Forget the beads, the boobs, the food, the music, the floats, the king cakes- be at Mardi Gras this year because our favorite new young mother will be in attendance.  Britney Spears, the 24-year-old pop goddess herself will be participating in Mardi Gras 2006, in what capacity we can only guess.

“I am honored to be a part of the Mardi Gras celebration in New Orleans this year,” Spears said in a statement Monday afternoon.  “It is so important for this amazing city to continue its annual traditions and I am really looking forward to being involved.” 

Spears, a Louisiana native, will also appear on ABC‘s Good Morning America on Fat Tuesday (February 28) when the morning show reports live from the famous & recently devastated New Orleans.  ABC announced that Spears will bring “surprises for a group of very deserving young residents.”  You think it might be car seats for the little infants & toddlers?

Last week photos were published of the diva driving with her 4-month-old son, Sean Preston, sitting in her lap whilst driving instead of the usual keep-the-infant-strapped-in-the-freekin-car-seat approach.  But Britney has always done it her way.  Yesterday Transportation Secretary (do we really have one of those- it’s all so British) Norman Mineta chided Spears as “Irresponsible” for driving with her baby on her lap and announced a new initiative to improve child car seat safety.  Tomorrow we’ll probably see Britney advocating the use of car seats, kinda like Kate Moss promoting a drug-free lifestyle.

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