The 2003 NFL season was the 84th regular season of the National Football League.

Regular season play was held from September 4, 2003 to December 28. Due to damage caused by the Cedar Fire, Qualcomm Stadium was used as an emergency shelter, and thus the Miami Dolphins–San Diego Chargers regular season match on October 27 was instead played at Sun Devil Stadium, the home field of the Arizona Cardinals.

The playoffs began on January 3, 2004. The NFL title was eventually won by the New England Patriots when they defeated the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas on February 1.

Major rule changes[link]

• If an onside kick inside the final five minutes of the game does not go 10 yards, goes out of bounds, or is touched illegally, the receiving team will have the option of accepting the penalty and getting the ball immediately. Previously, the kicking team was penalized, but had another chance to kick again from five yards back.
• League officials encouraged networks to immediately cut to a commercial break if an instant replay challenge review was initiated. Previously networks rarely utilized those stoppages for their prescribed commercial periods.

Coaching changes[link]

• Cincinnati Bengals – Marvin Lewis; replaced Dick LeBeau who was fired following the 2002 season.
• Dallas Cowboys – Bill Parcells; replaced Dave Campo who was fired following the 2002 season.
• Detroit Lions – Steve Mariucci; replaced Marty Mornhinweg who was fired following the 2002 season.
• Jacksonville Jaguars – Jack Del Rio; replaced Tom Coughlin who was fired following the 2002 season.
• San Francisco 49ers – Dennis Erickson; replaced Steve Mariucci who was fired following the 2002 season.

Final regular season standings[link]

W = Wins, L = Losses, PCT = Winning Percentage, PF= Points For, PA = Points Against

Clinched playoff seeds are marked in parentheses and shaded in green. No ties occurred this year.

Tiebreakers[link]

• ^a Indianapolis finished ahead of Tennessee in the AFC South based on better head-to-head record (2–0).
• ^b Denver clinched the AFC 6 seed instead of Miami based on better conference record (9–3 to 7–5).
• ^c Buffalo finished ahead of N.Y. Jets in the AFC East based on better division record (2–4 to 1–5).
• ^d Jacksonville finished ahead of Houston in the AFC South based on better division record (2–4 to 1–5).
• ^e Oakland finished ahead of San Diego in the AFC West based on better conference record (3–9 to 2–10).
• ^f Philadelphia clinched the NFC 1 seed instead of St. Louis based on better conference record (9–3 to 8–4).
• ^g Seattle clinched the NFC 5 seed instead of Dallas based on strength of victory (.406 to .388).

2003 Changes[link]

• New Orleans Saints – New AstroPlay home turf by midseason.
• Atlanta Falcons – New Logo. New Uniforms. New FieldTurf surface.
• Green Bay Packers – New remodel Lambeau Field.
• Detroit Lions – New Uniforms. added black trim on logo and numbers.
• Chicago Bears – New remodel Soldier Field.
• Buffalo Bills – New AstroPlay home turf.
• Philadelphia Eagles – New stadium; Lincoln Financial Field. And added silver trim to numbers on uniforms. Introduce new home alternative uniforms. black uniforms with white numbers with midnight green shadow in numbers.
• San Diego Chargers – White pants with road uniforms.
• New England Patriots – Added third alternative uniforms. Silver uniforms.
• Miami Dolphins – Added third alternative uniforms. Orange uniforms.
• Houston Texans – Added third alternative uniforms. Red Uniforms.
• Cleveland Browns – Added new alternative orange pants last worn in the Kardiac Kids era of coach Sam Rutigliano.
• Tennessee Titans – Added third alternative uniforms. powder blue.

Playoffs[link]

Bracket[link]

* Indicates overtime victory

** Indicates double overtime victory

Milestones[link]

The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:

Statistical leaders[link]

Team[link]

Individual[link]

Awards[link]

External links[link]

• Football Outsiders 2003 Team Effiency Ratings
• Pro Football Reference.com – 2003

Notes[link]

References[link]

• NFL Record and Fact Book (ISBN 1-932994-36-X)
• NFL History 2001– (Last accessed October 17, 2005)
• Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League (ISBN 0-06-270174-6)

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2008)

The National Football League has enjoyed success in selling out many of their venues from season ticket sales alone. Out of 32 teams in the league, 24 claim to have waiting lists from under 1,000 people to over 150,000. For some fans, this means a wait not just of years, but decades. This is due mostly to the NFL's short window of play; there are only eight regular-season home games, forcing the most devoted fans into a desperate and sometimes costly search for a limited number of events.^[1]

Since 1973, the waiting lists have also had the by-product of preventing any home games of certain teams from being blacked out on local television. Home games must be sold out within 72 hours of kickoff before a telecast is allowed, and the longest waiting lists have ensured every home game of the applicable teams being locally televised. Prior to 1973, home games could not be locally televised even if they were sold out. Four teams have had the benefit of not seeing any blackouts at all since 1972.

