Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS)

The Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) is a media organization serving US military personnel around the world, including countries where English is not the main language.

Since its 1942 inception, AFRTS has provided the US military with information and entertainment.

Having operated the AFRTS broadcast assets is the American Forces Network (AFN).

Programs on the AFN system come from the Big Three broadcasters in the United States, together with cable-exclusive channels, additional broadcasters and PBS.

Under funding by the US government, the AFRTS stations never air commercials; they always fill them instead with Command Information spots.

Noted AFN assets include the American Forces Network Europe (AFN Europe), which features its own branches like AFN Munich, AFN Frankfurt and AFN Bremerhaven.

Until January 1, 1998, besides AFN, AFRTS had affiliates that operated under different names.

Some of the AFRTS outlets during the pre-1998 period include the Far East Network (FEN), Southern European Broadcasting (SEB) and the Southern Command Network (SCN).

Of all AFRTS assets in the pre-1998 era, the Central Pacific Network (CPN) was uniquely civilian.

During the Cold War era, especially during the 1950's and the 1960's, AFN had large civilian audiences across Europe, as national public radio stations rarely played American music.

In Communist nations, no American music was played, since their radio stations was state-operated.

For people who lived in the Eastern Bloc during the Cold War, they tuned in to AFN as an alternative connection to the West.

Besides, unlike radio stations like Radio Free Europe, AFN was not jammed by the Soviets.

Having promoted American soft power, the American Forces Network (AFN) has played a key role in spreading US culture and music around the world.

Many world-famous non-American musicians have their work being influenced by AFN broadcasts.

When it began on May 26, 1942, the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) was its name.

Just 12 years later, in April 1954, with the addition of television, AFRS was renamed the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS).

Masterminding AFN upon its May 26, 1942 launch was Los Angeles-based advertising executive Tom Lewis, whose wife was actress Loretta Young.

Hailing from the advertising agency Young & Rubicam, Tom Lewis, using his Hollywood connections being made via Loretta Young, scraped together enough personnel and equipment to begin AFN.

Loretta Young stars in Call of the Wild, the last film under the 20th Century Pictures banner before its merger with Fox Film Corporation to form 20th Century-Fox.

The co-star of the Call of the Wild film is Clark Gable, known as the King of Hollywood.

For Clark Gable, he is the first chairman of the Hollywood Victory Committee, which ended in August 1945 in style when the Allies won WWII, having fulfilled its mission.

As for Loretta Young, she contributed to the efforts of the Allied powers to win the Second World War through the Hollywood Victory Committee.

The Hollywood Victory Committee (founded in December 1941) organized events from January 1942 until August 1945.

Having fulfilled its mission when the Allies won WWII, the Hollywood Victory Committee came to a conclusion on a high note.

George C. Marshall, acting on advice from film director Frank Capra, recruited Tom Lewis to start the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS).

With his own Why We Fight film series, Frank Capra educated the US troops via film, and Tom Lewis used radio to keep the American soldiers emotionally connected to the home front.

Tom Lewis set up a makeshift broadcast studio at the 20th Century-Fox lot in Hollywood, rather than operating from standard military facilities, for AFRS.

Rooted at Young & Rubicam, Tom Lewis treated the soldiers' well-being as a marketing campaign.

Command Information, which Tom Lewis engineered, is a model in which commercial programs from American broadcasters are stripped of their standard commercials.

Beyond recycling stateside broadcasts, both Tom Lewis and Loretta Young used their connections to develop original programs for AFN, alongside the Hollywood Victory Committee.

Just 13 months after its May 26, 1942 launch, AFN had its first official overseas broadcast from Bush House, the headquarters of the BBC World Service in London.

For AFN, both Loretta Young and Tom Lewis enlisted top stars coming from both the Hollywood and Broadway entertainment scenes to be included in its early programs.

20th Century-Fox, which was formed from the merger after the Call of the Wild film, starring Loretta Young and Clark Gable, is the home base for Marilyn Monroe.

Others at which Marilyn Monroe worked include Columbia Pictures, RKO and United Artists.

Niagara, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and How to Marry a Millionaire are Marilyn Monroe's films being released in 1953, all doubling as her breakthrough films.

