Los Angeles court extends James Spears' conservatorship over Britney until the end of 2008

The following italicized article is from www.associatedpress.org:

Britney Spears' father will retain control of the pop singer's finances and personal affairs through the end of the year. Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Reva Goetz extended James Spears' conservatorship over his daughter Thursday morning until the end of 2008.

Goetz opened the hearing by saying the singer "reluctantly agreed" to extend the arrangement, and scheduled an update hearing for October.

The pop singer's father assumed control over her personal life and finances earlier this year after a series of high-profile incidents of erratic behavior that twice led to her being hospitalized.

Spears has since shown signs of improvement, settling a custody dispute with Kevin Federline, making successful TV cameos and working on an album this summer.

Neither Spears or her father appeared in court Thursday.

Source: Associated Press

Britney Spears to film footage for Madonna tour

The following italicized article is from www.associatedpress.com:

NEW YORK (AP) — Madonna has recruited Britney Spears for a virtual appearance on her upcoming tour.

"There is footage being shot of Britney some time this week in conjunction with Madonna's upcoming (Sticky & Sweet) tour," Madonna's publicist, Liz Rosenberg, said in an e-mail Tuesday to The Associated Press. "That is all the information I have available. The rest is `a secret.'"

Rosenberg denied reports that Spears, 26, is shooting a music video.

Madonna guest starred in a music video for Spears' single "Me Against the Music" in 2003. The singers stirred up controversy that year with an open-mouth kiss at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Madonna, 49, will kick off her tour Aug. 23 in Cardiff, Wales, and wind through European destinations including London and Paris before jumping to the U.S. in October.

She'll wrap it up Nov. 30 in Mexico City.

Source: Associated Press

Update: Neil Patrick Harris clarifies his Britney Spears remarks, AP then clarifies its story

The following italicized article is from www.ew.com:

In an exclusive statement, Neil Patrick Harris responds to the Associated Press article that suggested he would like Britney Spears banned from the set of his CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother. "It seems that yesterday a writer took some quotes of mine and speculated an opinion about their intent. I write to you to set the record straight," the actor says. "Britney did a great job on the show. She really did. In fact, we are all hoping that she returns rather soon to reprise her role as Abby."

Spears guest starred as a lovestruck receptionist on the March 24 episode, which earned the series' highest ratings in the 18-49 demographic in its three seasons on the air. The appearance also garnered remarkably strong reviews for the troubled pop star. In the AP story, however, Harris was quoted as saying, "I'm in the minority that our show does not need stunt casting in order to succeed.... I worry that if they start Will & Grace-ing us too much, that the show will suffer." Now he tells EW.com that he would welcome Spears back — because he has "great faith" in the show's producers and writers. He also says, "My job description is to act, and I should really do just that."

At first, the AP stood by its story. "I respect his right to change his stance," said AP entertainment editor Jesse Washington, "but...Neil Patrick Harris told us unequivocally that he did not believe that Britney should be on the show." But by late Friday, April 11, the AP seemed to have changed its tune. "We're issuing a clarification to our story," Washington said in a statement. "Harris did not say that he opposed a return engagement for Spears, and our lede said that he did."

Harris' full statement here:

"It seems that yesterday a writer took some quotes of mine and speculated an opinion about their intent. I write to you to set the record straight.

"As I have said all along, Britney did a great job on the show. She really did. In fact, we are all hoping that she returns rather soon to reprise her role as Abby. Look, that episode garnered our highest ratings of the season — I would never ignore or disrespect that fact. I am just very protective of our show, and its content. I have a high standard of quality, and hope to maintain it on every level. Television is big business, I understand that. I have great faith in our casting department, as well as [Twentieth Century Fox Television] and CBS, to find the appropriate person for every role on our show. I was remiss in speculating otherwise. My job description is to act, and I should really do just that.

"Britney Spears fits into our make-believe world very well — if she chose to return I can only imagine that Carter [Bays], Craig [Thomas], and the rest of the writers would create a humdinger of a storyline for her. We should be so lucky."

Source: Entertainment Weekly

Police: Britney Involved in Fender Bender

The following italicized article is from www.ok-magazine.com:

Remember the good old days of Britney Spears driving aimlessly around Southern California, ignoring red lights, making illegal u-turns and abandoning her car on busy streets?

Well, it wasn't that bad on Saturday night, but California Highway Patrol officers have confirmed that the pop princess was indeed involved in an automotive accident in Los Angeles last night.

According to the Associated Press, police say a two-car collision occurred about 8:20 p.m. Saturday on the northbound 405 highway at the 101 freeway, and that Britney was in one of the cars.

The police have not confirmed if Brit-Brit, who rarely drives herself anywhere since coming under the all-seeing eye of her father Jamie Spears, was actually behind the wheel of one of the cars. Regardless, no one was apparently injured in the incident and no citations have been handed out.

Source: OK Magazine

Producer: Britney Spears Welcome Back on Sitcom

The following italicized article is from www.people.com:

Britney Spears is always welcome back to How I Met Your Mother.

“We always said, ‘You know, if her character pops, we’ll bring her back,’” the CBS sitcom’s executive producer Carter Bays tells the Associated Press. “I thought she was great. I was very proud of that episode.”

