Britney Spears has buried the hatchet with Avril Lavigne and recruited pop’s resident punk chick as her new party pal. Avril has publicly criticized Brit for being too weak to handle the paparazzi, for dressing “like a showgirl,” and dancing “like a hoe.”

“What’s happened to Britney is all down to who she is as a person. If you want a piece of this business you have to be able to deal with it. You can’t complain about the pressures, the paparazzi, the madness, because that’s your job.”

Britney Spears joined pals at club Hyde late on Tuesday night, where she and Avril shared a ride to another hotspot, Winston’s.

“They kept bringing her shots and so they were drinking,” says a witness.

“She was dancing on the tables trying to be really sexy, even putting a black sock over her head as a hat, and putting on a show for everyone.”