All About Eve and The Asphalt Jungle are Marilyn Monroe's early films released in 1950.

The Seven Year Itch is one of Marilyn Monroe's best and most famous films, which is set in a summer heatwave in New York.

Marilyn Monroe wears a white dress being used in the best-known scene of The Seven Year Itch.

In the best-known scene of The Seven Year Itch, Marilyn Monroe's white skirt is being blown up by a subway grate wind, conveying a hot, sexy and charismatic side.

Ever since her 1962 death, the iconic and famous white skirt in Marilyn Monroe's The Seven Year Itch motion picture, where it's blown by a subway grate, has been depicted, represented and imitated.

September 1954 is when Marilyn Monroe's iconic and famous scene, in which her white dress is being blown by a subway grate, was originally shot in New York for The Seven Year Itch.

For Marilyn Monroe's flying white skirt scene in The Seven Year Itch, its location is outside the former Trans-Lux Theatre on Lexington Avenue in New York.

Likewise, in September 1954, Marilyn Monroe also makes 2 kisses being blown to the cameras for The Seven Year Itch, the first using the palm of her hand, and then the puckering of her lips.

Idlewild Airport houses Marilyn Monroe's 2 kisses to the cameras for The Seven Year Itch in 1954.

Ever since her 1962 death, the iconic and famous 2 Idlewild kisses to the cameras in Marilyn Monroe's The Seven Year Itch film has also been depicted, represented and imitated, like her white dress.

Marilyn Monroe's flying white dress scene and her 2 Idlewild kisses being blown to the cameras, both behind the scenes for The Seven Year Itch in 1954, are two of her most enduring and sexiest pics.

In addition, Marilyn Monroe's flying white skirt and her 2 Idlewild kisses to the cameras, both for The Seven Year Itch, are two of the most famous pop culture pics ever, also sexy ones.

Overall, mid-September 1954 (late-summer 1954) is when Marilyn Monroe's white dress scene and her kisses being blown to the cameras, both for The Seven Year Itch, convey hot, sexy youth.

Representing summer is the heat of both the fire and the sun, which rings true to Marilyn Monroe's Fire Tiger birth element, her hot and sexy summer girl image/persona and The Seven Year Itch.

Using both fire and air, Marilyn Monroe's flying dress and her 2 Idlewild kisses, which are promotional traits in September 1954 for The Seven Year Itch, make her a hot, sexy and charismatic girl.

The Seven Year Itch, using water, has Marilyn Monroe in a bubble bath, feeling soulful and emotional with charisma.

For Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Marilyn Monroe performs Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend.

Marilyn Monroe dons a pink dress, which is used during her iconic Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend number from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

Likewise, ever since her death, Marilyn Monroe's pink dress, which is utilized during Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, has been depicted, represented and imitated.

William Travilla made two of Marilyn Monroe's iconic and famous outfits: the white dress used in The Seven Year Itch and the pink dress used in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

How to Marry a Millionaire is the first Fox film shot on CinemaScope (and second released).

Some Like It Hot stars Marilyn Monroe as Sugar Kane Kowalczyk.

The Hotel del Coronado, located in San Diego, is the exterior stand-in for the fictional Miami resort in Marilyn Monroe's Some Like It Hot film.

Besides film, Marilyn Monroe also dabbles in television and radio.

For example, the 1950 television commercial for Royal Triton Oil, featuring Marilyn Monroe when she was young and unknown, is one of the first major instances of a Hollywood star in this field.

Cynthia is the name of Marilyn Monroe's car in the 1950 TV commercial for Royal Triton Oil.

Marilyn Monroe's 1950 television commercial for Royal Triton Oil is one of them in advertising's early talking head era.

Using her sexy and sultry voice/persona, Marilyn Monroe's 1950 Royal Triton Oil TV commercial is an innovation.

Prior to Marilyn Monroe's 1950 Royal Triton Oil TV commercial, early ones relied on rigid pitches.

Royal Triton Oil is produced by the Union Oil Company of California (or Unocal).

Incidentally, Marilyn Monroe's 1950 commercial for Royal Triton Oil is her television debut.

