BRITNEY, this could have been your life.. EXCLUSIVE Sarah lives in a trailer in Kentwood, Louisiana and spends EUR375 a week AND YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN A LOT HAPPIER.Byline: By JULIE MCCAFFREY in Kentwood, Louisiana Kentwood is a rural town in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana near the Mississippi border. The population was 2,205 at the 2000 census. Water from Kentwood is bottled and popularly marketed in New Orleans under the Kentwood Springs label. TEN years ago, every little girl in the sleepy backwater of Kentwood wanted to be Britney Spears. She was the lucky one. The one who'd escaped. The one who'd become a worldwide star with a celebrity boyfriend and riches beyond her wildest dreams. But fast-forward a decade and Britney is envied by no one here. In mental meltdown, carted off to hospital, her two sons taken from her, two broken marriages and a spate of bizarre behaviour means she is no longer Louisiana's golden girl. But what if Britney had never found fame and simply slipped back into obscurity after child stardom on the Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse Famous character of Walt Disney's animated cartoons. He was introduced in Steamboat Willie (1928), the first animated cartoon with sound. Mickey was created by Disney, who also provided his high-pitched voice, and was usually drawn by the studio's head animator, club? Would a very ordinary Britney today be a Kentwood housewife, content with nights out at Nyla's Burger Basket, inviting friends to a crawfish crawfish: see crayfish. boil on Sunday nights and limiting herself to EUR EUR In currencies, this is the abbreviation for the Euro. Notes: The currency market, also known as the Foreign Exchange market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average volume of over US $1 trillion. 90 a month in a local Gap store? Mum-of-two Sarah Schilling, like Britney, is 26 and is from Kentwood. She's never seen her name up in lights, never been photographed without her knickers and never shaved off her long hair. And thank the Lord for that, she would say. Like most local girls her age here, she lives in a trailer and is saving to buy her first home. She works fulltime selling cars and is happy and secure in a world that revolves around her family and her Baptist faith. Dear Britney, this could have been your life ... The stark contrast between the two girls from the same God-fearing corner of America is not lost on Sarah. "I used to think of Britney as the girl who had it all - a megastar with fame, fortune and a fabulous lifestyle," she reflects. "But now I wouldn't swap places with her for anything in the world. "That poor girl. Her life has fallen apart. It seems like she was fast-tracked to fame, but doesn't know how to get off that track. The saddest thing is that along the way, she's ruined her life. "Money's a struggle for me, but I have a great relationship with my kids and family, a wonderful man, a happy home life. So I feel rich." POP princess Britney, who has sold 76 million records worldwide, has a gaggle of staff who obey her every whim... no matter how erratic. Her pounds 65 million fortune means she can waste her day in any way she pleases. Sarah's typical day, on the other hand, starts at 6.30am, when she checks that her two horses in the muddy paddock behind her trailer have food and water. After showering, she baths her two-year-old daughter Rylee then drops her off at the daycare centre. Her son Parker is living with his dad at the moment. She then heads for work at the local Ford dealership, and after an eight-hour shift spends her evenings cooking, cleaning and playing on the living room floor with Rylee. She pays weekly childcare costs of EUR65, spends EUR75 on groceries from the Sunflower store and EUR50 on petrol. She does her laundry at the local Washeteria wash·e·teria n. A laundromat. [wash + (caf)eteria.] and spends EUR30 a month on one 40-minute session on a tanning bed tanning bed n. A structure lined with sunlamps in which one stands or reclines in order to acquire a suntan. Also called sunbed. . Her favourite weekend pastime is a day at the local mall, but she considers spending EUR90 on an outfit from Gap a huge extravagance. Her 29-year-old fiance Johnny is a storm clearance worker who is away from home for months at a time for his EUR35,500 salary. It's a sacrifice the young family bears as they want to save around EUR150,000 to build their own house. When Johnny comes home, the family eat out at Chucky Cheese fast food joint or for a real treat, Nyla's Burger Basket restaurant - a favourite with Britney, whose autographed pictures line the walls. Hamburgers are EUR3, fries EUR1.50. Sarah doesn't envy Britney. "Money doesn't buy you happiness - everyone knows that. And you don't need flashy celebrity friends or fancy bars to have a good time. "A good time for us means having family around for a crawfish boil. We put a bunch of crawfish in a big old pot, add potatoes and corn, boil it up and put it in the middle of a table." Kentwood, 100 miles north of New Orleans New Orleans (ôr`lēənz –lənz, ôrlēnz`), city (2006 pop. 187,525), coextensive with Orleans parish, SE