After twice pushing back its start date, teen pop star Britney Spears [ tickets ] launches a tour spilling with theatrics tonight (11/1) in Columbus, Ohio. She will perform songs from her forthcoming record, "Britney," as well as her previous releases. Wade Robson, who has orchestrated the moves in Spears' titillating music videos, has choreographed the show.

Spears debuted her new single, "I'm a Slave 4 U" (a remix of the song can be downloaded for free at Britney.com), at MTV's Video Music Awards on Sept. 5. The racy performance featured a barely clad Spears gyrating with dancers, a tiger and a python. But the single has met with tepid response, and is currently docked at #58 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart.

Spears will appear on "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" on Monday (11/5), "The Late Show with David Letterman" on Tuesday (11/6), and will be broadcasting "Live from Las Vegas" on HBO on Nov. 18. She has also inked promotional deals with MTV and AOL, and graces the November cover of Vogue, which has dubbed her "Madonna's Heir Apparent."

Spears is doing her part for charity. She dropped out of Michael Jackson's upcoming star-studded benefit single, "What More Can I Give," but appears on Nile Rodgers' remake of the 1979 Sister Sledge hit "We Are Family." She will also donate $1 from every ticket sold on the North American leg of the tour to children of NYC police and firefighters killed in the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center.

The singer makes her film debut in an upcoming movie titled "Crossroads," due in theaters on Feb. 15.

Spears' tour was originally scheduled to begin on Oct. 26 in Miami, but the date was pushed back after Spears was diagnosed with the flu following a promotional tour of Australia. The Miami date and an Oct. 28 show in Tampa have been rescheduled for Dec. 19 and 18, respectively.

At that point, the tour was to get underway on Halloween in Washington, D.C., but that show was postponed this week due to production problems.