Britney Spears to Appear on "Will and Grace" April 13th  1/31/06

SUPERSTAR BRITNEY SPEARS MAKES FIRST EPISODIC APPEARANCE ON PRIMETIME TELEVISION ON NBC'S 'WILL & GRACE' AS JACK'S CHRISTIAN CONSERVATIVE SIDEKICK ON APRIL 13

BURBANK - January 31, 2006 - Superstar Britney Spears will make her first primetime television episodic appearance on NBC's "Will & Grace" (Thursdays, 8-8:30 p.m. ET) when she guest-stars as a Christian conservative sidekick to Jack (Emmy-winner Sean Hayes) on the episode "Jack Talk" on Thursday, April 13 (8-8:30 p.m. ET).

In the episode, when "Out TV" is bought by a Christian Television Network, Spears is brought on to be Jack's new religious co-host -- until Will (Emmy winner Eric McCormack) and Jack loosen her up. Spears brings her own additions to the talk show when she decides to do a cooking segment called "Cruci-fixin's."

Dubbed by MTV as "one of the last teenage pop superstars of the 20th century," Spears enjoyed her breakthrough success at the end of 1998. She appeared in local dance revues and church choirs as a young girl, and at the age of 8, auditioned for "The Mickey Mouse Club." Although she was too young to join the series, a producer on the show gave her an introduction to a New York agent. She subsequently spent three summers at the Professional Performing Arts School Center.

Spears also appeared in a number of off-Broadway productions as a child actor, including 1991's "Ruthless." She returned to the Disney Channel for a spot on "The Mickey Mouse Club," where she was featured for two years between the ages of 11 and 13. Her demo tape eventually landed in the hands of a Jive Records executive who quickly signed her to the label. She toured American venues for a series of concerts sponsored by U.S. teen magazines, eventually joining 'N Sync on tour.

It all added up to 1999's wildly infectious "...Baby One More Time" album, which debuted on the charts at #1. The set not only spawned a smash hit with the title tune, but also scored with the charming ballad "Sometimes" and the funky "(You Drive Me) Crazy." Before the album finished its impressive worldwide attack of the charts, it garnered Spears four MTV Europe Awards, including best pop performer, and four Billboard Music Awards, most notably female artist of the year.

The massive demand for new Spears material was satisfied when her 2000 sophomore collection, "Oops! ... I Did It Again," was released in May. Once again, the title cut flooded radio airwaves, as did the anthemic "Stronger" and lovely "Don't Let Me Be the Last to Know." She also racked up more awards that year by taking home an American Music Award as favorite new artist, a Billboard Music Award as album artist of the year, and two Teen Choice Awards. Spears would later earn Teen Choice Award honors in 2001 and 2003.

Ever prolific, the artist returned in 2001 with "Britney," a spirited, assertive collection on which she began to reveal her mettle as a tunesmith, not to mention as a vocalist of increasingly soulful depth. She earned praise for the wickedly sultry "Slave 4 U," as well as for the forceful "Overprotected" and the gentle "I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman." The album's was quickly followed by Spears' feature-film debut, "Crossroads," which proved that she has the talent and box-office pull to be a multifaceted superstar. Spears' "In The Zone" is a project that shows this ever-growing and ever-exciting artist at her absolute best... or as she would say, "for now."

Emmy winners David Kohan and Max Mutchnick are the creators and executive producers of "Will & Grace." Gary Janetti, Tracy Poust, Jon Kinnally, and Tim Kaiser serve as executive producers and show-runners. Multi-Emmy winner James Burrows (NBC's "Frasier," "Friends") is director and executive producer. "Will & Grace" is a production of KoMut Entertainment in association with NBC Universal Television Studio and Three Sisters Entertainment.

Source: NBC Press Release