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(Disney Channel)

1.	Plan for Olympics channel generates controversy
2.	Sen. Ensign admits parents gave money to mistress and family
3.	Permanent diet may equal longer life
4.	Small-town cops in coastal Maine face a big problem
5.	Deficit may trigger anti-illegal immigration ballot measure

Singers for hire?

Red Carpet Rewind: Mariah Carey: How to dress like a diva

Hollywood's guide to green-card romances

Mandy Moore rates the top crossover stars

Magazine covers that shook the world

Britney Spears: Life in pictures

By Deborah Netburn, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

1981: On Dec. 2, Britney Jean Spears is born in the small town of Kentwood, La., to a former schoolteacher mom and a building contractor dad.

1993: Young Brit, already an accomplished gymnast, joins the cast of “The New Mickey Mouse Club” on Disney along with Justin Timberlake, Keri Russell, Christina Aguilera and Ryan Gosling.