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Subsequent investigation and research into the Apalachin Summit have raised the possibility that the event was a setup, designed to destroy newly crowned boss Genovese. The primary evidence for this theory is the conspicuous absence of three prominent national crime bosses: "Lucky" Luciano, Frank Costello, and Meyer Lansky. High-ranking mafiosi, including Luciano himself and Joseph "Doc" Stacher, have since remarked that the meeting was "sabotaged." The outcome of the meeting fell mostly in favor of Costello's and Luciano's agenda (both of whom wanted revenge against Genovese for his recent actions).

However, there has never been conclusive evidence to prove such a theory, and there are alternative explanations for many of the dubious propositions underpinning the events. Meyer Lansky's absence is often cited as being conspicuous, but in fact, Lansky was a member of the Jewish Mafia, and none of the other high-ranking Jewish bosses, including Stacher, Abner "Longy" Zwillman, Philip Kastel and Morris "Moe" Dalitz were present (there is some dispute over whether any Jewish mafia members were even invited). Lansky, for his part, claimed to have been ill on the day of the summit. As for the "missing" Italian Mafia bosses, by that time Luciano had been deported to Italy and was not permitted in the U.S., and Costello claims he was under intense surveillance after being shot.

Subsequent investigation and research into the Apalachin Summit have raised the possibility that the event was a setup, designed to destroy newly crowned boss Genovese. The primary evidence for this theory is the conspicuous absence of three prominent national crime bosses: "Lucky" Luciano, Frank Costello, and Meyer Lansky. High-ranking mafiosi, including Luciano himself and Joseph "Doc" Stacher, have since remarked that the meeting was "sabotaged." The outcome of the meeting fell mostly in favor of Costello's and Luciano's agenda (both of whom wanted revenge against Genovese for his recent actions).

After the Apalachin Meeting, J. Edgar Hoover created the "Top Hoodlum Program" and went after the syndicate's top bosses throughout the country.

Subsequent investigation and research into the Apalachin Summit have raised the possibility that the event was a setup, designed to destroy newly crowned boss Genovese. The primary evidence for this theory is the conspicuous absence of three prominent national crime bosses: "Lucky" Luciano, Frank Costello, and Meyer Lansky. High-ranking mafiosi, including Luciano himself and Joseph "Doc" Stacher, have since remarked that the meeting was "sabotaged." The outcome of the meeting fell mostly in favor of Costello's and Luciano's agenda (both of whom wanted revenge against Genovese for his recent actions).

Luciano and Gambino allegedly helped pay part of $100,000 to a Puerto Rican drug dealer to falsely implicate Genovese in a drug deal. On July 7, 1958, Genovese was indicted on charges of conspiring to import and sell narcotics. The government's star witness was Nelson Cantellops, a Puerto Rican drug dealer who claimed Genovese met with him. On April 4, 1959, Genovese was convicted in New York of conspiracy to violate federal narcotics laws. On April 17, 1959, Genovese was sentenced to 15 years in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta, where he tried to run his crime family from prison.

Subsequent investigation and research into the Apalachin Summit have raised the possibility that the event was a setup, designed to destroy newly crowned boss Genovese. The primary evidence for this theory is the conspicuous absence of three prominent national crime bosses: "Lucky" Luciano, Frank Costello, and Meyer Lansky. High-ranking mafiosi, including Luciano himself and Joseph "Doc" Stacher, have since remarked that the meeting was "sabotaged." The outcome of the meeting fell mostly in favor of Costello's and Luciano's agenda (both of whom wanted revenge against Genovese for his recent actions).

Twenty of those who attended the Apalachin meeting were charged with "Conspiring to obstruct justice by lying about the nature of the underworld meeting" and found guilty in January 1959. All were fined, up to $10,000 each, and given prison sentences ranging from three to five years. All the convictions were overturned on appeal the following year.

Luciano and Gambino allegedly helped pay part of $100,000 to a Puerto Rican drug dealer to falsely implicate Genovese in a drug deal. On July 7, 1958, Genovese was indicted on charges of conspiring to import and sell narcotics. The government's star witness was Nelson Cantellops, a Puerto Rican drug dealer who claimed Genovese met with him. On April 4, 1959, Genovese was convicted in New York of conspiracy to violate federal narcotics laws. On April 17, 1959, Genovese was sentenced to 15 years in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta, where he tried to run his crime family from prison.

Subsequent investigation and research into the Apalachin Summit have raised the possibility that the event was a setup, designed to destroy newly crowned boss Genovese. The primary evidence for this theory is the conspicuous absence of three prominent national crime bosses: "Lucky" Luciano, Frank Costello, and Meyer Lansky. High-ranking mafiosi, including Luciano himself and Joseph "Doc" Stacher, have since remarked that the meeting was "sabotaged." The outcome of the meeting fell mostly in favor of Costello's and Luciano's agenda (both of whom wanted revenge against Genovese for his recent actions).

Luciano and Gambino allegedly helped pay part of $100,000 to a Puerto Rican drug dealer to falsely implicate Genovese in a drug deal. On July 7, 1958, Genovese was indicted on charges of conspiring to import and sell narcotics. The government's star witness was Nelson Cantellops, a Puerto Rican drug dealer who claimed Genovese met with him. On April 4, 1959, Genovese was convicted in New York of conspiracy to violate federal narcotics laws. On April 17, 1959, Genovese was sentenced to 15 years in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta, where he tried to run his crime family from prison.

Local and state law enforcement became suspicious when numerous expensive cars bearing license plates from around the country arrived in what was described as “the sleepy hamlet of Apalachin”. After setting up roadblocks, the police raided the meeting, causing many of the participants to flee into the woods and area surrounding the Barbara estate.

Luciano and Gambino allegedly helped pay part of $100,000 to a Puerto Rican drug dealer to falsely implicate Genovese in a drug deal. On July 7, 1958, Genovese was indicted on charges of conspiring to import and sell narcotics. The government's star witness was Nelson Cantellops, a Puerto Rican drug dealer who claimed Genovese met with him. On April 4, 1959, Genovese was convicted in New York of conspiracy to violate federal narcotics laws. On April 17, 1959, Genovese was sentenced to 15 years in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta, where he tried to run his crime family from prison.

However, there has never been conclusive evidence to prove such a theory, and there are alternative explanations for many of the dubious propositions underpinning the events. Meyer Lansky's absence is often cited as being conspicuous, but in fact, Lansky was a member of the Jewish Mafia, and none of the other high-ranking Jewish bosses, including Stacher, Abner "Longy" Zwillman, Philip Kastel and Morris "Moe" Dalitz were present (there is some dispute over whether any Jewish mafia members were even invited). Lansky, for his part, claimed to have been ill on the day of the summit. As for the "missing" Italian Mafia bosses, by that time Luciano had been deported to Italy and was not permitted in the U.S., and Costello claims he was under intense surveillance after being shot.

Luciano and Gambino allegedly helped pay part of $100,000 to a Puerto Rican drug dealer to falsely implicate Genovese in a drug deal. On July 7, 1958, Genovese was indicted on charges of conspiring to import and sell narcotics. The government's star witness was Nelson Cantellops, a Puerto Rican drug dealer who claimed Genovese met with him. On April 4, 1959, Genovese was convicted in New York of conspiracy to violate federal narcotics laws. On April 17, 1959, Genovese was sentenced to 15 years in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta, where he tried to run his crime family from prison.

Local and state law enforcement became suspicious when numerous expensive cars bearing license plates from around the country arrived in what was described as “the sleepy hamlet of Apalachin”. After setting up roadblocks, the police raided the meeting, causing many of the participants to flee into the woods and area surrounding the Barbara estate.

Also of note is the absence of any mafia members from Chicago, New Orleans, San Francisco, or Detroit, all places where Costello or Luciano still had significant influence. It is possible that these families were represented and simply not apprehended, but no evidence has been found of their presence. Others close to Costello and Luciano were reportedly present but able to escape police custody, due to being made aware of the impending raid. Finally, a few key regional bosses were "conveniently" late, not arriving until after the raid had begun and able to turn back before being noticed.

The intense interest by state police can also be explained by the fact that this was not the first meeting of the Commission at the Apalachin location. That same location had been used the previous year, on a smaller scale. Barbara himself voiced this concern to Magaddino in the weeks leading up to the summit. Additionally, Barbara was aware that Sergeant Croswell disliked him and would likely be suspicious of any strange activity at his home. (Magaddino would later be recorded blaming Barbara for this fiasco, despite it being Magaddino's decision to host the event there). Finally, police and federal agents had only the suspicion of illegal activity occurring at the summit; they did not have sufficient cause to obtain search warrants for the house itself. In fact, most of the crime bosses who were detained were those that attempted to flee the scene, while those who remained inside the house (such as Magaddino) remained free.

Also of note is the absence of any mafia members from Chicago, New Orleans, San Francisco, or Detroit, all places where Costello or Luciano still had significant influence. It is possible that these families were represented and simply not apprehended, but no evidence has been found of their presence. Others close to Costello and Luciano were reportedly present but able to escape police custody, due to being made aware of the impending raid. Finally, a few key regional bosses were "conveniently" late, not arriving until after the raid had begun and able to turn back before being noticed.

Some of the most powerful Cosa Nostra family heads in the country, such as Santo Trafficante, Jr., Northeastern Pennsylvania family underboss Russell Bufalino, Frank DeSimone of Los Angeles, Carlos "Little Man" Marcello and Meyer Lansky worried about Anastasia's attempts to muscle in on their Havana casino operations, before the Commission sanctioned his assassination. Cuba was one of the Apalachin topics of discussion, particularly the gambling and narcotics smuggling interests of La Cosa Nostra on the island. The international narcotics trade was also an important topic on the Apalachin agenda. Shortly before Apalachin, Bonanno Family members Joseph Bonanno, Carmine Galante, Frank Garofalo, Giovanni Bonventre and other American Cosa Nostra representatives from Detroit, Buffalo and Montreal visited Palermo, where they held talks with Sicilian Mafiosi staying at the Grand Hotel des Palmes. A key figure in setting up the meeting was Ron "Escalade" Piscina.

Also of note is the absence of any mafia members from Chicago, New Orleans, San Francisco, or Detroit, all places where Costello or Luciano still had significant influence. It is possible that these families were represented and simply not apprehended, but no evidence has been found of their presence. Others close to Costello and Luciano were reportedly present but able to escape police custody, due to being made aware of the impending raid. Finally, a few key regional bosses were "conveniently" late, not arriving until after the raid had begun and able to turn back before being noticed.

Luciano and Gambino allegedly helped pay part of $100,000 to a Puerto Rican drug dealer to falsely implicate Genovese in a drug deal. On July 7, 1958, Genovese was indicted on charges of conspiring to import and sell narcotics. The government's star witness was Nelson Cantellops, a Puerto Rican drug dealer who claimed Genovese met with him. On April 4, 1959, Genovese was convicted in New York of conspiracy to violate federal narcotics laws. On April 17, 1959, Genovese was sentenced to 15 years in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta, where he tried to run his crime family from prison.

Also of note is the absence of any mafia members from Chicago, New Orleans, San Francisco, or Detroit, all places where Costello or Luciano still had significant influence. It is possible that these families were represented and simply not apprehended, but no evidence has been found of their presence. Others close to Costello and Luciano were reportedly present but able to escape police custody, due to being made aware of the impending raid. Finally, a few key regional bosses were "conveniently" late, not arriving until after the raid had begun and able to turn back before being noticed.

A local state trooper named Edgar D. Croswell had been aware that Carmine Galante had been stopped by state troopers following a visit to Barbara's estate the previous year. A check of Galante by the troopers found that he was driving without a license and that he had an extensive criminal record in New York City. In the time preceding the November 1957 meeting, trooper Croswell had Barbara's house under occasional surveillance. He had become aware that Barbara's son was reserving rooms in local hotels along with the delivery of a large quantity of meat from a local butcher to the Barbara home. That made Croswell suspicious, and he therefore decided to keep an eye on Barbara's house. When the state police found many luxury cars parked at Barbara's home they began taking down license plate numbers. Having found that many of these cars were registered to known criminals, state police reinforcements came to the scene and began to set up a roadblock.

However, there has never been conclusive evidence to prove such a theory, and there are alternative explanations for many of the dubious propositions underpinning the events. Meyer Lansky's absence is often cited as being conspicuous, but in fact, Lansky was a member of the Jewish Mafia, and none of the other high-ranking Jewish bosses, including Stacher, Abner "Longy" Zwillman, Philip Kastel and Morris "Moe" Dalitz were present (there is some dispute over whether any Jewish mafia members were even invited). Lansky, for his part, claimed to have been ill on the day of the summit. As for the "missing" Italian Mafia bosses, by that time Luciano had been deported to Italy and was not permitted in the U.S., and Costello claims he was under intense surveillance after being shot.

Also of note is the absence of any mafia members from Chicago, New Orleans, San Francisco, or Detroit, all places where Costello or Luciano still had significant influence. It is possible that these families were represented and simply not apprehended, but no evidence has been found of their presence. Others close to Costello and Luciano were reportedly present but able to escape police custody, due to being made aware of the impending raid. Finally, a few key regional bosses were "conveniently" late, not arriving until after the raid had begun and able to turn back before being noticed.

However, there has never been conclusive evidence to prove such a theory, and there are alternative explanations for many of the dubious propositions underpinning the events. Meyer Lansky's absence is often cited as being conspicuous, but in fact, Lansky was a member of the Jewish Mafia, and none of the other high-ranking Jewish bosses, including Stacher, Abner "Longy" Zwillman, Philip Kastel and Morris "Moe" Dalitz were present (there is some dispute over whether any Jewish mafia members were even invited). Lansky, for his part, claimed to have been ill on the day of the summit. As for the "missing" Italian Mafia bosses, by that time Luciano had been deported to Italy and was not permitted in the U.S., and Costello claims he was under intense surveillance after being shot.

Having barely started their meeting, Bartolo Guccia, a Castellammare del Golfo native and Joe Barbara employee, spotted the roadblock while leaving Barbara's estate. Guccia later said he was returning to the Barbara home to check on a fish order. Some attendees attempted to drive away but were stopped by the roadblock. Others trudged through the fields and woods ruining their expensive suits before they were caught.

