Britney Spears inks 2-year deal as Planet Hollywood Las Vegas resident artist

NEW YORK | Britney Spears, the pop star and former “X-Factor” judge, is heading to Las Vegas with a two-year residency deal to perform at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino.

The former child star, whose hits include “Baby One More Time” and “Toxic,” will perform 50 shows a year starting on December 27. Tickets for the shows go on sale on Tuesday.

“I love it here. The energy here is really, really good,” Spears said in an interview from Las Vegas on Tuesday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

“I am definitely going to do the greatest hits but I am going to have to put my new material in it to keep it fresh,” she said.

The announcement ended speculation that Spears, 31, would follow in the footsteps of other top-selling artists such as Canada’s Celine Dion and Britain’s Elton John, who had long-term contracts in the gambling mecca.

Terms of Spears’ two-year deal have not been released. Dion’s three-year deal was said to be worth $100 million.

Caesars Entertainment Corp, which owns Planet Hollywood and resorts and casinos, said in February that it was in talks with Spears about a headlining residency at its resort.

Spears hit the big time in the 1990s, and was one of the biggest pop stars of the 2000s. But her early fame was followed by troubled years during which she lost custody of her two young sons and spent time in rehab.

She was a judge on the popular singing competition show, “The X Factor,” in 2012 but left after one season.

source: interaksyon.com

Britney Spears calls off engagement

LOS ANGELES - US pop veteran Britney Spears has called off her engagement to talent agent Jason Trawick after a one-year committed relationship, Hollywood media reported Saturday.

"Jason and I have decided to call off our engagement," Spears said in a statement published by today.com. "I'll always adore him and we will remain great friends."

Trawick is quoted as saying that despite the split, the two "will be close forever."



Spears, 31, and Trawick became engaged on Trawick's 40th birthday in December 2011. They began dating in 2009.

Spears has two sons, Preston, 7, and Jayden, 6, with her former husband Kevin Federline, from whom she divorced in 2006.

source: interaksyon.com

Britney Spears calls off engagement, quits ‘X Factor’

LOS ANGELES – Pop star Britney Spears on Friday called it quits with both fiancé Jason Trawick and as a celebrity judge on “The X Factor” talent show.

Spears, 31, and Trawick, 41 — her former agent — got engaged in December 2011.

“Jason and I have decided to call off our engagement,” Spears said in a statement. “I’ll always adore him and we will remain great friends.”

The couple began dating in May 2010, following a turbulent few years in Spears’ personal and professional life in which she lost custody of her children, entered rehab and shaved off her hair.

Trawick added in a statement: “As this chapter ends for us a new one begins. I love and cherish her and her boys and we will be close forever.”

The wedding would have been the third for Spears. She divorced dancer Kevin Federline, with whom she had two children, in 2006.

The singer also spontaneously married childhood friend Jason Alexander during a trip to Las Vegas in 2004. That marriage lasted 55 hours before the singer annulled the union.

Spears and Trawick announced their split the same day that the “Toxic” singer confirmed she was leaving “The X Factor” after just one year as a judge on the Fox singing show, saying it was time to get back to making music.

“I had an incredible time doing the show and I love the other judges and I am so proud of my teens but it’s time for me to get back in the studio.

“Watching them all do their thing up on that stage every week made me miss performing so much! I can’t wait to get back out there and do what I love most,” Spears said of her “X Factor” departure.

Spears’ most recent album, “Femme Fatale,” was released in March 2011.

Celebrity website TMZ.com reported on Friday that Spears was in talks about a long-term residency gig in Las Vegas. The gambling city is already host to stars like Celine Dion and Shania Twain, who perform under long term contracts.

Spears was recruited to “The X Factor” with a reported $15 million salary after a 14-year singing career that made her one of the biggest pop stars of the 2000s.

But audiences slumped and the TV show lost about 3 million regular viewers from its first season. Many fans and TV critics found Spears bland and boring.

The exit of Spears leaves “X Factor” creator Simon Cowell searching for two new judges to lift his show past its NBC rival, “The Voice,” in the ratings when it returns in September.

Judge and record producer L.A. Reid announced in December that he would be returning full time to his job as the head of Epic Records.

Spears took “The X Factor” gig with singer Demi Lovato, 20, in May 2012 to fill the judges’ seats left by Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger, who were both fired by Cowell a year ago.

source: interaksyon.com

Christina Aguilera Shows Support For Britney Spears' 'X Factor' Gig

Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears came up together on "The Mickey Mouse Club" before each found fame and fortune in the late '90s as rival pop princesses. Now, they find themselves on rival singing competition shows. But if you expect the claws to come out, these days Aguilera is keeping hers firmly retracted.

"I'm not down with [pitting women against women] at this point of my life," "The Voice" judge told Parade.com about Spears' spot on the "X Factor." "I have no patience for it, so I'm like, 'the more the merrier.' It's a fun thing to be a part of and I think she'll have fun with it."

In fact, Aguilera only had the kindest words for her fellow Mouseketeer, sharing that she thinks that her one-time adversary "is a pro" and that she will "give great advice."

"Our paths have always crossed and they will continue to cross," Aguilera added. "I welcome her to this family of fun and entertainment and finding talent as well."

Aguilera's comments come hot on the heels of some format shake-ups on her own show. The show's third season, kicking off on September 10, will now include "battle rounds" and a "knockout round." As for "X Factor," Spears will start her run on the show beginning just days later on September 12.

Speaking of Aguilera's other career, the rumor is she is slated to drop her Max Martin-produced single sometime this month. It is the lead single off her highly anticipated follow-up to 2010 album, Bionic.

source: mtv.com

Britney Spears Walks Off The X Factor Set After Contestant's Tribute

For Britney Spears, listening to an X Factor hopeful perform a cover of one of her songs may have been a total drag – literally.

During Monday's auditions in Greensboro, N.C., Spears stormed off the set as a man, dressed partially as a woman, rocked through one of her hits, "(You Drive Me) Crazy."


Spears, 30, looked stunned throughout the performance, as fellow judge L.A. Reid patted her on the back. Judges Demi Lovato and Simon Cowell also couldn't contain their reactions, as they covered their faces with their hands.

And neither could the crowd – but they seemed to be instant fans of the audition.




While Reid and Lovato followed the pop star off the set, Cowell stayed behind. "I don't think she quite understood your tribute," he told the singer, who wore cat glasses, a bedazzled jean jacket, boots and his hair tucked in a bun.

"I had to fight real hard to get here," the tearful singer told the judges, adding that he was recently on welfare and nearly missed his X Factor call because he couldn't afford his phone bill.

"I really respect the tribute," Spears said when she returned to the judges' table. "It was really nice."

source: people.com