The Recent Demise of Ms. Spears

At the start of last semester when I felt like my mind was completely disappearing, I decided to visit the school counselor. What was my problem? It seemed that I was too incredibly stressed out about school and life...and her suggestion?

Dedicate at least a half an hour to something I love every day.

Some people sing. Some people dance. Some people shoot guns and others make homemade bombs.

I stalk celebrities online.

My counselor said I needed something to alleviate my stress.

Which is how my online entertainment reading became an obsession.

I sit and read the blogs. I read all the entertainment Web sites. I read all of this as it is updated. I live and breathe and thrive on it.

And the target in the center of my Internet celebrity obsessions?

Ms. Britney Spears.

Love her. Hate her. I really don't care. You can knock her down. You can say she's a horrible mother. You can say she's crazy. Say what you want to say.

But Britney Spears has become America's new underdog. Half the people want to see her lose. Half the people want to see this amazing comeback.

I can remember in November of 2006 when news hit that she'd finally filed for divorce. Two kids since her last album release and once married and on the road to divorce. For Britney fans, Kevin was the ultimate anti-thesis. Here was this bum, feeding off her fame and money.

That day in November, I can remember thinking that her official comeback had started.

And for awhile it had.

I packed my bags and head overseas and what greets me in February? The start of her downward spiral.

You can say what you want about her shaving her head and beating cars with umbrellas. Say what you want about the multiple trips to rehab and the loss of custody. Say what you want about that flawed VMA performance. Her first CD in years -- "Blackout" -- was the diamond in the rough of a terrible year for the poor girl.

But notice that you're saying these things. You're paying attention to her.

And that's why she's still in the public eye.

So...mental illness or beautiful business ploy, Britney's found a way to make sure her name stays splashed across the headlines.

At the end of the day, when I sit back and see what havoc she's up to creating now, I almost take comfort in this. If anything, it shows she's human. She's bound to make mistakes...and that is the most humbling thing about her from this past year.

So go ahead. Say she's a mess. Say she's a 'terrible role model.' Say she deserves to be locked up.

But sit back and think about your life. Are most of you really that different? Do you really feel any different when experiencing a lot of the same situations she does? Granted, most of you don't have the paparazzi chasing you around or have every damn day of your life made public record...but think about it.

Had your heart broken? Your secrets made private? Something incredibly tragic happen to a loved one?

I thought so.

So lay off the poor girl. If 2007 and the start of 2008 should teach anyone anything, it's that even celebrities make mistakes. So she was knocked off her pedestal a few steps...

Britney will make a comeback.

Mark my words.