Personal Seat Licenses (PSLs)[link]

Personal Seat Licenses (PSLs) is a license which grants the holder the right to buy season tickets for a particular team. PSLs were first used in the NFL by the expansion Carolina Panthers in 1993 to help finance their new stadium. Since that time, several teams have used the mechanism to finance new stadium projects including the Chicago Bears remodel of Soldier Field and more recently the Dallas Cowboys. The New York Jets and the New York Giants used PSL programs to finance the construction of the New Meadowlands Stadium, now MetLife Stadium.^[2]

Criticism related to waiting lists[link]

In 2003, the New York Jets changed their waiting list policy to require a $50 annual maintenance fee to remain on the waiting list. However, due to the long list of names and high renewal rates among existing ticket holders, there was uncertainty about the fees a person may possibly have to pay if they remained on the list for many years. After attention from the media and the New York Attorney General's Office, the Jets agreed to cap the maintenance fees at $500, allow the transfer of the waiting list position if the person moved out of state and provide at least 80% of non-renewed season tickets to waiting list members. In 2008, the Jets sent notices to those on the waiting list that the $50 annual maintenance fee would be waived and any money already accrued would be either refunded or credited toward the purchase of Jets merchandise.

In 2004, the New England Patriots, who have a substantial season ticket waiting list, received media attention for not allowing the son of a deceased season ticket holder to retain his father's season tickets. The following year, the New England Patriots introduced the "Pass It On" transfer program, which allows season ticket holders to transfer season tickets to immediate family members for $2,000 to $5,000 per ticket, depending on the location of the seat.^[3]

The NFL requires that season ticket purchasers not only purchase the regular season games, but also typically two preseason games whether they want the exhibition games or not. The legality of requiring the purchase of the preseason games has been challenged all the way to the Supreme Court but it has not resulted in a change of policy for the NFL.^[4]

Lengthiest waiting lists[link]

Annual postcard sent out by the Green Bay Packers organization to those on the waiting list for season tickets

The Green Bay Packers have the most famous waiting list, with more than 90,000 names. Turnover is generally low; the Packers estimate that only 90 tickets turn over every year, a rate which would mean a name placed on the list today would be eligible for season tickets in 1000 years.^[5] It is a common custom in Green Bay and other Wisconsin cities to put a baby's name on the list as soon as the birth certificate is obtained.^[6][7][8] Transfer of standing to surviving relatives is permitted by the Packers.^[5]

The Washington Redskins were reported to have the most number of names on their waiting list at over 150,000. However, recent investigations question if a waiting list exists at all,^[9] which would seem to contradict the fact that FedExField has demolished 10,000 seats heading into the 2011 season. The New York Giants, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Denver Broncos historically have also maintained long waiting lists for season tickets.^[1]

Waiting lists[link]

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b} "Toughest NFL Waiting Lists - Forbes.com". Forbes. 2007-09-07. http://www.forbes.com/2007/09/07/nfl-football-tickets-forbeslife-cx_ls_0907tickets.html. 
2. ^ Mascarenhas, Rohan (2010-08-17). "New Meadowlands Stadium opens to Giants, Jets fans in East Rutherford". The Star-Ledger (Newark). http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/08/new_meadowlands_stadium_opens.html. Retrieved 2011-08-23. 
3. ^ Mohl, Bruce (2005-02-25). "Season ticket transfer fees irk fans". The Boston Globe. http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2005/02/25/season_ticket_transfer_fees_irk_fans/. 
4. ^ Angelo F. Coniglio v. Highwood Services, Inc., 495 F.2d 1286 (2d Cir. 1974-04-17).
5. ^ ^{a b} Gary D’Amato (19 January 2011). "Packers season tickets worth the wait - 1000 years for some on the list". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/114877119.html. Retrieved 24 February 2011. 
6. ^ Packers.com - Fan Zone - Faq - Tickets
7. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Waitlist_Postcard.jpg
8. ^ "SI.com - Be the 74,659th In Line! - Oct 9, 2007". CNN. 2007-10-09. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/rick_reilly/10/09/reilly1015/index.html. Retrieved 2010-05-20. 
9. ^ [1]
10. ^ The Baltimore Ravens' waiting list is capped at 3,000.
11. ^ http://cheeseheadtv.com/blog/green-bay-packers-daily-links-season-ticket-waiting-list-expands-to-96000
12. ^ http://www.seasonticketwaitinglist.com/2010/03/indianapolis-colts-season-tickets.html
13. ^ http://www.seasonticketwaitinglist.com/2010/03/new-england-patriots-season-tickets.html
14. ^ "#21 New Orleans Saints". Forbes. 2010-08-25. http://www.forbes.com/lists/2010/30/football-valuations-10_New-Orleans-Saints_309939.html. 
15. ^ http://nfl.fanhouse.com/2007/06/01/want-eagles-season-tickets-wait-4-000-years/
16. ^ http://www.seasonticketwaitinglist.com/2009/05/pittsburgh-steelers-season-tickets.html
17. ^ O'Neil, Danny (2010-03-03). "Seahawks raise prices slightly for season-ticket renewals". The Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/seahawks/2011244325_hawktickets04.html. 
18. ^ http://www.seasonticketwaitinglist.com/2010/03/seattle-seahawks-season-tickets.html

