Second Spears Comeback Almost As Good As The First

Britney Spears, "Circus" (Jive)

It's time for another Britney Spears comeback: Call this one the remix version.

It was only last year that our damaged diva attempted to put the focus back on her once spectacular music career with "Blackout." A tight collection of sexy club-oriented grooves, "Blackout" was a delight, and had so much hit-worthy material even Janet Jackson could have been resurrected with it.

But "Blackout" never had a chance at success because its star wasn't as well put together as the album. (It's hard to generate hits when your personal life is in turmoil.)

Now Spears — while still very different from her previous superstar incarnation, circa 1998-2003 — seems on the road to recovery, thanks to court-appointed guidance from her dad and other positive developments. She seems ready for a rebirth, so it's fitting that "Circus" — her sixth studio album — makes its debut as she celebrates her 27th birthday.

And like any good circus, Britney's version will leave you thoroughly entertained. Though "Blackout" was a gem, it seemed like the album was mainly due to the creative and technological wizardry of its producers, with minimal vocal effort from Spears. This time around, her pleasant yet thin voice comes through more clearly, not aided by as many layers and studio manipulations. She is also credited with co-writing two tracks.

Spears spends much of her energy trying to get people in the mood to groove, and it works on fun disco tracks like "Womanizer," "Shattered Glass" and the cleverly titled "If U Seek Amy" (say it fast and you might need your mouth washed out with soap). She teams up with former collaborators like Max Martin (who wrote her career-making hit "... Baby One More Time") and Nate "Danja" Hills, who was responsible for some of the best music on "Blackout." But newcomers also help out, like the Outsyders (on "Womanizer").

A few songs hint at the media circus her life has become, including "Kill the Lights," where Spears takes on the paparazzi.

But she strikes the most personal and emotional chords on the slower tracks, most notably on the dreamy, synth-centric "Unusual You," on which she coos, "Baby you're so unusual, didn't anyone tell you you're so s'pposed to break my heart, I expect you to, so why haven't you?" Though she didn't write the song, it's hard not to wince in empathy when you think about the string of users who have filtered in and out of her life.

The most poignant track is the ballad "My Baby," co-written by Spears. On it, she sings to her "precious love." It's an ode to one of her sons, with lines like, "How did I get through all of my days without you?" Considering she doesn't have full custody of her two boys and is trying to strengthen her parental bond after a period of turmoil, it's especially touching — so much so that we can forgive the song for being just a little bit sugary. After all her recent drama, Spears deserves something sweet in her life.

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CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: Acknowledging that many fans probably didn't hear her best work on "Blackout," Spears includes "Radar," one of the standout tracks from that CD — as a bonus track on "Circus." She should have included the whole CD and done a double disc.

By Nekesa Mumbi Moody, AP Music Writer

Four Christmases Outnumbers Twilight at Box Office

Twilight plunged. Australia wasn't epic. All of which gave Vince Vaughn the opportunity to attone for Fred Claus. Which he did.

Vaughn's and Reese Witherspoon's Four Christmases debuted atop the weekend box office with $31.7 million, per estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations. Since opening last Wednesday, the holiday comedy has taken in $46.7 million.

Ticket sales for Twilight dropped a steep 62 percent from last weekend. The vampire romance still managed a $26.4 million Friday-Sunday gross, good for third place, and hit nearly $120 million overall.

Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman and a reported $130 million budget added up to a lackluster, not blockbuster, fifth-place, $14.8 million debut for Australia.

Drilling down in the box office standings (where you'll find the weekend's biggest pound-for-pound hit):

• Milk, the Harvey Milk biopic starring Sean Penn, scored $1.4 million, and a Top 10 debut despite playing at only 36 theaters. Milk played to packed houses, averaging $38,375 per screen. The weekend's next biggest movie, Four Christmases, averaged about $9,500.
• Four Christmases' opening gives Vaughn a shot to return to the land of Wedding Crashers and The Break-Up, after his last major movie, Fred Claus, couldn't get anywhere near $100 million. (It grossed $72 million.)
• The comedy is Witherspoon's first hit since 2005's Walk the Line. It's her second biggest career opener, after 2002's Sweet Home Alabama ($35.6 million).
• As expected, Bolt had sturdier legs than Twilight. The dog movie not only moved up in the rankings, from third to second, it made more money this weekend ($26.6 million) than last ($26.2 million).
• Twilight, by the way, didn't really top $70 million last weekend. Final numbers showed it "only" made $69.6 million. The last two weekends, the studios' Sunday estimates have proved a tad too optimistic.
• Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa ($14.5 million) became the ninth movie this year to top $150 million overall. At nearly $160 million and counting, it's in seventh place in the 2008 rankings.
• Transporter 3 ($12.3 million) opened bigger than 2002's The Transporter ($9.1 million), but smaller than 2005's Transporter 2 ($16.5 million).
• Thanksgiving audiences spread the love—and the money—around. Seven movies made at least $12 million.
• Angelina Jolie's Changeling ($1.2 million; $33.9 million overall) fell out of the Top 10 after a four-weekend stay. High School Musical 3: Senior Year ($1.1 million; $88.7 million overall, per Box Office Mojo) took the plunge after five weekends.
• Zack and Miri Make a Porno ($540,000; $30.4 million overall, per Box Office Mojo) also vacated the Top 10. On the upside for Kevin Smith, it'll soon become the filmmaker's highest-grossing movie ever, topping 1999's Dogma.

Here's a recap of the top-grossing weekend films based on Friday-Sunday estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations:

1. Four Christmases, $31.7 million
2. Bolt, $26.6 million
3. Twilight, $26.4 million
4. Quantum of Solace, $19.5 milliion
5. Australia, $14.8 million
6. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, $14.5 million
7. Transporter 3, $12.3 million
8. Role Models, $5.3 million
9. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, $1.7 million
10. Milk, $1.4 million

Source: EOnline.com

Ricki Lake "Can't Believe" She Was Fat

The former talk show host opens up about her weight to people.

It’s no secret that original Hairspray star Ricki Lake has lost weight, but exactly how much has she lost?

People.com reports that she has lost an astounding 140 pounds from her heavyweight champion days and is keeping it off.

The 40-year-old admitted to People, “I can’t believe I was a fat person for most of my life.”

She also admitted to losing weight the old fashioned way, telling People, “I didn’t have surgery and I worked hard. There's no secret. I’m active. I watch what I eat.”

The former talk show host confided to People that even after her weight loss victory, she still feels the need to slim down.

“According to Hollywood standards, I'm not a thin girl. I’m a normal girl,” she said. “I don’t want to perpetuate that obsession but yet I am also guilty of wanting . . . to lose weight.”

The mother of two boys, Milo, 11, and Owen, 6, joked, “I'm just grateful that I have sons and not daughters because it’s that much harder.”

To help, Lake said that she relies on meals delivered from food service Fresh Dining which she describes, saying, “It’s organic, it's fresh, and I still love it.”

Lake doesn’t take her new figure for granted either, adding, “Something tragic in my life could happen and I could balloon and gain weight. I can’t promise I will be like this forever.”

Right now, Lake is worrying about the sequel to her 2007 documentary, The Business of Being Born, and of course, keeping that weight off with the holidays in full swing.

“I will be really conscious because I have this book coming out and I want to look great,” she told the magazine. “I don’t need to lose any more weight. [But] I don’t want to go backwards. So I'm not going to pig out this Christmas.”

By: Jessica McCumber - The Celebrity Cafe.com