Green Day back Britney

11/02/2007 4:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Dotmusic

Billie Joe Armstrong claims Britney Spears is "a manufactured child" who has been "thrown to the lions" by the world's media.

The Green Day singer has expressed his anger at the treatment the pop icon has been receiving in recent months, following her September appearance at the MTV Awards.

Speaking about the show, which saw a universally panned display from the star as she readied new album Blackout, he said: "People want blood. They want to see other people thrown to the lions. Watching Britney Spears was like watching a public execution. How could the people at MTV, the people around her, not know this girl was f--ked up?"

"People came in expecting a trainwreck, and they got more than they bargained for," said Armstrong.

He continued: "She is a manufactured child. She has come up through this Disney perspective, thinking that all life is about is to be the most ridiculous star you could be.

"But it's also about what we look at as entertainment--watching somebody go through that."