Though she might not know the first thing about money, economics, or even be able to do long division, Britney Spears is actually good for the economy. $120 million good. Who knew Britney was capable of contributing anything worthwhile to our lives? It turns out the “Britney Industrial Complex” benefits not just Brit and her record company, but magazines, blogs, clubs – even perfumes. If you can somehow align your product with Britney Spears, you can make up to 33 percent more than you would otherwise. Elizabeth Arden’s three Britney-endorsed perfumes have netted $100 million to date.

According to annual Yahoo! Search rankings, Britney has also topped the list for six of the past seven years. The star was at slot number 2 only in 2004, when Paris Hilton briefly took over.

In just 78 weeks, between January 2006 and July 2007, Britney was on the cover of People, Us Weekly, In Touch, Life & Style, OK!, or Star a whopping 175 times. The survey said that during that time, newsstand sales of issues with her on the cover totaled $360 million.

Overall, the singer [personally] is worth an estimated $125 million and still earns about $737,000 a month according to figures submitted as part of her court battle with her ex- Kevin Federline. Federline is also taking advantage of the Britney craze, commanding almost $30,000 for nightclub appearances. He also receives $35,000 a month from his Britney in spousal and child-support payments.

[From the International Business Times]

And to think I’d claimed Britney was nothing but a drain on the entire world. I guess if you want to attach a dollar sign to her, she’s worth more than I thought. I wonder if she’s worth more or less now that she’s batshit crazy. Does spending time in a locked mental ward increase or decrease your value? I would guess it would cause a short-term increase… but if you stay crazy long enough, people aren’t going to want to be associated with you, and endorsement deals will tend to fade away. Britney’s unwashed-turtle-tank smelling perfume will suddenly be endorsed by Lindsay Lohan instead. Which is probably more appropriate, as I imagine Lindsay smells more like turtles. Something about her face. Considering all the worry that we’re headed for a recession, I’d advise the rest of you to jump on Britney’s coattails. Fast.

Picture note by Jaybird: Britney Spears visits a house in Santa Monica
yesterday. Images thanks to WENN.