be?) crying. Like real crying. Not fake "Lucky" video crying.

And so the hour went... viewers able to see Britney is a totally different light. No more memorized answers or rehearsed reactions to questions, but rather a Britney that approached each question with intent and each answer with thought. Diane Sawyer asked all the questions that we wanted to know, but did so in a manner that was neither off-putting nor condescending. "Do you like your voice?" she asked. "It's okay I guess," came the reply, "although I love Christina's voice." Bonus points to Brit for the kind reference to her supposed "rival" Xxx-Tina, who in desparation has taken to publicly making fun of Britney. (But that's another story altogether...)

Britney talked about her image and responded to critics who say she has shed her wholesome image. "They never said I was wholesome. They said I was too provocative then too!" She talked about Justin and how betrayed she felt when she first saw "Cry Me a River" and then shifted uncomfortably when Diane Sawyer asked if her new song, "Everytime," was her response. She talked about her parents' divorce. She talked about losing her virginity. "I really thought it was something sacred... I didn't expect him to be telling the whole world about it on the radio!" She sang a little A Capella (in perfect pitch by the way). She even talked about... are you ready for this?... female masturbation.

But the defining moment came when Diane Sawyer asked about the "tough year" this has been for Britney Spears - Break up, divorce, family illness, fans' backlash, critics... Britney was at first shy, squealing and covering her face in embarrassment. But then her hand came down and you saw that tears had welled up in her eyes. She was now at a loss for words, sobbing, and asked politely for the cameras to be turned off.

Britney Spears can say a lot of things. She can sing about a lot of things. She can dress-up or play-down and she can even transform herself into a variety of characters. But for that minute or so, Britney didn't say anything. She wasn't acting. She wasn't made-up. She was just a twenty-one year old girl who felt sad.

She's twenty-one. That's my age. Imagine all the things I complain and stress about and how I feel overwhelmed? I can't even fathom how Britney does it. She's far from perfect (she used the word "sacred" to describe masturbation... wtf?) and she's still got a lot to learn, but last night, Britney showed that she's fine with that. She desires not to be a famous "icon" or to be the world's sexiest superstar. Britney just wants some room to breathe... and some space to be herself. She's not that innocent... but she's still a little girl at heart.
posted by Tim at 1:55 PM