As I pointed out earlier, Britney’s performance on X-Factor was somewhat lacklustre. However this doesn’t seem to be the general trend. Have a look at her on France’s Star Academy. It’s amazing, she’s even got one of those balls they had on Gladiators and a top hat! The dancing’s better, the miming’s better, hell the whole performance is better. Star Academy really puts the X-Factor in the shade when it comes to production values.

What this video shows is the levels of promotion that Britney has done for her new album Circus: prime time performances in both the UK and France and probably in a 100 other countries. Understandably the album’s tipped for the number 1 spot this week in the UK and the US.

Aptly titled Circus, is Britney’s sixth album after the much neglected Black Out which contained Piece of Me a complex post-modern pop song that unpicked the nature of modern celebrity in under 3 minutes. Interesting fact, Britney was offered the grossly successful Umbrella to sing before Rihanna. Rumour goes the production team rung her up and offered it to her but she was too drunk, high, whatever to return the call so they gave it to the tiny Barbadian. It probably wouldn’t have been such a hit with Britney’s slurred vocals and irregular dancing.

That rumour goes to show how far Britney has come in the last 2 years. She is once again releasing best-selling singles and pulling off amazingly choreographed dance routines. Remember the VMAs where she listlessly stomped around the stage to general dismay. Womanizer the standout track from Circus is like old Britney, the Britney from Toxic days. There is a similar synthy, dance-pop feeling to both songs, both videos even include naked Britneys. In Toxic her modesty covered (barely) by lots of diamantes, in Womanizer she is as bare as God intended rolling round a sauna.

1st of December is the day when Circus is released and teenage girls the world over can start practising their made-up dance routines and singing along to  the innapropriate adult-themed lyrics.