Britney's back in France - Spears that is

After a four-year absence from these shores, US pop singer, Britney Spears has made it across the Pond, and will be appearing live on French prime time telly on Friday evening.

She'll be the guest of honour on the reality talent show Star Academy, on the national channel TF1, in an appearance that coincides with the launch of her latest album in this country "Circus".

It's all part of a whistle-stop European promotional tour and comes hot on the heels of an awards ceremony in Germany.

But back to France, and forget for a moment that this is a country with a proud and rich cultural tradition, and that next month the writer, Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio will receive the Nobel prize for literature at a ceremony in the Swedish capital, Stockholm.

Cast aside thoughts of all those famous names throughout the centuries that have left their mark in one way or another, such as Voltaire, Claude Debussy, Paul Cézanne, Arthur Rimbaud, Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre....ah the list could go on and on.

Or even perhaps those currently famed in their respective fields such as Jean-Paul Gaultier, Philippe Starck, Natalie Dessay or Roberto Alagna.

Don't dwell on any of those names - past or present.

Friday is Britney (does her surname really need spelling out) night as far as many television viewers will be concerned.

Well at least that's what TF1 and the producers of Star Ac' (as it's "affectionately" known here) Endemol will be hoping.

The programme - now in its eighth and final season has been floundering in the ratings, and Britney's inclusion in Friday night's line-up is a much-hoped for last push to salvage some of the ground the show has lost over the years, before in winds up in a few weeks time.

TF1 has taken out full page advertisements in many of the country's weekly magazines and has been trumpeting Britney's appearance as "the television event not to be missed."

For those of you unfamiliar with what all the fuss is about - in other words what on earth Star Academy is - here's a brief round-up.

The concept of the show is simple, and is one that, although it was dreamt up by a Spanish production company, was actually first broadcast in France in 2001.

It has also been copied and adapted in more than 50 countries worldwide.

In France, each new season has 16 contestants "holed up" in a chateau on the outskirts of Paris, under the watchful eye of a director and a number of teachers who coach them in dancing, singing, acting and sport.

Just as watchful an eye, if you like, has been that of the viewing public, as the students' progress can be caught live virtually 24/7 on the Net, and each evening for a resumé of the previous day's "highlights".

It's a sort of musical Big Brother, indeed produced by exactly the same company, the hugely successful Endemol.

Every week there's a prime time special, and the contestants get the chance to sing with some of the biggest names in the music industry - both French and international stars. And each show ends of course with one of students being voted off by the public.

Past winners have included Jenifer, Nolwenn Leroy and Elodie Frégé during the first three seasons of the show.

Never heard of them? Doesn't matter - they've all had reasonably good careers here in France.

In its fourth season the winner was Gregory Lemarchal, the "voice of an angel" who had numerous hits, but sadly died last year at the age of 23 of cystic fibrosis.

Seasons five and six brought us Magalie Vaé and Cyril Cinélu as winners - now you could be more than forgiven for not having a clue as to who they are - nor do most French. Their albums bombed, and little more has been heard from them.

And last year was the turn of Quentin Mosimann - the jury's still out on whether he'll make it big time here.

For this, the last season of the show, the students have been living in the centre of Paris rather than the chateau, and are now down to the final five.

They're the lucky ones who will get, in the words of the show's presenter, Nikos Aliagas, "the chance of their lives" to share the stage tonight with Britney.

They include (first names only, as is the tradition while the show is on air) Alice, Gautier, Mickels, Solène and Joanna - each with their "own universe" as the teachers continually insist on telling viewers, and all five over-excited at the thought of rubbing musical shoulders (or vocal cords) with Britney.

"It's just crazy to think that I'll be on stage with Britney," says Alice, the 19-year-old "pretty and graceful beauty" from Marseille.

"I've sat through all her videos and have learned many of her dance moves, "says 21-yearold R 'n B singer, Joanna.

"Mad," says 20-year-old wannabe rocker Gautier.

The last few months and indeed weeks have been a bit of a nail-biting time for the show's co-ordinator of guest appearances, Nathalie André.

In an interview with the weekly TV guide, Télé 7 Jours, André said that it had taken months of negotiations to secure the US singer's agreement to appear on the show.

"Every time we book an international star, we never have any 'legal' guarantee that they'll actually turn up," she said.

"We've been negotiating with Britney for the last seven months," she added.

"And we experienced the same kind of stress we had before Madonna agreed to come on the show."

Incidentally that appearance by Madonna was back in 2005 - the fifth season, and pulled in more than eight million viewers.

With the programme nearing the end of its run, and an average audience of just over three million tuning in each week, TF1 and Endemol are hoping that "Brit Brit" will work her star magic not just with the five left in the competition, but just as importantly with viewers.