At one point, it didn't look like she'd make it to 27.

But Britney Spears is nothing if not resilient. Tough. A fighter.

Since she burst on the scene, she's sold 83 million albums, gotten divorced twice, had two kids, dated many random dudes, shaved her head, gone on an epic crusade against pants and even gotten her crazy ass hospitalized twice involuntarily.

In short, Britney Spears is the best.

That's why The Hollywood Gossip is thrilled to wish its favorite star a happy birthday on this second day of December. With her album Circus dropping today, it's abundantly clear that Britney Spears is back and better than ever, baby.

Here's a little photo tribute to the birthday girl ...