Britney Spears Sued By Former "Manager"

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The former self-styled manager of Britney Spears sued the pop star and her parents on Tuesday, accusing them of slander and failing to pay his fees.

Sam Lutfi, Spears' constant companion in late 2007 at the height of her personal and professional meltdown, filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court after a renewed flurry of legal moves against him.

His lawsuit names Britney Spears, her father and mother Jamie and Lynne Spears, and alleges libel, defamation, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress and breach of contract.

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Lufti claimed Jamie Spears punched him in the chest in January 2008 and says Lynne Spears damaged his reputation in her 2008 memoir "Through The Storm," in which she claimed Lutfi had over-medicated her daughter.

He is seeking unspecified damages.

The lawsuit was filed four days after Jamie Spears obtained a restraining order against Lutfi and Spears' former boyfriend, photographer Adnan Ghalib, ordering them to stay away from the singer and her family.

Britney Spears' spokeswoman was not available to comment.

The legal sparring followed months of relative peace on the Spears front after a year of bizarre behavior including Britney shaving her head and bouncing in and out of rehab.

Spears, 27, has since staged a comeback with a new album in December and a U.S. and British tour due to start in March.

Jamie Spears was granted temporary control of his daughter's personal affairs in February 2008. He obtained a restraining order against Lutfi but later dropped it when Lutfi agreed to voluntarily keep his distance.

Last week lawyers argued that Lutfi and Ghalib had tried to disrupt the agreement and a new order was granted.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis: editing by Jill Serjeant and Todd Eastham)

Spears Gets Order Against Lutfi, Ghalib

LOS ANGELES – Britney Spears has obtained a restraining order against former pal Osama "Sam" Lutfi and one-time boyfriend Adnan Ghalib, court records show.

Attorneys for Spears and her father, who is her legal conservator, received the order Friday. The documents state that Lutfi, Ghalib and attorney Jon Eardley have been trying to gain control of Spears' affairs.

"On the first anniversary of the establishment of the conservatorship, the co-conservators are informed and believe that these three figures are working in concert to disrupt the conservatorship, with an utter disregard for Ms. Spears' health and well being," the documents state.

Lutfi was a manager and friend of Spears, whose mother once accused him of grinding pills into her food to control her. Ghalib, a paparazzo, had dated the singer.

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Judge Aviva K. Bobb signed a temporary restraining order Friday forbidding Lutfi, Ghalib and Eardley from having contact with Spears, her parents and her young children. A hearing on whether to extend the order is scheduled for next month.

The documents, released late Friday, claim that Lutfi tried to contact Spears in late December by sending text messages to her hairdresser. The documents state Lutfi later started sending text messages to Spears and one of her father's attorneys, Blair Berk, trying to arrange a meeting.

Spears father, Jamie, wrote in a sworn declaration that he has found Lutfi's phone number in his daughter's phone records.

The documents state that Spears continues to inform Ghalib of her travel "and that he then arranges for paparazzi to meet and film her to his financial benefit," the documents state.

A phone message left for Lutfi was not returned Friday. A phone number for Ghalib could not immediately be found.

Geraldine Wyle, an attorney for Jamie Spears, wrote that Lutfi and Ghalib have "disappeared," and private investigators had been trying to find the pair unsuccessfully for six weeks.

The order, first reported Friday by the celebrity Web site TMZ, alleges that Lutfi has also sent "anonymous, harassing and threatening" messages to Spears' father.

This week, the documents state, an attorney sent a proposal to remove Spears' court appointed attorney. He later told Spears' attorneys that he had been contacted by Eardley and Lutfi, according to the filings. The documents were never filed with the court, and that attorney dropped Lutfi and Eardley as clients, the documents state.

Eardley once claimed to be Spears' attorney and tried to get her conservatorship case moved to federal court. A phone message left at Eardley's office was not returned Friday.

Spears and her father agreed not to renew a temporary restraining order that was issued against Lutfi last year when it expired in July.

At the time, Spears' court-appointed attorney Samuel D. Ingham III issued a statement renouncing their friendship. "Britney has made clear to everyone that she does not want to be further harassed or contacted in any way by Osama 'Sam' Lutfi, now or at anytime in the future," Ingham said in a statement.

Lutfi at the time declined to comment, saying only that he and Jamie Spears had reached an agreement.

That arrangement called for Lutfi to have no contact with Britney Spears or her parents, according to details released Friday.

Spears was placed under the conservatorship a year ago on Sunday. The arrangement has been expensive — her estate has paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees — but since her father took control of her life, the pop singer has not had the bouts of erratic behavior, including two hospitalizations, that led to his intervention.

She released her newest album, "Circus" in December on her 27th birthday and is preparing for an upcoming concert tour.

Second Spears comeback almost as good as the first

Britney Spears, "Circus" (Jive)

It's time for another Britney Spears comeback: Call this one the remix version.

It was only last year that our damaged diva attempted to put the focus back on her once spectacular music career with "Blackout." A tight collection of sexy club-oriented grooves, "Blackout" was a delight, and had so much hit-worthy material even Janet Jackson could have been resurrected with it.

But "Blackout" never had a chance at success because its star wasn't as well put together as the album. (It's hard to generate hits when your personal life is in turmoil.)

Now Spears — while still very different from her previous superstar incarnation, circa 1998-2003 — seems on the road to recovery, thanks to court-appointed guidance from her dad and other positive developments. She seems ready for a rebirth, so it's fitting that "Circus" — her sixth studio album — makes its debut as she celebrates her 27th birthday.

And like any good circus, Britney's version will leave you thoroughly entertained. Though "Blackout" was a gem, it seemed like the album was mainly due to the creative and technological wizardry of its producers, with minimal vocal effort from Spears. This time around, her pleasant yet thin voice comes through more clearly, not aided by as many layers and studio manipulations. She is also credited with co-writing two tracks.

