Britney and Cyborgs Run Amok in "I Wanna Go"

What is it about Britney Spears? Around the AfterElton break room we've been trying to pinpoint the secret of her continuing appeal. We love her, but aren't really sure why. Her early success is easy enough to understand: she was blond, gorgeous, an amazing dancer, and recorded a string of pop classics.

But the post-Federline Britney is a different beast altogether. Sure, she looks okay, she sort of dances still, and her new music is catchy enough. But none of her more recent tunes feel truly enduring.  So why has Britney endured when it feels like she's just going through the motions?

Here's a couple theories:

First, she's this generation's Judy. Thanks to her well-publicized meltdown of a few years ago, you can really feel her vulnerability and feel protective of her. Maybe the best thing to ever have happened to her career was that shaved-head photo. Chris Crocker spoke for us all when he cried out "Leave Britney alone!"

Another theory? Maybe great songwriters and producers are happy to work with her because she's a cipher, allowing her collaborators to dress up her sound any way they want. Britney doesn't seem like someone who has creative pretensions of her own, so no competing "visions" in the studio.

Which brings us to her latest video, "I Wanna Go." I'd be really curious to know whose vision this was. And while it was great to see Guillermo Diaz in an extended cameo, what the hell was the significance of the milk carton?