Completely agreed.
While I feel sympathy for her since she makes it clear that she's not ready for this "comeback," it was disheartening to see the larger issues of mental health/post-partum depression glossed over as if they were no big deal.

The new PR strategy seems to be garnering enough sympathy to sell tickets and albums. Your observation about the double meaning of "For the Record" was astute.

I still like her, fundamentally. She's my generation, and I grew up with her in the spotlight. So, of course, I'm cheering for her.

But she's not ready, and the documentary makes that abundantly clear.

I don't know what I was expecting..but I'm not sure this was it. I think that's part of the problem with her- people have too many expectations. Obviously, she is working on herself- she doesn't profess to be perfect. She will be criticized no matter what she does. I agree that people will still root for her, as will I.. just because she's the kind of person who we want to see overcome the odds.. The doubly interpretated "For the Record" title is too much.. funny, but probably true on some level. It's funny how her ex - Federline never seemed to be such a father of the year type himself- he was a mooch who partied all the time and clearly used her for his gain. She should have known this when he left his pregnant girlfriend to be with her. I think she was dead on with her self observation that "when she loves someone, she loves them really hard- gives all of herself to them"- probably too much- and she obviously needs to learn how to be happy alone. In all, I think people should give her a break..she's young and making mistakes - not to mention she has to do it in a fish bowl while battling some form of mental illness like depression or possibly bi-polar or a personality disorder. There are so many other effed up celebrities on TV 24/7 and no one bats an eye at that..I'm still rooting for you Britney!

so because she's a millionare, she's not allowed to eat Kraft singles? And why is it ridiculous that as a hounded celebrity, who has been in the spotlight since she was young, be excited about having some privacy out in public? I agree she may not be ready for all of this yet and the article makes some valid points, but c'mon

This young womans life has been a tragedy for years. I have always said that she should be left alone like Lindsay Lohan. There parents become rich and famous off their children and then do not guide them properly so they can be well adjusted.

If you look at the history of all child stars they have traditionally had all kinds of problems. They are just not mature enough to handle the fortune and fame.

Um, she sounds like a great mom. Who are you people?

"I go through life like a Karate Kid." What if Britney really was a ninja?

http://www.onenotepony.com/2008/12/01/britney-is-a-ninja

I love Britney Spears and I am glad that she has an outlet for her very considerable, and unjustly underrated, talents. It is very sad to see her like this. She deserves so much better than the way the world is treating her.

Don't like her. Don't care. Plenty of childhood stars don't end up in her shape-Justin Timberlake just to name one. She should accept reality-knock, knock Mr. Therapist-and quit. Retire. If she was smart with her money she could live to a ripe old age without any need to be in the public eye again.

It's tough to rehabilitate a diminishing pop star in the increasingly irrelevant music business. Britney's team is trying to plot a trajectory similar to Madonna's with an artist equivalent to Stacey Q. (Yes my reference points originate in the 80's.) At this point in her career Madonna began exploring lyrical content that was as provocative as her off-stage antics. Britney's managers prevent her from mining her psychological experiences, or perhaps Britney lacks the self awareness to do so.

I am disconnected from this audience by virtue of age and experience, but Britney seems to be an appropriate idol for the emotionally bankrupt Ritalin-Vicodin Generation. The Hills offers a confused quasi-reality populated by social constructs and PR doublespeak. There is no immediacy beyond the current onanistic relationship of the hour. If this documentary reminded the viewers of The Hills, then it will be considered a success.

There's a fine line between coming up with funny lines, and putting your subject on the firing line.

Kraft Singles, for example. Good line/hit-piece line.
I wonder what Howard Hughes ate when he was feeling down. And lord knows, he had his moments!

well said. so sad to see how sick (mentally ill) she has become. also repulsive to see how greedy and desperate her family and the music industry are. instead of helping her heal, they once again are pimping her out with all the glitter and gloss it takes until she completely self destructs. it's no wonder britney has no parenting skills. what's up with her parents? strange, selfish individuals: john wayne gacy's clone, (i guarantee those grits daddy gives her in the morning are laced with lithium, wellbuterin, and/or xanax...) and then there's the sacrificial lamb-mother that runs for the hills when her cashcow kid snaps under pressure and finally talks trash to mommy trailer-trashiest. also thought her last comment was very bizzare "i'm gonna be just like the karate kid..." mtv editing must be smoking crack?

I'm so bored with Spears, please spare us.

Clearly, she has a brain and she knows how to use it..good move.

I have never been into Britney, but I did feel sorry for her. She never once addresses her (obvious) mental illness or the fact she encourages the paps.

Funny, the Madonna appearance was the best part of the show. Britney moved away from Madonna and did not look all that impressed with her childhood idol. There was a real weird vibe between them and Madonna comparing herself to Britney was beyond belief! Madonna has never been anything like Britney except going blond and having c-sections.

No, Britney is not ready to come back.

Here's the thing, no matter how honest or intentional a celebrity is there are those who don't want to believe it. There's no way of knowing her real intentions and I think there is a bigger picture here to be explored. Sure she's driven by her new album, her fans, her image -- why shouldn't she be? She lives in a world where all she can do at this point is recover...and be the come back kid. And serve the public what they want to eat...she has no choice right now about that.

There is no possibility of anything different. It's not a question of ready or not...it's a question of necessity at this point.

