by Mj Ferruzza

Created on: January 02, 2008

Britney Spears is a juggernaut in the entertainment industry.
But why?
Well! She was trained and groomed by The Walt Disney
Company (almost a throw back to the days of Annette Funicello
and the original Mickey Mouse Club... don't know who she is?
Ask your grandparents or anyone who had a black and white TV!)
Now the reality...
She can hardly act, marginally sing (even with the help of

studio tweaks, reverbs and echo) and her dancing can almost be
replicated by any cheer leading or dance company across America.
Britney Spears appeared on the show business horizon at just
the right time. She was the balance to an industry mired in
Boy Bands. In fact she started her recording and stage career
as the opening act for N'Sync, a band which featured another
Disney find (and her future tabloid linked boyfriend) Justin
Timberlake. Young girls needed a role model. Older boys needed
someone to replace Madonna as their video vixen. Brit appeared
clean and wholesome with a bit of naughtiness on the fringe.
She sold albums. Boy! Did she sell albums. But why?
Because the music/video world was becoming stagnant with rap
artists and Mariah Carey/Whitney Houston-type warbling video
songstresses. Britney was young, wide eyed and somewhat a hard
body. She looked as if she could dance, sing and sell concert
tickets. She was Skipper to Madonna's legacy as video Barbie.
But Madonna was not just a talent. She was also a ruthless and
shrewd business woman in a man's industry known as the recording
industry. Most women were successful if a man called the shots
and crafted their career. Madonna broke rules. When it appeared
her career was on the slide, she stopped and re-marketed. It
worked time and time again. Madonna fought for longevity (even
if her material was pigeonholed as club music) and she achieved
it in an industry with short memories.
Britney is NOT Madonna. Never was, never will be. She is not that
intelligent or ruthless. She may be head strong, but she is not
capable of stopping the hemorrhaging of a career gone bust and the
costs that follow.
Madonna can't act, but that did not stop her from wanting to act.
She has made a plethora of films creating the same number of non-
memorable performances. Why? Because her first film was a mega-hit
entitled Suddenly Seeking Susan, which was a cultural and cult hit.
Everybody wanted to be Madonna in look and dress. Britney's first
big film was Crossroads. It was a failure. She was at least smart
enough to know that no one wanted to see her attempt acting on the
big screen

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