Alli Sims Opens Up About Life With Britney Spears

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

Britney Spears’ former assistant, Alli Sims, is breaking her silence for the very first time about the years she spent with the music superstar.

Alli lived with Britney in the pop star’s former gated community for over a year. She saw everything and in an Access Hollywood exclusive, revealed even at it’s worst, things with the pop star weren’t as bad as they were portrayed.

“I feel like the media made it appear a lot more insane than it really was,” Alli told Access.

Alli revealed that while she was at Britney’s side, they were constantly followed by the paparazzi.

“It was a minimum of 50 people following us,” she said. “It made everything look so much more hectic. It was crazy.”

Alli was Britney’s assistant for one year until reports said she was let go.

When asked if she was fired from the job, Alli said, “No.”

“I still lived with her after I wasn’t working with her and we’re still best friends,” Alli said.

When asked about the reports that Britney’s dad, Jamie Spears, said she couldn’t come around anymore, Alli said that was true.

“Yeah, he definitely said that,” she said. “You know, they’re very controlling and that’s fine and I just stepped back. I’m not going to fight nine lawyers and parents.”

In fact, it was a team of lawyers that handled a divorce, child custody and questions about Britney’s mental health. And with Jamie in charge, they brought order to Britney’s life.

“They pretty much cut out everyone, honestly,” Alli said.

And despite reports that Britney is bi-polar or suffers from post-partum depression, Alli said she didn’t see evidence of such conditions.

“I just feel like, you know, she had kids fast,” Alli said. “There was a divorce going on and that’s a lot for a young person to handle.”

In January 2008, Britney barricaded herself and son Jayden at her then home, refusing to give him back to ex-husband, Kevin Federline. Alli said the reason Britney refused is quite simple.

“She was just like, ‘I wasn’t ready for them… you know, to go home,’” Alli recounted. “It was a mom just being protective and a mom that didn’t want her kids to leave… I mean, it’s weird when you have kids three days a week and you’re used to having them all day everyday.”

During one stretch of Alli’s tenure with Britney, the star was hospitalized twice in one month. The second time she was taken by ambulance to the UCLA Medical Center’s Psychiatric Ward.

When asked how Britney was in the hospital, Alli said she was OK.

“Fine, fine. Honestly, fine,” she said.

As a result, Britney temporarily lost visitation rights to both her boys in January 2008.

“I think that was a really harsh step,” Alli said. “It looked a lot worse than it was… I actually got subpoenaed for the custody case and I was in there for eight hours and it was brutal. But, I mean, I just sat in there and told the truth. There was nothing bad to say.”

Alli hasn’t spoken to Britney in over a year. She’s spent the time doing what she says Britney encouraged her to do – pursue her music.

Alli’s first single, “Driving Blind,” is about missing someone. In this case, Britney.

“I want her to know when she hears [it], that it is about her and I miss her friendship,” Alli said.

Source: Access Hollywood

6 months after near self-destruct, Britney Spears is all about music & kids

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

Six months ago she was forcibly strapped to a stretcher and placed on psychiatric hold in two different hospitals.

A judge cut off all contact with her two toddler sons.

Her "Blackout" album failed to go platinum as a deafening papaparazzi circus took the place of actual promotion.

It seemed like an irreversible slide destined to end in tragedy. That was then.

Six months later, a feisty and focused Britney Spears is putting her life back together.

"She's the best I've seen her in three years," a well-placed source in Britney's camp told the Daily News. "She has her kids back now and she's working on a new album. Hopefully it will be out by the end of the year."

Britney, 26, isn't stopping with music. She's reading TV treatments and looking to executive produce a show in the same vein as Ashton Kutcher or Randy Jackson, the source said.

"It has to be organic to her, maybe something related to music or fashion," the source said.

As for acting, she's shopping for a supporting role in a romantic comedy to follow up her well-received cameo on CBS' "How I Met Your Mother," the source said. She also stepped in front of the camera last week when she taped a video short for the stage show of Madonna's upcoming "Sticky & Sweet" tour.

"These are baby steps. She's taking every opportunity to see her kids, and the last thing she'll do is tour for three months or take the lead in a feature and be away from them again," the source said. "Maybe she'll go out on tour after the new year, but something short."