The notion that -she can "Flood the market with Britney images, seize the tabloids herself, and it's all over. " is complete BS. She can't do that, shouldn't do that and if she tried it wouldn't work in the first place. Brad and Angelina just sold their home photos and they are still flooded by paparazzi. There is no end to the amount of images the public wants to see of a celebrity.

ANd this:
"There were moments of the show that were hard to watch-like voyeuristically peering into a psychotherapy session. Spears talked about how she has good days and bad days. The next moment, it was "I choose to be a happy person. I choose not to be a bitter person. If I have a bad day I get really angry with myself."

The camera cuts to the singer compulsively giving the finger to herself in the mirror of a sparkly store in New York: "I don't know why I'm whispering," she says. She then starts adjusting the store's thermostat. (She is also shown eating Kraft singles, no behavior fitting of a millionairess.)

How is that NOT Documentary style? It showed very clearly a glimpse into this little girl who never got to grow up. She showed her nervous and vulnerable side - she's cheeky and stupid and nerdy and that is all endearing when you think about what a gigantic star she is. OF COURSE she has behaviors of not fitting a millionairess..her roots lie in commonality..she became rich and famous as teen before that she was a white trash kid from Louisiana. That I think was some attempt to show that she's just like everyone - not every 27 year old mind you...but she's 27 in numbers and probably still a pre-teen in terms of intellect...she was stunted in her intellectual and emotional growth completely - but I'm not sure it makes her completely crazy.

The fact that she contradicts herself and is confused is a problem? borderline personality? I call it self reflective and maybe confused and expressive. I think one day she feels excited by all the fame and attention and another it might just get to her and bug her and make her feel like she wishes she could just escape it all. Everyone feels this way from time to time...who doesn't say things like "I hate and love my life at the same time...or my children drive me crazy...but I love them...I'm too busy...now I'm bored"

Anyway - that's my 2 cents on at all...or 5 cents! :)

AND RE: MADONNA...you don't thinks she's COMPLETELY NUTS? Come on....

I'm too old to know a single song Spears sings, and old enough to be mildly offended by the way she dresses and acts, but I feel deeply sorry for her. I suggest that anyone who feels like making fun of her check out Craig Ferguson's monologue (just search for their two names together on youtube) on addiction and illness.

This article is irresponsible journalism. There is no way that a viewer could have honestly interpreted that documentary the way Mr. Sicha did. I watched the show last night, after reading this article a couple days ago, and was astounded by the misrepresentation of the show and its focus in this article.

1) Britney "compulsively giving herself the finger." What? She was being silly, trying on clothes in the store and looking at herself in the mirror.

2) This passage: "The most terrifying sequence was one that seemed to display a sort of dueling personality: "I'm angry, I'm very angry, I'm horribly angry!" she said, while laughing. Then, "I'm going to get married next year and have babies!" And then "I'm sad!" she said, breaking into tears."
Those comments were all at different times, shown without context, and EDITED TOGETHER. Her "I'm sad" comment is in an interview that runs as a comentary throughout the show. The image given by this paragraph is that she has wild mood swings from one moment to the next, angry, then happy, then sad. Those clips were edited together, from different days, and we weren't given context to even know what she was talking about.

I am disappointed in the Daily Beast for printing such a misleading article.

Ok, I watched maybe only 10 minutes of the thing. This was a Britney Spears that I have never seen. For the first time, I saw a very sympathetic figure. I felt for her. And I'm a good half century past being one of her fans. I think the author is full of it. This portrait was engaging and real. She should fire her old press agent and promote whoever put her into this piece. Base on the little that I watched, It was very good.

Why is the author of this article such a nasty, sexist, classist jerk? I'm not a Britney fan, but any man who thinks a woman who is BOTH sad AND angry must be crazy and who does not know that women often force themselves to smile when they are being emotionally dismissed has no business writing about women, or even talking to us for that matter.

Scolding Spears for eating a piece of kraft cheese represents the author's contempt for anything that has working class connotations or that indicates that a woman might be eating. Since when is eating cheap cheese a sign of pathology? Bad health, yes. Pathology, no. (Note, she is eating cheese and grits which is a common meal (cheap, starchy, filling) in the southern working class households that the the author despises.)

I saw the documentary, and much of it is shallow, but I do think it is "hard work" to expose yourself to vultures like this author. Spears is clearly depressed if not manic-depressive. Forget fame. This is a woman who loves her children, but she is too mentally ill to raise them. Only a misogynistic jerk would mock any woman in that tragic situation?

Spears combination of anger and sadness did not reveal a "dual personality" as the author suggests, but a young woman who is in emotional pain, deeply ambivalent about the direction of her life, and reluctant to show her true feelings to the people around her. The combination of anger and sadness is very common for women who have been raised to repress any emotion that is not "positive" "people-pleasing" or happy." [Spears is clearly one of those women and repeatedly scolds herself for not being "positive" or for having a bad day.]

The author is not just insensitive to Spears but appears to know nothing about ANY women and so he attacks the very common gender politics that are shaping Spears description of her emotions.

Britney has enough money to hire a good therapist. I'm not worried about her. What does worry me is that the author's sexist ranting is designed to pathologize ANY woman who has a complex emotional experience that is difficult or painful to reveal. According to this author, if you are a woman who has ever experienced anger or sadness - or worse, BOTH - you must be insane. That covers about every woman I've ever met. No Sadness or Anger, Ladies, or this boy will call you crazy. I think The Daily Beast is crazy for hiring this misogynistic jerk to write this pathetic article.

All we've learned is that this author hates women. Now can you get somebody to write something relevant about Britney Spears.