Britney Spears: "3"

I thought a few people would be interested to see Britney Spears' new video for her latest single, "3". It's funny, recent Britney vids are less about the music and more a way for us to judge if she's on-form or "sane", following her public meltdowns and breakdowns...

Is the song good enough to rival "Hit Me Baby, One More Time", "Toxic" or even lesser hits like "Boys"? No -- but it does have an infuriatingly catchy chorus. Does Britney look her best? No -- at 27, she's hardly over-the-hill, but having two kids has taken its toll in that indefinable way. Is she performing well? Yes, sort of -- her recent tour has given her back some fitness, although she still doesn't really dance to the ability she did in, say, "I'm A Slave 4 You". She just wriggles around and strikes erotic poses while wearing outfits that make her look like a solo Pussycat Doll on valium. But there are signs of Ye Olde Britney's charisma sprinkled about, mainly in cheeky close-up half-smiles where you're reminded of her early-'00s sweet/sexy heyday. For all its flaws, this is still probably the best video she's done in awhile (I like how it speeds up towards the end), and the song's an earworm.