First, the inevitable. With a couple of weeks to go before her third record, Best Damn Thing, reaches stores, Avril Lavigne took a moment during her European press tour to slag her trusty foil, Britney Spears. "What has happened to Britney is all down to who she is as a person," Avril mused to a British newspaper. "If you want a piece of this business you have to be able to deal with it."

Then, the ironic. Just around the time these words were causing a stir among the sort of people who blog about these things, the CBC aired Avril Lavigne: Exclusive, a taped performance in which she debuted her new songs for a suitably enthusiastic audience. Ditching her trademark guitar for most of the concert, Lavigne instead spent most of her time on stage performing choreographed, if awkward, dance moves with a pair of suitably enthusiastic backup dancers.

Now, there is nothing inherently wrong with choreographed dance. But it behooves us to note that five years after Avril Lavigne announced herself as an antidote to the likes of Britney Spears, the former is performing with backup dancers and the latter is shaving her head and generally acting like Courtney Love. Indeed, Avril is now more Britney than Britney is Britney.

Of course, these sorts of contradictions were always inevitable with Avril Lavigne -- precisely because she has always been defined by what she is not. All of which begs the question: who or what exactly is Avril Lavigne? The answer is both obvious and obscured.

Consider, for instance, a video clip floating around the Internet in which she is interviewed on a German TV program. Even if your German isn't what it should be, the piece remains an entertaining profile for the two English phrases that are spoken -- "Avril Lavigne" and "anti-Britney."

This has always been the hook, but what's remarkable is how well it's persisted. Even after she posed for the cover of Maxim, even after she was spotted hanging out with Paris Hilton and married the socialite's ex (Sum 41 front man Deryck Whibley), Lavigne is still the edgy, if vaguely Republican, alternative to Spears and the unique brand of stripper pop she pioneered. "I'm not a party person," Lavigne says from the cover of this month's Jane magazine, "and I always wear underwear."

So there. The difference between Avril and Britney is a matter of underwear. Namely that Avril remembers to put hers on in the morning -- a point, in fact, proven when her own set of up-skirt pictures made the rounds recently. Unfortunately, this seems a rather tenuous point upon which to base one's existence.

There's plenty more to work with, but little that doesn't contradict another facet of her life. Since famously lamenting how complicated life could be, she's variously done all of the following: dabbled in modelling, launched a film career, written a song for Kelly Clarkson, worn a Vera Wang gown to her wedding and purchased a US$95-million mansion in Los Angeles, while also variously beating up a heckler, declaring herself the "motherf---ing princess" (on new single Girlfriend) and being videotaped spitting on the paparazzi. Though she looks and talks much like she did when she first appeared, she is now obviously a different person.

And yet, she's probably not. A couple of months ago, when Britney became estranged from her hair, Chuck Klosterman was asked to explain the meaning of her latest twist. Writing for Esquire.com, he argued that it was foolish to seek out meaningful lessons in the impulses of bored celebrities. "Just because Britney Spears is famous," he wrote, "doesn't mean she isn't a completely conventional weirdo."

This is true, to a point, of Avril as well. Though it would be counterproductive to say her life lacks all meaning -- she has, at the very least, become symbolic of all sorts of things -- it is equally useless to read too much into circumstance. She is, essentially, a young girl from a small town in eastern Ontario who lucked into a career in music and happened to fill a specific void in her given market. This, along with a certain level of talent, enabled her to very rapidly gain an immense amount of money, fame and privilege. She is now inevitably closer to what she always said she wasn't. But, at the same time, she is what she's always been.

Avril Lavigne Is The New Hilary Duff

If you haven’t heard the new single by Avril Lavigne, here it is - Girlfriend. We’ve all heard musicians talk about how they’ve “matured as songwriters” etc. Well here’s the first example of a singer actually regressing to a childlike state. Her new song may be catchy, but it makes anything in Hilary Duff’s repertoire seem like adult contemporary in comparison. She may have ditched the more mature sound of her last album, but at least her looks are headed in the right direction. Older and sexier. What I do like about the song, or at least the video, is that we get to see Avril do a little dance number. That’s right folks, you heard me right! Avril Lavigne, the “Punk Princess” busts a move JLo tyle! Now, I’m going to warn you in advance, Avril ain’t no dancer! She makes Gwen Stefani look like a Juilliard trained ballerina.