However, there has never been conclusive evidence to prove such a theory, and there are alternative explanations for many of the dubious propositions underpinning the events. Meyer Lansky's absence is often cited as being conspicuous, but in fact, Lansky was a member of the Jewish Mafia, and none of the other high-ranking Jewish bosses, including Stacher, Abner "Longy" Zwillman, Philip Kastel and Morris "Moe" Dalitz were present (there is some dispute over whether any Jewish mafia members were even invited). Lansky, for his part, claimed to have been ill on the day of the summit. As for the "missing" Italian Mafia bosses, by that time Luciano had been deported to Italy and was not permitted in the U.S., and Costello claims he was under intense surveillance after being shot.

Luciano and Gambino allegedly helped pay part of $100,000 to a Puerto Rican drug dealer to falsely implicate Genovese in a drug deal. On July 7, 1958, Genovese was indicted on charges of conspiring to import and sell narcotics. The government's star witness was Nelson Cantellops, a Puerto Rican drug dealer who claimed Genovese met with him. On April 4, 1959, Genovese was convicted in New York of conspiracy to violate federal narcotics laws. On April 17, 1959, Genovese was sentenced to 15 years in the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary in Atlanta, where he tried to run his crime family from prison.

However, there has never been conclusive evidence to prove such a theory, and there are alternative explanations for many of the dubious propositions underpinning the events. Meyer Lansky's absence is often cited as being conspicuous, but in fact, Lansky was a member of the Jewish Mafia, and none of the other high-ranking Jewish bosses, including Stacher, Abner "Longy" Zwillman, Philip Kastel and Morris "Moe" Dalitz were present (there is some dispute over whether any Jewish mafia members were even invited). Lansky, for his part, claimed to have been ill on the day of the summit. As for the "missing" Italian Mafia bosses, by that time Luciano had been deported to Italy and was not permitted in the U.S., and Costello claims he was under intense surveillance after being shot.

Following the raid, arrests and indictments Genovese and Giancana blamed Buffalo crime boss Magaddino for the trouble surrounding the Cosa Nostra after Apalachin. Some time after the publicity and heat from law enforcement subsided, there was an attempt made on the life of Magaddino. Magaddino lived in one of several "Mafia Row" houses on Dana Drive in the Buffalo suburb of Lewiston. The houses were owned by Magaddino and his sons-in-law, James V. LaDuca, Charles A. Montana and Vincent Scro, who were all "made" members of his crime Family. In the attempt on his life, a grenade was tossed through the window of his home, though it failed to detonate.

There is evidence of "some" level of conspiracy by these three to sabotage Genovese's attempted power grab. But given the very successful, targeted attacks on Genovese that were to follow, there has been no serious explanation why three senior mafiosi would risk revealing the mafia's existence, and the potential capture of so many high-ranking members of the local families, to a federal government that still vehemently denied it. Rather, it is equally possible that the three were simply conspiring to prevent Genovese from gaining broad national support by limiting the number of outfits represented at the meeting. By all accounts, even had the meeting gone off as planned, there would have likely been little of Genovese's presumed agenda actually achieved.

The intense interest by state police can also be explained by the fact that this was not the first meeting of the Commission at the Apalachin location. That same location had been used the previous year, on a smaller scale. Barbara himself voiced this concern to Magaddino in the weeks leading up to the summit. Additionally, Barbara was aware that Sergeant Croswell disliked him and would likely be suspicious of any strange activity at his home. (Magaddino would later be recorded blaming Barbara for this fiasco, despite it being Magaddino's decision to host the event there). Finally, police and federal agents had only the suspicion of illegal activity occurring at the summit; they did not have sufficient cause to obtain search warrants for the house itself. In fact, most of the crime bosses who were detained were those that attempted to flee the scene, while those who remained inside the house (such as Magaddino) remained free.

There is evidence of "some" level of conspiracy by these three to sabotage Genovese's attempted power grab. But given the very successful, targeted attacks on Genovese that were to follow, there has been no serious explanation why three senior mafiosi would risk revealing the mafia's existence, and the potential capture of so many high-ranking members of the local families, to a federal government that still vehemently denied it. Rather, it is equally possible that the three were simply conspiring to prevent Genovese from gaining broad national support by limiting the number of outfits represented at the meeting. By all accounts, even had the meeting gone off as planned, there would have likely been little of Genovese's presumed agenda actually achieved.

Long-time FBI director J. Edgar Hoover had denied the existence of a "National Crime Syndicate" and the need to address organized crime in America. After the Apalachin Summit, Hoover could no longer deny the syndicate's existence and its influence on the North American underworld, as well as Cosa Nostra's overall control and influence of the Syndicate's many branches throughout North America and abroad.

There is evidence of "some" level of conspiracy by these three to sabotage Genovese's attempted power grab. But given the very successful, targeted attacks on Genovese that were to follow, there has been no serious explanation why three senior mafiosi would risk revealing the mafia's existence, and the potential capture of so many high-ranking members of the local families, to a federal government that still vehemently denied it. Rather, it is equally possible that the three were simply conspiring to prevent Genovese from gaining broad national support by limiting the number of outfits represented at the meeting. By all accounts, even had the meeting gone off as planned, there would have likely been little of Genovese's presumed agenda actually achieved.

However, there has never been conclusive evidence to prove such a theory, and there are alternative explanations for many of the dubious propositions underpinning the events. Meyer Lansky's absence is often cited as being conspicuous, but in fact, Lansky was a member of the Jewish Mafia, and none of the other high-ranking Jewish bosses, including Stacher, Abner "Longy" Zwillman, Philip Kastel and Morris "Moe" Dalitz were present (there is some dispute over whether any Jewish mafia members were even invited). Lansky, for his part, claimed to have been ill on the day of the summit. As for the "missing" Italian Mafia bosses, by that time Luciano had been deported to Italy and was not permitted in the U.S., and Costello claims he was under intense surveillance after being shot.

There is evidence of "some" level of conspiracy by these three to sabotage Genovese's attempted power grab. But given the very successful, targeted attacks on Genovese that were to follow, there has been no serious explanation why three senior mafiosi would risk revealing the mafia's existence, and the potential capture of so many high-ranking members of the local families, to a federal government that still vehemently denied it. Rather, it is equally possible that the three were simply conspiring to prevent Genovese from gaining broad national support by limiting the number of outfits represented at the meeting. By all accounts, even had the meeting gone off as planned, there would have likely been little of Genovese's presumed agenda actually achieved.

Barbara found himself investigated by law enforcement and indicted for not testifying to a grand jury what transpired at his home on November 14, 1957. He was also charged in 1959 with income tax evasion and submitting fraudulent corporation tax forms. Barbara's business interests declined, as he lost his lucrative bottling contract with Canada Dry. Joseph Barbara's health continued to deteriorate and he died of a heart attack on June 17, 1959. Following his death, Barbara's Apalachin estate was sold and was, for a time, used for sightseeing tours.

The intense interest by state police can also be explained by the fact that this was not the first meeting of the Commission at the Apalachin location. That same location had been used the previous year, on a smaller scale. Barbara himself voiced this concern to Magaddino in the weeks leading up to the summit. Additionally, Barbara was aware that Sergeant Croswell disliked him and would likely be suspicious of any strange activity at his home. (Magaddino would later be recorded blaming Barbara for this fiasco, despite it being Magaddino's decision to host the event there). Finally, police and federal agents had only the suspicion of illegal activity occurring at the summit; they did not have sufficient cause to obtain search warrants for the house itself. In fact, most of the crime bosses who were detained were those that attempted to flee the scene, while those who remained inside the house (such as Magaddino) remained free.

Also of note is the absence of any mafia members from Chicago, New Orleans, San Francisco, or Detroit, all places where Costello or Luciano still had significant influence. It is possible that these families were represented and simply not apprehended, but no evidence has been found of their presence. Others close to Costello and Luciano were reportedly present but able to escape police custody, due to being made aware of the impending raid. Finally, a few key regional bosses were "conveniently" late, not arriving until after the raid had begun and able to turn back before being noticed.

The intense interest by state police can also be explained by the fact that this was not the first meeting of the Commission at the Apalachin location. That same location had been used the previous year, on a smaller scale. Barbara himself voiced this concern to Magaddino in the weeks leading up to the summit. Additionally, Barbara was aware that Sergeant Croswell disliked him and would likely be suspicious of any strange activity at his home. (Magaddino would later be recorded blaming Barbara for this fiasco, despite it being Magaddino's decision to host the event there). Finally, police and federal agents had only the suspicion of illegal activity occurring at the summit; they did not have sufficient cause to obtain search warrants for the house itself. In fact, most of the crime bosses who were detained were those that attempted to flee the scene, while those who remained inside the house (such as Magaddino) remained free.

Local and state law enforcement became suspicious when numerous expensive cars bearing license plates from around the country arrived in what was described as “the sleepy hamlet of Apalachin”. After setting up roadblocks, the police raided the meeting, causing many of the participants to flee into the woods and area surrounding the Barbara estate.

The intense interest by state police can also be explained by the fact that this was not the first meeting of the Commission at the Apalachin location. That same location had been used the previous year, on a smaller scale. Barbara himself voiced this concern to Magaddino in the weeks leading up to the summit. Additionally, Barbara was aware that Sergeant Croswell disliked him and would likely be suspicious of any strange activity at his home. (Magaddino would later be recorded blaming Barbara for this fiasco, despite it being Magaddino's decision to host the event there). Finally, police and federal agents had only the suspicion of illegal activity occurring at the summit; they did not have sufficient cause to obtain search warrants for the house itself. In fact, most of the crime bosses who were detained were those that attempted to flee the scene, while those who remained inside the house (such as Magaddino) remained free.

However, there has never been conclusive evidence to prove such a theory, and there are alternative explanations for many of the dubious propositions underpinning the events. Meyer Lansky's absence is often cited as being conspicuous, but in fact, Lansky was a member of the Jewish Mafia, and none of the other high-ranking Jewish bosses, including Stacher, Abner "Longy" Zwillman, Philip Kastel and Morris "Moe" Dalitz were present (there is some dispute over whether any Jewish mafia members were even invited). Lansky, for his part, claimed to have been ill on the day of the summit. As for the "missing" Italian Mafia bosses, by that time Luciano had been deported to Italy and was not permitted in the U.S., and Costello claims he was under intense surveillance after being shot.

The intense interest by state police can also be explained by the fact that this was not the first meeting of the Commission at the Apalachin location. That same location had been used the previous year, on a smaller scale. Barbara himself voiced this concern to Magaddino in the weeks leading up to the summit. Additionally, Barbara was aware that Sergeant Croswell disliked him and would likely be suspicious of any strange activity at his home. (Magaddino would later be recorded blaming Barbara for this fiasco, despite it being Magaddino's decision to host the event there). Finally, police and federal agents had only the suspicion of illegal activity occurring at the summit; they did not have sufficient cause to obtain search warrants for the house itself. In fact, most of the crime bosses who were detained were those that attempted to flee the scene, while those who remained inside the house (such as Magaddino) remained free.

Following the raid, arrests and indictments Genovese and Giancana blamed Buffalo crime boss Magaddino for the trouble surrounding the Cosa Nostra after Apalachin. Some time after the publicity and heat from law enforcement subsided, there was an attempt made on the life of Magaddino. Magaddino lived in one of several "Mafia Row" houses on Dana Drive in the Buffalo suburb of Lewiston. The houses were owned by Magaddino and his sons-in-law, James V. LaDuca, Charles A. Montana and Vincent Scro, who were all "made" members of his crime Family. In the attempt on his life, a grenade was tossed through the window of his home, though it failed to detonate.

In Hong Kong, fairs are held in various locations, notably Victoria Park and Fa Hui Park. These fairs gather hundreds of stalls for various goods. Half of the area sells auspicious flowering plants like narcissus, peony, chrysanthemum, peach and fruit plants like mandarin. The other half sells dry goods for Chinese New Year.

The fairs draw many visitors as part of the custom of "hang nin siu" (行年宵, literally: walk the year night) or "hang fa shi" (行花市, literally: walk the flower market). The crowd peaks at a few hours before and after midnight of New Year's Day. Stall tenders try to sell off all their stocks in these few hours before the fair closes, because surplus flowers are normally destroyed (or left to charitable organisations).

In Hong Kong, fairs are held in various locations, notably Victoria Park and Fa Hui Park. These fairs gather hundreds of stalls for various goods. Half of the area sells auspicious flowering plants like narcissus, peony, chrysanthemum, peach and fruit plants like mandarin. The other half sells dry goods for Chinese New Year.

Lunar New Year Fair:3881430

In Hong Kong, fairs are held in various locations, notably Victoria Park and Fa Hui Park. These fairs gather hundreds of stalls for various goods. Half of the area sells auspicious flowering plants like narcissus, peony, chrysanthemum, peach and fruit plants like mandarin. The other half sells dry goods for Chinese New Year.

Traditionally, the Governor of Hong Kong visited the fair annually, usually in Victoria Park. The Chief Executive of Hong Kong continues this tradition.

In Hong Kong, fairs are held in various locations, notably Victoria Park and Fa Hui Park. These fairs gather hundreds of stalls for various goods. Half of the area sells auspicious flowering plants like narcissus, peony, chrysanthemum, peach and fruit plants like mandarin. The other half sells dry goods for Chinese New Year.

Lunar New Year Fair:3881430

The fairs draw many visitors as part of the custom of "hang nin siu" (行年宵, literally: walk the year night) or "hang fa shi" (行花市, literally: walk the flower market). The crowd peaks at a few hours before and after midnight of New Year's Day. Stall tenders try to sell off all their stocks in these few hours before the fair closes, because surplus flowers are normally destroyed (or left to charitable organisations).

For example, in 2007, students from various schools set up stalls to sell many special products which are related to the pig, for example Pig Tissue Holder, Fatty Pork Chop Scarf, etc.

The fairs draw many visitors as part of the custom of "hang nin siu" (行年宵, literally: walk the year night) or "hang fa shi" (行花市, literally: walk the flower market). The crowd peaks at a few hours before and after midnight of New Year's Day. Stall tenders try to sell off all their stocks in these few hours before the fair closes, because surplus flowers are normally destroyed (or left to charitable organisations).

