Britney Spears doesn't believe in giving long answers to questions. Which is surprising because she likes to talk — on her mobile phone, at least. She has been known to chatter away for so long on her phone that her bill for one day exceeds the cost of a hotel suite.

However, the 20-year-old pop superstar prefers to let her music speak for her. 'I love performing and having people hear my music. Seeing young kids' faces glow makes me feel good,' said Spears in Tokyo Sunday. That was about the longest answer she gave during a 10-minute press conference.

Standing 158 cm tall and dressed in an Anna Sui outfit of long pink skirt and midriff-revealing top beneath a blue denim jacket which she later swapped for a striped top and short denim skirt, Spears could easily be mistaken for a Barbie doll. In fact, later in the day she received the Barbie Award 2002 from toymaker Bandai Co for being the woman most young Japanese women aspire to be like (last year Japanese diva Ayumi Hamasaki won the award).

Spears fooled her legions of fans by arriving in Japan from Australia one day earlier than scheduled, on Saturday. She and her entourage spent the day shopping in Omotesando, and surprisingly were not mobbed.

She will perform her first concert in Japan at Tokyo Dome on Thursday, while her debut movie, 'Crossroads,' opens here May 18. It's the story of three childhood friends who rediscover their friendship on a cross-country road trip. Along the way they experience things that will change their lives forever.

It won't win any awards but as a vehicle to launch her acting career, Spears is happy with the result. 'Acting and singing are both forms of expression. On the stage there is more energy and instant gratification from the audience,' she said. 'The hardest thing about acting is crying. I'm not very good at it.'

'Crossroads,' she thinks, will appeal to a generation of kids. The theme song, 'Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman,' sums it up, she said. 'It's just about teenagers in the in-between stage as they try to figure out who they are and what they want.'

Spears seems to have had no trouble figuring out what she wanted from an early age. Born in the tiny Louisiana town of Kentwood (pop. 1,200), she auditioned for the Mickey Mouse Club at the age of 8 and finally made it at 11. She spent her summers at New York's Off-Broadway Dance Center and the Professional Performing Arts School. She got her first acting break in the Off-Broadway play 'Ruthless' in 1991.

Her music career took off in 1999 with the release of the album 'Baby One More Time,' followed by 'Oops! ... I Did It Again' in 2000 and 'Britney' last year, all of which were smash hits. She lists Michael Jackson, Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston as her favorite singers.

Whether you like her looks and vocal style or not, Spears is big business, expertly packaged and marketed. She is currently starring in a Skechers USA worldwide advertising campaign for her new roller-skate line, Britney 4 Wheelers. The ads appear in leading trade magazines and teen, lifestyle and fashion magazines. Pepsi and the am-pm stores are getting in on the act for her concert.

In between albums and commercials, Spears is touring worldwide after the Sept 11 terror attacks delayed several overseas engagements. Prior to Tokyo, she gave a free show in Sydney for thousands of hysterical teenagers. It was a far cry from the London premiere of 'Crossroads' in March when she was booed after arriving late, then disappearing into the cinema without greeting waiting fans.

Spears said she doesn't see herself as a role model for teens. 'I don't want to be a model. I just do what I want to do and if that's an inspiration to someone, fine. I want to be an artist that everyone can relate to, that's young, happy and fun.'

Source: japantoday.com