Former pop star says, 'I need to create my own magazine'

Amid furious speculation about the state of her marriage and her abilities as a mother, Britney Spears is hoping to tell the world that she's okay on both fronts.

To that end, the pop star will sit down with NBC's Matt Lauer for a "Dateline" special at 9 p.m. ET Thursday. The "Today" anchor asks her about living life under the tabloid microscope, her relationship with husband Kevin Federline and her infant son, Sean (Spears is pregnant with her second child).

"You know what? I need to create my own magazine," Spears says, according to a partial transcript released by NBC. "These people ... I mean they want stories to sell and they're very good ... I need to come up with my own magazine and say the real deal."

Spears throws some water on the numerous magazine stories claiming her marriage is on the rocks and her alleged "new man" ("That's my security guard," she says). She tells Lauer she loves Federline for "his simplicity."

"It's very simple. Women complicate everything," she says. "He's so simple. His simplicity and just he's like a boy. He just, you know, and he cares. He cares so much and his heart is awesome. He has a really big heart and I love that."

Prior to the "Dateline" special, NBC will tease the interview on Thursday's "Today." The NBC-distributed "Access Hollywood" will also carry excerpts of the Spears-Lauer sitdown starting Wednesday.