I'm Sorry.

The thing about Britney Spears is that she commits a
multitude of sins that are individually distasteful and
horrifying in the aggregate. She is slutty, a lush,
a drug user, a bad mother, a bad daughter, a bad
sister and a narcissist. This particular recipe makes
her very fascinating and contemptible at the same time.

Also, we have a strange type of access to her. On one
hand, we've all seen her private parts (freshly
shorn, like a sheep in spring), her pimples and her
cellulite. On the other hand, she is entirely evasive
and impersonal. This makes her easy to hate.

But then three small things changed the way I think
about Britney Spears! Moreover, these things all
collided in my conscience on Sunday. Here they are:

1) A review of her new album notes that "In a life
not exactly saturated with joy," Britney should at least
be proud of her new album. I agree (it is a good album)
but that is not the point. The point is that I can't remember
the last time I read something genuinely sympathetic
about Britney, even a little line like that.

2) The last song on her album, produced by Pharrell,
is called "Why Should I Be Sad", and it nearly
crushed my little heart. She sings as though she
is crying through a vocoder.

3) She looks about fourteen years old in her court
sketch.



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