MySpace, MySpears: Hounding Britney

I received a message from Britney Spears on my MySpace page. I can hear the skeptics: "If only it was 'The Real Britney.'" Yet, everyone and their dog has a MySpace page these days, including the rich and famous.

The best clue that a celebrity MySpace profile is official and in the flesh is that it is set to "Private," so you have to officially request their friendship through a "friend add." Once they have added you to their collection of friends, (which often number in the tens of thousands) then you will be able to access their pictures.

If the photos are of a more personal variety and not just the usual paparazzi parking lot portraits, the profile is more likely the real deal. Of course, the bigger the star, the more likely it is that said-celebrity has someone else who administers his or her MySpace page.

Necessity is the mother of invention, and I have found MySpace messaging to be a useful mechanism for contacting sources for Orato.com editorial. MySpace is how I contacted former U.S. Air Force Sergeant Michelle Manhart, who was kicked out of the military for posing nude in Playboy. It's also how I contacted Bonnie Stern, sister of Howard K. Stern, the last life partner of the late Anna Nicole Smith. Admittedly, the bigger the name, the harder it is to make contact.

Once I found what appeared to be "Official Britney Spears" MySpace page, I discovered that it was set to private. Although I couldn't see beyond the front page, I did notice a number of insiders leaving comments on Britney's page, which were of a personal nature, asking her how the babies were doing and encouraging her to overcome her recent heartache.