Living Single: Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake

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Britney Spears

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But don't sniffle for Britney just yet. Her $12 million film debut, Crossroads, has grossed a respectable $37 million—though less than the $41 million haul of Mandy Moore's A Walk to Remember. Moreover, her reported $7 million deal to pitch Pepsi and a cameo in this summer's Austin Powers sequel ensure that she won't completely fall off the pop-culture radar. (Tabloid items on her post-breakup table dancing in nightclubs probably won't hurt either.)

Like Timberlake, Spears seems to be shying away from her teenybopper roots. "It all starts with the image first--dressing a little bit more adult, showing a little bit more skin," says Rodney Jerkins, who produced "I'm a Slave 4 U" as well as 'N Sync's "Pop." "We wrote together and [we knew] we couldn't write songs like before, where it was basically kiddie pop." In fact, Spears cowrote four songs on Britney.

While she faces a greater challenge in reinventing herself, since she (unlike her ex) is already a solo artist, Spears does have other assets...and not just the ones you think. "She's a better singer than people give her credit for," notes Grammy-winning songwriter Diane Warren, who has worked with both 'N Sync and Spears. And for material? "She can call me—I've got a lot of 'F--- off' songs!" We can see it now: Britney sings the blues.