OK, we're going to hold one thing against Britney Spears. What's with all the product placement?!
The still-chugging pop sensation released her video for "Hold It Against Me" tonight, and it's standard Spears: black leather, a couple of skimpy outfits and one princess gown to hammer home the innocent-naughty dichotomy that is the theme of pretty much all of her songs; backup dancers who can't get enough of her and a futuristic, space-agey theme.
She also threw in a high-heeled fight scene against herself, snippets of an old Britney video and plenty of hair-whipping, perhaps figuring it worked for Willow Smith!
MORE: Hold It, People: Britney Spears Did Her Own Dancing
Perhaps not so weirdly these days, all the eye candy came with random close-ups of her signature fragrance, as well as Sony and Makeup for Ever products and the website PlentyOf Fish.com. (Oh yeah, Brit does some online dating in the video, too.) We were waiting for her to start chugging a Pepsi or, in keeping with the song's message, whip out a pack of Trojans.
But overall: Vintage sexed-up Britney, who just wants to be taken seriously as a woman, dammit. And you can't hold that against her, no matter how much she may want you to.
(Originally published Feb. 17, 2010, at 7:45 p.m. PT)