Britney is latest celebrity to mention Philippines

First it was the US television series Desperate Housewives, then the satirical program The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. And now, international singer Britney Spears is the latest American celebrity to mention the Philippines. The embattled dancing chanteuse included the word 'Philippines' in the lyrics of her soon to be released follow-up single called, "Piece of Me," which recently found its way to the Internet. In the song, Spears lashed back at her critics as she narrated how members of the media have persistently stuck their noses into both the personal and professional aspects of her life. However, it was the first few lines of the songs that sparked the interest of Filipinos. In the first stanza of the song, Spears sings: "I'm Miss American Dream since I was 17 / Don't matter if I step on the scene / Or sneak away to the Philippines / They still got pictures of my derrière in the magazine / You want a piece of me? / You want a piece of me?" Several days ago, the song leaked into the Internet and instantly elicited varying remarks from online aficionados, Filipinos and non-Filipinos alike. "Hey, Britney, give me a call if you want to sneak away to the Philippines! LOL," Pinoy Money Talk commented in one blog. Several members of online forum Just Jared Discussion Forum immediately posted their comments on Britney's upcoming single. While taking delight on the reference, forum member Maldita doubted if the singer even has any knowledge about the Philippines. "I'm honored she put Philippines in there but I bet she doesn't know where it is!" she said. "I do not think Brit even know where Philippines is. She hasn't been there yet. She won't even give a hoot about the Filipinos. She just want the Filipinos to back her up. PR manipulation," another member 'nipa hut' opined. Zanessa_inlove seconded both comments and asked the singer, "britney…do you know where the PHILIPPINES is?" Meanwhile, over at YouTube, where the song was also posted accompanying a video presentation, viewer badradlad had a different question in mind when he inquired, "Why sneak away to the Philippines?" As of this posting, the said video clip, posted October 1, has already generated 34,850 page views and can be accessed on YouTube's website. But some web users found a way to hurl sarcastic remarks at Spears, who recently received flak for what critics considered a dismal comeback. Eira, another Just Jared member, suggested, "go sneak away to the PHILIPPINES brit," while another added "The people there might still buy your (album) America is so sick of your antics." But Ally would prefer otherwise, saying that allowing the singer to "sneak" into a foreign country was unnecessary. "Philippines?... please, you're the LAST thing poor filipinos in the barangay need. And why would she be sneaking away to the Philippines,"said Ally. Spears is the latest music artist to drop the name of the Philippines in a song. The last internationally popular song that made reference to the Philippines was "Bebot" by half-Filipino singer Alex "APL" Pineda is one fourth of of US-based hip-hop group Black Eyed Peas. References to the Philippines have recently been highlighted by the local media especially after a character from US television series Desperate Housewives made what was perceived as a racial slur against Filipino medical practitioners. In one hospital scene during the show's season premiere, a terrified Susan Miranda, played by Superman actress Terry Hatcher, asked the attending doctor if she could first inspect his medical diplomas, "Coz, I just want to make sure they're not from some med school in the Philippines." Filipinos here and abroad in the last few days have expressed their outrage over the remark. The Philippine government as well as various Filipino medical organizations joined in demanding an apology from the show's producers. American Broadcasting Co. has already responded to the public outrage by issuing a statement of apology on Wednesday. "The producers of 'Desperate Housewives' and ABC Studios offer our sincere apologies for any offense caused by the brief reference in the season premiere. There was no intent to disparage the integrity of any aspect of the medical community in the Philippines,'' the statement said. - GMANews.TV