Britney Spears – The Rise and Fall of a Pop Star
The tragical saga of Britney becomes almost two years ago after her divorce of Kevin Federline. Britney Spears' behavior became increasingly bizarre during the past year after she filed for divorce from Kevin Federline in late 2006. She has since lost visitation rights to their sons, Jayden James, 1, and Sean Preston, 2. The Court decision to left the childrens custody to Federline had an unpredicted psychological effect on Britney. She has battled her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, in court for custody of their two sons, spent a brief stint in rehab, been photographed in public wearing no underwear and exhibited bizarre behavior such as wearing pink wings and talking in a British accent despite being a native of Louisiana. The singer was taken to a psychiatric hospital at UCLA Medical Center on Jan. 31 2007, under police escort, for the first time after an crisis of hystreria suffered as her home but was discharged over the recommendation of her treating psychiatrist and against the wishes of both her parents. But Britney’s trobles continued and she was taken again, for the second time, under police escort, to the psychiatric hospital for a six-day stay for psychiatric evaluation being pursued through the city by paparazzi. Reading about her entire story a question came into our minds: Is Britney a victim of her lifestyle or the entire system of showbiz is responsible for her tragical destiny ? The following last news about her evolution maybe could help us to understand and judge more clearly what really happened with this young girl converted almost by night into a Pop Star.
Court has mystery hearing in Spears case
LOS ANGELES - The court commissioner who placed Britney Spears under conservatorship held a closed-door hearing on an unspecified emergency motion Thursday, a day after the troubled pop star was suddenly released from a psychiatric hospital and ended up being pursued through the city by paparazzi.
The motion was brought before Superior Court Commissioner Reva Goetz by the singer's father, James Spears, and lawyer Andrew Wallet, who is part of the conservatorship, court spokesman Allan Parachini said.
Parachini said that the motion was unopposed but that he could release no details.
"Everything about this matter is sealed", Parachini said after the hearing.
Present in court were attorneys for James Spears, along with Wallet and a court-appointed attorney for Britney Spears.
The singer was taken to a psychiatric hospital at UCLA Medical Center on Jan. 31 under police escort but was discharged Wednesday over the recommendation of her treating psychiatrist and against the wishes of both her parents.
"We are deeply concerned about our daughter's safety and vulnerability and we believe her life is presently at risk", the statement from James and Lynne Spears said. "We ask only that the court's orders be enforced so that a tragedy may be averted".
Goetz last week named James Spears as conservator of his 26-year-old daughter and named him and Wallet conservators of her estate. The commissioner has ordered the conservatorship to last until at least Feb. 14.
Courts place people under conservatorships when it is determined they can no longer care for themselves or their affairs.
Britney Spears' behavior became increasingly bizarre during the past year after she filed for divorce from Kevin Federline in late 2006. She has since lost visitation rights to their sons, Jayden James, 1, and Sean Preston, 2.
She was briefly hospitalized earlier in January after a custody dispute drew police to her home.
After being released from the hospital Wednesday, she was spotted driving her Mercedes-Benz and followed by paparazzi who zoomed around her in their vehicles. She eventually got out and turned the driving over to an unidentified man.
Each time the car stopped, photographers swarmed it, shooting photos and video. The singer ultimately went into the Beverly Hills Hotel.
By
LINDA DEUTSCH,
AP Special Correspondent
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Britney Spears' parents say her life is "at risk"
LOS ANGELES (
Reuters) - The parents of pop star Britney Spears returned to a court on Thursday to deal with the troubled singer's affairs one day after saying they believed her life was at risk.
The hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court was closed to the public, and a court spokesman said the proceedings were sealed. But several media reports said Spears' father, Jamie Spears, and a court-appointed co-conservator were hoping to strengthen control over her affairs.
Neither Spears nor her parents attended the hearing.
A day earlier, the parents said their daughter is in the middle of a mental crisis, and they believe her life is at risk since she left a hospital where she was under psychiatric care.
"As parents of an adult child in the throes of a mental health crisis, we were extremely disappointed... to learn that over the recommendation of her treating psychiatrist, our daughter Britney was released from the hospital that could best care for her and keep her safe", said the joint statement released late on Wednesday on behalf of the singer's father and her mother, Lynne Spears.