13 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/01/AR2009090103984_pf.html

Marvin Harrison

Marvin Harrison at the Colts 2007 Training Camp.
No. 88
Wide receiver
Personal information
Date of birth: (1972-08-25) August 25, 1972 (age 39)
Place of birth: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Height: 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Weight: 178 lb (81 kg)
Career information
College: Syracuse
NFL Draft: 1996 / Round: 1 / Pick: 19
Debuted in 1996 for the Indianapolis Colts
Last played in 2008 for the Indianapolis Colts
Career history
Indianapolis Colts (1996–2008)
Career highlights and awards
8× Pro Bowl selection (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006) 8× All-Pro selection (1999, 2000, 2001 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006) Super Bowl champion (XLI) AFC Champion (2006) NFL Alumni Wide Receiver Of The Year (2002) NFL 2000s All-Decade Team Holds several NFL records
Career NFL statistics as of 2008
Receptions 1,102 Receiving Yards 14,580 Receiving TDs 128 Stats at NFL.com

Marvin Daniel Harrison (born August 25, 1972) is a former American football wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the 1996 NFL Draft. He played college football at Syracuse. He spent his entire 13-year career with the Colts, and is widely considered as one of the greatest and most productive wide receivers in NFL history.^[1]

College career[link]

Harrison was a three-year starter at Syracuse University, playing with Donovan McNabb in his final year. Harrison set a school record with 2,718 career receiving yards and ranked second in school history with 20 receiving touchdowns to Rob Moore. Harrison graduated with a degree in retailing.^[2]

Collegiate statistics[link]

Professional career[link]

Indianapolis Colts[link]

Harrison was selected by the Indianapolis Colts with the 19th selection in the 1996 NFL Draft, a selection which was obtained in a trade that sent Jeff George to the Atlanta Falcons. Harrison has gone on to become one of the most productive receivers from that draft class, which included Keyshawn Johnson, Eric Moulds, Bobby Engram, Muhsin Muhammad, Eddie Kennison, Terry Glenn, Amani Toomer, Joe Horn, and Terrell Owens among others.

In 2002 Harrison broke Herman Moore's single season receptions record by 20 receptions. He finished with 143 catches, and he also had over 1,700 yards receiving. In December, 2006 Harrison became just the fourth player in NFL history to record 1000 receptions, joining Jerry Rice (1549), Cris Carter (1101), and Tim Brown (1094). He is also one of only seven wide receivers in NFL history to reach 100 touchdowns.

During a 2007 game against the Denver Broncos, Harrison injured his knee while attempting a block and was lost for the season, making only a small appearance in their lone playoff game that season. It marked only the second time Harrison had missed regular season action due to injuries and the first since 1998.

On December 14, 2008 in a game against the Detroit Lions, Harrison caught his 1,095th career reception, passing Tim Brown for third all time. He passed Cris Carter to become second on the all-time NFL reception record list with 1,102 receptions during a 23–0 Colts victory over the Tennessee Titans on December 28, 2008.