For 1950, it serves as the year when Marilyn Monroe successfully completed two 12-year zodiac cycles being made since her June 1, 1926 birth, with one more being finished before her 1962 death.

Staying with the television industry, Marilyn Monroe also appears in the season 4 premiere of The Jack Benny Program called Honolulu Trip, aired on CBS on September 13, 1953.

Person to Person, which Edward R. Murrow had also hosted, features celebrities in their homes from a comfortable chair in his New York studio, pioneering the celebrity interview concept.

One of the noted guests on the original Person to Person version is the sex icon Marilyn Monroe.

Marilyn Monroe was on Edward R. Murrow's original Person to Person version, the broadcast of which emanated from the home of her business partner and photographer Milton Greene.

During this Person to Person broadcast, Marilyn Monroe promoted her mid-1950's film The Seven Year Itch, which is one of her best and most famous films.

Hollywood Star Playhouse, which was heard from April 24, 1950 to mid-February 1953 on all the Big Three networks, features film stars, true to its name.

One of the Hollywood Star Playhouse episodes is Statement in Full, aired in 2 versions.

The second Statement in Full version, which includes Marilyn Monroe, was heard 7 and a half months after the launch of the iconic Today (NBC) program from the RCA Exhibition Hall.

Jean Harlow and Marilyn Monroe are among the stars collaborating with Clark Gable.

Saratoga is the last film for Jean Harlow, whereas The Misfits is the last completed movie for Marilyn Monroe, both featuring Clark Gable.

1937 and 1961 are years of the Ox, which, having 2 letters, has the shortest letter count of any Chinese zodiac in English, when both Saratoga and The Misfits were released.

The Buffalo, using 7 letters, is tied with the Rooster for the longest letter count of a Vietnamese zodiac being written in English.

Ben Lyon, who was with Jean Harlow in Hell's Angels, turned Norma Jeane into Marilyn Monroe.

While Marilyn Monroe signed a contract with 20th Century-Fox, Ben Lyon felt that the name "Norma Jeane" was not a glamorous one, so he gave her a new, more glamorous name.

Having once worked with Jean Harlow, Ben Lyon told Marilyn Monroe, on her first meeting with him, that she was "Jean Harlow all over again!," resembling the 1930's sex symbol.

Double M for Marilyn Monroe means she has good luck; in fact, she is lucky.

Later, Marilyn Monroe wrote an inscription on a signed photograph she gifted to Ben Lyon.

Marilyn Monroe's handwritten dedication to Ben Lyon says: "You found me, named me and believed in me when no one else did," in reference to him giving her a Fox contract and making a new name.

Gone with the Wind is the film version of the 1936 novel of the same name.

The iconic and world-famous quote that Clark Gable uses at the conclusion of the film version of Gone with the Wind is also the most famous film quote of all: "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

Plus, Gone with the Wind has Patrick Curtis, whose uncle Billy Wilder directed Marilyn Monroe in two movies, and who managed/wed Marilyn Monroe's Fox successor Raquel Welch.

Both Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable are in The Misfits; they have a "don't give a damn" attitude.

In addition, both Marilyn Monroe and Raquel Welch are in 20th Century-Fox; they use a "don't give a damn" attitude.

Madonna's birth came at a time when the Old Hollywood glamour of Marilyn Monroe was becoming vintage and ready for a postmodern remix.

In the mid-1960's, when she was 5 years old, Madonna's mother died of breast cancer, after which her father remarried.

Plus, in her early years, Madonna was a lonely girl searching for something else.

July 1978 was when Madonna moved to New York, where her first years were marked by poverty and danger.

In New York, Madonna took dance classes, but eventually moved to music.

Holiday is Madonna's big breakthrough tune.

Borderline is Madonna's first top ten hit in the United States, having entered the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1984 and eventually reaching the top ten in June 1984, just three months later.

Lucky Star is Madonna's first top five single in the United States, having entered the Hot 100 chart at number 49 in August 1984 and eventually reaching number 4.

Riding high on Borderline's chart success in 1984, Lucky Star was released in the United States.

Incidentally, both Borderline and Lucky Star are two successful hit songs instrumental in establishing Madonna's early success on the Billboard Hot 100, also cementing her presence in pop music.

