Britney Spears likely to top albums chart

Dec. 6 -- Fans are spending more than just a night at the "Circus" - they're taking it home.

According to Billboard, "Circus," Britney Spears' new album will top the album charts next week.

The album could reportedly sell 450,000 copies in its first week on the racks, the same tally that notched Kanye West's "808s & Heartbreak" the top spot this week. Should Britney complete the feat, it'll be her fifth No. 1 album - more than any other female artist except Barbra Streisand, Madonna, Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson.

Her previous album, 2007's "Blackout," sold 290,000 copies to debut in second place thanks to a last-minute rules change that counted sales of The Eagles' chart-topping Wal-Mart exclusive, "Long Road Out Of Eden." Previously, albums sold at a single retailer would not be counted toward chart placement.

Britney has been promoting the album everywhere from Germany's Bambi Awards to the U.K.'s "The X Factor" to NBC's Christmas At Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting and will launch a tour in March.

(Agencies)