QUESTION: What's wrong with this picture?

A frighteningly catchy single, "Womanizer," that's taken over radio play for weeks. A MTV "documentary" to showcase her real life, which you supposedly don't see in the tabloids, and recast her image. A performance on Good Morning America on Tuesday to introduce the world to her newly taut body, and premiere her second single, "Circus," which officially comes out today. Were it not for Britney Spears' new album leaking online weeks ago, the anticipation for her Circus would have been even higher. But it's not the new record we're all after — it's the new Britney Spears. Or more precisely, the old Britney Spears — the Britney of lore.

And after a full year of well-documented melting down, Ms. Spears has returned to claim her pop throne, and America is at the ready to give it to her.

But Spears is more than an inspiration to little girls and gays. She is more than a predictable Halloween costume. The woman, despite her best efforts otherwise, is a cash machine.

And while it remains to be seen whether Circus, Spears' sixth studio album, will add significantly to the girl's 60-plus million album sales worldwide — we imagine it will — the tour Britney is embarking on will bring in huge receipts. And of course, for the right price, your brand can get in on the Britney action too.

So with the above picture, where we ask what's missing from the these scenes of an early cut of the "Circus" music video, the answer is pretty obvious:

ANSWER: The brand name

A corporate sponsor.

Enter Bulgari, the jewelry house made famous in some circles by Lil' Kim's 2003 song "The Jump Off" (lyrics: "All we wanna do is party / And buy everybody at the bar Bacardi / Black Barbie dressed in Bulgari / I'm tryin to leave in somebody's Ferrari").

An unfinished version of Spears' second single "Circus" made the rounds earlier this week. And now, the official "director's cut" version is out, and the only noticeable difference is the addition of Bulgari's name on the singer's jewels, which she puts on in the opening sequence. Clearly, Bulgari's name was inserted in post-production, and probably only after their check cleared.

Plugging products in music videos is nothing new, of course. Somehow every rap or pop rock band features the latest cell phone in their videos. This summer, Chris Brown even worked in Wrigley's Doublemint Gum into his hit single "Forever" (lyrics: "Double your pleasure / Double your fun") for a fat fee.

But when it comes to Ms. Spears, the corporate tie-in is novel. It wasn't so long ago the unstable pop star, prone to public outbursts and courtroom drama, was persona non grata to marketing firms, even after driving huge campaigns earlier in her career by mega advertisers like Pepsi.

Indeed, this time last year, no brand would ever sign up to associate with Spears, let alone a luxury jeweler like Bulgari.

And now? They'll be clamoring. Which means there's more pressure than ever on Britney to keep her shit together. Stay out of the House of Mirrors, lady.