The music video for Madonna's Lucky Star features her style - especially the ribbons, lace gloves and layered accessories - which became imitated by young people, including females.

Also in 1984, Like a Virgin, which is the title track from Madonna's second studio album, topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart in late-December, becoming her first ever number one hit in the US.

Outside the United States, Like a Virgin also topped the pop charts in both Canada and Australia.

For Like a Virgin, it cemented Madonna's status as a global pop superstar.

Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly serve as the co-writers of Madonna's Like a Virgin.

Shot at Ren-Mar Studio in Los Angeles and directed by Mary Lambert, the music video for Madonna's Material Girl tune is inspired by her admiration for pop culture/sex icon Marilyn Monroe.

The music video for Madonna's Material Girl song is based upon Marilyn Monroe's iconic and famous Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend performance in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

After its release, the phrase "Material Girl" has become a popular nickname for Madonna.

In February 1985, while on the set of the music video for Material Girl, Madonna met Hollywood star Sean Penn, with whom she began a relationship and married six months later in August 1985.

While on the Virgin Tour, Madonna also met its music director Patrick Leonard.

Due to her relationships with Sean Penn and Patrick Leonard, Madonna released the pop ballad Live to Tell, made for her husband's 1986 film At Close Range, with Patrick Leonard doing the music.

James Foley, who directed At Close Range, also directed the music video for Madonna's Live to Tell.

Patrick Leonard's haunting film score for At Close Range, based on Madonna's hit tune Live to Tell, is utilized throughout the film in various, often instrumental, arrangements.

The Live to Tell music video, directed by James Foley (At Close Range), has Madonna utilizing subtle glamour, a departure from her previous ones, and inspired by icons like Marilyn Monroe.

Plus, Live to Tell's music video is Madonna's first not to use dance routines, instead, a cinematic style.

Besides Live to Tell, James Foley directed Madonna's two other music videos: Papa Don't Preach and True Blue, the latter being the title of her 1986 album, which features all three mentioned hits.

La Isla Bonita, which Madonna and Patrick Leonard co-wrote with Bruce Gaitsch, features some of the elements from Latin America, like flamenco guitar, Latin drums/percussion and maracas.

For Madonna, La Isla Bonita is her first foray into Latin pop.

During her childhood, Britney Spears began to attend dance lessons and was chosen as a solo artist at a recital in 1984; she also had gymnastics and voice lessons.

Plus, Britney Spears' childhood had tragedy.

For instance, Britney Spears' parents suffered mental health issues; she was also sexualized as early as age ten.

Having been born in Mississippi and raised in Louisiana, Britney Spears was a modest girl and became eventually over-sexualized.

...Baby One More Time serves as a breakthrough success for Britney Spears as a solo artist, but also a revival of the teen pop genre.

Many of the lyrics for Britney Spears' ...Baby One More Time song reflect her emotional aches after a breakup and her longing to return to her ex-boyfriend.

In contrast to the lyrics reflecting emotional aches, the lyric "Hit me, baby, one more time" for Britney Spears' ...Baby One More Time tune is not violence, but rather a plea for a phone call.

The music video for ...Baby One More Time features Britney Spears donning a school uniform (with a midriff-baring navel).

Nigel Dick directed the music video for Britney Spears' ...Baby One More Time tune, and Venice High School (used in the 1978 film Grease) is the shooting location for this video.

For the iconic music video for Britney Spears' ...Baby One More Time tune, it mixes innocence (school uniform) with sexuality (exposed midriff), making her a sexy and provocative fashion icon.

Plus, thjs iconic and controversial music video for Britney Spears' breakthrough tune ...Baby One More Time sparks debates about young pop stars being sexualized.

What begins this iconic ...Baby One More Time by Britney Spears is the iconic 3-note piano riff, plus a clicking drum groove, followed by a sexy and sultry vocal fry-laden ad-lib: Oh, baby, baby.

Sometimes is Britney Spears' second single.

(You Drive Me) Crazy is Britney Spears' third single, noting similarities to ...Baby One More Time.

Oops!... I Did It Again also notes similarities to ...Baby One More Time.

The ad-lib "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah" (repeated twice) is used prior to the first verse, but also following the second chorus of the Britney Spears tune Oops!... I Did It Again.