Following the 2008 NFL season, Harrison asked for and was granted his release by the Colts.^[3] After sitting out the entire 2009 season, Harrison quietly retired from the NFL.^[4]

Professional statistics[link]

Accurate as of April 13, 2009

NFL records[link]

• Averaged 84.77 receptions per season, which is second to the all time record held by Sterling Sharpe who averaged 85 receptions per season. He had previously been averaging 93 per season until 2007, where he missed the majority of games with a knee injury, resulting in a 20 reception season.
• 4th most touchdown receptions in a decade (95) 2000–2009
• 3rd most receiving yards per game throughout a career (76.7 yds/game)
• 2nd most receiving yards in a decade (10,439) 2000–2009
• Holds the NFL record for receptions in a single season with 143, set in 2002.
• Most receptions in a 2 season period (252), 2001–2002; 3 season period (354), 2000–2002; 4 season period (469), 1999–2002; 5 season period (563), 1999–2003; 6 season period (649), 1999–2004; 7 season period (731), 1999–2005; 8 season period (826), 1999–2006; 9 season period (885), 1998–2006; 10 season period (958), 1997–2006; 11 season period (1,022), 1996–2006.
• Most receiving yards in a 4 season period (6,322), 1999–2002; 5 season period (7,594), 1999–2003.
• Most games in a career with at least 8 receptions (51), 9 receptions (32), 11 receptions (12), 12 receptions (8), & 13 receptions (4)
• Most games in career with at least 14 receptions (2)-tied with several players
• Most consecutive games with at least 6 receptions (16) and 9 receptions (6)
• Most consecutive seasons with at least 5 touchdowns (11) – shared with Jerry Rice, Don Hutson, Cris Carter, Tim Brown, Terrell Owens
• Most consecutive seasons with at least 6 touchdowns (11) – shared with Terrell Owens, Jerry Rice, Don Hutson
• Most consecutive seasons with at least 5 touchdown receptions (11) – shared with Jerry Rice, Don Hutson, Cris Carter, Tim Brown, Terrell Owens
• Most consecutive seasons with at least 6 touchdown receptions (11) – shared with Jerry Rice, Don Hutson
• Most consecutive seasons with at least 10 touchdown receptions (8)
• Most consecutive seasons with at least 11 touchdown receptions (4)-tied with Lance Alworth, Art Powell
• Most consecutive seasons with at least 14 touchdown receptions (2)-tied with Jerry Rice
• Consecutive seasons with 1,100+ receiving yards (8); 1999–2006- tied with Torry Holt
• Consecutive seasons with 1,400+ receiving yards (4); 1999–2002
• Consecutive seasons with 100+ receptions (4); 1999-2002
• Consecutive seasons with 82+ receptions (8); 1999–2006.
• Most games in a single season (2002) with at least 6 receptions (15), 7 receptions (12), 8 receptions (12), 9 receptions (10), 11 receptions (5).
• Most games in a season with at least 13 receptions (2) in 1999 - tied with several players
• 3rd most games in a single season with 10+ receptions (6). Wes Welker and Andre Johnson have 7.
• Only player with 16 career games with double digit receptions for one team, Indianapolis Colts.
• Marvin Harrison and Peyton Manning currently hold the record for most completions between a Wide Receiver and Quarterback with 953.
• Marvin Harrison and Peyton Manning currently hold the NFL record for passing touchdowns between a WR and QB with 112.
• Marvin Harrison and Peyton Manning currently hold the NFL record for passing yards between a WR and QB with 12,756.
• Marvin Harrison and Peyton Manning currently hold the NFL record for completions in a season between a WR and QB with 143, 2002
• Marvin Harrison and Peyton Manning currently hold the NFL record for passing yards in a season between a WR and QB with 1,722, 2002
• Harrison trails only Jerry Rice in 1,500 or more receiving yard seasons. He has 3 such seasons, Jerry Rice had 4.
• First player to record 2 seasons of 1,600 yards receiving in NFL history, (1999 & 2002).(Torry Holt became the 2nd, (2000 & 2003)
• First player to have 50+ receptions in his first 11 seasons in NFL history.(Torry Holt became the 2nd on December 27, 2009)
• With 59 career 100-yard receiving games, Marvin Harrison ranks No. 3 all time behind Jerry Rice (76) and Randy Moss (64).
• Second-fastest player to achieve 100 receiving touchdowns.
• Consecutive seasons of 1,000+ all-purpose yards and 10+ touchdown receptions (8), 1999–2006.
• On December 18, 2006, Marvin Harrison and Indianapolis Colt teammate Reggie Wayne became the only NFL wide receiver tandem to catch 75 receptions and 1,000 yards in 3 straight seasons. The game was on Monday Night and was played against the Cincinnati Bengals.
• On November 17, 2002, made his 600th career reception against the Dallas Cowboys.
• On October 12, 2003, made his 700th career reception against the Carolina Panthers. And is the fastest player to do so reaching the mark in 114 games.
• On November 8, 2004, made his 800th career reception against the Minnesota Vikings. And is the fastest player to do so reaching the mark in 131 games.
• On November 20, 2005, made his 900th career reception against the Cincinnati Bengals. And is the fastest player to do so reaching the mark in 149 career games.
• On December 10, 2006, made his 1000th reception against the Jacksonville Jaguars. And is the fastest player to do so reaching the mark in just 167 career games.
• On December 28, 2008, made his 1,100th career reception against the Tennessee Titans in his last regular season game and his last game in Indianapolis. He is the fastest player to do so reaching the mark in just 190 career games. Half way through the second quarter, he moved into second place for most receptions all time with 1,102, trailing only Jerry Rice.
• Most receptions over 1st 7 seasons (665), 8 seasons (759), 9 seasons (845), 10 seasons (927), 11 seasons (1,022) and 13 seasons (1,102) seasons of career of any NFL receiver
• Only player in NFL history to catch a pass in every game
• Most average receptions per game in a career (5.8) - 1996-2008
• Most consecutive games with 8+ receiving yards (190), (206 if counting playoffs) – every game
• Most consecutive games with a 6+ yard reception (190), (206 if counting playoffs) – every game
• Most consecutive games with an 8+ yard reception (177), (192 if counting playoffs)
• Marvin Harrison is in second place for the most consecutive games with a reception with 190 (206 counting playoffs), only behind Jerry Rice who had 274.