"We are deeply concerned about our daughter's safety and vulnerability and we believe her life is presently at risk", the statement said.
Spears, 26, was released from the UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon after a six-day stay for psychiatric evaluation. Almost immediately, the paparazzi that have followed her every move in recent months began tracking the singer again.
AVERTING 'A TRAGEDY'
Various reports had Spears meeting lawyers and friends in Beverly Hills, and her parents' statement suggested that those meetings could be violating a court ruling earlier this week that gave Jamie Spears control of the singer's affairs.
The parents last Friday were appointed temporary co-conservators.
"There are conservatorship orders in place created to protect our daughter that are being blatantly disregarded. We ask only that the court's orders be enforced so that a tragedy may be averted", concluded the joint statement.
Spears, who rose to fame in the late 1990s and built a huge following among young audiences as a pop singer and performer, has in recent months seen her life spin out of control.
She has battled her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, in court for custody of their two sons, spent a brief stint in rehab, been photographed in public wearing no underwear and exhibited bizarre behavior such as wearing pink wings and talking in a British accent despite being a native of Louisiana.
In early January, she was taken to a Los Angeles hospital and placed under mental observation for a few days before walking out. Last week she was again hospitalized for psychiatric evaluation.
Her father then went to a Los Angeles court and received "temporary conservatorship" over her affairs. The court commissioner also issued a
temporary restraining order (TRO) against the singer's self-styled manager, Sam Lutfi, who has been a near-constant presence in her life in recent months.
A spokesman for Lutfi told
Reuters that since the order was put in place, he has not seen Britney, and respects the TRO.
"He is not the bad guy people think he is", said spokesman Michael Sands.
By
Bernie Woodall and
Xavier Briand,
ReutersYou could read more –
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Spears sidekick: Svengali or savior ?
LOS ANGELES - He's been seen squiring around a dazed looking Britney Spears, at times acting as her spokesman, referring to himself as her manager and friend, and insisting all the while that her best interest is his only concern.
All the same, Sam Lutfi, the 33-year-old man in the baseball cap who's been behind the scenes throughout Britney's public downfall, has not been easy to define.
Then on Tuesday, accusations in a restraining order cutting him off from the troubled pop star would seem to support at least one theory: that he was a Svengali figure in her life, a shady hanger-on who controlled everything — from doling out her pills to holding the paparazzi's leash.
The day before the court documents were released, Lutfi told The
Associated Press in a text message: "I have no problems with anyone writing anything negative against me. My image is not of concern, hers is". Lutfi did not immediately respond to further inquiry.
The restraining order, based on a statement from Spears' mother Lynne, was not the first against Lutfi, who is listed in legal documents as Osama Lutfi. Accusations in at least three prior orders range from obscene messages following a business deal to a neighbor who said he was hounded incessantly and threatened with bodily harm.
Spears remained hospitalized Monday for psychiatric evaluation after being committed last week. The order, which bars Lutfi from contacting her in any way, was granted the same day a court turned control of her affairs over to her father and a lawyer.
Though Lutfi had recently reached out to various magazines and media personalities with information on Spears' condition and state of mind, details on him have proved elusive.
Public records show he was born August 16, 1974 in Los Angeles. Music magazine Blender, in a March cover story on Spears, states that Lutfi grew up in Woodland Hills, where his mother reportedly owns several gas stations.
According to the movie database IMDb.com, Lutfi served as associate producer of 1998 film "Circles" (also known as "Crossing Paths") and 2001's "Crossing Cords". And a profile titled "Sam Lutfi" on the networking Web site
LinkedIn lists him as an "Independent Media Production Professional" with education from the University of Southern California. The school's alumni Web site does not list Lutfi as a past student.
How Lutfi connected with Spears in the first place isn't clear.
Brandy Navarre, co-owner of celebrity photo agency and Web site
X17, told the
AP that Lutfi contacted the agency about nine or 10 months ago — after her head-shaving incident and others — about telling Spears' side of the story.
Since then,
X17 photographers have cultivated a close relationship with both Spears and Lutfi, whom they have photographed together numerous times. Lutfi communicates with
X17 by text messages, instant messages and e-mail regularly, and has had long conversations with Navarre, she said.