Just before the signature vocal ad-lib in its introduction, another ad-lib being used in the Britney Spears song Oops!... I Did It Again is a quiet "Mmm, yeah."

Lucky is a Britney Spears song, which tells the story of an eponymous Hollywood actress, who, despite having beauty, wealth and celebrity, is lonely in the inside, being a tragic showgirl.

Dave Meyers directed the Lucky music video for Britney Spears.

For this Lucky music video, Britney Spears plays a dual role: the narrator who observes the eponymous actress, and Lucky herself, contrasting between public fame and private loneliness.

Marilyn Monroe is the inspiration for Britney Spears' Lucky music video portrayal.

Stronger is an innovative song for Britney Spears in both music and lyrics, but also the best song in the Oops!... I Did It Again album.

What the lyrics for Britney Spears' Stronger mean is that they reflect on resilience after a breakup.

The chorus for Britney Spears' Stronger tune recalls a lyric from her breakout ...Baby One More Time song: "My loneliness ain't killing me no more," symbolizing independence and strength.

Before its first verse, the ad-lib in Britney Spears' Stronger is a soulful one: Ooh, hey, yeah.

Some other ad-libs in Britney Spears' Stronger include Baby.

Joseph Kahn is the director of the Stronger music video for Britney Spears.

For this Stronger music video, it has a darker tone, but also has Britney Spears embracing an edgier and more mature image.

Plus, the music video for Britney Spears' Stronger tune features her walking in the rain, symbolic of her release from emotions and her newfound independence.

I'm a Slave 4 U is a major step forward for Britney Spears in that she has a hot, sexy and sultry image, coupled with her sexy and breathy vocals and a sexy sound à la rhythm & blues.

The music video for I'm a Slave 4 U features Britney Spears in an exotic and sweaty Asian bathhouse, otherwise a sauna, filled with global travellers, meant to feel like a club scene.

For her I'm a Slave 4 U tune, Britney Spears uses her hot, sexy, breathy, sultry and emotional singing vocals with spoken words (w/wo a telephone effect).

Overprotected, which is written for Britney Spears by Max Martin and Rami, tells the story of a girl getting tired of being overprotected and who needs to be independent.

Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins remixes Overprotected for Britney Spears in rhythm & blues.

Chris Applebaum is the director of the Overprotected remix by Darkchild, for which climax rain pours down on Britney Spears.

Four roles are played by Britney Spears for her Toxic music video, which Joseph Kahn directed.

One of the four major roles being played by Britney Spears in her Toxic music video is a blonde flight attendant donning a sleek blue uniform.

Another role that Britney Spears played in this Toxic music video is a red-haired secret agent, riding a motorcycle and donning a black catsuit in a futuristic city, similar to Jennifer Garner in Alias.

The third role being played by Britney Spears in her Toxic music video is a nude figure, as covered in diamonds, which is intercut throughout the action narrative.

Besides, a black-haired assassin is also played by Britney Spears in her Toxic music video.

At age 21, Britney Spears was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, a feat which made her the youngest recording artist ever to do so.

Plus, Britney Spears was given the Billboard Millennium Award for her career influence, as well as the MTV Video Vanguard Award for her music videos.

In addition, Britney Spears was the first winner of the Radio Disney Icon Award, but also won the Teen Choice Icon Award and the Music Choice Icon Award.

Dream Within a Dream (2001-2002) is the fourth concert tour by Britney Spears in support of her third studio album (2001); it has 7 segments, with the last one being an encore.

Britney Spears' Dream Within a Dream tour is a transition from a teen pop idol into a mature artist.

The encore of the Dream Within a Dream tour (2001-2002) is a performance being known for Britney Spears' dramatic version of her breakout hit ...Baby One More Time.

Rain pours down on Britney Spears for this ...Baby One More Time finale in her own Dream Within a Dream tour (2001-2002), conveying sex, soul, emotion and youth.

Chameleon Productions does the rain for Britney Spears' Dream Within a Dream tour (2001-2002).

Starting off as a slow and soulful ballad, this ...Baby One More Time finale in Britney Spears' Dream Within a Dream tour (2001-2002) transitions to an upbeat techno version.