Last month a judge reinstated Britney's overnight visits with Jayden James, 1, and Sean Preston, 2, after she patched things up with divorce lawyer Laura Wasser and made a "businesslike" court appearance opposite ex-husband Kevin Federline.

"The overnight visits are great positive reinforcement for her. She almost has the equivalent of one-third custody back, and being able to care for them is enormously helpful to her progress," another source close to the singer said.

A custody trial is set for next month, and Britney remains under a court-ordered conservatorship run by dad, Jamie Spears, at least until July 31.

It was Jamie and Britney's once-estranged mom, Lynne, who swooped in last January, won a restraining order against mock manager Sam Lutfi and brought Larry Rudolph, who discovered Britney at 13 and built her career, back into the fold.

Now the paparazzi who snapped the minutiae of her meltdowns are filing photos of Britney hitting the gym, working on her sixth album or vacationing with fellow rehabber Mel Gibson, another client of her powerhouse criminal lawyer Blair Berk.

"She's a true professional in the studio. She's very focused, and she stays as long as it takes to get the job done," said songwriter James (Jim Beanz) Washington, who's collaborating with Britney and mega-producer Nate (Danjahandz) Hills on the new Jive Records album.

Experts say a triumphant comeback is possible if Britney stays focused.

"We heard all this talk of a comeback last year, but she wasn't committed. She seemed committed to becoming a train wreck, not the beloved pop star," said Morris Reid of Washington image consultancy Westin Rinehart.

"We know this woman is talented. And who knows, maybe all the pain is both a curse and a gift," he said. "Difficult times are when some artists create their best work. She could use her music to express her feelings right now. And we all know people are interested in Britney's feelings

Source: The Daily News

Who Says You Can't Go Home Again?

Awww and Yay! Here are a few photos of Britney Spears relaxin' at her family home Serenity in Kentwood, LA this weekend. Brit Brit made the journey back home to Louisiana reportedly to attend her little sister Jamie Lynn Spears's baby shower. Due to her long estrangement from her mother Lynne Spears for most of last year, Britters hadn't been back home to Kentwood since early 2007.

Britney Spears is home again: The pop star left California on Friday and returned to her hometown of Kentwood, La. – her first trip back since before her hospitalization and custody battles of the past year, a source tells PEOPLE. Also in town is Spears's father, Jamie, who remains in legal control of her affairs until a July 31 hearing. The singer's arrival in her home state comes as sources say there is a planned baby shower over the weekend for her 17-year-old sister Jamie Lynn, who announced her pregnancy in December. Spears, 26, last visited Kentwood in early 2007 for her aunt's funeral.

I cannot tell you how AMAZING it is to see Britney back in the bosom of her family life. Irregardless of who was wrong/what went down to cause the rift between Britney and her family, I am just thrilled that the wounds seem to be healed (or at least are healing nicely) and she is able to, once again, enjoy the fruits of her family's love. I realize that this weekend is prolly all about JL Spears and the bun in her oven but I'm just really geeked about our dear Britney being home again. Woot!

Source: Pink Is The New Blog

Britney Spears Returns Home to Kentwood

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

Britney Spears is home again: The pop star left California on Friday and returned to her hometown of Kentwood, La. – her first trip back since before her hospitalization and custody battles of the past year, a source tells PEOPLE.

Also in town is Spears's father, Jamie, who remains in legal control of her affairs until a July 31 hearing.

The singer's arrival in her home state comes as sources say there is a planned baby shower over the weekend for her 17-year-old sister Jamie Lynn, who announced her pregnancy in December.

Spears, 26, last visited Kentwood in early 2007 for her aunt's funeral.

Source: People

Dad's Got This Under Control

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

While not exactly MIA, Britney Spears certainly isn't quite as...visible (and we don't just mean in the vaginal sense) as she used to be premeltdown, prehospitalization and, as it turns out, preconservatorship.

Not only is the popster spending time with her kids again, but she's also working, eating in restaurants that don't offer a drive-thru option and—we thought it seemed quiet—hasn't been the cause of a traffic stop, police motorcade or late-night field trip to a gas-station food mart in some time.

E! News has pieced together Britney's, return to planet Earth, we mean transformation and discovered a common denominator among all this antimadness: dear old dad.