On the March 24 show Spears, 26, played at receptionist at a dermatologist’s office, opposite Josh Radnor. Costar Neil Patrick Harris said Spears was “really funny”.

“It was totally weird,” Bays said of having Spears on the set. “I think we have a very, like, kind of Midwestern homey vibe here on the show, and it was strange to suddenly have helicopters circling.” he said.

The episode wrapped up with Spears’s character flirting with womanizer Barney (Harris). The following week, in an episode in which Spears did not appear, a “mystery woman” sabotaging Barney’s usually successful attempts to pick up ladies was introduced into the plot.

Asked if Spears might end up to be the saboteur, Bays replied “Could be. There’s no reason why not” — though he also suggested it could be Spears’s guest costar Sarah Chalke.

So, will Britney come back or won’t she? “I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t know the answer to that.”

Source: People

Heidi Klum: Britney Can Come Live in Our House

The following italicized article is taken from www.people.com:

A neighbor wants to help Britney Spears: Heidi Klum.

The supermodel and Project Runway star, 34, says that her family would welcome Spears, 26, with open arms as the troubled singer seeks to reassemble her life.

"She can call me and come live in our house with us for a couple of months. I would help set her straight," Klum, who was born in Germany, tells broadcaster ARD in an interview set to air Monday in her native country, the Associated Press reports.

"I am sorry when a young person gets thrown so off track. She has, of course, lived an extremely wild life," adds Klum, according to an interview transcript.

A Beverly Hills resident, like Spears, Klum is a mother of three (the children, two boys and a girl, are aged 1, 2 and 3) and married to the singer Seal.

Klum believes that the pop star could benefit from being in her stable household.

"I have never been as happy as I am today," says Klum. "I have found the man of my life, and we have three great kids. They are all so different and fantastic that it really can't get better than this."

Source: People

Britney Spears Remains Under Hospital's Watch

The following italicized article is from www.theinsideronline.com:

BRITNEY SPEARS remains hospitalized under psychiatric supervision as of Saturday morning, according to the Associated Press.

As "The Insider" reported yesterday, the troubled pop star was placed under the full temporary custody of her father JAMIE through Monday after the L.A. Superior Court determined that she was unable to take care of herself or manage her finances.

One of Jamie's first actions as her conservator was to file a restraining order against Britney's friend and manager SAM LUTFI.

Keep checking back here for more details as they arrive.

Source: The Insider Online

Britney Spears's Parents Arrive In Court

The following italicized article is from www.people.com:

Britney Spears's parents Jamie and Lynne Spears arrived in court Friday, just as the family is battling Britney's pal Sam Lutfi over who decides what's best for the troubled pop star.

Currently, Lutfi has been the liaison between the singer's lawyers and doctors. Spears's parents arrived in court without commenting Friday, and the exact purpose of their visit has not yet been disclosed, the Associated Press reports.

Story Developing: More to Come ...

Source: People

Could Britney Be Committed Against Her Will?

The following italicized article is from www.abcnews.com:

It is hard for a family to watch someone like Britney Spears implode in public. It is also very difficult emotionally to force a family member to seek treatment involuntarily.

But in Britney's home state of California, once that hard decision is made, it can be as easy as calling a cop to have a loved one committed to a mental hospital.

Under a state statute known as 5150, an individual who is considered by a medical professional to be a danger to herself, others or is known to be gravely disabled can be involuntarily committed to a mental institution by her family or even friends.

"If a family member believes the patient needs psychiatric care and the patient refuses to get it, there are options available," said Keith Valone, a clinical psychologist in Pasadena, Calif., who is not associated with Spears' treatment and declined to comment specifically on her case. "And if that person meets the narrowly determined criteria, they can be put on involuntary hold.

"No Spears' family members have stated publicly that they are contemplating such a move.

Involuntary hold, which translates into 72 hours in a locked mental institution, must be approved by trained professionals like a psychiatrist or a nurse. But a police officer can also qualify, according to California law, to evaluate a patient and decide if that person meets the 5150 requirements, said Valone.

After the 72-hour stay is completed, patients can either voluntarily admit themselves to treatment or the family can request another evaluation for a 14-day stay, according to the California Department of Mental Health.

"Getting a 5150 isn't a very hard [process] to do," explained Valone. "Families can either call a hospital, ask if they write holds and then just present at the hospital. Or if the patient is uncooperative, they can call the police."

A spokesperson from the Los Angeles Police Department told ABCNEWS.com that 5150s are so common that they are an almost daily occurrence, and cops are often called upon to help transport unruly patients to hospitals, where they will they be kept on hold.

The reason most families seek involuntary committal is for self destructive behavior, and Spears' behavior over the past year has cost her a great deal.

In just the past few months, Spears was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital after refusing to hand over her children to authorities and then later lost custody of her two kids. She then failed to even make it into the courtroom and subsequent hearings meant to regain custody of her children.

She has shaved her head in public, attacked a car with an umbrella, shoplifted a lighter from a gas station, and most recently sat down in front of paparazzi earlier this week and cried while holding her little Yorkie named London. That latest crying jag was apparently set off by her sometime manager Sam Lutfi telling ABC's "The View" that Spears has mental issues that are treatable.

Her behavior has become so alarming that last week it was revealed that The Associated Press is working on the 26-year-old Spears' obituary, just in case.

Source: ABC News