As the ...Baby One More Time finale in the Dream Within a Dream tour (2001-2002) goes on, Britney Spears, taking off her hat, stands on a suspended platform in the rain, as do her dancers.

For Britney Spears, getting caught in the rain for this ...Baby One More Time finale in her own Dream Within a Dream tour (2001-2002) leaves her hot and sexy with wet hair.

Using crop top, jeans and a cowboy hat, Britney Spears appears with wet hair in a sexy way during this rain-drenched ...Baby One More Time finale in Dream Within a Dream (2001-2002).

Mirroring human tears, rain uses water droplets, and this holds true to Britney Spears' slow, soulful and emotional ...Baby One More Time intro in her DWAD tour.

Bob Mackie designed the 4-piece bustier (covered in Swarovski crystals) for the 1981 Las Vegas stage production Jubilee!, in collaboration with Pete Menefee.

Just 20 years after Jubilee! made its debut in 1981, Britney Spears uses Bob Mackie's own Jubilee! bra during the rain-drenched ...Baby One More Time encore in her Dream Within a Dream tour. 

Toxic has a sample of Tere Mere Beech Mein from the 1981 Indian film Ek Duuje Ke Liye.

Me Against the Music is a duet between Madonna and Britney Spears.

What makes Me Against the Music a fitting duet is that Madonna symbolizes the old generation, while Britney Spears, who often calls Madonna her idol and a major influence, symbolizes the new.

During the Like a Virgin/Hollywood medley, which was held at the 20th anniversary of the MTV Video Music Awards, Madonna and Britney Spears share a kiss.

Beautiful Stranger and Boys are some of the pop music tunes which come from the Austin Powers film series, each by Madonna and Britney Spears.

Madonna and Britney Spears are female icons involved with the Austin Powers media franchise.

Whereas Madonna does not appear in any of the Austin Powers films, Britney Spears makes a cameo appearance in the third one.

For Madonna, she is a key mentor to Britney Spears.

Incidentally, Marilyn Monroe is a key idol for Madonna, in turn, a mentor to Britney Spears.

Plus, Boys features Britney Spears' soft, breathy, sexy, sultry and emotional rap-sung vocals, made à la Marilyn Monroe.

Nearly 2 months before 2001, Madonna was at the Roseland Ballroom for her first performance in New York since 1993, using a tank top with Britney Spears on the front and Material Girl on the back.

In her first performance in New York since 1993, Madonna used this stage to pay homage and tribute to Britney Spears, whom the media often called Baby Madonna.

The 2001 Britney Spears photoshoot by Mark Abrahams features her wearing a graphic tank top, which depicts her idol Madonna from the photoshoot for Justify My Love (1990).

For her 2001 photoshoot, Britney Spears has Madonna's image from Justify My Love (1990) by Patrick Demarchelier, which is featured in a graphic tank top.

Plus, the bra that Britney Spears used for this ...Baby One More Time finale in her own Dream Within a Dream tour (2001-2002) is by Bob Mackie, whose other clients include Madonna.

In June 2022, Madonna and Britney Spears reunited and recreated the MTV VMA kiss at the wedding reception.

Plus, the scene in which a woman's white dress is lifted by the wind when Britney Spears passes on a motorcycle in her Toxic video is based on Marilyn Monroe's dress in The Seven Year Itch.

Sabrina Carpenter performs a medley, which comprises three of her successful hit tunes: Please Please Please, Taste and Espresso, at the 41st MTV Video Music Awards.

For her MTV Video Music Awards medley, Sabrina Carpenter uses Madonna's white dress (made in tribute to Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Bob Mackie at the Oscars).

Plus, Sabrina Carpenter's set for the 41st MTV Video Music Awards has an outer space theme being utilized as a nod to the music video for Oops!... I Did It Again by Britney Spears.

In addition, Sabrina Carpenter makes her entrance on a diamond-shaped swing and interacts with space astronauts, all as nods to the Britney Spears music videos, at the 41st MTV VMA.

Besides, during her medley at the 41st MTV Video Music Awards, Sabrina Carpenter also shares a kiss with an alien dancer, recreating the iconic VMA kiss by Madonna and Britney Spears.