La., between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, 107 mi (172 km) by water from the river mouth; founded , is known for nothing other than being Britney Spears' hometown - her name is on the town sign. There's a church on every corner and drivers swerve to avoid the roosters . For most of the 2,000 locals who live in modest clapboard clapboard (klăb`ərd), board used for the exterior finish of a wood-framed building and attached horizontally to the wood studs. The word, in its original and strict use, refers to a product of New England; boards of similar type made elsewhere homes, nightlife consists of swinging on a chair on their veranda before going to bed. Sarah's boss at the Magee Autoplex Ford dealership was classmates with Britney and her colleague went to the daycare centre which was run by Britney's mum Lynne, who now lives in a large ranch house on the outskirts of town. The girl who first found fame as a cute 11-year-old on the Mickey Mouse Club and found love with Justin Timberlake is now twice divorced and embroiled in an ugly custody battle Noun 1. custody battle - litigation to settle custody of the children of a divorced couple judicial proceeding, litigation - a legal proceeding in a court; a judicial contest to determine and enforce legal rights with ex-husband Kevin Federline An editor has expressed a concern that the references in this article or section may not meet Wikipedia's guidelines for reliable sources. Please help by checking whether the references meet the criteria for reliable sources. Further discussion may be found on the talk page. over their sons. Last week she took them hostage in her Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. home and was stretchered off to hospital for psychological tests Psychological Tests Definition Psychological tests are written, visual, or verbal evaluations administered to assess the cognitive and emotional functioning of children and adults. . Failed rehab, shambolic sham·bol·ic adj. Chiefly British Slang Disorderly or chaotic: "[The country's] transportation system is in a shambolic state" performances and crazed outbursts fuelled by substance abuse have shocked her conservative hometown folk. Yet Sarah still empathises with the failing star. She says: "When I was a child my ambitions were the same as Britney's. My mom had big plans for me - she enrolled me in pageants, encouraged me to sing solo at church and was so proud when I started cheerleading and modelling. But those plans didn't work out. "I've had a lot of heartache like Britney. I was wild at high school and became pregnant with my son Parker when I was only 18. I drank way too much and eventually had to enter a treatment programme. "And I lost custody of Parker to his daddy, so I know how it feels to be a mother who aches to be with their child. "I hit rock bottom, then realised what I was missing out on - the chance to be a good parent. I had been selfish but learned from my mistakes, grew up, got sober. "Now I see my son Parker every month and hope he can spend his summers with me. "I've repaired my relationship with my parents and know I'm loved - that's all I need. I want for nothing in life." Like so many of the local people here, Sarah hopes to see the singer happy and healthy again soon. She says: "Britney needs to turn her back on Hollywood and come back home. We would admire her so much for doing that. "People care for each other here, our southern values mean we prize our families above everything else and we lead simple, but good lives. "Britney, come back to us." pounds 97M Britney's fortune .. so far SARAH v BRITNEY SARAH Age: 26 Earns: EUR1,560 a month as a full-time car saleswoman Home: EUR30,000 two-bedroom trailer in Kentwood, Louisiana Car: Ford Escape 4x4, bought second-hand for EUR9,000 Partner: Fiance Johnny, 29, is a building contractor. Split with son Parker's father Children: Parker, nine, and Rylee, two Friends: Kelly Meyn, a food inspector who lives in a trailer in Kentwood Eating out bill per month: EUR75 at Chucky Cheese or Nyla's Burger Basket Clothing per month: EUR90 in Gap or Wal-Mart Parties: Crawfish boils Ambition: To buy her own home and be a good fiancee, friend and mother BRITNEY Age: 26 Earns: EUR525,000 a month to top up her EUR97million fortune Homes: Sprawling mansions in Louisiana, Orlando and Beverly Hills Cars: Fleet of SUVs, brand new Mercedes Benz, Ferrari 360 Partner: Divorced from second husband Kevin Federline, 29, after two years' marriage. Divorced first husband, Jason Alexander, after 55 hours. Children: Sons Sean Preston, two, and one-year-old Jayden James Friends: Paris Hilton, Madonna Eating out bill per month: EUR3,980 Clothing expenditure per month: EUR12,000 to ensure she never needs to wear the same outfit twice Parties: LA's hottest nightclubs Ambition: To climb back to the top of the pop charts with her new album Blackout, her first in four years julie.mccaffrey@mirror.co.uk CAPTION(S): FAME: Brit and Justin; SMALLSVILLE: Britney is Kentwood, Louisiana's only claim to fame; HOME: Sarah is happy to spend her evenings playing with Rylee Pictures: STEVE DENNETT; HOME: Her Los Angeles mansion hasn't brought Britney much joy |
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