Spears Gets Hollywood Star on Eve of Album Debut

Surrounded by throngs of cheering fans, the 21-year-old recording star became the 2,242nd performer honored with a bronze star embedded in Tinseltown's famed sidewalk.

"I'm seriously speechless right now," the giddy singer told onlookers. "This is something I've dreamed about since I was a little girl. ... Thank you so much for even coming out today and sharing this memory with me that I'll never forget."

Forsaking the provocative, midriff-bearing outfits that have become her trademark, Spears opted for a casually modest look, dressing in bluejeans, a pink top and pink jacket for the occasion.

Spears' Hollywood honor, which cost $15,000, followed a flurry of talk show appearances to promote her latest album, "In the Zone," due for release on Tuesday by Jive Records, a unit of Bertelsmann AG .

Industry watchers regard the album as a key test of Spears' commercial viability as she seeks to make the transition from pop princess to pop diva following a two-year recording hiatus.

The buildup to her comeback effort included her sensational open-mouthed kiss with Madonna on the MTV Video Music Awards show in September. The two also appear together on the first single off Spears' new album, "Me Against the Music," and a steamy video accompanying the track.

Spears has sold some 60 million albums since she shot to fame with her 1999 debut, "... Baby One More Time." With the subsequent release of "Oops! ... I Did It Again" and "Britney," Spears became the first female performer in the history of Billboard magazine to have her first three albums open at No. 1 on the pop album chart.

Reuters/VNU