As expected, Britney Spears' "Circus" makes a big bow at the top of The Billboard 200, becoming her fifth No. 1. The Jive set moved 505,000 copies in the United States, making Spears
the only act in Nielsen SoundScan history to have four albums debut with 500,000 or more. Spears has also become
the only woman whose first six studio albums have debuted in the top two slots on the chart.
Since SoundScan began tracking data in 1991, only four acts -- aside from Spears -- have notched three 500,000-starts: 2Pac, 50 Cent, Garth Brooks and Jay-Z.
Previously, her second, third and fourth sets all racked up half-million weeks: 2000's "Oops! I Did It Again" started with 1.3 million, 2001's "Britney" debuted with 746,000 and 2003's "In the Zone" entered the chart with 609,000. Among female artists, only four have earned more No. 1 albums: Barbra Streisand (eight), Madonna (seven) and Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson (both with six).
The album outpaced the first-week numbers of some of Brit's pop peers, including Beyoncé's I Am ... Sasha Fierce, Mariah Carey's E = MC2 and Miley Cyrus' Breakout.
Spears' manager, Larry Rudolph, told The Associated Press that the success of Circus really does signify Brit's triumphant return. "At the end of the day, I think she is America's pop princess, and the world's pop princess, and this just reconfirms it to everyone who doubted it," he said. "Professionally, she's feeling great. ... It's great for her to hear that she's got a No. 1 album again."
- Billboard
OMFG!
Brit's pop pear? please! 