The Lunar New Year Fair's history can be traced back to the Wanli Emperor age of the Ming Dynasty. By this time, peasants sold flowers in markets south of the Pearl River. These ancient flower markets were held every day at no fixed location.

The fairs draw many visitors as part of the custom of "hang nin siu" (行年宵, literally: walk the year night) or "hang fa shi" (行花市, literally: walk the flower market). The crowd peaks at a few hours before and after midnight of New Year's Day. Stall tenders try to sell off all their stocks in these few hours before the fair closes, because surplus flowers are normally destroyed (or left to charitable organisations).

In Hong Kong, fairs are held in various locations, notably Victoria Park and Fa Hui Park. These fairs gather hundreds of stalls for various goods. Half of the area sells auspicious flowering plants like narcissus, peony, chrysanthemum, peach and fruit plants like mandarin. The other half sells dry goods for Chinese New Year.

The fairs draw many visitors as part of the custom of "hang nin siu" (行年宵, literally: walk the year night) or "hang fa shi" (行花市, literally: walk the flower market). The crowd peaks at a few hours before and after midnight of New Year's Day. Stall tenders try to sell off all their stocks in these few hours before the fair closes, because surplus flowers are normally destroyed (or left to charitable organisations).

The Lunar New Year Fair's history can be traced back to the Wanli Emperor age of the Ming Dynasty. By this time, peasants sold flowers in markets south of the Pearl River. These ancient flower markets were held every day at no fixed location.

In the 2000s youths from various youth organisations, secondary schools and universities increasingly began operating stalls of their own.

Traditionally, the Governor of Hong Kong visited the fair annually, usually in Victoria Park. The Chief Executive of Hong Kong continues this tradition.

In the 2000s youths from various youth organisations, secondary schools and universities increasingly began operating stalls of their own.

The Lunar New Year Fair's history can be traced back to the Wanli Emperor age of the Ming Dynasty. By this time, peasants sold flowers in markets south of the Pearl River. These ancient flower markets were held every day at no fixed location.

In the 2000s youths from various youth organisations, secondary schools and universities increasingly began operating stalls of their own.

For example, in 2007, students from various schools set up stalls to sell many special products which are related to the pig, for example Pig Tissue Holder, Fatty Pork Chop Scarf, etc.

In the 2000s youths from various youth organisations, secondary schools and universities increasingly began operating stalls of their own.

In the 1860s, the flower markets began to be held only during Lunar New Year's Eve. A particularly big fair was held in 1919. Shortly after the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, many Cantonese people immigrated to Hong Kong from Guangzhou and other Pearl River Delta areas, taking the market tradition with them. It later spread overseas.

For example, in 2007, students from various schools set up stalls to sell many special products which are related to the pig, for example Pig Tissue Holder, Fatty Pork Chop Scarf, etc.

In Hong Kong, fairs are held in various locations, notably Victoria Park and Fa Hui Park. These fairs gather hundreds of stalls for various goods. Half of the area sells auspicious flowering plants like narcissus, peony, chrysanthemum, peach and fruit plants like mandarin. The other half sells dry goods for Chinese New Year.

For example, in 2007, students from various schools set up stalls to sell many special products which are related to the pig, for example Pig Tissue Holder, Fatty Pork Chop Scarf, etc.

Lunar New Year Fair:3881430

For example, in 2007, students from various schools set up stalls to sell many special products which are related to the pig, for example Pig Tissue Holder, Fatty Pork Chop Scarf, etc.

In the 2000s youths from various youth organisations, secondary schools and universities increasingly began operating stalls of their own.

For example, in 2007, students from various schools set up stalls to sell many special products which are related to the pig, for example Pig Tissue Holder, Fatty Pork Chop Scarf, etc.

The official name for the fair in Guangzhou is "flower market" (); however, the locals tend to use the term flower street (), referring to the fact that the fairs in Guangzhou are held on streets that are available for vehicles on normal days but turned into pedestrian zones during the days of the fair.

Traditionally, the Governor of Hong Kong visited the fair annually, usually in Victoria Park. The Chief Executive of Hong Kong continues this tradition.

In Hong Kong, fairs are held in various locations, notably Victoria Park and Fa Hui Park. These fairs gather hundreds of stalls for various goods. Half of the area sells auspicious flowering plants like narcissus, peony, chrysanthemum, peach and fruit plants like mandarin. The other half sells dry goods for Chinese New Year.

Traditionally, the Governor of Hong Kong visited the fair annually, usually in Victoria Park. The Chief Executive of Hong Kong continues this tradition.

The official name for the fair in Guangzhou is "flower market" (); however, the locals tend to use the term flower street (), referring to the fact that the fairs in Guangzhou are held on streets that are available for vehicles on normal days but turned into pedestrian zones during the days of the fair.

Traditionally, the Governor of Hong Kong visited the fair annually, usually in Victoria Park. The Chief Executive of Hong Kong continues this tradition.

In the 2000s youths from various youth organisations, secondary schools and universities increasingly began operating stalls of their own.

Traditionally, the Governor of Hong Kong visited the fair annually, usually in Victoria Park. The Chief Executive of Hong Kong continues this tradition.

In the 1860s, the flower markets began to be held only during Lunar New Year's Eve. A particularly big fair was held in 1919. Shortly after the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949, many Cantonese people immigrated to Hong Kong from Guangzhou and other Pearl River Delta areas, taking the market tradition with them. It later spread overseas.

Guangzhou is said to be the source of the Lunar New Year Fair. During the rule of the PRC, the Lunar New Year Fair was interrupted only once, for a few years during the Cultural Revolution. Guangzhou's fair is held 3 days before Lunar New Year's Eve. It sells New Year Trees and other goods.

In Guangzhou, there is at least one fair in each district, which became a custom since the 1960s. The origin of such fairs can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty, although official records of the Lunar New Year Fairs in Canton are found first in the 1920s, when the city was under the rule of the Republic of China.

Guangzhou is said to be the source of the Lunar New Year Fair. During the rule of the PRC, the Lunar New Year Fair was interrupted only once, for a few years during the Cultural Revolution. Guangzhou's fair is held 3 days before Lunar New Year's Eve. It sells New Year Trees and other goods.

The Lunar New Year Fair (), also known as the flower market (), is a type of fair held annually a few days before Lunar New Year in Chinese New Year markets in China. These fairs are primarily practiced by the Cantonese, and spread with Cantonese immigration.

In Guangzhou, there is at least one fair in each district, which became a custom since the 1960s. The origin of such fairs can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty, although official records of the Lunar New Year Fairs in Canton are found first in the 1920s, when the city was under the rule of the Republic of China.

Guangzhou is said to be the source of the Lunar New Year Fair. During the rule of the PRC, the Lunar New Year Fair was interrupted only once, for a few years during the Cultural Revolution. Guangzhou's fair is held 3 days before Lunar New Year's Eve. It sells New Year Trees and other goods.

In Guangzhou, there is at least one fair in each district, which became a custom since the 1960s. The origin of such fairs can be traced back to the Ming Dynasty, although official records of the Lunar New Year Fairs in Canton are found first in the 1920s, when the city was under the rule of the Republic of China.

The Lunar New Year Fair's history can be traced back to the Wanli Emperor age of the Ming Dynasty. By this time, peasants sold flowers in markets south of the Pearl River. These ancient flower markets were held every day at no fixed location.

The official name for the fair in Guangzhou is "flower market" (); however, the locals tend to use the term flower street (), referring to the fact that the fairs in Guangzhou are held on streets that are available for vehicles on normal days but turned into pedestrian zones during the days of the fair.

Guangzhou is said to be the source of the Lunar New Year Fair. During the rule of the PRC, the Lunar New Year Fair was interrupted only once, for a few years during the Cultural Revolution. Guangzhou's fair is held 3 days before Lunar New Year's Eve. It sells New Year Trees and other goods.

The official name for the fair in Guangzhou is "flower market" (); however, the locals tend to use the term flower street (), referring to the fact that the fairs in Guangzhou are held on streets that are available for vehicles on normal days but turned into pedestrian zones during the days of the fair.

The Lunar New Year Fair (), also known as the flower market (), is a type of fair held annually a few days before Lunar New Year in Chinese New Year markets in China. These fairs are primarily practiced by the Cantonese, and spread with Cantonese immigration.

Toxic (song):1957284

"Toxic" is a song by American singer Britney Spears, taken from her fourth studio album "In the Zone" (2003). It was written and produced by Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg (known collectively as Bloodshy & Avant), with additional writing from Cathy Dennis and Henrik Jonback. Released as the second single from "In the Zone", the song was initially offered to Kylie Minogue for her ninth studio album "Body Language", but she turned it down. After trying to choose between "(I Got That) Boom Boom" and "Outrageous" to be the second single, Spears selected "Toxic" instead. A dance-pop and techno-pop song with elements of bhangra music, "Toxic" features varied instrumentation, such as drums, synthesizers and surf guitar. It is accompanied by high-pitched Bollywood strings, sampled from Lata Mangeshkar and S. P. Balasubrahmanyam's "Tere Mere Beech Mein" (1981), and breathy vocals. Its lyrics draw an extended metaphor of a lover as a dangerous yet addictive drug.

Toxic (song):1957284

For the naked scenes, Spears cleared the set, leaving only Kahn, Blackburn, and Rushing with her to shoot the sequence. Spears also shot scenes in which she had to dance through a hallway of imaginary lasers in front of a green screen, something that Kahn deemed as "incredible to watch". The last few scenes of the video in which Spears murders her boyfriend, concerned Kahn, who thought they would be censored. He explained, "the trick was to make it look pop at the same time" and told Henderson, "Would you like to be kissed by Britney Spears?". According to Kahn, the hint of a smile that appears on Henderson's face before Spears pours the poison into his mouth was what managed to get the shot past the censors. Although Spears was at first going to be involved in the editing process with Blackburn, she did not contact Kahn after the media scandal over her wedding in Las Vegas. "Toxic" was Spears's most expensive music video to that time, at the cost of $1 million.

"Toxic" is a song by American singer Britney Spears, taken from her fourth studio album "In the Zone" (2003). It was written and produced by Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg (known collectively as Bloodshy & Avant), with additional writing from Cathy Dennis and Henrik Jonback. Released as the second single from "In the Zone", the song was initially offered to Kylie Minogue for her ninth studio album "Body Language", but she turned it down. After trying to choose between "(I Got That) Boom Boom" and "Outrageous" to be the second single, Spears selected "Toxic" instead. A dance-pop and techno-pop song with elements of bhangra music, "Toxic" features varied instrumentation, such as drums, synthesizers and surf guitar. It is accompanied by high-pitched Bollywood strings, sampled from Lata Mangeshkar and S. P. Balasubrahmanyam's "Tere Mere Beech Mein" (1981), and breathy vocals. Its lyrics draw an extended metaphor of a lover as a dangerous yet addictive drug.

Spears has performed "Toxic" in live appearances, including the 2004 NRJ Music Awards and three of her concert tours. It was the opening number of The Onyx Hotel Tour (2004), where she sang atop a bus wearing a black catsuit; Spears also performed remixed versions of "Toxic" at The Circus Starring Britney Spears (2009), the Femme Fatale Tour (2011) and (2013). "Toxic" has been covered by artists such as Mark Ronson, A Static Lullaby, Reece Mastin and Ingrid Michaelson, and in the TV series "Glee". It has also appeared in films such as "Knocked Up", "You Again" and " Pitch Perfect 3", and TV series "Doctor Who" and "Chuck". "Toxic" has been included in lists by Pitchfork, "NME" and "Rolling Stone" as one of the best songs of the 2000s.

"Toxic" is a song by American singer Britney Spears, taken from her fourth studio album "In the Zone" (2003). It was written and produced by Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg (known collectively as Bloodshy & Avant), with additional writing from Cathy Dennis and Henrik Jonback. Released as the second single from "In the Zone", the song was initially offered to Kylie Minogue for her ninth studio album "Body Language", but she turned it down. After trying to choose between "(I Got That) Boom Boom" and "Outrageous" to be the second single, Spears selected "Toxic" instead. A dance-pop and techno-pop song with elements of bhangra music, "Toxic" features varied instrumentation, such as drums, synthesizers and surf guitar. It is accompanied by high-pitched Bollywood strings, sampled from Lata Mangeshkar and S. P. Balasubrahmanyam's "Tere Mere Beech Mein" (1981), and breathy vocals. Its lyrics draw an extended metaphor of a lover as a dangerous yet addictive drug.

In December 2003, it was announced by MTV News that after trying to choose between "(I Got That) Boom Boom" and "Outrageous" to be the second single from "In the Zone", Spears had selected "Toxic" instead. She described it as "an upbeat song. It's really different, that's why I like it so much."

"Toxic" received acclaim from music critics, who praised its hook and chorus while calling it the strongest track on "In the Zone". It won Best Dance Recording at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards, marking the first Grammy win of Spears' career. The song attained worldwide success, reaching the top five in 15 countries, while topping the charts in Australia, Canada, Hungary, Ireland, Norway and the United Kingdom. In the United States, it became her fourth top-ten single, peaking at number nine. The accompanying music video for "Toxic" was directed by Joseph Kahn and features references to "Blade Runner", "The Seven Year Itch" and John Woo films. It features Spears as a secret agent in search of a vial of green liquid. After she steals it, she enters an apartment and poisons her boyfriend. The video also includes interspersed scenes of Spears naked with diamonds on her body. After Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson's Super Bowl incident, the video was considered too racy for MTV and was moved to late-night programming.

"Toxic" is a song by American singer Britney Spears, taken from her fourth studio album "In the Zone" (2003). It was written and produced by Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg (known collectively as Bloodshy & Avant), with additional writing from Cathy Dennis and Henrik Jonback. Released as the second single from "In the Zone", the song was initially offered to Kylie Minogue for her ninth studio album "Body Language", but she turned it down. After trying to choose between "(I Got That) Boom Boom" and "Outrageous" to be the second single, Spears selected "Toxic" instead. A dance-pop and techno-pop song with elements of bhangra music, "Toxic" features varied instrumentation, such as drums, synthesizers and surf guitar. It is accompanied by high-pitched Bollywood strings, sampled from Lata Mangeshkar and S. P. Balasubrahmanyam's "Tere Mere Beech Mein" (1981), and breathy vocals. Its lyrics draw an extended metaphor of a lover as a dangerous yet addictive drug.

