Britney: I'm no boozehound!
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-07-18 10:40

It looks like Britney's not the only one saying "Oops" these days.

Britney Spears performs during the second show of her 'Onyx Hotel Tour' in this March 3, 2004 file photo at Glendale Arena in Glendale, Ariz. [AP]

The pop tart is suing mad over Thursday's front-page photo in the New York Post that showed her chugging from a wee bottle, and was captioned " 'Boozer' Britney."

The accompanying story reported that Spears "thinks nothing of swilling what appears to be a mini-bottle of booze right on the street" and mocked the "Toxic" singer for chasing her alleged libation with a can of a Red Bull energy drink.

Trouble is, appearances can be deceiving. It turns out that Spears was just going for a quick pick-me-up by downing a mini-bottle of ginseng--a widely available herbal supplement that supposedly elevates energy levels and enhances mental clarity.

The clerk at the Venice, California, liquor mart where Spears purchased the herbal nip backed the singer's story, insisting that she bought only a $1 bottle of Panax Red Ginseng Extractum and a can of Red Bull.

Spears issued a statement through her lawyer identifying the ginseng guzzling and demanding a retraction, an apology and--naturally--a wad of cash from the Post.

"Ms. Spears intends to file a lawsuit against the New York Post and Bill Hoffmann, the writer of the article, unless the paper immediately issues an appropriate retraction, apology and financial settlement," A-list lawyer Martin Singer said in a statement.

Singer called the article "totally fabricated, fictional and defamatory" and blasted the Post for not bothering to ascertain the truth about Spears' beverage of choice.

It's not the first journalistic gaffe of the month for the Post. On July 6, the tab mistakenly reported that Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry had selected Congressman Dick Gephardt as his running mate. Big oops.

Nor is it the first rumor Spears has had to dispel of late. After she recently became engaged to dancer Kevin Federline after a whirlwind three-month courtship, the singer had to deny reports that she was pregnant.

According to Us Weekly, Spears intends to tie the knot this November, either in Los Angeles or in her native Louisiana. It will be her second trip down the aisle this year.

Jason Alexander, aka the first Mr. Britney Spears of 2004, recently spilled the tawdry details of the pop tart's first foray into matrimony--a marriage that lasted a mere 55 hours.

If ginseng really does aid in mental clarity, we're encouraging Brit to drink up.

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