Britney does Madge - again

She's blonde, she's raunchy and she's now taking her cue from another American pop icon.

These pictures appear to show that Britney Spears is becoming more and more like Madonna.

Only last week she was French- kissing Madonna on stage at the MTV awards.
But today she became a mirror-image of the formerly blonde Material Girl - as she was manhandled and then stripped down by a team of slavishly-devoted men as she starred in launch of America's National Football League 2003 season.

It was almost a carbon-copy of Madonna's performance at her Earls Court concert two years ago when she was bodily lifted back and forth across the stage in a kilt.

But Britney, 21, left 44-year-old Madonna for dead as her male dance team proceeded to peel down her jeans leaving her in her underwear at the ceremony at Washington's National Mall.

As she belted out her new single - Me Against The Music - the teen idol's skimpy black-and-white NFL referee's uniform was slowly removed by the football-jersey clad dancers who prowled the stage. It was just the latest example of the once-virginal Britney's transformation into a star who leaves little to the imagination.

At the MTV video awards, Britney and Christina Aguilera were both grabbed by Madonna and kissed on the lips before the trio performed a medley of Madonna's Like A Virgin hit. They then writhed around after ripping off the dresses to reveal hot pants and mini skirts - in what for Spears was a clearly a dress rehearsal for her NFL role.

Today's launch, which also starred rock warriors Aerosmith, soul-belter Mary J. Blige and punk rockers Good Charlotte, drew thousands of fans to the National Mall, the two-mile-long grassy strip that usually plays host to political rallies, tourists and picnickers.

The event was billed as a patriotic salute to US fighting forces, and whitecapped sailors and camouflage-wearing soldiers mingled in the crowd. President Bush, in a TV message, said football's teamwork, sacrifice and determination reflected the spirit of the nation.