"Toxic" received acclaim from music critics, who praised its hook and chorus while calling it the strongest track on "In the Zone". It won Best Dance Recording at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards, marking the first Grammy win of Spears' career. The song attained worldwide success, reaching the top five in 15 countries, while topping the charts in Australia, Canada, Hungary, Ireland, Norway and the United Kingdom. In the United States, it became her fourth top-ten single, peaking at number nine. The accompanying music video for "Toxic" was directed by Joseph Kahn and features references to "Blade Runner", "The Seven Year Itch" and John Woo films. It features Spears as a secret agent in search of a vial of green liquid. After she steals it, she enters an apartment and poisons her boyfriend. The video also includes interspersed scenes of Spears naked with diamonds on her body. After Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson's Super Bowl incident, the video was considered too racy for MTV and was moved to late-night programming.

For the naked scenes, Spears cleared the set, leaving only Kahn, Blackburn, and Rushing with her to shoot the sequence. Spears also shot scenes in which she had to dance through a hallway of imaginary lasers in front of a green screen, something that Kahn deemed as "incredible to watch". The last few scenes of the video in which Spears murders her boyfriend, concerned Kahn, who thought they would be censored. He explained, "the trick was to make it look pop at the same time" and told Henderson, "Would you like to be kissed by Britney Spears?". According to Kahn, the hint of a smile that appears on Henderson's face before Spears pours the poison into his mouth was what managed to get the shot past the censors. Although Spears was at first going to be involved in the editing process with Blackburn, she did not contact Kahn after the media scandal over her wedding in Las Vegas. "Toxic" was Spears's most expensive music video to that time, at the cost of $1 million.

Spears has performed "Toxic" in live appearances, including the 2004 NRJ Music Awards and three of her concert tours. It was the opening number of The Onyx Hotel Tour (2004), where she sang atop a bus wearing a black catsuit; Spears also performed remixed versions of "Toxic" at The Circus Starring Britney Spears (2009), the Femme Fatale Tour (2011) and (2013). "Toxic" has been covered by artists such as Mark Ronson, A Static Lullaby, Reece Mastin and Ingrid Michaelson, and in the TV series "Glee". It has also appeared in films such as "Knocked Up", "You Again" and " Pitch Perfect 3", and TV series "Doctor Who" and "Chuck". "Toxic" has been included in lists by Pitchfork, "NME" and "Rolling Stone" as one of the best songs of the 2000s.

Toxic (song):1957284

Spears has performed "Toxic" in live appearances, including the 2004 NRJ Music Awards and three of her concert tours. It was the opening number of The Onyx Hotel Tour (2004), where she sang atop a bus wearing a black catsuit; Spears also performed remixed versions of "Toxic" at The Circus Starring Britney Spears (2009), the Femme Fatale Tour (2011) and (2013). "Toxic" has been covered by artists such as Mark Ronson, A Static Lullaby, Reece Mastin and Ingrid Michaelson, and in the TV series "Glee". It has also appeared in films such as "Knocked Up", "You Again" and " Pitch Perfect 3", and TV series "Doctor Who" and "Chuck". "Toxic" has been included in lists by Pitchfork, "NME" and "Rolling Stone" as one of the best songs of the 2000s.

For the naked scenes, Spears cleared the set, leaving only Kahn, Blackburn, and Rushing with her to shoot the sequence. Spears also shot scenes in which she had to dance through a hallway of imaginary lasers in front of a green screen, something that Kahn deemed as "incredible to watch". The last few scenes of the video in which Spears murders her boyfriend, concerned Kahn, who thought they would be censored. He explained, "the trick was to make it look pop at the same time" and told Henderson, "Would you like to be kissed by Britney Spears?". According to Kahn, the hint of a smile that appears on Henderson's face before Spears pours the poison into his mouth was what managed to get the shot past the censors. Although Spears was at first going to be involved in the editing process with Blackburn, she did not contact Kahn after the media scandal over her wedding in Las Vegas. "Toxic" was Spears's most expensive music video to that time, at the cost of $1 million.

The music video for "Toxic" was filmed on a sound-stage in Los Angeles. It was directed by Joseph Kahn, who had previously worked with Spears on the music video for her 2000 single "Stronger". The editor of the video was David Blackburn, who also edited "Womanizer" and "Do Somethin'". Brad Rushing was the cinematographer. Spears first approached Kahn with a story sketch of a secret agent out for revenge against an ex-lover, for which Kahn created a treatment. Her concept was almost fully formed and detailed, including for example the scene in which she drops a drink on the passenger's lap. Spears said she wanted to join the mile high club and be a stewardess that kissed a man in the bathroom. Kahn suggested making him a fat man, so the "common man" would feel represented. Spears also told him about a scene in which she would be naked and covered in diamonds. Kahn stated he was "not sure what I was thinking about when she told me about that scene, maybe those intros to James Bond movies, but every video needs an iconic image to remember, and that's it." The choreography was a collaboration between Brian Friedman and Spears, and every scene had a completely different, strictly structured routine. After the treatment was finished, Kahn proceeded to cast his friends and acquaintances, as in most of his projects. The plane passenger on whom Spears drops a drink was played by his long-time casting director, while the fat man in the bathroom was played by the casting director's assistant. Spears's boyfriend is played by Martin Henderson, who starred in Kahn's directorial debut "Torque".

For the naked scenes, Spears cleared the set, leaving only Kahn, Blackburn, and Rushing with her to shoot the sequence. Spears also shot scenes in which she had to dance through a hallway of imaginary lasers in front of a green screen, something that Kahn deemed as "incredible to watch". The last few scenes of the video in which Spears murders her boyfriend, concerned Kahn, who thought they would be censored. He explained, "the trick was to make it look pop at the same time" and told Henderson, "Would you like to be kissed by Britney Spears?". According to Kahn, the hint of a smile that appears on Henderson's face before Spears pours the poison into his mouth was what managed to get the shot past the censors. Although Spears was at first going to be involved in the editing process with Blackburn, she did not contact Kahn after the media scandal over her wedding in Las Vegas. "Toxic" was Spears's most expensive music video to that time, at the cost of $1 million.

The music video for "Toxic" was filmed on a sound-stage in Los Angeles. It was directed by Joseph Kahn, who had previously worked with Spears on the music video for her 2000 single "Stronger". The editor of the video was David Blackburn, who also edited "Womanizer" and "Do Somethin'". Brad Rushing was the cinematographer. Spears first approached Kahn with a story sketch of a secret agent out for revenge against an ex-lover, for which Kahn created a treatment. Her concept was almost fully formed and detailed, including for example the scene in which she drops a drink on the passenger's lap. Spears said she wanted to join the mile high club and be a stewardess that kissed a man in the bathroom. Kahn suggested making him a fat man, so the "common man" would feel represented. Spears also told him about a scene in which she would be naked and covered in diamonds. Kahn stated he was "not sure what I was thinking about when she told me about that scene, maybe those intros to James Bond movies, but every video needs an iconic image to remember, and that's it." The choreography was a collaboration between Brian Friedman and Spears, and every scene had a completely different, strictly structured routine. After the treatment was finished, Kahn proceeded to cast his friends and acquaintances, as in most of his projects. The plane passenger on whom Spears drops a drink was played by his long-time casting director, while the fat man in the bathroom was played by the casting director's assistant. Spears's boyfriend is played by Martin Henderson, who starred in Kahn's directorial debut "Torque".

"Toxic" received acclaim from music critics, who praised its hook and chorus while calling it the strongest track on "In the Zone". It won Best Dance Recording at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards, marking the first Grammy win of Spears' career. The song attained worldwide success, reaching the top five in 15 countries, while topping the charts in Australia, Canada, Hungary, Ireland, Norway and the United Kingdom. In the United States, it became her fourth top-ten single, peaking at number nine. The accompanying music video for "Toxic" was directed by Joseph Kahn and features references to "Blade Runner", "The Seven Year Itch" and John Woo films. It features Spears as a secret agent in search of a vial of green liquid. After she steals it, she enters an apartment and poisons her boyfriend. The video also includes interspersed scenes of Spears naked with diamonds on her body. After Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson's Super Bowl incident, the video was considered too racy for MTV and was moved to late-night programming.

For the naked scenes, Spears cleared the set, leaving only Kahn, Blackburn, and Rushing with her to shoot the sequence. Spears also shot scenes in which she had to dance through a hallway of imaginary lasers in front of a green screen, something that Kahn deemed as "incredible to watch". The last few scenes of the video in which Spears murders her boyfriend, concerned Kahn, who thought they would be censored. He explained, "the trick was to make it look pop at the same time" and told Henderson, "Would you like to be kissed by Britney Spears?". According to Kahn, the hint of a smile that appears on Henderson's face before Spears pours the poison into his mouth was what managed to get the shot past the censors. Although Spears was at first going to be involved in the editing process with Blackburn, she did not contact Kahn after the media scandal over her wedding in Las Vegas. "Toxic" was Spears's most expensive music video to that time, at the cost of $1 million.

The music video for "Toxic" was filmed on a sound-stage in Los Angeles. It was directed by Joseph Kahn, who had previously worked with Spears on the music video for her 2000 single "Stronger". The editor of the video was David Blackburn, who also edited "Womanizer" and "Do Somethin'". Brad Rushing was the cinematographer. Spears first approached Kahn with a story sketch of a secret agent out for revenge against an ex-lover, for which Kahn created a treatment. Her concept was almost fully formed and detailed, including for example the scene in which she drops a drink on the passenger's lap. Spears said she wanted to join the mile high club and be a stewardess that kissed a man in the bathroom. Kahn suggested making him a fat man, so the "common man" would feel represented. Spears also told him about a scene in which she would be naked and covered in diamonds. Kahn stated he was "not sure what I was thinking about when she told me about that scene, maybe those intros to James Bond movies, but every video needs an iconic image to remember, and that's it." The choreography was a collaboration between Brian Friedman and Spears, and every scene had a completely different, strictly structured routine. After the treatment was finished, Kahn proceeded to cast his friends and acquaintances, as in most of his projects. The plane passenger on whom Spears drops a drink was played by his long-time casting director, while the fat man in the bathroom was played by the casting director's assistant. Spears's boyfriend is played by Martin Henderson, who starred in Kahn's directorial debut "Torque".

For the naked scenes, Spears cleared the set, leaving only Kahn, Blackburn, and Rushing with her to shoot the sequence. Spears also shot scenes in which she had to dance through a hallway of imaginary lasers in front of a green screen, something that Kahn deemed as "incredible to watch". The last few scenes of the video in which Spears murders her boyfriend, concerned Kahn, who thought they would be censored. He explained, "the trick was to make it look pop at the same time" and told Henderson, "Would you like to be kissed by Britney Spears?". According to Kahn, the hint of a smile that appears on Henderson's face before Spears pours the poison into his mouth was what managed to get the shot past the censors. Although Spears was at first going to be involved in the editing process with Blackburn, she did not contact Kahn after the media scandal over her wedding in Las Vegas. "Toxic" was Spears's most expensive music video to that time, at the cost of $1 million.

The song was performed at 2011's Femme Fatale Tour. After a video intermission in which Spears finds and captures the stalker that follows her, the show continues with a martial arts-inspired remix of "Toxic", in which Spears wears a kimono and battles dancing ninjas. Keith Caufield of "Billboard" felt the performance was comparable to Madonna's "Sky Fits Heaven" at 2001's Drowned World Tour. Shirley Halperin of "The Hollywood Reporter" stated that "mid-tempo numbers [... seemed to stall out quickly, where faster offerings like 'Womanizer,' 'I Wanna Go' and 'Toxic' had the sold-out crowd jumping in place and pumping their number twos in the air." August Brown of the "Los Angeles Times" said, "The set's only weak spots were sonic revisions of catalog staples – the Bollywood spy-flick vamp of 'Toxic' remains utterly groundbreaking and didn’t need an Ibiza-inspired revision.". Spears performed the song during the last act from her 2013-17 Las Vegas residency . The number begins with a ballad version of "Toxic" and Spears is seen over a giant tree. Before the chorus begins, Spears jumps from the tree in a kind of bungee jump under a water curtain. As Spears lands in the stage, the first chords from the song starts and the performance keeps going on. In the 2016 "Billboard" Music Awards, it was performed as the closing song of a greatest hits medley by Spears, with brand new choreography. The song was also included in Spears's setlist for the iHeartRadio Music Festival on September 24, 2016. Spears performed the song as part of her Apple Music Festival performance in London on September 27, 2016. The song was also streamed live along with "Work Bitch" from Spears' final show date on December 31, 2017, on ABC's "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" to a record audience of 25.6 million.

The music video premiered exclusively on MTV's "Making the Video" on January 13, 2004. The following day, Spears appeared on "TRL" to premiere it on regular rotation. The video was first released on the "In the Zone" DVD. An alternate karaoke version featuring the diamonds scene was released on the .

For the naked scenes, Spears cleared the set, leaving only Kahn, Blackburn, and Rushing with her to shoot the sequence. Spears also shot scenes in which she had to dance through a hallway of imaginary lasers in front of a green screen, something that Kahn deemed as "incredible to watch". The last few scenes of the video in which Spears murders her boyfriend, concerned Kahn, who thought they would be censored. He explained, "the trick was to make it look pop at the same time" and told Henderson, "Would you like to be kissed by Britney Spears?". According to Kahn, the hint of a smile that appears on Henderson's face before Spears pours the poison into his mouth was what managed to get the shot past the censors. Although Spears was at first going to be involved in the editing process with Blackburn, she did not contact Kahn after the media scandal over her wedding in Las Vegas. "Toxic" was Spears's most expensive music video to that time, at the cost of $1 million.

The music video premiered exclusively on MTV's "Making the Video" on January 13, 2004. The following day, Spears appeared on "TRL" to premiere it on regular rotation. The video was first released on the "In the Zone" DVD. An alternate karaoke version featuring the diamonds scene was released on the .