Sources say it's Jamie Spears' tough love that has put her back on track. Naysayers can hoot 'n' holler all they want about whether Britney really needs someone to make decisions for her or whether Jamie's just in it for the $2,500 weekly allowance, but riddle us this:

In which of these cases is Britney worse off than she was before she locked herself in the bathroom and ended up in an ambulance (twice)?

• The Odd Couple: Britney's got a roommate now that Jamie's moved in to keep the demons out. "Jamie feels like this is his last chance to save his daughter," a family insider tells E! News. "He knows he's not perfect and hasn't always been there, but he is determined not to make the same mistakes and take care of her. He knows Britney well enough to know he needs to be there or she will fall into bad habits."

• Sayonara, Sam: Since Jamie and Lynne Spears secured that restraining order against the singer's self-proclaimed manager, Sam Lutfi, Britney's life has been oddly sans public displays of hysteria. Our sources say Jamie asks all comers to cut ties with Lutfi before they're allowed contact with his daughter.

• Peace Out, Paps: There's a reason why the freelance stalkerazzi are seeking out temp work. Per Jamie's orders, Britney stays inside for the most part and, when she does go out, she's flanked by at least two beefy bodyguards and an assistant, while her outdoor activity is limited to climbing in and out of her chauffeured Escalade. The source says she's even been able to make it to her workouts at the Home Depot Center, all the way on the outskirts of L.A., without being followed. Hence, no more 24/7-drama dollars padding the pockets.

• 26 Going On 16: We hear Britney has a 10 p.m. curfew, meaning, no more midnight shopping or...whatever the heck else she was doing at all hours while in meltdown mode. Jamie's also monitoring his little girl's medication schedule, phone calls, her visits with her sons and at-home therapy sessions. And just as getting good grades in a normal house means getting to stay out till all hours on prom night, behaving in Britney's house means trips to Dominick's, text messages with Alli Sims and all the dance rehearsals she can handle.

• Playing the Links: Britney may not get to share in the fun that obviously occurs when Jamie tees off with former enemy Kevin Federline for the occasional golf game, but the greatly improved relationship between her dad and the man who got to keep the kids has allowed her to share some badly needed mommy time with Sean Preston and Jayden James.

Overall, there might be something to this short-leash thing. But doesn't influence rub both ways? If Jamie ends up sporting a pink wig and making 2 a.m. runs to Kitson, then we'll know: This is Britney's world. We just obsess over it.

Source: E! Online

Source: Mel & Britney Have Been 'Meeting Regularly'

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

Mel Gibson and Britney Spears's dinner over the weekend wasn't their first meeting.

The pair and their families have met a number of times since Spears checked out from her second hospitalization last month, a source tells PEOPLE.

"Mel and his wife Robin clearly saw a woman in crisis and wanted to extend themselves in any way possible," the source says.

"There's just a handful of people in the world who understand the kind of intense attention that Britney goes through, and how to raise a family with some semblance of privacy and how to keep one's family intact and out of the limelight," the source adds.

"There are no expectations, there is no agenda. It's simply an act of human kindness – one neighbor reaching out to the other."

Gibson and Spears used to be neighbors when the singer previously lived in Malibu.

Source: People

Britney and Heidi Sing Duet, World Nears End

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

If Britney Spears is singing with Heidi Montag, poor Brit Brit is worse off than anyone realized. And this is a woman who's been hospitalized for her issues -- twice.

KIIS-FM's "On Air with Ryan Seacrest" debuted the song "Dramatic," which features a breathy, nasally Britney switching off verses with her cheap imitator Heidi. Grab a barf bag listen.

Source: TMZ

Britney's Lawyers Prepare for Custody Hearing

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

Attorneys for Britney Spears return to court Tuesday morning for the first scheduled custody hearing since the pop star's most recent hospitalization.

Insiders doubt there will be any major change from the current custody arrangement, which bars Spears from visiting her sons Preston, 2, and Jayden, 1. (She is, however, allowed telephone contact.) Still, it's possible the 26-year-old singer – who hasn't seen the boys since her Jan. 3 standoff with police – could be awarded some temporary physical access.

Tuesday's court session – which was scheduled after Spears's stay in the psych ward at the UCLA Medical Center – sets the stage for more major hearings in the coming weeks, as Spears and Kevin Federline seek to reevaluate their custody agreement. (Her former husband and backup dancer is seeking full physical custody.)

