Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake love each other very much and have not broken up.
At least that's still the "official" stance a spokesperson for the couple takes when asked of the status of their relationship. And if you believe that, some might think you were born yesterday.
The official media statement is in direct opposition to a month's worth of unconfirmed reports and anonymous eyewitness accounts that say the king and queen of the teen-pop prom have ended their reign. While public opinion favors the notion that the romance is kaput — gossip columnists citing Britney shakin' it with model Marcus Schenkenberg, and Justin hobnobbing in strip clubs and leading throngs of models into his limo have no doubt helped foster the belief — the "company line" has remained the same for over a month.
So are they staying together through some stormy weather or have their ships already sailed separate ways?
Even the supposed sweethearts have avoided answering the question directly. Last week on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show," Timberlake said, "[Britney] will always be special to me no matter what happens ... and I would never, ever do anything to disrespect her or degrade her." And a slyly grinning Britney told a British TV show in late March that she's "single, right now," which, given the context of the moment (see), seemed to indicate that she was simply without a boyfriend that very moment as she stood on the stage. Well, no kidding.
Talk of the relationship's termination began in mid-March, when tabloids reported that the romance had ended. Spears almost immediately denied the break-up in an interview with MTV Italy (see), and days later a media statement was released jointly by Spears and Timberlake that reinforced her position on the subject. "To set it straight ... they love each other very much and have not broken up," the statement began (see).
If even the couple has been able to take the omnipresent inquisitions in stride, albeit with tongue firmly planted in cheek, why hasn't there been an official update? Why do their handlers continue to deny what most folks believe is the truth? And more importantly, why do we still care?
Some of you don't. According to an MTVNews.com poll, half of the respondents answered that they are completely fed up with the daily "are they or aren't they" speculation (though they still felt it was worthwhile to voice their opinion on the subject). For the caring half, of which the majority believes the flame has long been out, some insight into the spiral of denial might help them understand the reasoning behind why the couple's publicists haven't made it a priority to set the record straight.
The Britney-Justin conundrum is just the latest incident where official denials have later been rebuked by the truth — or popular opinion, as the case may be. Madonna (news - web sites) denied accusations of her pending nuptials to Guy Ritchie a month before the two said, "I do," in December 2000 (see). Puffy let rumors fly for a month before announcing last Valentine's Day (news - web sites) that he and Jennifer Lopez had hit the skids (see). And Brandy had been secretly married for months before she led on publicly that she tied the knot last summer (see).
What these incidents have in common is that they concern the artists' personal lives, not their professional careers. While some tabloid newshounds argue that the price of success is fame and being in the public eye means forfeiture of one's right to a personal life, others reasonably point out that maybe it's just not anybody's business. Regardless, the fact is that sometimes personal relationships aren't as clear-cut as plans to release an album or embark on a tour.
"Relationships between people are a complicated situation," said one music-industry publicist with 25 years of experience. "It's unreasonable to think that we can distill it down to a one-phrase comment. It could be that people are expecting answers where there really aren't any."
That's fair, but why not just come clean?
Releasing such an end-of-the-line statement as "it's over" would also make getting back together — not completely beyond the realm of possibility — much more complicated. If the couple does reconcile, wouldn't another statement be required to keep current? The press would then want to know why and how they reunited, prompting yet another statement. The cycle could theoretically continue until, after the most minor of spats, a statement would be issued simply as a preemptive strike to quell any break-up rumors before they ever get off the ground. Sometimes it's just easier to avoid broaching the matter altogether.
"Who knows?" pondered another publicist, with a three-decade background, "maybe the final decision hasn't actually been made on whether a couple is breaking up. Maybe they're still trying to work it out. Maybe one of them doesn't want to be broken up so they're denying it. There are all kinds of personal reasons why you would deny something."
Of the multitude of motives for doing so, a principal reason to shake off allegations is to avoid the instigation of an "all-points bulletin" in the media, as was the case when Madonna didn't admit wedding bells were ringing just around the corner.
"When you're as public as those people are, you want to keep your wedding as private as possible," the same source said. "If you give a date out, or you acknowledge the fact that you're getting married or you're breaking up, you're really just inviting press attention."
Good points all, but why deny the accusation instead of issuing the ever-popular response you see in the movies: "no comment"?
"Anybody who thinks 'no comment' is no comment is out of their minds," the first flack explained plainly. "It clearly is a comment — it's an evasive comment."
"No comment" is virtually admitting the presented accusation is true, since it's not an outright denial. Perhaps inadvertently, the publicist is also hinting that there's more to the story than there appears to be. Like a drop of blood in shark-infested waters, it can start a feeding frenzy, indicating to most journalists that they're onto something. If the goal is to let the story die quietly, that's not the message you want to be sending.