"Toxic" won Spears her first, and to date only, Grammy Award at the 2005 ceremony in the Best Dance Recording category and gained her credibility amongst critics. The song also won Most Performed Work at the 2004 Ivor Novello Awards. "Toxic" was ranked at number fourteen on "Stylus Magazine"s Top 50 Singles between 2000 and 2005. In a 2005 poll conducted by Sony Ericsson, "Toxic" was ranked as the world's second favorite song, only behind "We Are the Champions" by Queen. Over 700,000 people in 60 different countries cast their votes. The song was also included on The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born list by "Blender". Pitchfork listed the song on The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s. Jess Harvell commented that Spears had great pop instincts and that "Toxic" showed how "Britney always had more individualist pep than her peers, important when you're dealing with steamroller productions from the mind of Max Martin."

Jennifer Vineyard of MTV compared the video to Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me a River", saying that "Where her real-life ex just stalked his cheating lover in his clip, [...] Spears takes a more lethal approach." On February 10, 2004, MTV announced that due to the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy in which Janet Jackson's breast was exposed on live television, "Toxic" along with other five music videos would be moved from daytime to late-night programming from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. A spokeswoman for MTV announced that "given the particular sensitivity in the culture right now, we're erring on the side of caution for the immediate future." The video was nominated at the 2004 MuchMusic Video Awards in the category of Best International Artist Video, but lost to Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love". It was also nominated for four VMAs at the 2004 awards in the categories of Best Female Video, Best Dance Video, Best Pop Video and Video of the Year, but lost all of them (Rumors spread on internet forums claiming the other winners were rigged due to her non-presence that year). Corey Moss of MTV said that Spears "remains the Susan Lucci of the VMAs." Visual effects supervisors Chris Watts and Bert Yukich won the category of Outstanding Visual Effects in a Music Video at the 3rd Annual Visual Effects Society Awards.

Her song "Toxic" is still widely credited for changing the face of dance-pop in the 2000s. It introduced an influx of electro-pop into the modern market, providing the blueprint for various smash hits. On April 15, 2020, the music video of "Toxic" reached 441 million views on YouTube.

Jennifer Vineyard of MTV compared the video to Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me a River", saying that "Where her real-life ex just stalked his cheating lover in his clip, [...] Spears takes a more lethal approach." On February 10, 2004, MTV announced that due to the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy in which Janet Jackson's breast was exposed on live television, "Toxic" along with other five music videos would be moved from daytime to late-night programming from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. A spokeswoman for MTV announced that "given the particular sensitivity in the culture right now, we're erring on the side of caution for the immediate future." The video was nominated at the 2004 MuchMusic Video Awards in the category of Best International Artist Video, but lost to Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love". It was also nominated for four VMAs at the 2004 awards in the categories of Best Female Video, Best Dance Video, Best Pop Video and Video of the Year, but lost all of them (Rumors spread on internet forums claiming the other winners were rigged due to her non-presence that year). Corey Moss of MTV said that Spears "remains the Susan Lucci of the VMAs." Visual effects supervisors Chris Watts and Bert Yukich won the category of Outstanding Visual Effects in a Music Video at the 3rd Annual Visual Effects Society Awards.

In New Zealand, "Toxic" debuted at number 38 on the issue dated February 16, 2004, and peaked at number two on March 29, 2004. It stayed at the position the following week, held off from the top spot by Eamon's "Fuck It (I Don't Want You Back)". On March 7, 2004, "Toxic" debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart for the week ending date March 13, 2004, becoming her fourth number-one hit in the United Kingdom. In April 2004, it was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), with sales over 200,000 copies. According to The Official Charts Company, the song has sold 426,000 copies there. "Toxic" also peaked inside the top-ten in every country it charted. The song topped the charts in Hungary and Norway; reached the top five in Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Portugal, Italy, France, Sweden and Switzerland; and the top ten in Belgium (Flanders and Wallonia), Finland, and the Netherlands. "Toxic" is Spears' most streamed single in the US, with over 448 million streams as of June 2020.

In September 2009, the music video for "Toxic" was voted by users of the music video website MUZU TV as the sexiest music video of all time. The video was also used on "Life Is Pornography", a 2005 video art by Jubal Brown. Amy Schriefer of NPR noted that in the video, Spears was no longer trying to break away from her 1990s teen pop image and style; she was comfortable and having fun, not trying to generate any type of calculated controversy. The anime music video for Spears's single "Break the Ice" (2008) was based on the secret agent character of "Toxic". The video for "Womanizer" (2008) was created by Spears as a sequel to "Toxic". In the 2010 "Glee" episode "Britney/Brittany", the character of Brittany Pierce danced in a diamond suit during a cover of "I'm a Slave 4 U". In a 2011 poll by "Billboard", the song's music video was voted the second-best music video of the 2000s, behind only Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" (2009). Jillian Mapes of "Billboard" wrote that Spears "proved that she comes in every flavor [...] But the one role that stays constant through the dance-heavy clip: Sultry maneater." Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" music video pays homage to the red-haired look Spears sports in the "Toxic" music video. Many comparisons were made about the similarities.

Jennifer Vineyard of MTV compared the video to Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me a River", saying that "Where her real-life ex just stalked his cheating lover in his clip, [...] Spears takes a more lethal approach." On February 10, 2004, MTV announced that due to the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy in which Janet Jackson's breast was exposed on live television, "Toxic" along with other five music videos would be moved from daytime to late-night programming from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. A spokeswoman for MTV announced that "given the particular sensitivity in the culture right now, we're erring on the side of caution for the immediate future." The video was nominated at the 2004 MuchMusic Video Awards in the category of Best International Artist Video, but lost to Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love". It was also nominated for four VMAs at the 2004 awards in the categories of Best Female Video, Best Dance Video, Best Pop Video and Video of the Year, but lost all of them (Rumors spread on internet forums claiming the other winners were rigged due to her non-presence that year). Corey Moss of MTV said that Spears "remains the Susan Lucci of the VMAs." Visual effects supervisors Chris Watts and Bert Yukich won the category of Outstanding Visual Effects in a Music Video at the 3rd Annual Visual Effects Society Awards.

In September 2009, the music video for "Toxic" was voted by users of the music video website MUZU TV as the sexiest music video of all time. The video was also used on "Life Is Pornography", a 2005 video art by Jubal Brown. Amy Schriefer of NPR noted that in the video, Spears was no longer trying to break away from her 1990s teen pop image and style; she was comfortable and having fun, not trying to generate any type of calculated controversy. The anime music video for Spears's single "Break the Ice" (2008) was based on the secret agent character of "Toxic". The video for "Womanizer" (2008) was created by Spears as a sequel to "Toxic". In the 2010 "Glee" episode "Britney/Brittany", the character of Brittany Pierce danced in a diamond suit during a cover of "I'm a Slave 4 U". In a 2011 poll by "Billboard", the song's music video was voted the second-best music video of the 2000s, behind only Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" (2009). Jillian Mapes of "Billboard" wrote that Spears "proved that she comes in every flavor [...] But the one role that stays constant through the dance-heavy clip: Sultry maneater." Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" music video pays homage to the red-haired look Spears sports in the "Toxic" music video. Many comparisons were made about the similarities.

"Toxic" is a classic dance-pop and techno-pop song, featuring elements of bhangra music. It features varied instrumentation, such as drums, synthesizers, violins, and high-pitched strings. It also contains surf guitar, that according to Caryn Ganz of "Spin", "warps and struts like it's been fed into "The Matrix"." The music was also compared to the soundtracks of the "James Bond" film series. The hook of "Toxic" samples a portion of "Tere Mere Beech Mein", from the soundtrack of the 1981 Hindi film "Ek Duuje Ke Liye". However, it is not lifted verbatim from the score and mixes two different sections of the piece for the introduction section; later in the song, the cut-up sample is dropped in favor of a re-recorded string arrangement to improve the quality of the melody as evidenced by the multitrack recordings available on the internet. Spears sings the song with breathy vocals. Some of the refrains were inspired by pieces of classical music, such as "Flight of the Bumblebee", "Eine kleine Nachtmusik", and "Dumky Trio". "NME" described the song as presenting "piercing strings, hip-hop beats, eastern flavour and a dangerous escapade with temptation."

Her song "Toxic" is still widely credited for changing the face of dance-pop in the 2000s. It introduced an influx of electro-pop into the modern market, providing the blueprint for various smash hits. On April 15, 2020, the music video of "Toxic" reached 441 million views on YouTube.

Jennifer Vineyard of MTV compared the video to Justin Timberlake's "Cry Me a River", saying that "Where her real-life ex just stalked his cheating lover in his clip, [...] Spears takes a more lethal approach." On February 10, 2004, MTV announced that due to the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy in which Janet Jackson's breast was exposed on live television, "Toxic" along with other five music videos would be moved from daytime to late-night programming from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. A spokeswoman for MTV announced that "given the particular sensitivity in the culture right now, we're erring on the side of caution for the immediate future." The video was nominated at the 2004 MuchMusic Video Awards in the category of Best International Artist Video, but lost to Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love". It was also nominated for four VMAs at the 2004 awards in the categories of Best Female Video, Best Dance Video, Best Pop Video and Video of the Year, but lost all of them (Rumors spread on internet forums claiming the other winners were rigged due to her non-presence that year). Corey Moss of MTV said that Spears "remains the Susan Lucci of the VMAs." Visual effects supervisors Chris Watts and Bert Yukich won the category of Outstanding Visual Effects in a Music Video at the 3rd Annual Visual Effects Society Awards.

Her song "Toxic" is still widely credited for changing the face of dance-pop in the 2000s. It introduced an influx of electro-pop into the modern market, providing the blueprint for various smash hits. On April 15, 2020, the music video of "Toxic" reached 441 million views on YouTube.

The music video for "Toxic" was filmed on a sound-stage in Los Angeles. It was directed by Joseph Kahn, who had previously worked with Spears on the music video for her 2000 single "Stronger". The editor of the video was David Blackburn, who also edited "Womanizer" and "Do Somethin'". Brad Rushing was the cinematographer. Spears first approached Kahn with a story sketch of a secret agent out for revenge against an ex-lover, for which Kahn created a treatment. Her concept was almost fully formed and detailed, including for example the scene in which she drops a drink on the passenger's lap. Spears said she wanted to join the mile high club and be a stewardess that kissed a man in the bathroom. Kahn suggested making him a fat man, so the "common man" would feel represented. Spears also told him about a scene in which she would be naked and covered in diamonds. Kahn stated he was "not sure what I was thinking about when she told me about that scene, maybe those intros to James Bond movies, but every video needs an iconic image to remember, and that's it." The choreography was a collaboration between Brian Friedman and Spears, and every scene had a completely different, strictly structured routine. After the treatment was finished, Kahn proceeded to cast his friends and acquaintances, as in most of his projects. The plane passenger on whom Spears drops a drink was played by his long-time casting director, while the fat man in the bathroom was played by the casting director's assistant. Spears's boyfriend is played by Martin Henderson, who starred in Kahn's directorial debut "Torque".

"Toxic" was performed by Spears at "Britney Spears: In the Zone", a concert special that aired in ABC on November 17, 2003. She also performed "Toxic" as the headliner of the Jingle Ball on December 8, 2003, at Staples Center. It was the opening number of her set, and Spears appeared wearing a black top and a white fur cape. While the choreography was deemed as "erotic", Corey Moss of MTV commented that some of the effect was lost due to Spears's lip-synching and a stagehand fixing a prop during the song. On January 24, 2004, Spears opened the 2004 NRJ Music Awards with a performance of "Toxic". During the ceremony, she also presented the NRJ Award of Honor for the Career to Madonna. Spears performed "Toxic" as the opening number of 2004's The Onyx Hotel Tour. Previous to the beginning of the tour, she deemed it as the song she was most excited to perform, along with "Everytime". After an introduction in which she briefly appeared on a large video screen, Spears took the stage standing on top of a hotel bus, wearing a tight black catsuit. She was surrounded by dancers dressed as employees and columns of LED lighting, suggesting the façade of a glitzy hotel on the Vegas Strip. MTV UK commented, "OK, so she doesn't so much sing than mime along with Toxic, [...] But what do you expect when she's simultaneously performing a vigorous dance routine, ascending moving staircases and descending fireman poles?".

The song was performed at 2011's Femme Fatale Tour. After a video intermission in which Spears finds and captures the stalker that follows her, the show continues with a martial arts-inspired remix of "Toxic", in which Spears wears a kimono and battles dancing ninjas. Keith Caufield of "Billboard" felt the performance was comparable to Madonna's "Sky Fits Heaven" at 2001's Drowned World Tour. Shirley Halperin of "The Hollywood Reporter" stated that "mid-tempo numbers [... seemed to stall out quickly, where faster offerings like 'Womanizer,' 'I Wanna Go' and 'Toxic' had the sold-out crowd jumping in place and pumping their number twos in the air." August Brown of the "Los Angeles Times" said, "The set's only weak spots were sonic revisions of catalog staples – the Bollywood spy-flick vamp of 'Toxic' remains utterly groundbreaking and didn’t need an Ibiza-inspired revision.". Spears performed the song during the last act from her 2013-17 Las Vegas residency . The number begins with a ballad version of "Toxic" and Spears is seen over a giant tree. Before the chorus begins, Spears jumps from the tree in a kind of bungee jump under a water curtain. As Spears lands in the stage, the first chords from the song starts and the performance keeps going on. In the 2016 "Billboard" Music Awards, it was performed as the closing song of a greatest hits medley by Spears, with brand new choreography. The song was also included in Spears's setlist for the iHeartRadio Music Festival on September 24, 2016. Spears performed the song as part of her Apple Music Festival performance in London on September 27, 2016. The song was also streamed live along with "Work Bitch" from Spears' final show date on December 31, 2017, on ABC's "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" to a record audience of 25.6 million.