The judge may also hear arguments from Federline's attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, who has asked for a full psychological evaluation of the troubled pop star.

But the biggest news out of today's hearing could be a change in representation for Spears. Los Angeles attorney Sorrell Trope has asked – for the second time – to be released from the case. (The law firm of Trope & Trope filed similar papers in January, but later withdrew the request.

Possible replacements include Laura Wasser, who resigned from Spears's case in September. At the time, she denied "dumping" Spears, telling PEOPLE the singer's legal team simply needed "fresh blood." But Wasser appears to be back in the picture, after reportedly visiting Spears during her UCLA stay.

Source: People

It All Began With A Head-Shaving

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

It was the electric razor buzz heard ’round the world. A year ago on Saturday — on February 16, 2007 — just days after a 24-hour stint at Crossroads rehab center, Britney Spears marched into a California hair salon and announced that she wanted to shave her head. We thought that she’d hit an all-time low back then, but it turned out that Britney had a lot further to fall. And here’s how she unraveled over the next 12 months.

After the head-shaving, the newly bald Brit rounded out the evening by getting two new tattoos. Days later she checked into rehab again, this time at the Promises treatment facility — only to leave less than a day later. Then came the bizarre incident on February 21, in which she attacked a photographer’s car with an umbrella.

The following day she was back in rehab, this time for a month, but Britney’s troubles were far from over. The next year would find the singer trotting out an assortment of odd wigs and hair extensions, often wearing short dresses without panties. She gave new meaning to the word "May flowers" last May when photographs surfaced showing her posing topless with little more than flowers covering her nipples. One hot summer day she pulled over on the side of the road, stripped down to her bra and panties and jumped into the ocean in front of a group of photographers.

It seemed as if the fallen pop star never forgave her parents for forcing her into treatment and refused to let them see their grandsons. In June, she even went so far as to serve her mother, Lynne, with a letter instructing her to stay away from her grandchildren.

Fans hoped for a comeback last fall with the release of her album Blackout and the announcement that she would be opening the MTV Video Music Awards. But Britney’s performance fell flat when the starlet showed up onstage looking dazed and lipsynched and stumbled her way through the song "Gimme More."

Her odd behavior culminated with her losing custody of her children to ex-husband Kevin Federline in the beginning of October. Even Britney’s neighbors turned against her. While out with her sister Jamie Lynn in October, a woman came up to Britney and made it clear that her presence wasn’t wanted. "Nobody wants you in this neighborhood Britney!" she shouted. "You are making this neighborhood very unsafe!"

Jamie Lynn lunged at the woman and screamed in her face, "Then move the f*** out of it!"

Later that month, Britney got her lips plumped and then ran over a photographer’s foot on the way out of the doctor’s office (and didn’t bother to check and see if he was OK).

Along the way there was a string of random men in the singer's life. She had her heart broken early in the year when her ex-boyfriend of six weeks, model Isaac Cohen, sold details of their sex life to a tabloid.

She hooked up with Mindfreak illusionist Criss Angel. She also had a brief dalliance with bodyguard Daimon Shippen, who had caught her older son, Sean Preston, the year before when Britney stumbled on the street and nearly dropped him.

She took on a man named Sam Lutfi as her manager and he quickly became her confidant, rarely leaving her side. She began dating married photographer Adnan Ghalib and brought Chad Hardcastle and paparazzo Filipe Teixeira into her entourage.

The new year brought even more drama. Britney started off 2008 with a three-hour custody standoff at her home. Eventually police had to be called — she was taken to the hospital via ambulance and spent a few days in the psych ward. After her release, she fled to Mexico with Adnan. But by January 31 she was back in the hospital for a week, undergoing mental evaluation. Over the past few weeks, her father, Jamie, has been granted conservatorship over her estate, prompting a turf war with Sam.

The next year is sure to bring more custody battles and theatrics in the life of Britney Spears, but there is some light at the end of the tunnel: She has nowhere to go but up.

Source: Page Six

Britney's Father Attempting to Extend Control

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

As reported by OK! last night, Jamie Spears, father of recently hospitalized pop star Britney Spears, is in court now to ask the judge to extend his conservatorship over his daughter.