Avril Lavigne Is A Britney Spears Wannabe

Source

Los Angeles (eCanadaNow) - Avril Lavigne says Britney Spears inspires her. The Canadian rocker says her mother took her to see a Britney concert when she younger in preparation for her own launch into the music world. She told Jane magazine: “My mom made me go to a Britney Spears concert when I was young. I was like ‘No, I don’t want to.’“She was like ‘If you’re going to be a performer, you need to see other people.’”

Well the truth about ‘punk princess’ Avril Lavigne seems to be coming out finally. Back when she started she tried to convince us she was hardcore! A real rocker, who actually played guitar and wrote her own songs. I never bought it. To me she always seemed as packaged as a bag of Oreo cookies. Now she tells us Britney Spears inspired her!? Wasn’t she pretending to be the anti-Brit back in 2002? ‘Pretending’ is the keyword here folks. I guess if Avril wants to be inspired by Britney, she should at least do us a favor and start wearing latex. Hell even leak the occasional sex tape once in a while. That would at least make her musical phoniness more bearable.

But keep the hair. Please God, keep the hair.

THE WORST DAMN THING

From The Edmonton Journal:

"Lavigne's third album is fun, boisterous -- and downright embarrassing at times. Just like our teen years. While Lavigne is easily one of the strongest and most versatile singers in pop -- she channels Alanis Morissette, Edie Brickell and Dolores O'Riordan on her latest collection -- she's too flexible when it comes to her artistic principles. She tries to convey an image of girl power on The Best Damn Thing, yet she ends up coming off like a brainless hypocrite. Wasn't she supposed to be the antidote to Britney Spears? Despite her talents, she doesn't care what she sings about or what image she portrays. Nor does Lavigne seem to care about her live gigs. Did you see her flat performance on Saturday Night Live? She's definitely one of the worst damn things to hit the stage in the last five years."

- From The Florida Sun-Sentinel:

"On The Best Damn Thing, Lavigne comes off more like a follower than a leader. It's a consciously lightweight pop-punk romp that appears to have been inspired by Since U Been Gone, Kelly Clarkson's hit.

- From The New York Times:

"As an album "The Best Damn Thing" is too relentless to be heard end to end. Its songs are expected to bring occasional jolts to a playlist. The single "Girlfriend," is the best, using cleverly manipulated echoes and attacks to sound as if Ms. Lavigne were charging in from all directions, and it makes most of the other songs sound redundant, though still perky. She hedges her bets with a few power ballads; her next career move will apparently be along the lines of Shania Twain. But for now she's trying to blast her way back onto a few million high schoolers' iPods."

Avrilgate Intensifies!!!

Seen this "chord "before? lol

Polly sez: AW HEH'LL NO! THAT IS NOT NIRVANA AND THE PISTOLS!

Luizza seiz: Yes they are :( But don't worry, she's probably only heard

about those two songs :)

When Avril “Hack” Lavigne was sued by 70’s band The Rubinoos The Rolling Stones, too for allegedly stealing the hook to one of their old tunes, she fired back by claiming that she had never even heard the song.

How is she going to explain this one????

Lavigne’s songwriting “abilities” - or lack thereof - have been questioned by her former collaborators, from The Matrix to Chantal Kreviazuk.

As PerezHilton.com pointed out earlier, a good portion of Avril’s song I Don’t Have To Try off her new album sounds almost identical to the song I’m The Kinda by electro-pop-punk princess Peaches - off her brazilliant 2003 album Fatherfucker.

Lavigne won’t be able to say she doesn’t know who Peaches is!

The July issue of InStyle magazine features a section on “What Rocks Their Worlds.” Seven music celebs pick their top 5 favorite, MOST INFLUENTIAL songs.

Well, guess what’s number one on Avril’s list on p 137 (see the scan above)? Yup, Peaches! And she name-checks I’m The Kinda!!!!

Guess Avril was really influenced by Peaches. A LOT!!!!!!