Tony Allen-Mills
Star musicians and your favourite Times writers at the Albert Hall
IT may be the ultimate humiliation. Britney Spears, the troubled pop superstar, has not only lost her hard-earned status as one of America’s most successful singers - she is no longer even the most popular celebrity in her own Louisiana home town.
A succession of mostly self-inflicted tabloid crises has taken a heavy toll on Spears’s popularity in rural Kentwood (population 2,000), whose inhabitants once dreamt of building a Britney-themed centre to rival Graceland, Elvis Presley’s home.
Not only have plans for the project collapsed, but a Britney exhibit at Kentwood’s modest municipal museum has been upstaged by the arrival of a new attraction. Taylor Horn, a 14-year-old singer-actress, is trying to become the second blonde bombshell from Kentwood to launch an international career.
Horn’s pictures have already replaced those of Spears in the display case by the museum’s front door. At the local Pizza Shack it is Horn’s autographed photos that decorate the walls, with Britney nowhere to be seen.
Horn’s emergence as a Britney-like clone with television appearances and a new CD has given her town a second chance at a tourist industry.
For a while there was a steady flow of fans coming to pay tribute to Spears’s country roots. One family even came from Mon-golia. But then the wheels came off Britney’s career. By the time she appeared in public without her underpants and shaved her head earlier this year, few in her home town were prepared to defend her.
In April the museum had three visitors. Last month there were six, but some of those may have come to see Horn.
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Who are any of us to judge. I agree with Diva, NJ. Are you in her shoes? No, I didn't think so. Right now she needs people around her that love her, the sad thing is, all they care about is her money, even her family and that is ashame. She has two beautiful little boys that don't deserve what is happening to them. She and her little boys are in my prayers.
DeAnna, Covington, Louisiana
Unike britney's family, Taylor Horn has a strong family backing who do not have a problem putting her in check if she gets out of line. The only comparisons between the two is that they are from the same town. Besides, taylor actually sings live unlike the Hard PAArtying Mother of 2...
Garret Jaxx, Fontana, CA
God bless America. A fabulous country that doesnt really believe in child labor. Or does it? Sendng your underage tots off to be a celebrity is just as bad as parents in under developed countries making children work in sweat shops or in postitution. And the outcomes of both are dismal. Parents and communities: stop supporting the notion of children stars, just look at all the trainwrecks it has produced. But what is truly sad is that no one wants to read about the effects of sweat shops, only the rise and fall of innocent young girls that have been fed a line from their parents. This is a terrible age to call oneself a member of the human race, I am truly embarrassed.
AM, Atlanta, GA
Lets hope that this new "Britney" doesnt make the same mistakes as the previous one ,and is not exploited in the same way by certain persons seeking to publicise their own careers at her expense.
Sergei, London, UK
Juat goes to show that there will always be another pretty face waiting for her turn in the spotlight. Hollywood is a fickle town so you need to be versatile, talented, and educated in your art to stay in the limelight. And to date, Britney is more worried about cheap thrills, then about honing her craft. Not surprising that this would happen.
Tika, San Francisco, CA
Britney who?
Justin, Norwich,
Well everybody deal with there way of pain in a different way what are the right way to deal with trials, tributelation or what ever that might be in life everybody could say that they would have done or handle matters in a different way. Maybe that's so but who are we to judge any one we do things thats unexplainable, but because we aren't in the spot light no one knows so before any one can make judgement think about she is human and every one has a bad time as well as good times in life only Gods knows.
diva, Avenel, New Jeresy