BLACKOUT

It's her 5th studio album.

It's her 1st album in 4 years.

It's her infamous comeback.

It's Britney Spears .

It's BLACKOUT

Britney Spears much anticipated comeback album BLACKOUT hits stores October 30, 2007. Since her debut album Baby One More Time (1999), Spears has sold over 83 million records world wide according to Zomba Label Group .

With all of the media scrutiny surrounding Spears, the album's title is questionable with reports spreading of "habitual and frequent drug and alcohol abuse" by the pop star. BLACKOUT refers to "blocking out negativity and embracing life fully," according to Spears' label Jive Records .

The album was originally due to be released on November 13, 2007, but the date was pushed forward when several unauthorized online leaks of the songs were posted. In an effort to combat song piracy and due to the success of the lead single "Gimme More" , Spears' album will drop a reported two weeks early.

There was a lot of confusion as to the title of the album. Spears ran a competition on her official website for fans to vote for the album's title, however none of those suggestions were used. Spears will not do any promotion for BLACKOUT other than her 2007 Video Music Awards Performance.

People magazine got their hands on four snippets of songs to be featured on the new album.

The four songs include "Gimme More," "Radar," "Piece of me," and "Heaven." I'm not quite sure what I expected these four teasers to sound like, but honestly I was blown away. The sound is best described as a techno/club/dance music mix. The beats are futuristic and pulsating. I have no doubt this album is going to soar. The Britney haters are going to eat their words. This album is radio friendly and keeps the public wanting more.

"She may no longer dance with flair, lip-sync on cue, keep her dress down, or even be judged a suitable mom, but Britney Spears can still turn up on some slammin' new songs," Jim Farber of the New York Daily News writes.

Britney's work ethic is clearly evident from the album's pop magic qualities. She has gone through a lot in her personal life and her professionalism in the studio has created a "dance masterpiece." Spears reportedly worked tirelessly on the album even at 8 months pregnant with her second son. BLACKOUT shows a lot of growth for Britney as a performer. Her vocals are stronger and the electro/Eurodisco approach works for the dance-themed high energy music.

Recording artist T-Pain who arranged the music and gave background vocals for "Hot as Ice," was particularly impressed with Spears' ultra professional work ethic. "I thought she was going to be sitting on the couch eating Doritos or nachos or something," he said, "but she came in, shook my hand, gave me a hug and went right in the booth. She got in there and put it down," T-Pain writes.

The title track "Piece of me," is Spears' mission statement in the album in which she sings by dissecting her own media coverage. It's a slap in the face to the extreme media scrutiny she endures. "Radar" is emulating a video game, but keeps the sound fresh and the lyrics dangerous like "she's on the prowl." Pharrell Williams produced her closing track "Why Should I be Sad" that reportedly speaks to her ex-husband Kevin Federline. He was also complimentary of Spears' hard work on BLACKOUT.

"She's going through a lot that people don't recognize," Pharrell said. "You got to understand, she was a child star and she's held on way longer than most people can. You got to understand the pressure. Her record is cool, but you got to give her a second to get things back together. You're seeing a reality show that no one's producing, that no one's directing, and that's a problem."

Sean Garrett who co-produced and sang on Track 8 "Toy Soldier," said it best.

"Obviously, she has something special. She's just down-to-earth. She's her. She's not trying to be nobody else but her. And she makes mistakes — we all make mistakes — but you gotta love her. She'll have the world dancing for her, if you give her an opportunity to show what she's made of."

Bottom Line- BLACKOUT will be Britney's comeback.

I'd love to hear what you think! Feel free to Post a comment on my blog..

Knoxville News Sentinel Field Trip

Our Online Journalism class took a field trip last Tuesday to the Knoxville News Sentinel . I had no expectations going into the visit since I have sadly never visited the paper's office in my 15 years as a Knoxville resident.

As I pulled into the KNS parking lot, I was admittedly embarrassed of the thought that I was a UT journalism student and had no idea what my local paper had to offer. I walked in to the lobby where I luckily met Katie my classmate who was also running late. We were escorted upstairs by Jack Lail , a Managing Editor for the sentinel. Mr. Lail directs the editorial content on the News Sentinel's website. He was responsible for launching knoxnews.com in 1995 and GoVols.com in 1996.

Katie and I sauntered up the stairs. "Wow! It looks like the set of a movie," Katie and I both shrieked. We were immediately impressed with the professional look of a "real newsroom." I don't quite know what I expected, but the layout satisfied my ideas of what a newsroom should look like. It had the feel of the Daily Planet , a fictional newspaper on Superman that first sparked my interest in journalism.

We walked into a small conference room where our class was huddled around a table. I met three online producers (Katie Hall, Talid Magdy and Lauren Spuhler) working for the Sentinel and learned what each of them contributed to the paper. These producers keep knoxnews.com fresh with breaking news content and produce video, audio and multimedia packages. Their biggest advice for journalism students was to "dabble in every area possible and learn to work with different software." A proficiency in technical programs like i photo will set you apart from other journalism students.

The most interesting part of the News Sentinel field trip was listening to Jack Lail talk about his 30 years of experience working in journalism. Through the decades, technology has expanded the access and timeliness of news, but the basics of journalism Lail learned in college still apply today. It fascinated me that a veteran writer and a reporter fresh out of college (Hall) could collaborate skills and creativity to deliver breaking news to the public. The most important thing I took away from our field trip to the Knoxville News Sentinel was to continue improving as a journalist and gain experience where ever possible. The News Sentinel definitely matches up to other news websites. Their regional and national awards speak volumes of their news team and the competition they defeat in their market size.

User-Contributed Content

What do you think of user-contributed content?

It depends on what the "user" is contributing. This may sound elementary but consider the fundamentals of the Internet. It is an online sharing tool. Time magazine recognizes user-contributed information as being the next best thing. Or is it? When it comes to listening to their customers, companies find it is one of the most useful tools to solving tough business problems. On the flip side, who are these people that contribute to news worthy stories? Who has the time, energy or passion to respond to content?

These online reviewers are people that offer valuable and sometimes useless feedback for discussion. If there is no direction to the discussion or forum, it can seem the user is rambling. Some companies set up designated chats or message boards to control the flow of conversation. In Web Developer's Virtual Library , new media pundits claim that user-contributed content "is one of the major benefits of the online medium compared with print and broadcast." The online medium has the timeliness and proximity that newspapers and TV lack.

The Internet is in the midst of an explosion of user-contributed content. Shows like Larry King Live and Nancy Grace are prime media examples of user-contributed content online. They offer the public news headlines and exclusive websites for vital information from celebrity gossip to missing persons updates. According to Judy Olson , "the dynamic and collaborative nature of the content available online today is a new twist on how people have used technology to share information in the past." Users are free to comment on what is most important to them as opposed to what fits with the stereotypical norm.

I contribute to content online daily through group message boards and Facebook wall posts. News is definitely a conversation. Think about how we all find out about the headlines. I can recall several instances where someone has called, text or emailed me about breaking news. It's the public's way of keeping each other safe and informed. In Journalism in a 24/7 World, this means making better ethical and credible news decisions for the online editor. This will change the way main stream media reports and produces the news by keeping journalism standards and values at the forefront of reporting. User-contributed content can only expand our knowledge and desire to report accurate and timely stories.