"Toxic" was performed by Spears at "Britney Spears: In the Zone", a concert special that aired in ABC on November 17, 2003. She also performed "Toxic" as the headliner of the Jingle Ball on December 8, 2003, at Staples Center. It was the opening number of her set, and Spears appeared wearing a black top and a white fur cape. While the choreography was deemed as "erotic", Corey Moss of MTV commented that some of the effect was lost due to Spears's lip-synching and a stagehand fixing a prop during the song. On January 24, 2004, Spears opened the 2004 NRJ Music Awards with a performance of "Toxic". During the ceremony, she also presented the NRJ Award of Honor for the Career to Madonna. Spears performed "Toxic" as the opening number of 2004's The Onyx Hotel Tour. Previous to the beginning of the tour, she deemed it as the song she was most excited to perform, along with "Everytime". After an introduction in which she briefly appeared on a large video screen, Spears took the stage standing on top of a hotel bus, wearing a tight black catsuit. She was surrounded by dancers dressed as employees and columns of LED lighting, suggesting the façade of a glitzy hotel on the Vegas Strip. MTV UK commented, "OK, so she doesn't so much sing than mime along with Toxic, [...] But what do you expect when she's simultaneously performing a vigorous dance routine, ascending moving staircases and descending fireman poles?".

English indie rock band Hard-Fi covered the song for the compilation album "Radio 1 Established 1967" (2007). The song was fused with The Clash's cover of "Brand New Cadillac". American musician Shawn Lee covered the song in the album "Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra" (2007). French-Israeli singer-songwriter Yael Naïm released a piano-driven version of the song in her eponymous debut album (2007). British electronic music group Metronomy's cover was described as "something out of a "Weird Al" Yankovic polka medley, only not kidding." Israeli pop singer Shiri Maimon recorded a version of "Toxic" in Hebrew. American comedy singer Richard Cheese recorded a cover for his eighth album, "Viva la Vodka" (2009). American post-hardcore band A Static Lullaby released a cover in the compilation album, "Punk Goes Pop 2" (2009). A music video was released, which featured different Spears look-alikes wearing iconic outfits from various music videos, such as "...Baby One More Time" and "Womanizer".

"Toxic" was also performed as the last song of the concert during The M+M's Tour. After "Do Somethin'", in which Spears wore a hot pink bra, a white fur coat, and a jean skirt, she ended the set with "Toxic", with four female dancers in a Shakira-like style. Following the performance, she thanked the audience and introduced her dancers. "Toxic" was also performed at 2009's The Circus Starring Britney Spears. Following an interlude in which the dancers showcased their individual moves, the stage was lit with green sci-fi effects, and Spears appeared over moving jungle gyms. Jerry Shriver of "USA Today" said that "fan-favorite Toxic [...] succeeded because the focus was solely on the star." Jane Stevenson of the "Toronto Sun" named it one of the standout performances of the show, along with "...Baby One More Time" and "Womanizer". "Screen" commented, "The high point of the show was the back to back performance of two of Britney's biggest hits, 'Toxic' and 'Baby One More Time' ["sic"], which had the crowd break out in wild applause."

The song was performed at 2011's Femme Fatale Tour. After a video intermission in which Spears finds and captures the stalker that follows her, the show continues with a martial arts-inspired remix of "Toxic", in which Spears wears a kimono and battles dancing ninjas. Keith Caufield of "Billboard" felt the performance was comparable to Madonna's "Sky Fits Heaven" at 2001's Drowned World Tour. Shirley Halperin of "The Hollywood Reporter" stated that "mid-tempo numbers [... seemed to stall out quickly, where faster offerings like 'Womanizer,' 'I Wanna Go' and 'Toxic' had the sold-out crowd jumping in place and pumping their number twos in the air." August Brown of the "Los Angeles Times" said, "The set's only weak spots were sonic revisions of catalog staples – the Bollywood spy-flick vamp of 'Toxic' remains utterly groundbreaking and didn’t need an Ibiza-inspired revision.". Spears performed the song during the last act from her 2013-17 Las Vegas residency . The number begins with a ballad version of "Toxic" and Spears is seen over a giant tree. Before the chorus begins, Spears jumps from the tree in a kind of bungee jump under a water curtain. As Spears lands in the stage, the first chords from the song starts and the performance keeps going on. In the 2016 "Billboard" Music Awards, it was performed as the closing song of a greatest hits medley by Spears, with brand new choreography. The song was also included in Spears's setlist for the iHeartRadio Music Festival on September 24, 2016. Spears performed the song as part of her Apple Music Festival performance in London on September 27, 2016. The song was also streamed live along with "Work Bitch" from Spears' final show date on December 31, 2017, on ABC's "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" to a record audience of 25.6 million.

"Toxic" was also performed as the last song of the concert during The M+M's Tour. After "Do Somethin'", in which Spears wore a hot pink bra, a white fur coat, and a jean skirt, she ended the set with "Toxic", with four female dancers in a Shakira-like style. Following the performance, she thanked the audience and introduced her dancers. "Toxic" was also performed at 2009's The Circus Starring Britney Spears. Following an interlude in which the dancers showcased their individual moves, the stage was lit with green sci-fi effects, and Spears appeared over moving jungle gyms. Jerry Shriver of "USA Today" said that "fan-favorite Toxic [...] succeeded because the focus was solely on the star." Jane Stevenson of the "Toronto Sun" named it one of the standout performances of the show, along with "...Baby One More Time" and "Womanizer". "Screen" commented, "The high point of the show was the back to back performance of two of Britney's biggest hits, 'Toxic' and 'Baby One More Time' ["sic"], which had the crowd break out in wild applause."

"Toxic" was written by Cathy Dennis, Henrik Jonback, Christian Karlsson, and Pontus Winnberg from production team Bloodshy & Avant, while produced by the latter two. The song was written with Janet Jackson in mind, was initially offered to Kylie Minogue for recording, who turned it down and was eventually recorded by Spears. "Toxic" was recorded at Murlyn Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, and Record Plant in Los Angeles. The song was later mixed by Niklas Flyckt at Khabang Studios in Stockholm; he won the 2004 Grammy for Best Dance Recording.

The song was performed at 2011's Femme Fatale Tour. After a video intermission in which Spears finds and captures the stalker that follows her, the show continues with a martial arts-inspired remix of "Toxic", in which Spears wears a kimono and battles dancing ninjas. Keith Caufield of "Billboard" felt the performance was comparable to Madonna's "Sky Fits Heaven" at 2001's Drowned World Tour. Shirley Halperin of "The Hollywood Reporter" stated that "mid-tempo numbers [... seemed to stall out quickly, where faster offerings like 'Womanizer,' 'I Wanna Go' and 'Toxic' had the sold-out crowd jumping in place and pumping their number twos in the air." August Brown of the "Los Angeles Times" said, "The set's only weak spots were sonic revisions of catalog staples – the Bollywood spy-flick vamp of 'Toxic' remains utterly groundbreaking and didn’t need an Ibiza-inspired revision.". Spears performed the song during the last act from her 2013-17 Las Vegas residency . The number begins with a ballad version of "Toxic" and Spears is seen over a giant tree. Before the chorus begins, Spears jumps from the tree in a kind of bungee jump under a water curtain. As Spears lands in the stage, the first chords from the song starts and the performance keeps going on. In the 2016 "Billboard" Music Awards, it was performed as the closing song of a greatest hits medley by Spears, with brand new choreography. The song was also included in Spears's setlist for the iHeartRadio Music Festival on September 24, 2016. Spears performed the song as part of her Apple Music Festival performance in London on September 27, 2016. The song was also streamed live along with "Work Bitch" from Spears' final show date on December 31, 2017, on ABC's "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" to a record audience of 25.6 million.

"Toxic" was performed by Spears at "Britney Spears: In the Zone", a concert special that aired in ABC on November 17, 2003. She also performed "Toxic" as the headliner of the Jingle Ball on December 8, 2003, at Staples Center. It was the opening number of her set, and Spears appeared wearing a black top and a white fur cape. While the choreography was deemed as "erotic", Corey Moss of MTV commented that some of the effect was lost due to Spears's lip-synching and a stagehand fixing a prop during the song. On January 24, 2004, Spears opened the 2004 NRJ Music Awards with a performance of "Toxic". During the ceremony, she also presented the NRJ Award of Honor for the Career to Madonna. Spears performed "Toxic" as the opening number of 2004's The Onyx Hotel Tour. Previous to the beginning of the tour, she deemed it as the song she was most excited to perform, along with "Everytime". After an introduction in which she briefly appeared on a large video screen, Spears took the stage standing on top of a hotel bus, wearing a tight black catsuit. She was surrounded by dancers dressed as employees and columns of LED lighting, suggesting the façade of a glitzy hotel on the Vegas Strip. MTV UK commented, "OK, so she doesn't so much sing than mime along with Toxic, [...] But what do you expect when she's simultaneously performing a vigorous dance routine, ascending moving staircases and descending fireman poles?".

The song was performed at 2011's Femme Fatale Tour. After a video intermission in which Spears finds and captures the stalker that follows her, the show continues with a martial arts-inspired remix of "Toxic", in which Spears wears a kimono and battles dancing ninjas. Keith Caufield of "Billboard" felt the performance was comparable to Madonna's "Sky Fits Heaven" at 2001's Drowned World Tour. Shirley Halperin of "The Hollywood Reporter" stated that "mid-tempo numbers [... seemed to stall out quickly, where faster offerings like 'Womanizer,' 'I Wanna Go' and 'Toxic' had the sold-out crowd jumping in place and pumping their number twos in the air." August Brown of the "Los Angeles Times" said, "The set's only weak spots were sonic revisions of catalog staples – the Bollywood spy-flick vamp of 'Toxic' remains utterly groundbreaking and didn’t need an Ibiza-inspired revision.". Spears performed the song during the last act from her 2013-17 Las Vegas residency . The number begins with a ballad version of "Toxic" and Spears is seen over a giant tree. Before the chorus begins, Spears jumps from the tree in a kind of bungee jump under a water curtain. As Spears lands in the stage, the first chords from the song starts and the performance keeps going on. In the 2016 "Billboard" Music Awards, it was performed as the closing song of a greatest hits medley by Spears, with brand new choreography. The song was also included in Spears's setlist for the iHeartRadio Music Festival on September 24, 2016. Spears performed the song as part of her Apple Music Festival performance in London on September 27, 2016. The song was also streamed live along with "Work Bitch" from Spears' final show date on December 31, 2017, on ABC's "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" to a record audience of 25.6 million.

"Toxic" was written by Cathy Dennis, Henrik Jonback, Christian Karlsson, and Pontus Winnberg from production team Bloodshy & Avant, while produced by the latter two. The song was written with Janet Jackson in mind, was initially offered to Kylie Minogue for recording, who turned it down and was eventually recorded by Spears. "Toxic" was recorded at Murlyn Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, and Record Plant in Los Angeles. The song was later mixed by Niklas Flyckt at Khabang Studios in Stockholm; he won the 2004 Grammy for Best Dance Recording.

The song was covered on the 2010 American series "Glee" episode "Britney/Brittany" by New Directions, in a Bob Fosse-inspired performance led by the character of Will Schuester. In the United States, their version debuted at number sixteen on the Hot 100 and sold 109,000 copies on its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It also charted at number thirty-seven in Australia, fifteen in Canada, and seventeen in Ireland. The song was covered again in "Glee" episode "100" by Dianna Agron, Heather Morris, and Naya Rivera. Northern Irish singer-songwriter Juliet Turner covered "Toxic" for the 2004 covers compilation, "Even Better Than the Real Thing Vol. 2". In 2005, American folk group Chapin Sisters recorded an acoustic cover of "Toxic", which was featured on PerezHilton.com and became one of the most requested songs of the year in KCRW. German country-rock band The BossHoss recorded a cover of "Toxic" for their debut album, "Internashville Urban Hymns" (2005). American rock duo Local H covered the song for their first live album, "Alive '05" (2005). An instrumental rendition of the song was released by American surf rock band Monsters from Mars. Norwegian alternative rock band Hurra Torpedo covered "Toxic" in their fourth release, "Kollossus of Makedonia" (2006). English producer Mark Ronson recorded a hip hop cover of the song, featuring American singer-songwriter Tiggers and a verse from American rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard. It was included in his second studio album, "Version" (2007).

English indie rock band Hard-Fi covered the song for the compilation album "Radio 1 Established 1967" (2007). The song was fused with The Clash's cover of "Brand New Cadillac". American musician Shawn Lee covered the song in the album "Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra" (2007). French-Israeli singer-songwriter Yael Naïm released a piano-driven version of the song in her eponymous debut album (2007). British electronic music group Metronomy's cover was described as "something out of a "Weird Al" Yankovic polka medley, only not kidding." Israeli pop singer Shiri Maimon recorded a version of "Toxic" in Hebrew. American comedy singer Richard Cheese recorded a cover for his eighth album, "Viva la Vodka" (2009). American post-hardcore band A Static Lullaby released a cover in the compilation album, "Punk Goes Pop 2" (2009). A music video was released, which featured different Spears look-alikes wearing iconic outfits from various music videos, such as "...Baby One More Time" and "Womanizer".

The song was covered on the 2010 American series "Glee" episode "Britney/Brittany" by New Directions, in a Bob Fosse-inspired performance led by the character of Will Schuester. In the United States, their version debuted at number sixteen on the Hot 100 and sold 109,000 copies on its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It also charted at number thirty-seven in Australia, fifteen in Canada, and seventeen in Ireland. The song was covered again in "Glee" episode "100" by Dianna Agron, Heather Morris, and Naya Rivera. Northern Irish singer-songwriter Juliet Turner covered "Toxic" for the 2004 covers compilation, "Even Better Than the Real Thing Vol. 2". In 2005, American folk group Chapin Sisters recorded an acoustic cover of "Toxic", which was featured on PerezHilton.com and became one of the most requested songs of the year in KCRW. German country-rock band The BossHoss recorded a cover of "Toxic" for their debut album, "Internashville Urban Hymns" (2005). American rock duo Local H covered the song for their first live album, "Alive '05" (2005). An instrumental rendition of the song was released by American surf rock band Monsters from Mars. Norwegian alternative rock band Hurra Torpedo covered "Toxic" in their fourth release, "Kollossus of Makedonia" (2006). English producer Mark Ronson recorded a hip hop cover of the song, featuring American singer-songwriter Tiggers and a verse from American rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard. It was included in his second studio album, "Version" (2007).