Navarre said she never asked him how he and Spears met. Still, "I think I've always had a positive feeling of him", Navarre said. "He seems to have Britney's best interest in mind".
In the order against Lutfi, Lynne Spears says her daughter met him in October 2007, and that he "essentially moved into Britney's home and has purported to take control of her life, home and finances". She describes witnessing a situation of tight control and manipulation, with Lutfi calling the shots on her medications, cutting her phone lines, and deciding who's let in to see the pop star.
A court commissioner on Monday extended temporary conservatorship of Spears to her father, from whom she's been estranged, through Feb 14. Adam Streisand, an attorney who said he believed he had been authorized to represent Spears, argued Monday that James Spears should be removed because his role "is causing her more agitation and more distress".
"Her family hasn't been around", Navarre said. "(Lutfi) has kind of been filling that void. ... He's done everything from being a default manager and publicist to being a brother, a dad".
Navarre denied rumors that the agency was paying Lutfi for access.
"We have paid people for information, for pictures, but we've never paid Sam Lutfi and have never paid Britney Spears", Navarre said. "And he's never asked us for any money".
Last month, Barbara Walters said on
ABC's "The View" that Lutfi had contacted her, telling her Spears "is suffering from what he describes as mental issues which are treatable". She also said Lutfi "seems to be enormously supportive" of Spears.
Court documents from previous cohorts of Lutfi present a darker picture.
In October 2005, businesswoman Jumana Issa filed a complaint in Los Angeles against Lutfi; it was dismissed in March 2006 because she failed to appear for a preliminary hearing. When contacted by phone, Issa refused to comment.
In court papers, the
Westside Escrow Corporation owner claimed Lutfi started harassing her from the day of closing an escrow account for him after he demanded canceling an escrow check which she said she was unable to stop payment on.
Issa said Lutfi antagonized her repeatedly with obscene e-mails, offensive faxes and late-night voice mails, hanging up on her around 15-20 times a day, according to court documents. Issa described the ordeal as "an overwhelming nightmare".
Lutfi allegedly wrote in one fax provided by Issa, "Come on big lady, I know you are capable of responding. Put down the donuts and call me".
In October 2004, a restraining order was issued demanding Lutfi stay at least 100 yards away from Mark Douglas Snoland, a neighbor in Lutfi's condominium building, for three years. Snoland's attorney Ronald Ziff referred questions to Snoland, who did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
According to Snoland's petition for a restraining order, Lutfi began "pounding" on Snoland's front door on the night of Sept. 6, 2004 and tried to kick the door in while also pounding on a kitchen window and "yelling verbal threats of bodily harm" against Snoland and his mother, who lived in the unit.
Snoland claimed Lutfi returned 15 minutes later to continue to kick the door and yell threats. Snoland also alleged Lutfi buzzed him on an intercom "non stop" and, hours later, called his home phone number and hung up every few minutes.
Lutfi claimed in a response to the petition that Snoland only "knocked" on the door, and that Snoland "was never threatened", but actually "angry he was removed from the board of the condo complex".
In April 2007, an Orange County Superior Court granted a restraining order against Lutfi for 29-year-old Danny Haines, who told
Blender he had been a close friend of Lutfi for two years and that Lutfi once told him he should kill himself. Attempts by the
AP to reach Haines for comment were unsuccessful.
According to
Blender, Haines said he and Lutfi met on Myspace.com in 2005 when Haines was struggling with relationships with his relatives and friends. The two became tight pals, Haines told the magazine, and Lutfi emphasized that he could be a mediator between Haines and his family.
Haines claims Lutfi showed a jealous side, leaving voicemails calling Haines "worthless", and then divulging, "I love you, man. I love you to death". Haines alleges Lutfi later suggested Haines take sleeping pills, "lots of them", following a dispute over money Lutfi allegedly borrowed from Haines, according to the magazine.
Haines claims when he stopped communicating with Lutfi, Lutfi retaliated by e-mailing naked photographs of Haines to his family, friends, colleagues and employer, and text messaged and called repeatedly.