At the 42nd MTV Video Music Awards, held on September 7, 2025, Sabrina Carpenter performs Tears, featuring a climactic dance break as rain pours down on her and others, true to this track's name.

Rain has water droplets mirroring human tears, which is true to Sabrina Carpenter's live Tears debut.

The rain-drenched finale of Sabrina Carpenter's Tears debut at the 42nd MTV Video Music Awards is a direct nod to the ...Baby One More Time finale in Britney Spears' DWAD tour (2001-2002).

Before rain pours down on her at the 42nd MTV Video Music Awards, Sabrina Carpenter takes off her white dress to reveal a bustier in her Tears performance.

Sabrina Carpenter's bustier (a nod to one made by Bob Mackie for Britney Spears) for her MTV VMA performance of Tears, coupled with her rain-drenched wet hair, makes her sexy.

Marilyn Monroe, incidentally, serves as a key idol for both Madonna and Britney Spears, both of whom inspire Sabrina Carpenter's performances at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Turn It Up by Paris Hilton is noted for its sexy Britney Spears-like approach.

Scott Storch, who, having worked with Britney Spears, is noted for his urban-pop crossover style that comprises acidy synths and heavy bass, co-created Turn It Up by Paris Hilton.

Paris Hilton's sexy and breathy vocals, à la Marilyn Monroe and Britney Spears, are in Turn It Up.

Like I Love You is Justin Timberlake's solo debut.

Cry Me a River by Justin Timberlake is a breakup song co-written by Scott Storch, with whom Britney Spears worked.

Justin Timberlake ended his relationship with Britney Spears, which is the basis for Cry Me a River.

Lauren Hastings and Kiana Bessa are acting girls who appear in the music video for Cry Me a River by Justin Timberlake.

In contrast to the Britney Spears lookalike wearing a newsboy cap that Lauren Hastings has played, the brunette girl played by Kiana Bessa uses a lower-back tattoo similar to Britney Spears.

Pamela Anderson earns worldwide recognition as C.J. Parker in Baywatch.

Barb Wire (1996) is Pamela Anderson's unsuccessful film, both by critics and at the box office.

For Barb Wire (1996), its opening sequence, set to Word Up!, a 1986 song originally performed by funk group Cameo (covered by Gun), has Pamela Anderson dancing while hosed with water.

The intro sequence for Barb Wire (1996) is inspired by a nightmare that Pamela Anderson had, in which champagne is sprayed over her while doing a strip dance.

Having conveyed soul, youth and emotion, this champagne sprayed-inspired opening sequence for Barb Wire (1996) leaves Pamela Anderson hot, sexy and sultry in wet hair.

Plus, Barb Wire (1996) ends with Pamela Anderson standing in the rain with wet hair, conveying soul, youth and emotion.

Randy Petersen, Kevin Quinn and Tim Heintz are Disney songwriters, creating songs for its television series and direct-to-video films.

Shanda Sawyer is a choreographer based in Los Angeles, having worked with some of the world's most famous icons in pop culture.

One of the clients with whom Shanda Sawyer has worked is Disney.

The intros for the movie blocks on AFN poignantly feature Marilyn Monroe.

In real life, Marilyn Monroe resided at the Beverly Hills Hotel (formerly run by a group that included Loretta Young and Tom Lewis, the latter of whom founded AFN).

Jubilee is a radio program that features African-American musicians and singers, heard all around the world through AFRTS from 1942 to 1953.

The regular AFRTS television service began with CSL-TV in the Azores in October 1954, following an experiment at Limestone Air Force Base in Maine that began in December 1953.

CSL-TV resulted in the launch of the regular television operations through AFRTS affiliates around the world; this was after Marilyn Monroe's iconic and world-famous pop culture moments in 1954.

One of the iconic moments for Marilyn Monroe happened in February 1954 when she arrived in South Korea after the armistice that ended the Korean War.

Besides, in September 1954, Marilyn Monroe filmed a scene featuring a flying white skirt dress.

Songs from Marilyn Monroe, Madonna and Britney Spears are from AFN, founded in 1942 by Loretta Young's husband, who partly-ran the Beverly Hills Hotel, at which Marilyn Monroe resided.