In the 2005 episode "The End of the World" of the TV show "Doctor Who", the character of Cassandra unveils an ancient jukebox that reproduced "Toxic" as an example of "a traditional ballad" from about 5 billion years prior. "NME" stated that the inclusion of the song marked its cultural impact. In the 2007 film "Knocked Up", the song is played when Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd are driving to Las Vegas. Director Judd Apatow explained that he initially tried to use "Toxic" in the 2005 film "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" in the scene where Leslie Mann is drunk driving. "Toxic" was also featured in the 2010 film "You Again".

The song was covered on the 2010 American series "Glee" episode "Britney/Brittany" by New Directions, in a Bob Fosse-inspired performance led by the character of Will Schuester. In the United States, their version debuted at number sixteen on the Hot 100 and sold 109,000 copies on its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It also charted at number thirty-seven in Australia, fifteen in Canada, and seventeen in Ireland. The song was covered again in "Glee" episode "100" by Dianna Agron, Heather Morris, and Naya Rivera. Northern Irish singer-songwriter Juliet Turner covered "Toxic" for the 2004 covers compilation, "Even Better Than the Real Thing Vol. 2". In 2005, American folk group Chapin Sisters recorded an acoustic cover of "Toxic", which was featured on PerezHilton.com and became one of the most requested songs of the year in KCRW. German country-rock band The BossHoss recorded a cover of "Toxic" for their debut album, "Internashville Urban Hymns" (2005). American rock duo Local H covered the song for their first live album, "Alive '05" (2005). An instrumental rendition of the song was released by American surf rock band Monsters from Mars. Norwegian alternative rock band Hurra Torpedo covered "Toxic" in their fourth release, "Kollossus of Makedonia" (2006). English producer Mark Ronson recorded a hip hop cover of the song, featuring American singer-songwriter Tiggers and a verse from American rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard. It was included in his second studio album, "Version" (2007).

A cover of the song by American singer-songwriter Christopher Dallman was included in an EP titled "Sad Britney", released on November 9, 2009, along with covers of "...Baby One More Time", "Gimme More" and "Radar". American acoustic trio Nickel Creek covered "Toxic" at the 2006 Bonnaroo Music Festival. Australian singer-songwriter Kate Miller-Heidke did an opera-pop version of "Toxic" during a mobile phone launch in Sydney in August 2007. She dedicated it to Spears, adding, "She's going through a bit of a hard time at the moment. [...] This one's for you, mate."

The song was covered on the 2010 American series "Glee" episode "Britney/Brittany" by New Directions, in a Bob Fosse-inspired performance led by the character of Will Schuester. In the United States, their version debuted at number sixteen on the Hot 100 and sold 109,000 copies on its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It also charted at number thirty-seven in Australia, fifteen in Canada, and seventeen in Ireland. The song was covered again in "Glee" episode "100" by Dianna Agron, Heather Morris, and Naya Rivera. Northern Irish singer-songwriter Juliet Turner covered "Toxic" for the 2004 covers compilation, "Even Better Than the Real Thing Vol. 2". In 2005, American folk group Chapin Sisters recorded an acoustic cover of "Toxic", which was featured on PerezHilton.com and became one of the most requested songs of the year in KCRW. German country-rock band The BossHoss recorded a cover of "Toxic" for their debut album, "Internashville Urban Hymns" (2005). American rock duo Local H covered the song for their first live album, "Alive '05" (2005). An instrumental rendition of the song was released by American surf rock band Monsters from Mars. Norwegian alternative rock band Hurra Torpedo covered "Toxic" in their fourth release, "Kollossus of Makedonia" (2006). English producer Mark Ronson recorded a hip hop cover of the song, featuring American singer-songwriter Tiggers and a verse from American rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard. It was included in his second studio album, "Version" (2007).

For the naked scenes, Spears cleared the set, leaving only Kahn, Blackburn, and Rushing with her to shoot the sequence. Spears also shot scenes in which she had to dance through a hallway of imaginary lasers in front of a green screen, something that Kahn deemed as "incredible to watch". The last few scenes of the video in which Spears murders her boyfriend, concerned Kahn, who thought they would be censored. He explained, "the trick was to make it look pop at the same time" and told Henderson, "Would you like to be kissed by Britney Spears?". According to Kahn, the hint of a smile that appears on Henderson's face before Spears pours the poison into his mouth was what managed to get the shot past the censors. Although Spears was at first going to be involved in the editing process with Blackburn, she did not contact Kahn after the media scandal over her wedding in Las Vegas. "Toxic" was Spears's most expensive music video to that time, at the cost of $1 million.

English indie rock band Hard-Fi covered the song for the compilation album "Radio 1 Established 1967" (2007). The song was fused with The Clash's cover of "Brand New Cadillac". American musician Shawn Lee covered the song in the album "Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra" (2007). French-Israeli singer-songwriter Yael Naïm released a piano-driven version of the song in her eponymous debut album (2007). British electronic music group Metronomy's cover was described as "something out of a "Weird Al" Yankovic polka medley, only not kidding." Israeli pop singer Shiri Maimon recorded a version of "Toxic" in Hebrew. American comedy singer Richard Cheese recorded a cover for his eighth album, "Viva la Vodka" (2009). American post-hardcore band A Static Lullaby released a cover in the compilation album, "Punk Goes Pop 2" (2009). A music video was released, which featured different Spears look-alikes wearing iconic outfits from various music videos, such as "...Baby One More Time" and "Womanizer".

American singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson covered "Toxic" regularly on her 2010 Everybody Tour. Michaelson's version ends with her and the band doing a dance break set to Spears's original song. American pop band Selena Gomez & the Scene performed a tribute to Spears during their 2011 We Own the Night Tour. The medley of hits included "...Baby One More Time", "(You Drive Me) Crazy", "Oops!... I Did It Again", "I'm a Slave 4 U" and "Toxic", mixed similar to the Chris Cox Megamix included in "Greatest Hits: My Prerogative". They also performed a cover of "Hold It Against Me". During her debut on U.S. TV singing show "The Voice", American singer Melanie Martinez sang "Toxic" playing an acoustic guitar and a tambourine with her foot. Three of the judges, Adam Levine, CeeLo Green, and Blake Shelton, hit the "I Want You" button for her. In 2014 David J covered Toxic featuring Sasha Grey. On December 2, 2016, Madonna covered the song during a live concert broadcast through Facebook Live.

English indie rock band Hard-Fi covered the song for the compilation album "Radio 1 Established 1967" (2007). The song was fused with The Clash's cover of "Brand New Cadillac". American musician Shawn Lee covered the song in the album "Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra" (2007). French-Israeli singer-songwriter Yael Naïm released a piano-driven version of the song in her eponymous debut album (2007). British electronic music group Metronomy's cover was described as "something out of a "Weird Al" Yankovic polka medley, only not kidding." Israeli pop singer Shiri Maimon recorded a version of "Toxic" in Hebrew. American comedy singer Richard Cheese recorded a cover for his eighth album, "Viva la Vodka" (2009). American post-hardcore band A Static Lullaby released a cover in the compilation album, "Punk Goes Pop 2" (2009). A music video was released, which featured different Spears look-alikes wearing iconic outfits from various music videos, such as "...Baby One More Time" and "Womanizer".

Spears has performed "Toxic" in live appearances, including the 2004 NRJ Music Awards and three of her concert tours. It was the opening number of The Onyx Hotel Tour (2004), where she sang atop a bus wearing a black catsuit; Spears also performed remixed versions of "Toxic" at The Circus Starring Britney Spears (2009), the Femme Fatale Tour (2011) and (2013). "Toxic" has been covered by artists such as Mark Ronson, A Static Lullaby, Reece Mastin and Ingrid Michaelson, and in the TV series "Glee". It has also appeared in films such as "Knocked Up", "You Again" and " Pitch Perfect 3", and TV series "Doctor Who" and "Chuck". "Toxic" has been included in lists by Pitchfork, "NME" and "Rolling Stone" as one of the best songs of the 2000s.

English indie rock band Hard-Fi covered the song for the compilation album "Radio 1 Established 1967" (2007). The song was fused with The Clash's cover of "Brand New Cadillac". American musician Shawn Lee covered the song in the album "Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra" (2007). French-Israeli singer-songwriter Yael Naïm released a piano-driven version of the song in her eponymous debut album (2007). British electronic music group Metronomy's cover was described as "something out of a "Weird Al" Yankovic polka medley, only not kidding." Israeli pop singer Shiri Maimon recorded a version of "Toxic" in Hebrew. American comedy singer Richard Cheese recorded a cover for his eighth album, "Viva la Vodka" (2009). American post-hardcore band A Static Lullaby released a cover in the compilation album, "Punk Goes Pop 2" (2009). A music video was released, which featured different Spears look-alikes wearing iconic outfits from various music videos, such as "...Baby One More Time" and "Womanizer".

A cover of the song by American singer-songwriter Christopher Dallman was included in an EP titled "Sad Britney", released on November 9, 2009, along with covers of "...Baby One More Time", "Gimme More" and "Radar". American acoustic trio Nickel Creek covered "Toxic" at the 2006 Bonnaroo Music Festival. Australian singer-songwriter Kate Miller-Heidke did an opera-pop version of "Toxic" during a mobile phone launch in Sydney in August 2007. She dedicated it to Spears, adding, "She's going through a bit of a hard time at the moment. [...] This one's for you, mate."

English indie rock band Hard-Fi covered the song for the compilation album "Radio 1 Established 1967" (2007). The song was fused with The Clash's cover of "Brand New Cadillac". American musician Shawn Lee covered the song in the album "Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra" (2007). French-Israeli singer-songwriter Yael Naïm released a piano-driven version of the song in her eponymous debut album (2007). British electronic music group Metronomy's cover was described as "something out of a "Weird Al" Yankovic polka medley, only not kidding." Israeli pop singer Shiri Maimon recorded a version of "Toxic" in Hebrew. American comedy singer Richard Cheese recorded a cover for his eighth album, "Viva la Vodka" (2009). American post-hardcore band A Static Lullaby released a cover in the compilation album, "Punk Goes Pop 2" (2009). A music video was released, which featured different Spears look-alikes wearing iconic outfits from various music videos, such as "...Baby One More Time" and "Womanizer".

Sal Cinquemani of "Slant Magazine" said that "Toxic" and "(I Got That) Boom Boom", "find Britney dabbling in hip-hop, but it's clear her heart lies in the clubs." Jamie Gill of Yahoo! Music Radio commented, "In the name of fairness, it will be noted that 'Toxic' and 'Showdown' could well have been good pop songs in the hands of any other singer than Spears." Joan Anderman of "The Boston Globe" named it "a well-titled cascade of frantic, mechanized glissandos and dreadful canned strings that buries the album's coolest (only?) chorus under a joyless mass". The song was ranked at number five in the 2004 Pazz & Jop poll by "The Village Voice". "Toxic" was nominated for Best Song at the 2004 MTV Europe Music Awards, but lost to Outkast's "Hey Ya!". However, it won Best Dance Recording at the 2004 Grammy Awards, making it her first-ever won Grammy. It won Best Single at the 2004 Teen Choice Awards. Pitchfork listed the song at number three on their Top 50 Singles of 2004 list. Rob Mitchum commented that Spears "finally, she just acted like an adult, rather than constantly reminding us she wasn't a girl anymore."

A cover of the song by American singer-songwriter Christopher Dallman was included in an EP titled "Sad Britney", released on November 9, 2009, along with covers of "...Baby One More Time", "Gimme More" and "Radar". American acoustic trio Nickel Creek covered "Toxic" at the 2006 Bonnaroo Music Festival. Australian singer-songwriter Kate Miller-Heidke did an opera-pop version of "Toxic" during a mobile phone launch in Sydney in August 2007. She dedicated it to Spears, adding, "She's going through a bit of a hard time at the moment. [...] This one's for you, mate."

English indie rock band Hard-Fi covered the song for the compilation album "Radio 1 Established 1967" (2007). The song was fused with The Clash's cover of "Brand New Cadillac". American musician Shawn Lee covered the song in the album "Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra" (2007). French-Israeli singer-songwriter Yael Naïm released a piano-driven version of the song in her eponymous debut album (2007). British electronic music group Metronomy's cover was described as "something out of a "Weird Al" Yankovic polka medley, only not kidding." Israeli pop singer Shiri Maimon recorded a version of "Toxic" in Hebrew. American comedy singer Richard Cheese recorded a cover for his eighth album, "Viva la Vodka" (2009). American post-hardcore band A Static Lullaby released a cover in the compilation album, "Punk Goes Pop 2" (2009). A music video was released, which featured different Spears look-alikes wearing iconic outfits from various music videos, such as "...Baby One More Time" and "Womanizer".

A cover of the song by American singer-songwriter Christopher Dallman was included in an EP titled "Sad Britney", released on November 9, 2009, along with covers of "...Baby One More Time", "Gimme More" and "Radar". American acoustic trio Nickel Creek covered "Toxic" at the 2006 Bonnaroo Music Festival. Australian singer-songwriter Kate Miller-Heidke did an opera-pop version of "Toxic" during a mobile phone launch in Sydney in August 2007. She dedicated it to Spears, adding, "She's going through a bit of a hard time at the moment. [...] This one's for you, mate."

For the naked scenes, Spears cleared the set, leaving only Kahn, Blackburn, and Rushing with her to shoot the sequence. Spears also shot scenes in which she had to dance through a hallway of imaginary lasers in front of a green screen, something that Kahn deemed as "incredible to watch". The last few scenes of the video in which Spears murders her boyfriend, concerned Kahn, who thought they would be censored. He explained, "the trick was to make it look pop at the same time" and told Henderson, "Would you like to be kissed by Britney Spears?". According to Kahn, the hint of a smile that appears on Henderson's face before Spears pours the poison into his mouth was what managed to get the shot past the censors. Although Spears was at first going to be involved in the editing process with Blackburn, she did not contact Kahn after the media scandal over her wedding in Las Vegas. "Toxic" was Spears's most expensive music video to that time, at the cost of $1 million.

A cover of the song by American singer-songwriter Christopher Dallman was included in an EP titled "Sad Britney", released on November 9, 2009, along with covers of "...Baby One More Time", "Gimme More" and "Radar". American acoustic trio Nickel Creek covered "Toxic" at the 2006 Bonnaroo Music Festival. Australian singer-songwriter Kate Miller-Heidke did an opera-pop version of "Toxic" during a mobile phone launch in Sydney in August 2007. She dedicated it to Spears, adding, "She's going through a bit of a hard time at the moment. [...] This one's for you, mate."

