Britney Spears moves into a tie for second-most No. 1s in the Mainstream Top 40 chart's 16-year history, as "Circus" becomes her fifth chart-topper with a 3-1 rise. She's tied with Beyonce, Avril Lavigne, Pink and Justin Timberlake, and they all trail Mariah Carey's six career leaders. "Circus" also grants Spears her first set of back-to-back No. 1s -- "Womanizer" led for two weeks in December. She previously reigned with "Baby One More Time" (1999), "Oops! I Did It Again" (2000) and "Toxic" (2004).Source: BillboardCredit: Break The Ice
The following italicized article is from www.people.com:Britney Spears's hairstylist testified in a Los Angeles courtroom Wednesday that the singer's ex-manager, Sam Lutfi, harassed her with calls and text messages over a period of three weeks last December. "Someone kept calling me from a private number ... he said his name was Sam," Roberta Romero stated Wednesday. "He wanted information about Britney He said he was on her side. I told him, 'Leave me alone, stop calling me.' "Lutfi allegedly sent Romero a series of 11 texts within a four day period, saying things like, "Please relay the truth to her. I did not do this to her," apparently referring to Jamie Spears's indefinite control over the singer's life. Lutfi also allegedly texted Romero: "I've done everything I can to free her from this. Very close to getting her free now." On another occasion he allegedly wrote: "I went to court to free her." Romero says she repeatedly told Lutfi to leave her alone via text.Restraining Order ExtendedThe hearing was held to determine whether to uphold a restraining order, filed by Britney's father, against Lutfi and ex-boyfriend Adnan Ghalib. After three hours of proceedings, the restraining orders were extended to March 18, with the case to resume April 1 to hear more witnesses. Romero testified about an evening on Dec. 27 when she and Britney went to watch The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Lutfi had been sending text messages to Romero that evening, and later, the two women texted back, "Leave me the [expletive] alone." At some point that evening, Lutfi texted Romero, "Can you wish her a Merry Christmas for me?" At 2 a.m., the women sought help from the singer's bodyguard, Itamar Gelbman, who also testified in court. The Bodyguard Steps In"[Britney] complained Sam was texting her, and that she's scared," Gelbman said in court. "She asked for more patrols [around the house]. She wanted me to do more, to make sure everything was locked. She couldn't fall asleep because of [Sam's texts to Romero]. She told me to make him stop." Gelbman says he immediately called Lutfi and told him to leave the women alone. Lawyers for Jamie Spears said Lutfi had been subpoenaed Tuesday night for cross-examination in court. The process server taped a notice to appear on his car windshield, they said, but Lutfi failed to show up. His attorney, Bryan Freedman, claimed that Lutfi wasn't properly served, and has denied that his client has been harassing the singer.Source: People
The following italicized article is from www.ok-magazine.com:After the court heard testimony on Monday from Britney Spears' father Jamie Spears, the hearing to decide whether or not to extend the restraining order against Sam Lutfi continued today with revealing testimony from her hairdresser and bodyguard.According to Roberta Romero, who has been working on the pop superstar's hair for about a year now, sometime in late December, Sam got a hold of her cell phone number and sent her a total of 11 texts between Dec. 24 and Dec. 28.Per Roberta's testimony, Sam first began contacting her in early December, when he attempted to call her several times from a blocked phone. Though he refused at first to identify himself, she was able to get him to admit that it was indeed Sam. He allegedly tried to have Roberta get a message to Britney that he was "trying to help her," but she refused, telling him that she believed him to be a bad influence on Brit. The texting barrage began on Dec. 24 when Sam contacted Roberta with asking to "please wish her a Merry Christmas for me." And then on Dec. 27, he began texted Roberta again with pleas to relay "the truth" to Britney."She can look at the court docs online," read one text. "I didn't do any of this to her."Another text made the claim that Britney's hospitalization in February 2008 was all part of a conspiracy for her family to gain control over her."Her family put her into the hospital just to set up the conservatorship," read the text. "I've done everything I can to free her.... I'm very close to getting her free now."Roberta testified that when Brit discovered the texts late in the evening on Dec. 27, she asked Roberta to text him back, asking him to stop trying to reach her. When that didn't stop, the pair went to speak to Britney's head of security, Itamar Gelbman, who also testified today.After being made aware of the texts, Gelbman contacted Sam directly by phone and told him that if the attempts to contact Britney did not stop, he would notify the police."She was scared... She can't fall asleep," Gelbman testified, saying that Britney asked him to increase the security patrols around her house.It was also revealed in court today that Gelbman and his team keep a binder of people who they feel are threats to the singer, and that both Sam and Brit's ex-boyfriend, Adnan Ghalib are in this binder.Apparently the court thinks he's enough of a threat to Britney to merit extending the restraining order until March 18, at which point it will likely be extended once more until at least the scheduled trial date of April 1.Source: OK Magazine