Connections to shooting incidents[link]

Harrison was sued by Dwight Dixon, a convicted drug dealer who was shot outside Chuckie's Garage, a North Philadelphia business owned by Harrison, on April 29, 2008.^[5][6] The two men had two altercations earlier in the day when Harrison denied Dixon entry into a sports bar he owned and operated. Dixon alleged that Harrison was the gunman who shot at him. On January 6, 2009, Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham confirmed that it was Harrison's gun that fired shots at Dixon but they had been unable to determine who pulled the trigger.^[7]

The Philadelphia District Attorney also stated that she was not going to pursue charges in this case due to conflicting witness statements. Dixon, who had initially given the police a false name and claimed he was robbed by two men when interviewed at the hospital,^[8] was subsequently convicted of filing a false report for this incident on January 28, 2009. He was sentenced to 6 months probation. Dixon's attorney reportedly sought a new trial as the conviction violated Dixon's parole in an unrelated case.^[9] Harrison is also being sued by Robert Nixon, a victim caught in the crossfire of the shooting who identified Harrison as the shooter in a statement to police.^[10]

Dixon died on July 21, 2009 when he was shot several times while in his car outside a building two blocks away from Harrison's sports bar. On June 16, 2010, Shaun Assael of ESPN The Magazine reports that police confiscated a 9mm handgun from Harrison during a routine traffic stop on Wednesday in Philadelphia. Police will test the gun to see if it matches three spent 9mm shell casings that ended up inside the truck driven by the late Dwight Dixon at the scene of an April 2008 shooting. Dixon, who eventually was shot and killed after filing a civil lawsuit, claimed that the casings came from a second gun that Harrison fired. Authorities already have matched other bullets to a separate gun that Harrison owns—and that he admitted was in his possession on the day the shooting occurred. Police found the gun during a search of Harrison's Escalade. The stop occurred as Harrison drove the vehicle the wrong way on a one-way street. Harrison claimed he did not have a gun. But police believed they saw Harrison put what appeared to be a weapon in the console between the two front seats. They concluded that they had probable cause to search the vehicle, and they found the gun.^[11] The FBI has become involved in the investigation.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Indianapolis Colts bio
• Career statistics and player information from NFL.com • Yahoo! Sports

Britney Spears
Spears performing at her Femme Fatale Tour in Europe, 2011
Background information
Birth name	Britney Jean Spears
Born	(1981-12-02) December 2, 1981 (age 30) McComb, Mississippi, U.S.
Genres	Pop, dance
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, record producer, author, fashion designer, video director
Instruments	Vocals, piano
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Jive, RCA[1]
Associated acts	The New Mickey Mouse Club
Website	britneyspears.com britney.com

Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album ...Baby One More Time in 1999, which became the best-selling album by a teenage solo artist.^[2] During her first decade in the music industry, she became a prominent figure in mainstream popular music and popular culture, followed by a much-publicized personal life. Her first two albums established her as a pop icon and broke sales records, while title tracks "...Baby One More Time" and "Oops!... I Did It Again" became international number-one hits. Spears was credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s, and became the 'best-selling teen aged artist of all time' before she turned 20,^[3] garnering her the honorific title of "Princess of Pop".^[4]

In 2001, she released her third studio album Britney and expanded her brand, playing the starring role in the film Crossroads. She assumed creative control of her fourth studio album, In the Zone (2003), which yielded chart-topping singles "Me Against the Music", "Toxic" and "Everytime". After the release of two compilation albums, Spears experienced personal struggles and her career went into hiatus. Her fifth studio album, Blackout, was released in 2007 and despite receiving little promotion, it spawned hits "Gimme More" and "Piece of Me". In 2008, her erratic behavior and hospitalizations caused her to be placed in a conservatorship. The same year, her sixth studio album Circus was released, with the global chart-topping lead single "Womanizer", and hits such as "Circus" and "If U Seek Amy". She embarked on her highest-grossing global concert tour,^[5] The Circus Starring Britney Spears, in 2009. In October of the same year, she released a chart-topping single, "3", which became her third single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Her seventh studio album Femme Fatale, released in 2011, has become the first of her albums to yield three top ten singles in the United States, "Hold It Against Me", "Till the World Ends" and "I Wanna Go". The same year, she also gained her fifth number one single when she featured on the remix of "S&M" alongside Rihanna.

Spears work has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including a Grammy Award, 6 MTV Video Music Awards including the Lifetime Achievement Award, 9 Billboard Music Awards, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2009, Billboard ranked her as the 8th overall Artist of the Decade,^[6] and also recognized her as the best-selling female artist of the first decade of the 21st century, as well as the fifth overall.^[7] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) also recognized Spears as the eighth top-selling female artist in the United States, with 33 million certified albums.^[8] Nielsen SoundScan ranked Spears the tenth best-selling digital artist of the country, with more than 28.6 million digital singles as of January 2012.^[9] She has sold over 100 million albums worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time.^[10] Rolling Stone recognized her instant success as one of the Top 25 Teen Idol Breakout Moments of all time,^[11] while VH1 ranked her eleventh on their "100 Greatest Women in Music" list in 2012.^[12] Forbes also revealed that Spears was the sixth most powerful celebrity, and the third best paid musician of 2011-12, having topped the list back in 2002.^[13] In Fall 2012, Spears will serve as a judge in the second season of the American version of The X Factor.^[14]

Biography[link]

1981–97: Early life, and career beginnings[link]

Britney Jean Spears was born on December 2, 1981, the second child of Lynne Irene (née Bridges) and James Parnell Spears. She is of English heritage through her maternal grandmother, Lillian Portelli who was born in London, and of distant Maltese and Sicilian (Sicani) descent.^[15][16][17] Her siblings are Bryan James and Jamie Lynn.^[18] At age three, she started to attend dance lessons in her hometown of Kentwood, Louisiana, and was selected to perform as a solo artist at the annual recital. During her childhood, she also attended gymnastics and voice lessons, and won many state-level competitions and children's talent shows.^[19][20][21] Spears made her local stage debut at age five, singing "What Child Is This?" at her kindergarten graduation. She said about her ambition as a child, "I was in my own world, [...] I found out what I'm supposed to do at an early age".^[20] At age eight, Spears and her mother Lynne traveled to Atlanta for an audition in the 1990s revival of The Mickey Mouse Club. Casting director Matt Casella rejected her for being too young to join the series at the time, but introduced her to Nancy Carson, a New York City talent agent. Carson was impressed with Spears's vocals and suggested enrolling her at the Professional Performing Arts School; shortly after, Lynne and her daughters moved to a sublet apartment in New York. Spears was hired for her first professional role as the understudy for the lead role of Tina Denmark in the Off-Broadway musical Ruthless!. She also appeared as a contestant on the popular television show Star Search, as well as being cast in a number of commercials.^[22][23] In December 1992, she was finally cast in The Mickey Mouse Club, but returned to Kentwood after the show was canceled. She enrolled at Parklane Academy in nearby McComb, Mississippi. Although she made friends with most of her classmates, she compared the school to "the opening scene in Clueless with all the cliques. [...] I was so bored. I was the point guard on the basketball team. I had my boyfriend, and I went to homecoming and Christmas formal. But I wanted more."^[20][24]