So if it's best to issue a denial, what happens when there isn't a shred of truth to the finger-pointing? How does a publicist, who has issued "denials" in the past, deflate an unsubstantiated rumor without seeming like the boy who cried wolf?
"Deny it like you mean it, in a way that's appropriate for the situation," the first publicist said. " 'That's the most ridiculous thing I ever heard!' 'Absolutely no basis in fact.' 'It's utterly ridiculous.' Most journalists get the message."
Posted by Jen on Thursday, April 18, 2002 @ 06:15 p.m.
Footwear Company Supports New Britney Spears Roller Skate Line With Comprehensive Worldwide Print Campaign in Major Magazines
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 18, 2002-- SKECHERS USA, Inc. (NYSE:SKX - news), a global leader in the lifestyle footwear industry, today announced that the Company is launching a high-energy, colorful advertising campaign for Britney 4 Wheelers(TM), the artist's signature roller skate line from SKECHERS.
The campaign will be comprised of a series of ads depicting the mega-star in her signature roller skates in five different outfits. The Britney 4 Wheelers ads, photographed by renowned fashion photographer Stephane Sednaoui, will appear in leading trade magazines and national teen, lifestyle and fashion magazines worldwide beginning this month. The publications include Teen People, Seventeen, YM, Entertainment Weekly and US Weekly, among others.
``The SKECHERS/Britney Spears relationship began with a successful international Sport shoe campaign in 2001. From our first Britney Sport ads, customers have asked retailers for `the Britney shoe.' We believe this is an indicator of Britney's endorsement power, as her influence helps build our brand's growth worldwide,'' said Michael Greenberg, president of SKECHERS USA. ``By exposing consumers to our worldwide Britney 4 Wheelers campaign, we believe that she has the charisma, popularity and global appeal to place Britney 4 Wheelers at the forefront of consumers' minds -- and on their feet.''
The Britney 4 Wheelers line has received an overwhelming response from key domestic department and specialty stores, which have placed orders for summer 2002 delivery. Britney 4 Wheelers will also be available at the Company's domestic and international concept stores, through a dedicated Britney 4 Wheelers Web site operated by the Company, and in select international markets. Additional licensing opportunities to complement the Britney 4 Wheelers line are also being considered for development.
SKECHERS USA, Inc., based in Manhattan Beach, California, designs, develops and markets branded footwear for men, women and children. The Company offers a balanced assortment of basic and fashionable merchandise, which is sold to department stores and specialty retailers, as well as directly to consumers through company-owned SKECHERS retail stores and e-commerce. A global concept, the Company sells its product in more than 100 countries and territories throughout the world. For further information on SKECHERS, please visit the Company's Web site at www.skechers.com or call the Company's information line at 877-INFO-SKX.
This announcement may contain forward-looking statements, which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as ``may,'' ``will,'' ``believe,'' ``belief,'' or other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in forward-looking statements, and reported results shall not be considered an indication of the Company's future performance. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include, among others, a decrease in sales during the back-to-school or holiday selling season, change in consumer demands and fashion trends, potential disruptions in manufacturing related to overseas sourcing, cancellation of order commitments and decreased demand by industry retailers, and the inability to sustain prior growth and other factors affecting retail market conditions, including those factors addressed in the Company's 10-K for the year ended 12/31/01.
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Pop princess Britney Spears pulled out all the stops for fans in Sydney on Thursday with a free show and red carpet walk, just weeks after she came under a hail of criticism for snubbing fans in London.
Wearing a black lace top, hipster jeans and a black leather cap, a gum-chewing Spears smiled as she was escorted by a posse of muscular bouncers to the Australian premiere of her rites of passage road movie "Crossroads."
Hundreds of teenage fans screamed hysterically as the blonde singer posed for photos and leaned on a minder's shoulder to sign autographs, before heading into the cinema where actor Laurence Fishburne was among scores of waiting guests.
After her making her movie debut in the critically acclaimed "Crossroads," Spears said she has definite ideas about who she would like as her next leading man.
"Brad Pitt wouldn't be bad, that would be very nice," Spears, 20, told reporters outside the Fox Studios cinema.
At the London premiere of Crossroads in March, Spears was hissed and booed after arriving late then disappearing into the cinema without meeting thousands of waiting fans.
In an effort to counter the criticism, Spears earlier performed three of her hit songs including "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" from the Crossroads soundtrack, for over 1,000 people packed into a small indoor Sydney venue.
