SYDNEY (Reuters) - Pop princess Britney
Spears pulled out all the stops for fans in Sydney
on Thursday with a free show and red carpet walk, just weeks after she came
under a hail of criticism for snubbing fans in London.
Wearing a black lace top, hipster jeans and a black leather cap, a
gum-chewing Spears smiled as she was escorted by a posse of muscular bouncers to
the Australian premiere of her rites of passage road movie
"Crossroads."
Hundreds of teenage fans screamed hysterically as the blonde singer posed for
photos and leaned on a minder's shoulder to sign autographs, before heading into
the cinema where actor Laurence
Fishburne was among scores of waiting guests.
After her making her movie debut in the critically acclaimed
"Crossroads," Spears said she has definite ideas about who she would
like as her next leading man.
" Brad
Pitt wouldn't be bad, that would be very nice," Spears, 20,
told reporters outside the Fox Studios cinema.
At the London premiere of Crossroads in March, Spears was hissed and booed
after arriving late then disappearing into the cinema without meeting thousands
of waiting fans.
In an effort to counter the criticism, Spears earlier performed three of her
hit songs including "I'm Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman" from the
Crossroads soundtrack, for over 1,000 people packed into a small indoor Sydney
venue.
Thousands more resorted to watching Spears on huge screens in a nearby car
park, after a bigger show was scrapped after heavy rain damaged equipment.
But just a glimpse of the songstress was enough to please ardent Britney
fans.
"She rocks, she's so cool," said fan Kristal Prior, 13.
World
of Britney.com, Winner of the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 Golden Web
Award