By
SOLVEJ SCHOU,
Associated PressYou could read more –
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Spears 'lacks mental capacity' to understand court fight over control
LOS ANGELES - Britney Spears does not want her father in charge of her welfare, a lawyer told a court commissioner today, but another attorney who interviewed her in a hospital psychiatric ward said the pop star cannot even grasp what is going on in court.
"She has expressed a very strong desire that her father not be appointed conservator", attorney Adam Streisand, who said he was hired by Spears, claimed.
"He has been estranged from her and this is causing her even more stress".
However, a court-appointed lawyer told Superior Court Commissioner Reva Goetz he visited Britney in hospital for about 10 minutes yesterday. The lawyer stated it was his belief Britney 'lacks capacity' to retain a lawyer and "does not understand the nature of these proceedings".
The Commissioner eventually ruled Spear's father, Jamie Spears, and attorney, Andrew Wallete, would remain in temporary control of her affairs, including her health care and assets, until February 14.
The Commissioner also ordered Britney was to have no contact with Sam Lutfi, her self-styled manager and confidant, after it was claimed in court Lutfi had been in contact with Britney over the weekend by telephone. Lutfi had been told by a judge last week to stay away from Spears after her parents won a restraining order against him. Lutfi has been seen with Spears almost constantly in recent months as her personal life has spun out of control.
Additionally, a hearing in the child custody battle between Britney Spears and her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, was postponed because the troubled pop star remains hospitalized, media reports said.
The hearing was scheduled after lawyers for Spears, who has lost custody of her two young sons to Federline, sought visitation rights with the boys.
The celebrity website TMZ.com reported the hearing was postponed because Spears, who on Thursday was taken to UCLA Medical Center for a 72-hour mental evaluation, had been ordered to remain there another two weeks.
Los Angeles police are investigating a theft report filed on Friday by Spears' father, a police spokeswoman said. She said several personal items were reported taken from her home.
Spears' antics have drawn nearly constant attention from paparazzi. Two weeks ago, four photographers were arrested on suspicion of reckless driving while trailing her.
It cost local authorities US$25,000 to keep photographers at bay during her trip to the hospital last week, police said. On Friday, one Los Angeles city councilman proposed a municipal ordinance to restrict the paparazzi's movements when photographing stars in public.
By
The New Zealand HeraldYou could read more –
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Lawyers Meet for Britney Spears Hearing
Attorneys for Britney Spears and her father attended a closed-door emergency hearing Thursday, a day after the singer's early release from a psychiatric hospital.
The attorneys met before Commissioner Reva Goetz, who recently extended temporary control of Spears's affairs to her father Jamie and a lawyer. The session lasted about a half hour, and the lawyers left without commenting.
Apearing in Goetz's downtown L.A. court were Jeryll S. Cohen and Vivian Thoreen, who represent Jamie; Samuel Ingham, a court-appointed lawyer for Britney; and Andrew Wallet who, along with Jamie, is co-temporary conservator of the pop star's estate.
Adam Streisand, an attorney (and relative of Barbra Streisand) who had once claimed to represent Spears – and who met with her Wednesday night – was not there; his firm announced he was off the case.
By
Howard Breuer,
PEOPLE Magazine
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Source: Relations 'Civilized' with Britney, Parents & Adnan Ghalib
After getting out of the hospital, Britney Spears spent her first night at home with her mom, dad and paparazzo pal Adnan Ghalib. But how did everyone get along ?
"From what I was told, everything was very civilized", a source close to the photographer tells
PEOPLE.
After Spears's unexpected release from UCLA Medical Center on Wednesday, "Britney called Adnan to meet her at the Beverly Hills Hotel. He had been talking with Lynne and Jamie for the past few days", says the source.
Spears and Ghalib had a brief meeting with lawyer Adam Streisand, who announced Thursday that he is off the case. The pair then met up with mom Lynne and dad Jamie.
Ghalib also confirmed in a posting on his photo agency's Web site that he "has been in contact with her parents".
"As the day unraveled, they have all agreed to get Britney safely back to her home so she can get the medical care and love that she deserves", says the posting on the FinalPixx site. "After spending most of the evening with The Spears [family] at
The Summit, Adnan left and went back home at 2:30 a.m.... to give the family some alone time".