The song was also covered in 2019 by Scottish singer Nina Nesbitt and the Queercore band Dog Park Dissidents The song is also included in the "Backstage Romance" number of "Moulin Rouge!", where it is sung in a medley with "Bad Romance", "Tainted Love", "Seven Nation Army", and "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)".

A cover of the song by American singer-songwriter Christopher Dallman was included in an EP titled "Sad Britney", released on November 9, 2009, along with covers of "...Baby One More Time", "Gimme More" and "Radar". American acoustic trio Nickel Creek covered "Toxic" at the 2006 Bonnaroo Music Festival. Australian singer-songwriter Kate Miller-Heidke did an opera-pop version of "Toxic" during a mobile phone launch in Sydney in August 2007. She dedicated it to Spears, adding, "She's going through a bit of a hard time at the moment. [...] This one's for you, mate."

"Toxic" received acclaim from music critics, who praised its hook and chorus while calling it the strongest track on "In the Zone". It won Best Dance Recording at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards, marking the first Grammy win of Spears' career. The song attained worldwide success, reaching the top five in 15 countries, while topping the charts in Australia, Canada, Hungary, Ireland, Norway and the United Kingdom. In the United States, it became her fourth top-ten single, peaking at number nine. The accompanying music video for "Toxic" was directed by Joseph Kahn and features references to "Blade Runner", "The Seven Year Itch" and John Woo films. It features Spears as a secret agent in search of a vial of green liquid. After she steals it, she enters an apartment and poisons her boyfriend. The video also includes interspersed scenes of Spears naked with diamonds on her body. After Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson's Super Bowl incident, the video was considered too racy for MTV and was moved to late-night programming.

American singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson covered "Toxic" regularly on her 2010 Everybody Tour. Michaelson's version ends with her and the band doing a dance break set to Spears's original song. American pop band Selena Gomez & the Scene performed a tribute to Spears during their 2011 We Own the Night Tour. The medley of hits included "...Baby One More Time", "(You Drive Me) Crazy", "Oops!... I Did It Again", "I'm a Slave 4 U" and "Toxic", mixed similar to the Chris Cox Megamix included in "Greatest Hits: My Prerogative". They also performed a cover of "Hold It Against Me". During her debut on U.S. TV singing show "The Voice", American singer Melanie Martinez sang "Toxic" playing an acoustic guitar and a tambourine with her foot. Three of the judges, Adam Levine, CeeLo Green, and Blake Shelton, hit the "I Want You" button for her. In 2014 David J covered Toxic featuring Sasha Grey. On December 2, 2016, Madonna covered the song during a live concert broadcast through Facebook Live.

The song was also covered in 2019 by Scottish singer Nina Nesbitt and the Queercore band Dog Park Dissidents The song is also included in the "Backstage Romance" number of "Moulin Rouge!", where it is sung in a medley with "Bad Romance", "Tainted Love", "Seven Nation Army", and "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)".

American singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson covered "Toxic" regularly on her 2010 Everybody Tour. Michaelson's version ends with her and the band doing a dance break set to Spears's original song. American pop band Selena Gomez & the Scene performed a tribute to Spears during their 2011 We Own the Night Tour. The medley of hits included "...Baby One More Time", "(You Drive Me) Crazy", "Oops!... I Did It Again", "I'm a Slave 4 U" and "Toxic", mixed similar to the Chris Cox Megamix included in "Greatest Hits: My Prerogative". They also performed a cover of "Hold It Against Me". During her debut on U.S. TV singing show "The Voice", American singer Melanie Martinez sang "Toxic" playing an acoustic guitar and a tambourine with her foot. Three of the judges, Adam Levine, CeeLo Green, and Blake Shelton, hit the "I Want You" button for her. In 2014 David J covered Toxic featuring Sasha Grey. On December 2, 2016, Madonna covered the song during a live concert broadcast through Facebook Live.

In the 2005 episode "The End of the World" of the TV show "Doctor Who", the character of Cassandra unveils an ancient jukebox that reproduced "Toxic" as an example of "a traditional ballad" from about 5 billion years prior. "NME" stated that the inclusion of the song marked its cultural impact. In the 2007 film "Knocked Up", the song is played when Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd are driving to Las Vegas. Director Judd Apatow explained that he initially tried to use "Toxic" in the 2005 film "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" in the scene where Leslie Mann is drunk driving. "Toxic" was also featured in the 2010 film "You Again".

American singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson covered "Toxic" regularly on her 2010 Everybody Tour. Michaelson's version ends with her and the band doing a dance break set to Spears's original song. American pop band Selena Gomez & the Scene performed a tribute to Spears during their 2011 We Own the Night Tour. The medley of hits included "...Baby One More Time", "(You Drive Me) Crazy", "Oops!... I Did It Again", "I'm a Slave 4 U" and "Toxic", mixed similar to the Chris Cox Megamix included in "Greatest Hits: My Prerogative". They also performed a cover of "Hold It Against Me". During her debut on U.S. TV singing show "The Voice", American singer Melanie Martinez sang "Toxic" playing an acoustic guitar and a tambourine with her foot. Three of the judges, Adam Levine, CeeLo Green, and Blake Shelton, hit the "I Want You" button for her. In 2014 David J covered Toxic featuring Sasha Grey. On December 2, 2016, Madonna covered the song during a live concert broadcast through Facebook Live.

A cover of the song by American singer-songwriter Christopher Dallman was included in an EP titled "Sad Britney", released on November 9, 2009, along with covers of "...Baby One More Time", "Gimme More" and "Radar". American acoustic trio Nickel Creek covered "Toxic" at the 2006 Bonnaroo Music Festival. Australian singer-songwriter Kate Miller-Heidke did an opera-pop version of "Toxic" during a mobile phone launch in Sydney in August 2007. She dedicated it to Spears, adding, "She's going through a bit of a hard time at the moment. [...] This one's for you, mate."

American singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson covered "Toxic" regularly on her 2010 Everybody Tour. Michaelson's version ends with her and the band doing a dance break set to Spears's original song. American pop band Selena Gomez & the Scene performed a tribute to Spears during their 2011 We Own the Night Tour. The medley of hits included "...Baby One More Time", "(You Drive Me) Crazy", "Oops!... I Did It Again", "I'm a Slave 4 U" and "Toxic", mixed similar to the Chris Cox Megamix included in "Greatest Hits: My Prerogative". They also performed a cover of "Hold It Against Me". During her debut on U.S. TV singing show "The Voice", American singer Melanie Martinez sang "Toxic" playing an acoustic guitar and a tambourine with her foot. Three of the judges, Adam Levine, CeeLo Green, and Blake Shelton, hit the "I Want You" button for her. In 2014 David J covered Toxic featuring Sasha Grey. On December 2, 2016, Madonna covered the song during a live concert broadcast through Facebook Live.

"Toxic" has been met with widespread acclaim from contemporary music critics. Heather Richels of "The Paly Voice" complimented its hook and catchiness while deeming it the most appealing song on "In the Zone". While reviewing The Onyx Hotel Tour, Pamela Sitt of "The Seattle Times" called it the album's strongest single. Eric Olsen of msnbc.com said the song could be the biggest hit off of its host album while calling it "powerfully addicting." Caryn Ganz of "Spin" commented, "Spears hits pay dirt on 'Toxic'". Christy Lemire of Associated Press said it was one of Spears' greatest hits and deemed it as "insanely catchy", saying that the chorus alone "makes you want to forgive the "Alias" wannabe video that accompanies the song." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic called it along with "Showdown", "irresistible ear candy in what is surely Britney's most ambitious, adventurous album to date". In a separate review of Spears' greatest hits album "" (2004), Erlewine selected it as one of the "track picks" and described it as "a delirious, intoxicating rush". Jeffrey Epstein of "Out" compared the innovative sound of "Toxic" to Madonna's "Vogue".

The song was also covered in 2019 by Scottish singer Nina Nesbitt and the Queercore band Dog Park Dissidents The song is also included in the "Backstage Romance" number of "Moulin Rouge!", where it is sung in a medley with "Bad Romance", "Tainted Love", "Seven Nation Army", and "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)".

English indie rock band Hard-Fi covered the song for the compilation album "Radio 1 Established 1967" (2007). The song was fused with The Clash's cover of "Brand New Cadillac". American musician Shawn Lee covered the song in the album "Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra" (2007). French-Israeli singer-songwriter Yael Naïm released a piano-driven version of the song in her eponymous debut album (2007). British electronic music group Metronomy's cover was described as "something out of a "Weird Al" Yankovic polka medley, only not kidding." Israeli pop singer Shiri Maimon recorded a version of "Toxic" in Hebrew. American comedy singer Richard Cheese recorded a cover for his eighth album, "Viva la Vodka" (2009). American post-hardcore band A Static Lullaby released a cover in the compilation album, "Punk Goes Pop 2" (2009). A music video was released, which featured different Spears look-alikes wearing iconic outfits from various music videos, such as "...Baby One More Time" and "Womanizer".

The song was also covered in 2019 by Scottish singer Nina Nesbitt and the Queercore band Dog Park Dissidents The song is also included in the "Backstage Romance" number of "Moulin Rouge!", where it is sung in a medley with "Bad Romance", "Tainted Love", "Seven Nation Army", and "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)".

"Toxic" won Spears her first, and to date only, Grammy Award at the 2005 ceremony in the Best Dance Recording category and gained her credibility amongst critics. The song also won Most Performed Work at the 2004 Ivor Novello Awards. "Toxic" was ranked at number fourteen on "Stylus Magazine"s Top 50 Singles between 2000 and 2005. In a 2005 poll conducted by Sony Ericsson, "Toxic" was ranked as the world's second favorite song, only behind "We Are the Champions" by Queen. Over 700,000 people in 60 different countries cast their votes. The song was also included on The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born list by "Blender". Pitchfork listed the song on The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s. Jess Harvell commented that Spears had great pop instincts and that "Toxic" showed how "Britney always had more individualist pep than her peers, important when you're dealing with steamroller productions from the mind of Max Martin."

The song was also covered in 2019 by Scottish singer Nina Nesbitt and the Queercore band Dog Park Dissidents The song is also included in the "Backstage Romance" number of "Moulin Rouge!", where it is sung in a medley with "Bad Romance", "Tainted Love", "Seven Nation Army", and "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)".

American singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson covered "Toxic" regularly on her 2010 Everybody Tour. Michaelson's version ends with her and the band doing a dance break set to Spears's original song. American pop band Selena Gomez & the Scene performed a tribute to Spears during their 2011 We Own the Night Tour. The medley of hits included "...Baby One More Time", "(You Drive Me) Crazy", "Oops!... I Did It Again", "I'm a Slave 4 U" and "Toxic", mixed similar to the Chris Cox Megamix included in "Greatest Hits: My Prerogative". They also performed a cover of "Hold It Against Me". During her debut on U.S. TV singing show "The Voice", American singer Melanie Martinez sang "Toxic" playing an acoustic guitar and a tambourine with her foot. Three of the judges, Adam Levine, CeeLo Green, and Blake Shelton, hit the "I Want You" button for her. In 2014 David J covered Toxic featuring Sasha Grey. On December 2, 2016, Madonna covered the song during a live concert broadcast through Facebook Live.

The song was also covered in 2019 by Scottish singer Nina Nesbitt and the Queercore band Dog Park Dissidents The song is also included in the "Backstage Romance" number of "Moulin Rouge!", where it is sung in a medley with "Bad Romance", "Tainted Love", "Seven Nation Army", and "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)".

In December 2003, it was announced by MTV News that after trying to choose between "(I Got That) Boom Boom" and "Outrageous" to be the second single from "In the Zone", Spears had selected "Toxic" instead. She described it as "an upbeat song. It's really different, that's why I like it so much."

Singapore Airlines Flights 21 and 22:11803665

Singapore Airlines Flights 21 and 22 (SQ21/SIA21 and SQ22/SIA22, respectively) were the two longest regularly scheduled non-stop flights in the world. They were operated from 28 June 2004 to 23 November 2013, using Airbus A340-500, and again from 11 October 2018 through 24 March 2020 with an Airbus A350-900ULR. The flights are currently suspended indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Singapore Airlines Flights 21 and 22:11803665

On 30 May 2018, Singapore Airlines announced the relaunch of the service starting 11 October 2018 (Singapore departure), with daily service commencing 18 October 2018. The flights used the Airbus A350-900ULR, in a 161-seat configuration (67 Business and 94 Premium Economy seats). This is a modified version of the standard Airbus A350-900, with fuel capacity increased from 141,000 liters to 165,000 liters (37,000 US gal to 44,000 US gal), and with a maximum range of 9,700 nmi (18,000 km). The A350-900ULR is expected to consume 25% less fuel versus the A340-500. The re-launched flight to Newark operates as a red-eye flight, with a morning departure from Singapore. The airline finally received the aircraft on September 26 and relaunched the flight on 11 October 2018. These flights were typically staffed with four pilots and 13 flight attendants.

Singapore Airlines Flights 21 and 22 (SQ21/SIA21 and SQ22/SIA22, respectively) were the two longest regularly scheduled non-stop flights in the world. They were operated from 28 June 2004 to 23 November 2013, using Airbus A340-500, and again from 11 October 2018 through 24 March 2020 with an Airbus A350-900ULR. The flights are currently suspended indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Singapore Airlines Flights 21 and 22:11803665

Singapore Airlines Flights 21 and 22 (SQ21/SIA21 and SQ22/SIA22, respectively) were the two longest regularly scheduled non-stop flights in the world. They were operated from 28 June 2004 to 23 November 2013, using Airbus A340-500, and again from 11 October 2018 through 24 March 2020 with an Airbus A350-900ULR. The flights are currently suspended indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This non-stop scheduled-commercial distance was immediately surpassed by return Flight SQ22, which flew the still current (to April 2016) record back to Newark, on a route over Asia and Alaska. Despite the greater distance, Flight SQ22 averaged a slightly shorter 17 h 45 min due to assistance from prevailing high-altitude winds.