Pop Music News Weekly, March 29th Special Edition: Britney's Up and Down Day

Welcome once again to Pop Music News, a weekly wrap-up of some of the more noteworthy news items from the world of popular music. This week we take a special look at the ups and downs of pop princess Britney Spears as she releases her newest CD "Femme Fatale" with a televised appearance on 'Good Morning America' and a surprise tour announcement.

Today was a big day for pop princess Britney Spears. With the release today of her latest, "Femme Fatale," the airing of a taped 'Good Morning America' performance this morning, and a surprise tour announcement, today looked like it was going to be a bed of roses for Ms. Spears. At this point, not all has gone as well as she had hoped.

Femme Fatale: The Reviews

On the brighter side of things, the new album has received mostly positive reviews. Rolling Stone Magazine's Jody Rosen called it possibly her "best album," albeit her "strangest." The record is quite experimental by anyone's standards, with 12 tracks that alter the singer's voice in a myriad of ways, and all set to thumping club beats and catchy melodies. Rosen dubs the album "a party record packed with sex and sadness", a characterization that would please her most rabid of fans.

Seven of the 12 songs on "Femme Fatale" are produced by superstar music producers Max Martin and Dr. Luke, who are responsible for the Euro-club sound of the record. Black Eyed Peas' Will.i.am lends his talents to "Big Fat Bass" and the latest single, an infectious dance track called "Till' the World Ends", was penned by dance/pop star Ke$ha. "Femme Fatale" can be downloaded on iTunes right here.

A Not Quite Stellar Performance

This morning's performance on "Good Morning America" which was taped on Sunday in San Francisco's Castro District was less than stellar. The singer performed her two singles from "Femme Fatale"("Hold it Against Me" and "Till' the World Ends"), plus a medley of hits dubbed "Big Fat Bass Medley." As she often does, Britney lip-synced her way through the entire performance, which certainly takes away from the authenticity of the show. What was unusual for the singer though was the awkwardness of the choreography, something which surprised anyone who's followed her through the years. Instead of the slick and energetic moves the pop star is known for, Spears looked awkward on her heels and walking back and forth across the stage without any real oomph. It wasn't pretty!

Watch Britney performing "Hold It Against Me" on 'GMA' right here.
An Enrique Pairing? Si or No?

Not long after her performance on 'GMA' aired, Britney announced that she'd be touring this summer with none other than Latin pop star Enrique Iglesias. Since Iglesias has been charting well of late with songs off of his 2010 "Euphoria" album, the pairing promised to be a concert tour of the highest magnitude. However, later in the day, Billboard Magazine reported that Enrique had backed out of the deal.

The problem, reports Billboard, "stems from perception." Enrique Iglesias has enough of a following to carry his own headlining tour and the press release that had been sent out earlier only stated that the duo would be touring "together." "The general perception is that it's a Britney Spears tour: She's the headliner, she would close the show..." Of course there are other factors involved in the deal, including how much each of the stars would be earning from sales at the gate. Even though at the moment the tour does not feature Iglesias, negotiations are still underway and the two may appear together after all is said and done. We'll just have to wait and see.

The Charts

Here's what's happening on the charts this week:

iTunes Top Ten Downloaded Singles

1- No Sleep - Wiz Khalifa

2- Just Can't Get Enough - The Black Eyed Peas

3- E.T. - Katy Perry, featuring Kanye West

4- John - Lil' Wayne, featuring Rick Ross

5- S&M - Rihanna

6- Best Love Song - T-Pain, featuring Chris Brown

7- Born This Way - Lady GaGa

8- Rolling in the Deep - Adele

9- On the Floor - Jennifer Lopez, featuring Pitbull

10- Look at Me Now - Chris Brown, featuring Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes

iTunes Top Ten Downloaded Albums

1- Femme Fatale (Deluxe Version) - Britney Spears

2- Rolling Papers (Deluxe Edition) - Wiz Khalifa

3- Songs for Japan - Various Artists

4- The King of Limbs - Radiohead

5- 21 - Adele

6- Rolling Papers - Wiz Khalifa

7- Femme Fatale - Britney Spears

8- Sucker Punch (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Various Artists

9- On and On and Beyond (EP) - Mac Miller

10- Sigh No More - Mumford and Sons

Billboard's Hot 100 Top Ten Singles

1- Born This Way - Lady GaGa

2- E.T. - Katy Perry, featuring Kanye West

3- S&M - Rihanna

4- F**k You (Forget You) - Cee Lo Green

5- Just Can't Get Enough - Black Eyed Peas

6- Loser Like Me - Glee Cast

7- F**kin Perfect - Pink

8- Look at Me Now - Chris Brown, featuring Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes

9- Grenade - Bruno Mars

10- Down on Me - Jeremiah, featuring 50 Cent

Other Billboard #1's This Week:

#1 Album - 21 - Adele

#1 R&B/Hip Hop Song - Look at Me Now - Chris Brown, featuring Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes

#1 Country Song - Let Me Down Easy - Billy Currington

#1 Rock Song - Rope - Foo Fighters

#1 Dance/Club - S&M - Rihanna

For past issues in the series, click the links below:

March 22^nd Edition

March 15^th Edition

March 8^th Edition

March 1^st Edition

Also see:

"Songs for Japan" Digital Album Released Today on iTunes

New Music Releases for April 2011

New Music Releases for March 2011

Sources:

Anderson, Kyle. "Britney Spears' Femme Fatale: The Reviews Are In." MTV Newsroom 29 Mar 2011: n. pag. Web. 29 Mar 2011.

Lorenz, Mark. "Britney Spears Debuts New Song, 'Til The World Ends,' Penned by Ke$ha." Manolith 04 Mar 2011: n. pag. Web. 29 Mar 2011. .

O'Donnell, Kevin. "Britney Spears Flops on 'GMA' Performance." Spin 29 Mar 2011: n. pag. Web. 29 Mar 2011.

Rosen, Jody. "Britney Spears Femme Fatale." Rolling Stone 14 Mar 2011: n. pag. Web. 29 Mar 2011.

Other Sources:

http://www.accesshollywood.com/britney-spears-surprises-fans-by-announcing-tour-with-enrique-iglesias-but-will-it-go-forward_article_45870

http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/iglesias_enrique/artist.jhtml