Bette Calls Britney a 'Wild and Woolly Slut'

Dec. 8, 2006 — -- Some say that in Hollywood, anything goes.

But for veteran actress and singer Bette Midler, Britney Spears' no-panty antics are too much to take.

On the Dec. 8 edition of the entertainment news show "Extra," the 61-year-old performer -- who has a 20-year-old daughter -- chastises Spears and fellow flasher Lindsey Lohan for their disregard of public decency, calling them "wild and woolly sluts."

Talking about how the stars have repeatedly flashed the paparazzi, the Divine Miss M jokes, "I'm wearing all the underwear that those girls are not wearing -- at least two bras and several pairs of panties."

"Get a life, get a grip," she continues. "I mean, someone should sit those ladies down."

Midler might like to know that Spears is on the road to recovery. After flashing her private parts three times in one week, generating scores of grotesquely detailed Internet images and a flurry of questions about her behavior, Spears announced yesterday that she would put on some panties.

The Web site of the onetime pop princess and recently separated mother of two greets fans with a sheepish apology: "Every move I make at this point has been magnified more than I expected, and I probably did take my newfound freedom a little too far. Anyway, thank God for Victoria Secret's new underwear line!"

Even if Spears covers up her bottom from now on, the pictures of her private parts and the ramifications of a flash-happy celebrity remain in the public consciousness.

For better or for worse, "The Britney Effect" is rippling through society.

People across the country are talking about Spears' crotch shots. Not surprisingly, much of what they have to stay isn't flattering.

Jonathan Tyson, 24, who was browsing in the Virgin Megastore in New York's Times Square, says that when he saw the photos of Spears online, he thought, "There she goes again. … Another publicity stunt."

Unlikely as it seems, three other men in their 20s say they hadn't seen the uncensored Spears' photos and didn't want to.

"I saw the censored version, and that was plenty," says Brian Pursley, a 24-year-old from Ohio. "I have no desire to see K-Fed's used goods."

Most believe Spears began to fall when she hooked up with backup dancer Kevin Federline.

What was once seen as rebellion is now seen as "trashy, slutty and sickening" by many people.

"I think she's lost her mind," says Amy McSherry, 32, from Florida. "Something snapped."

McSherry, the mother of a preteen daughter, worries about the effect of Spears' and other young celebrities' behavior.