The conservatorship, which was granted to Jamie and court-appointed attorney Andrew Wallet following Brit's Jan. 31 hospitalization, gives the singer's father ultimate authority over her financial and medical decision-making.

On Feb. 4, this order was extended until today, at which point the court will need to decide whether or not Brit is yet capable of controlling her own life.

Since the court ordered the conservatorship, Brit has been kept on a rather tight leash by her father and has been attempting to get her sidetracked career back on the rails with almost daily dance rehearsals at Millennium Dance Studios.

As he entered court on Thursday, court-appointed investigator, lawyer Sam Ingham would not say whether or not Brit's former constant companion Sam Lutfi had been served with the restraining order issued on Feb. 1.

Source: OK Magazine

OK! Exclusive: Brit's $6,000 Hairdo

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

It's time for Britney Spears to say goodbye to that neon pink fright wig she so adored wearing before her court-ordered hospitalization. The pop princess is getting some fake hair — maybe to go with that fake British accent?

To add a little length to her tired tresses, which haven't been the same since the infamous head-shaving incident of 2007, Brit requested some new extensions be put in by her stylist, Kim Vo.

And this lock-lengthening comes at a pretty steep cost. While he won't name the number on this specific price tag Vo reveals to OK! that, “a house call for new extensions can be up to $6,000.”

But unlike some celebs who save their millions by using their fame to get free cuts, colors and styles, Vo tells OK!, “We will be sending her a bill.”

Maybe Brit could auction off that pink wig on eBay!

Source: OK Magazine

Britney Dancing Her Way Back To Normalcy

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

For the second night in a row, Britney Spears is hard at work on getting her career back on track. Around 3:30pm PT on Saturday, the superstar arrived at North Hollywood's Millennium Dance Studios — her favorite place to rehearse her dance moves. And according to some who have seen her these last couple days, things appear to be looking up for the singer.

"Her focus and clarity are noticeable," says one fortunate witness who had the chance to look on as Brit worked on her routine for her upcoming video. "Almost like the old Britney we've known and loved."

It looks like this renewed focus on work might be helping to ease the tension between the pop star and her father, Jamie Spears. The two have been at odds since her Jan. 31 hospitalization and the subsequent court order granting Jamie conservatorship over the singer's financial and medical matters.

But it was a different story Saturday night when, around 6:00pm, Brit's dad arrived at Millennium to watch his daughter rehearse before they headed back home together. "Before Jamie got there, she seemed to be getting anxious," one witness tells OK!. "And then he arrived and her mood changed."

During a brief Friday afternoon shopping spree, Britney picked up a whole wardrobe of dance clothes at Victoria's Secret. And one insider tells OK! "She's planning to dance almost every day."

Days before her most recent hospitalization, Brit had begun to work on this current routine — for her single "Hot as Ice" — which will feature one of the singer's famous chair numbers, not unlike the one in the video for her hit "Stronger."

Source: OK Magazine

Why Britney Spears Was Released Early

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

Britney Spears was released early from UCLA Medical Center's psych ward because a court representative found "no just cause" for the hold, a source tells PEOPLE.

The doctor overseeing Spears's care had wanted her to stay, (as did her parents), but the decision was overridden by the court representative, the source said.

The source said that the doctor who was vetoed was not Spears's psychiatrist Dr. Deborah Nadel, but another attending doctor at UCLA. Once Nadel issued the singer's 72-hour hold at UCLA, Nadel was not involved in Spears's hospitalization, the source said.

The decision followed regular procedure for any patient on a 14-day hold.

The procedure calls for a hearing at the hospital to find out whether the hold is justified. The rep for the court, called a "hearing referee" – who is usually a lawyer – interviews the patient and doctor to determine if there's "just cause" for detainment.

"This is when law and medicine collide," says attorney Terry K. Wasserman, who's not involved in the Spears matter, "when a lawyer can override a doctor's opinion."

Source: People

Why Britney Spears Was Released Early

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

Britney Spears was released early from UCLA Medical Center's psych ward because a court representative found "no just cause" for the hold, a source tells PEOPLE.

The doctor overseeing Spears's care had wanted her to stay, (as did her parents), but the decision was overridden by the court representative, the source said.