The following italicized article is from www.people.com:As Britney Spears gears up to kick off her Circus tour March 3 in New Orleans, PEOPLE enlisted the tour's resident illusionist, Ed Alonzo, for a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the tricks – musical and otherwise – the star, 27, has in store for fans. So is this comeback for the serially-troubled Spears? "I don't know if I would call it a comeback," says Alonzo, a lead illusionist on MyNetworkTV's Masters of Illusion. "It's more of a continuation of the greatness she always had." Britney Plays a Magician's Assistant During one song (Alonzo won't say which one), Britney becomes part of his magic act. "She's incorporated into major illusions. She'll do dissection, where she's sawed in half, and transposition, where she's in one place and ends up in another place. She's doing all the classic elements of magic." Yep, It'll be a Spectacle "There are three giant [circus] rings with unbelievable things hanging in the air and flying around," says Alonzo. Expect Outrageous Dancing "She's dancing so hard in the show," Alonzo says. "It's elements of hip-hop, tumbling, it's really outrageous. The kind of choreography in the show is similar to the kind of stuff you see in America's Best Dance Crew." Brit's Back in Shape "She looks really incredible," says Alonzo, who played Max, the owner of the diner hangout, in the '90s TV hit Saved By The Bell. "She's really toned. Her stomach looks fantastic. This is the Britney Spears people remember from the past. Even stronger and better." This Time, Britney's on Point Forget her bungled performance at the 2007 MTV's VMAs. "She's really got it together," says Alonzo. "She's totally focused. And she's working her butt off."Source: People
Britney's new single 'If U Seek Amy' is currently at #38 on Mediabase with 903 spins and 15.6 est. million listeners!Click here to vore for 'If U Seek Amy' on your local radio station!Source: Break The Ice
The following italicized article is from www.eonline.com:Sort of like a wayward career, Britney Spears is going to disappear into thin air—and then magically reappear, to her fans' ecstatic delight."Right away, she got into the boxes and into the magic contraptions to learn the stuff, and she's so excited about this tour and all the elements that are in it," illusionist-comedian Ed Alonzo, "the Misfit of Magic" (and former Saved by the Bell diner owner) who will be doing a number with Spears on her Circus tour, tells E! News.The pop star will serve as Alonzo's assistant in the bit."We're going to be doing the classics of magic but a little high-tech," he said. "We'll be doing a little dissection, transposition, a vanish, an appearance—and if I do a trick she doesn't just hold the props, she's actually getting inside the big boxes or I am slicing her up."Sounds a bit risky, which is perhaps why Team Spears decided to leave the tricks to a professional.I "made [the tricks] really easy for her...but there are some complicated things that she is doing that you would think a contortionist would have to do, or a trained magicians assistant," Alonzo said. "But because...she's a dancer, it really makes sense to put her in the magic, and it works and she's really really good at it.""Some of it's pretty scary but she gets right in there with no reservations," he added.Alonzo wouldn't divulge which Spears tunes would be accompanying his mini magic show, but—news flash—he did assure us that the overall show will feature "the best music of Britney that people have loved over the years and of course brand new favorites from the new album."And, like us, Alonzo has only seen Spears in warm-up clothes and sneakers during rehearsals, although she has been testing out different pairs of heels here and there.The three-ring circus-inspired set is "exactly what you would see in a big giant Vegas production show, but it's going to be on the road," he said, and anywhere from 75 to 100 crew members and performers are usually around at any given time."It's going to be an amazing concert for people to watch," he said. "It's like watching a big Cirque du Soleil high-tech circus but with a really focused star in the middle of all of this."Source: E! Online
The following italicized article is from www.tmz.com:Adnan Ghalib -- the papper/ex-BF of Britney Spears -- has been charged with three felonies for allegedly smashing his car into a process server earlier this month ... and there's a warrant out for his arrest.The L.A. County District Attorney has charged Adnan with assault with a deadly weapon, battery, and hit and run -- all felonies.Ghalib allegedly hit a man with his car in an alley back on February 11. The man was reportedly trying to serve Adnan with legal papers on behalf of Britney Spears.One law enforcement source says Ghalib allegedly hit the dude, who landed on the hood, and then continued driving.The server jumped on the hood of Ghalib's Mercedes to avoid being pinned against a trash truck.Cops and paramedics were called. The victim broke his wrist and suffered cuts and bruises.Prosecutors are asking for bail set at $110,000. If convicted, Ghalib could get seven years in prison.Source: TMZOne down, one to go.
