If you're a fan of the long-running series "How I Met Your Mother," you know that pop star Britney Spears memorably pops up in the third season of the beloved CBS sitcom ... so how did that happen, and how did Spears' guest role basically save the show?

During a Reddit AMA (ask me anything) in 2013, Carter Bays, who created "How I Met Your Mother" alongside Craig Thomas, was asked if any of the show's guest stars had ever specifically asked to join the series. Apparently, Spears did just that. "We got a call a few weeks after the writers' strike [in 2007] ended saying that Britney Spears wanted to be on our show," Bays responded. "And she specifically wanted to be in the episode 'Ten Sessions,' which sent a chill down our spines, because that's the one where we meet Stella [Zinman, a love interest for Josh Radnor's Ted Mosby]."

As Bays put it, he was a little worried about what Spears' request might mean. "I immediately imagined Britney playing Stella and had a minor panic attack, because it's such a big role and needed a proven, experienced actress like Sarah Chalke [the 'Scrubs' alum who ultimately played Stella]. But to her credit, Britney liked the character of Abby and wanted to play that part. So we said sure! And by golly, she put our show on the map. It can't be overstated. Britney Spears rescued us from ever being on the bubble again. Thanks, Britney!"

Read More: https://www.slashfilm.com/1693949/britney-spears-saved-how-i-met-your-mother/

Read More: https://www.slashfilm.com/1693949/britney-spears-saved-how-i-met-your-mother/

Zoe Saldaña is open to working on a sequel to the road trip comedy-drama “Crossroads,” in which she starred alongside Britney Spears.

While playing a game of Variety‘s “Know Their Lines,” Saldaña weighed in on whether or not she would reprise her role as Kit from the 2002 film. She also shared a few conditions she believes the hypothetical sequel should meet.

“Why not?” Saldaña said. “But I feel like it would only work if Britney comes back and plays her character again. And Taryn Manning does as well, and Anson Mount. And that we write realistic sort of scenarios for them. That would be beautiful.”

Saldaña noted the rise in popularity of sequels over time and how “we’ve been living the last 20 years in the world of sequels.” She added, “Usually, you thought that sequels were only for action movies or superhero movies, and now, sequels can live in all kinds of genres.”

“Crossroads” follows three childhood friends — Lucy (Spears), Kit (Saldaña) and Mimi (Taryn Manning) — who, after eight years apart, rediscover their friendship on a cross-country trip. Anson Mount, Kim Cattrall and Dan Aykroyd also starred in the coming-of-age film.

“It was so fun, but it was also, like, the first time that I was around a big pop star,” Saldaña said of Spears, who made her feature film acting debut in “Crossroads.” “And she was just so sought after, and yet, she was so down to earth and kind and approachable.”

She continued, “And I loved that the whole sort of, like, immediate production was all women. Producers, the filmmaker, casting director, the cast — being around an all-woman kind of world gave me just a nice little kick. I was like, ‘Oh, I wanna be like this all the time.'”

Source: https://variety.com/2024/film/news/zoe-saldana-crossroads-sequel-only-work-britney-spears-returning-1236187276/

Watch Saldaña’s full “Know Their Lines” video below.

Hey! @followers & @topfans 🎤 #ThrowbackThursday to those magical moments when Britney Spears & I were rehearsing and performing "Beauty and the Beast" at a Louisiana fair! 🌟 It brings back all the feels—taking voice lessons together, then heading next door for a sandwich at The Honey Baked Ham. 🥪

Can't believe 2025 will mark my 40th year in the music industry! 🎶 Stay tuned for an amazing project I'm working on to celebrate this milestone.

#johnclarkblackwell #britneyspears #BeautyAndTheBeast #MusicMemories

https://www.facebook.com/JCBlackwellmusic
Source John C Blackwell

JoJo is a staple in pop culture coming out of the new millennium. Millennials across the world remember "Leave (Get Out)" as the breakup anthem they consistently voted for on MTV's TRL, but now, the singer is back and opening up about everything in her new memoir Over The Influence.

During a recent appearance on "The Bright Side" podcast, JoJo talked about her upcoming book and why she decided to write and release it. She also spilled the tea on almost signing with Britney Spears' production label when she was just 10 years old, and why she's glad she ultimately didn't. Jojo explained:

"When I was like, I don't even think I was 10 yet. I was maybe nine or 10, I called into the local top 40 station in Boston because someone was like, 'Oh, they're giving tickets away to their summer concert. I always wanted to put myself in positions to be seen and to sing for people. I really wanted that. So, anyway, long story short, I ended up winning the tickets. So my mom and I went and I sang my way through security, from one security guard to the next, ended up meeting Britney Spears, and I did, and I still do think that she's amazing. I loved 'Baby One More Time' when it came out, there's some soul in that. First of all, I think it's a dope record. She was saying that she was going to start a production company. Her and her attorney at the time, Larry Rudolph, were going to start something. And basically, a few weeks after meeting her, a contract was sent to our little apartment in Massachusetts, and it was about signing to her production company. And my mom was like, 'No, you're too young.' And I'm like, 'You hate me. You wish death upon me. Like, you want me to die?' Because I was like, this is the chance. We're never going to get better than this. I'm grateful that she didn't go with that because first of all, I mean not that 12 is much older, but 10 is crazy, and I don't think Britney ever put out any artists on her production company. So, I thought I was shelved. I just don't even think my career would've gotten off the ground, because sometimes it is riskier to sign to an artist's label."

Hear JoJo on "The Bright Side" podcast on iHeartRadio

Source: https://www.americantop40.com/content/2024-10-02-jojo-recalls-almost-signing-with-britney-spears-at-10-years-old/