The source said that the doctor who was vetoed was not Spears's psychiatrist Dr. Deborah Nadel, but another attending doctor at UCLA. Once Nadel issued the singer's 72-hour hold at UCLA, Nadel was not involved in Spears's hospitalization, the source said.

The decision followed regular procedure for any patient on a 14-day hold.

The procedure calls for a hearing at the hospital to find out whether the hold is justified. The rep for the court, called a "hearing referee" – who is usually a lawyer – interviews the patient and doctor to determine if there's "just cause" for detainment.

"This is when law and medicine collide," says attorney Terry K. Wasserman, who's not involved in the Spears matter, "when a lawyer can override a doctor's opinion."

Source: People

Britney Finally Returns Home

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

Almost 12 hours after being released from her court-ordered hospitalization, troubled pop star Britney Spears finally returned to her home behind the gates of her private community. And what had at first appeared to be headed for another classic Britney night of hotel-hopping and driving aimlessly until sunrise was brought to a quiet end after the intervention of her father.

Shortly before 9:oopm on Wednesday (CLICK HERE for the entire timeline) a weary-looking Jamie Spears entered the lobby of the Beverly Hills Hotel, where his daughter was holed up in a room on the second floor with her boyfriend, photographer Adnan Ghalib. In his hands, Jamie was clenching a pile of legal documents that he was attempting to get the hotel staff to look at.

Thirty minutes later, with the assistance of hotel security and the LAPD, Jamie foud himself face to face with the daughter who reportedly wants nothing to do with him. And yet somehow he was able to convince Brit to ultimately return to her home.

It's possible that, as her court-appointed conservator, Jamie was able to tug on her pursestrings to make her realize that she can't afford expensive four-star hotel rooms without his approval. Regardless, insiders tell OK! that Brit and Adnan were driven to a restaurant in the San Fernando Valley and then to her home in The Summit where she and Adnan are currently staying with Jamie and Britney's mom Lynne.

Sources also tell OK! that Jamie and Britney's mom Lynne are likely to head to court as early as Thursday to ask the judge to strengthen the existing conservatorship. It is believed that Brit met with lawyer Adam Streisand shortly after being released from the hospital today and that Streisand, who attempted unsuccesfully earlier this week to present himself as Brit's lawyer, may once again attempt to involve himself in the case.

OK! will be on hand at the courthouse tomorrow to bring you any breaking news.

Source: OK Magazine

Report: Britney Spears Released From UCLA

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

Britney Spears was released after a week of treatment at the UCLA Medical Center, the Los Angeles Times reported.

A private security detail escorted Spears from the hospital around noon today, the paper reported.

Sources told the paper she could be heading to one of her homes before getting further treatment for her bipolar disorder.

A law enforcement source told TMZ.com that UCLA released her "because she was no longer required to stay there after 11:30 AM" and that she was no longer deemed a threat to herself or others.

Spears was involuntarily committed to treatment on January 31 and was expected to remain hospitalized for another 10 days.

Since her hospitalization, her father, Jamie, was named as her coconservator, enabling him to make decisions about her medical treatment and her estate.

Source: US Weekly

Big Day In Court For Britney

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

With the court deciding to extend Britney Spears' hospitalization to 14 days, the singer will be unable to appear before a judge Monday morning to ask for reinstatement of some of her visitation privileges with her two boys, Sean Preston, 2, and one-year-old Jayden James. However, that's not going to prevent her legal team from heading to court today to deal with two separate matters.

First up is a hearing in her ongoing custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline. However, with Britney not able to plead her case in person, it's unlikely that any significant decisions will come out of this morning's hearing.

The more important court appearance comes later today when Brit's father, Jamie Spears, who was granted a temporary conservatorship over his daughter's financial and medical matters on Friday, will be in court along with his lawyer Blair Burke, who represented Mel Gibson following his DUI arrest, to argue for an extension of the conservatorship for at least the remainder of Britney's hospitalization. It is being reported that Britney's lawyers in the custody battle, the law firm of Trope & Trope, will be on hand to argue that, given his distant relationship with Britey, Jamie be replaced by a different conservator.

Stay tuned to OK! as this story develops throughout the day.

Source: OK Magazine

In Court: Battle For Britney?