Lynne Spears left her daughter's home just after midnight Thursday , while dad Jamie remained there through Thursday morning.
By
Mary Margaret,
PEOPLE Magazine
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Britney's 'Lawyer' Off the Case
The attorney who claimed he was hired by Britney Spears – and who had argued that the singer opposed her father's supervision of her and her $40-million estate – is no longer attached to the singer, his firm announced in a statement.
In full, the law firm's message issued on Thursday read, "At the request of Britney Spears, Adam Streisand, a Partner at
Loeb & Loeb LLP, met with her yesterday to discuss her legal rights in connection with the conservatorship over her person and estate.
"Following that meeting, Mr. Streisand learned that the court had issued orders that prevent Ms. Spears from retaining counsel of her own choosing, and on that basis, Mr. Streisand has decided he will not represent her at this time".
Spears, who left a UCLA psychiatric ward on Wednesday, still has court-appointed counsel, attorney Samuel Ingham.
It remains to be seen how long the court will uphold Jamie Spears's power over his daughter. By law, her father was also required to apply for permanent control, which, if granted, could last until Britney is able to prove to the court that she is capable of managing her own affairs.
By
Stephen M. Silverman and
Ken Lee,
PEOPLE Magazine
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Britney Interrupted
As the singer struggles with life in a psych ward, her parents accuse her pal Sam Lutfi of cruelty and abuse.
On the bright, sunny wing of the Stewart and Lynda Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital that has been home to Britney Spears since she was admitted on Jan. 31, the singer is allowed to wear her own clothes – and, like others at the 136-bed unit on the UCLA campus – make use of a common kitchen to fix a snack and an open-air deck to grab a smoke. She is not permitted to use her cell phone...
PEOPLE Magazine
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Britney's First Night Home from the Hospital
Britney Spears spent her first night out of the hospital at home with her family, after what was a dramatic day with the pop star driving around L.A.
After her surprise early release from the UCLA Medical Center's psych ward, Spears spent much of Wednesday bouncing around the city – speeding off with one paparazzi pal, getting a room at the Beverly Hills Hotel and visiting with lawyer Adam Streisand.
But the singer's first night of freedom was uneventful (at least from the outside). After sneaking out of the law office in Century City, the 26-year-old singer and her paparazzo-boyfriend Adnan Ghalib reportedly stopped at a restaurant in the Valley. The two were then driven back to Spears's Summit Circle house in Studio City by a photographer from the
X17 photo agency.
The singer's father, Jamie – who has been named co-conservator of her $40-million fortune – was spotted at the Beverly Hills Hotel Wednesday evening and was "tired looking", says one witness. He was briefly escorted to a room, but later returned to the Summit house, where Spears, Ghalib, and the singer's mother, Lynne, were all gathered.
After midnight, Lynne drove away from the house in her Range Rover. Mobbed by photographers, she ducked behind the steering wheel to shield herself from the snappers.
As night turned into morning, Spears and Jamie remained inside the house.
Spears's confidante, Sam Lutfi – who has been accused of drugging Britney and has been ordered to keep his distance from the singer – has yet to resurface.
By
Mary Margaret,
PEOPLE Magazine
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here -
In my opinion Britney is a victim of "showbiz Industry". Being to young when he was "made" a Pop Star and unfortunately abandoned by her family she becomes quickly an easy to profit puppet entered under the hands of "star makers" as Lufti &Co. Her lifestyle was quickly invaded by the drugs, alcoohol abuse and medicines. The Glory and the easy money contribute too. We must remember a lot of previously samples as: Whitney Houston, Kurt Cobain and more others... Her marriage was a mess and contribute to Spears decline too. I clearly remember that one of the reasons invocked at her divorce was the "unapropiate habits and friends" of Federline... Today, many people has forget this reality and the bad sample who Federline offer to his wife... Not at least, Britney have in present days a lot of "rivals" in the showbiz Industry world. Many new names fight for the Glory: Shakira, Beyonce, Rihanna, Fergie or Nellie Furtado being only few of them. The divorce and trials for children custody are only the backround of the tragical end of the Pop Star Britney Spears.
Zangy Comment Graphics
winning four Academy Awards, including best picture, in a ceremony that also featured a strong international flavor.
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