Thousands more resorted to watching Spears on huge screens in a nearby car park, after a bigger show was scrapped after heavy rain damaged equipment.
But just a glimpse of the songstress was enough to please ardent Britney fans.
"She rocks, she's so cool," said fan Kristal Prior, 13.
Posted by Jen on Thursday, April 18, 2002 @ 03:27 p.m.
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - A downpour in Sydney forced the cancellation Thursday of Britney Spears' first live performance in Australia.
Spears was to have played at a 10,000-capacity open-air arena at Sydney's Fox Studios, but torrential rain on Wednesday and the prospect of more on Thursday forced organizers to look for an alternative venue.
The show was rescheduled for later in the day at a smaller site at the studios, the show's organizer and sponsor Pepsi said in a statement on its Web site.
Giant screens were put up in a parking lot to allow fans to see Spears who couldn't get free passes to the indoor show.
"Britney has requested that provisions be made for her to make a special appearance outside as well so that she is able to say hi to her fans in the car park," the Pepsi statement said.
The 20-year-old pop star was scheduled to appear later Thursday on the red carpet at the Australian premiere of her coming-of-age movie "Crossroads," which opened in the United States in February,
Spears is in Australia for the second time. She arrived in Sydney the morning after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and canceled most of her media engagements, then had to stay longer than planned because of restrictions placed on international flights.
Posted by Jen on Thursday, April 18, 2002 @ 03:25 p.m.
R&B's newest superstar came up number one all across the charts. Her self-titled debut, which opened at number one last week, held the coveted top slot for a second week--something not achieved by a new artist since Alicia Keys' debut last summer. More impressively, though, Ashanti made music history as the first female to capture the top two spots on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, with her hit "Foolish" on top and "What's Luv?"-- her collaboration with Fat Joe--following right behind.
But her feat sheet doesn't stop there. Earlier this year, Ashanti's duet with Ja Rule, "Always On Time," also hit number one, which makes Ashanti the first new artist to score back-to-back number one singles since Christina Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle" and "What a Girl Wants" in 1999-2000.
As for album sales, Ashanti's self-titled bow moved an additional 246,000 copies for the week ended Sunday, according to SoundScan data.
With Ashanti holding down the top spot, Celine Dion again had to settle for second place with A New Day Has Come. Dion's latest, which surpassed the million-copy mark last week, sold a disappointing 226,000 copies. That's about a 40,000-copy drop from the previous week--meaning she didn't get the expected sales bump from her prime-time CBS special.
Modern soft-rock icons Goo Goo Dolls (news - web sites) nabbed the week's highest debut with their latest, Gutterflower, blooming at number four. The Buffalo, New York, trio sold 101,000 copies of their new album, their first since 1998's Dizzy Up the Girl.
Neil Young's latest, Are You Passionate?, also had a strong debut, entering the charts at number 10.
The rest of the Top 10 were all familiar faces: Now That's What I Call Music! 9 at number three, Tweet's Southern Hummingbird at five, the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack at six, The Scorpion King soundtrack at seven, Shakira's Laundry Service back in the Top 10 at eight and Pink's M!ssundazstood at nine.
The most impressive climb of the week belonged to 21-year-old pop-opera star Josh Groban. After a serious press round that included ABC's 20/20 and The Rosie O'Donnell Show, Groban's self-titled debut leapt 109 spots to number 12 with a near sixfold sales increase. He edged out veteran country-rocker Bonnie Raitt, whose Silver Lining charted at 13, selling 54,000.
Other noteworthy debuts included Tommy Shane Steiner's Then Came the Night at 71, Passion Worship Band's Passion: Our Love Is Loud at 77, Patty Griffin's 1000 Kisses at 101, Twiztid's Mirror Mirror at 103 and the Icelandic rappers Quarashi's Jinx at 104.
The chart debuts closed with a battle between country music's two extremes. Outlaw country-rocker Steve Earle bested rodeo-champion and country slickster Chris LeDoux: Earle's Sidetracks debuted at 109, while LeDoux's After the Storm fell close behind at 121.
Here's a recap of the Top 10 albums for the week ended April 14:
1. Ashanti, Ashanti
2. A New Day Has Come, Celine Dion
3. Now That's What I Call Music! 9, various
4. Gutterflower, Goo Goo Dolls
5. Southern Hummingbird, Tweet
6. O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, various
7. The Scorpion King soundtrack, various
8. Laundry Service, Shakira
9. M!ssundazstood, Pink
10. Are You Passionate?, Neil Young
Posted by Jen on Thursday, April 18, 2002 @ 03:22 p.m.
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