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

As Britney Spears remains on a 14-day forced hospitalization, attorneys for the singer may object in a Los Angeles courtroom Monday to her father's control of her affairs.

Spears, 26, has had strained relations with her dad for years. "I am praying for my father. We never had a good relationship," Britney said in a statement last year regarding a feud.

"There could be a clash of wills over which side claims to have her best interests at heart," says L.A. probate attorney Allan Cutrow, who's not involved in the case.

Her father, Jamie –­ who visited Britney at the hospital on Sunday afternoon – and a lawyer named Andrew Wallet, were given widespread power over Spears's finances after a court named them co-conservators of her estate on Friday.

Courts grant this control when a person is incapable of handling their own affairs.

Jamie, alone, was also named temporary conservator of her person – in charge of her basic care and needs. He does not, however, have authority over her psychiatric treatment.

By now, a court-appointed attorney may have advised Spears of her right to protest her dad's control. If she does, the court may replace her father with someone who's deemed impartial.

It's also unclear whether Spears's custody lawyers, of the firm Trope and Trope, have the right to object.

"Depending on the powers the court granted the co-conservators, they may have the power to fire Trope and Trope at any time," Cutrow says.

Also Monday is a scheduled hearing in Spears's ongoing custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline. She currently has no visitation rights of their sons, Preston, 2, and Jayden, 1.

The former couple are not required to attend either hearing.

"This could only be the beginning of a long, protracted battle over her care, and control of her wealth," Cutrow adds.

Source: People

Britney's Dad "Taking His Responsibility Seriously"

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

On Friday, Jamie Spears, estranged father or troubled pop star Britney Spears, appeared before a California court to ask for a conservatorship that would allow him to take responsibility for his daughter's medical and financial decisions. And a source close to Jamie tells OK! that this decision, "is a long time coming."

"This is the best thing that could ever have happened," explains the source to OK!. "It's been a long time coming and there is a lot at stake."

As for those who worry that Jamie is only interested in getting his hands on his daughter's fortune, the friend tells OK! that's definitely not the case. "He takes this responsibility very seriously. Jamie's been wanting to save his little girl's life for a long time."

Remember, when Britney was hospitalized for the first time in early January, Jamie — despite not having seen his daughter in several months — was the only one of Brit's parents to visit her in the hospital.

Source: OK Magazine

Aw! This is so sweet. Who knows...maybe now, after 18 months, everything will be ok again. I'm not saying it will happen overnight or anything but the first baby steps have been set in motion!

Britney Spears's Life Inside The Hospital

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

Britney Spears's 72-hour psychiatric hold at the UCLA Medical Center has expired as of Sunday morning – but the singer is still hospitalized.

Legal analysts say either her psychiatrist requested an additional 14-day hold, or Spears is staying voluntarily on a day-to-day basis.

What is life like for Spears at the Stewart & Lynda Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA? According to the patient's bill of rights at the hospital, she is allowed to wear her own clothes and keep her own personal possessions, including toiletries. She may also see visitors every day and make and receive phone calls – but not on her personal cell phone. There are pay phones on the floor.

There are two wings at the hospital, separated by a kitchen/dining room. Patients sometimes mix, especially for smoke breaks out on the deck, which is gated and surrounded by a metal fence.

The average patient sees his or her attending doctor every day. Since UCLA is a teaching hospital, the attending doctors are often accompanied by students. Staffers check on patients at least once an hour, even during the night.

'It's a Terrible Situation'

The Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital is known as one of the top facilities of its kind; still, "It is a terrible situation," says a source close to the Spears family. "Britney is in a padded room. Her family is so worried about her."

Terry K. Wasserman, a veteran L.A. attorney specializing in mental health cases (who’s not involved in the Spears matter), explains that if a patient becomes combative, he or she "could be placed in a 'quiet room,' some of which are padded."

Wasserman adds: "Another possibility is being confined to a bed by leather restraints. In extreme, life-threatening situations – when the patient is a threat to oneself or medical staff – a psychiatrist can inject a person with psychotropic medication."

In addition, Wasserman says, "a doctor can force a patient to take prescribed medication. If he or she resists taking the meds, the psychiatrist can obtain authorization to forcefully medicate the person – but only after a hearing on the matter takes place."

Source: People