Spears spends much of her energy trying to get people in the mood to groove, and it works on fun disco tracks like "Womanizer," "Shattered Glass" and the cleverly titled "If U Seek Amy" (say it fast and you might need your mouth washed out with soap). She teams up with former collaborators like Max Martin (who wrote her career-making hit "... Baby One More Time") and Nate "Danja" Hills, who was responsible for some of the best music on "Blackout." But newcomers also help out, like the Outsyders (on "Womanizer").

A few songs hint at the media circus her life has become, including "Kill the Lights," where Spears takes on the paparazzi.

But she strikes the most personal and emotional chords on the slower tracks, most notably on the dreamy, synth-centric "Unusual You," on which she coos, "Baby you're so unusual, didn't anyone tell you you're so s'pposed to break my heart, I expect you to, so why haven't you?" Though she didn't write the song, it's hard not to wince in empathy when you think about the string of users who have filtered in and out of her life.

The most poignant track is the ballad "My Baby," co-written by Spears. On it, she sings to her "precious love." It's an ode to one of her sons, with lines like, "How did I get through all of my days without you?" Considering she doesn't have full custody of her two boys and is trying to strengthen her parental bond after a period of turmoil, it's especially touching — so much so that we can forgive the song for being just a little bit sugary. After all her recent drama, Spears deserves something sweet in her life.

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CHECK THIS TRACK OUT: Acknowledging that many fans probably didn't hear her best work on "Blackout," Spears includes "Radar," one of the standout tracks from that CD — as a bonus track on "Circus." She should have included the whole CD and done a double disc.

Britney Spears' Greatest MTV News Moments

By James Montgomery
We look back at our history with Brit before her tell-all documentary, 'For the Record,' premieres Sunday.

It's quite popular to say that Britney Spears has grown up before our very eyes. Primarily because it's true.

From her early days as a pint-size "Star Search" contestant to her rise to fame as a half-shirted pop tartlet, and finally her ascension to global-star status — with brief detours into motherhood and mental instability thrown in for good measure — Britney has lived her entire life in front of the camera. And, more often than not, that camera was ours.

We've got an entire wing of the MTV News' vault dedicated to Ms. Spears, filled with more than 10 years' worth of moments both amazing and embarrassing (and often a little bit of both). And with the double whammy of Brit-itude currently on the horizon — Sunday's premiere of the tell-all documentary "For the Record" and the release of her new album, Circus, the following Tuesday — we decided to dig deep into that vault to bring you a couple of glimpses of Brit at each stage of her career.

Some of the clips you've never seen before; others were just too great not to show you again. So here, for your viewing pleasure, are Britney's five greatest MTV News moments.

Moment #5: Brit's First Time (December 18, 1998)

In her first MTV interview — with MTV Radio — a 17-year-old Britney (who actually looks about 12) talks about recording her debut album in Sweden ("Everyone was so nice!"), her tour with 'NSYNC ("Girls out in the audience are lifting their shirts up! It's really bad!"), and her favorite Christmas memory ("One year, I got a go-kart!"). Oh, and she says that her New Years' resolution is to stop biting her nails. Scintillating stuff, indeed.

Moment #4: Britney's Grammy Slumber Party (February 21, 1999)

After injuring her knee in rehearsals for the "Sometimes" video, Britney is unable to attend the Grammy Awards. So, instead, she invites some friends over to her place (which looks strangely like every college apartment ever) and throws a slumber party. Those "friends" end up being the pop group Innosense, who would subsequently disappear off the face of the Earth soon after this taping. They all change into pajamas ( despite the fact that it's only about 3:30 in the afternoon), gossip about their favorite guys (Paul Walker gets a lot of love here ... remember him?) and sing along to Lauryn Hill songs using lollipops as microphones. And, in a moment that would prove to be eerily prescient given the events that would transpire over the following decade, Brit positively houses a bag of Cheetos.

Moment #3: Britney Goes Shopping With Serena (September 7, 1999)

With the 1999 Video Music Awards just a few days away, poor Britney still had nothing to wear. Luckily, MTV News was there — and we brought Serena Altschul, a platinum card and a limousine, of course. Brit gets personalized fittings from Tommy Hilfiger and Todd Oldham (who helps her wrangle a wayward breast at one point) and makes stops at Versace and Bergdorf Goodman. At the end of the day, she still can't decide what outfit to wear, despite Serena's insistence that a furry/sparkly Oldham cloak/half shirt ensemble is "the sexiest." Lo and behold, two days later on the VMA red carpet, Brit is rocking it. More proof that you should always listen to Serena Altschul.

Moment #2: Britney Is A Total Liar (May 5, 2000)

During an SUV ride to a taping of "Late Night With Conan O'Brien," MTV's Brian McFayden makes a point of inquiring about the tattoo of a fairy on Spears' lower back. Taken aback by such a brazen question, Brit first tries to laugh the whole thing off ("That's fake! I don't have a tattoo!"), then attempts to back up her claim by showing off another "fake" tattoo on her shoulder blade, which, bizarrely, isn't there. Clearly reeling, Spears then tells McFayden that "If I was to get a fairy on my back, that would be what I would get, definitely. Because I collect angels and fairies and it would be like she's watching my back." Of course, Spears actually did have the tattoo, which made her decision to lie about it all the more puzzling. Also puzzling, McFayden's decision to share with Spears that he's planning to get a tattoo of a Nebraska Cornhuskers football helmet on his back because "it would be so rad."

Moment #1: Britney's Homecoming (January 15, 1999)

In celebration of Brit's so-called "homecoming" show in nearby Baton Rouge, Louisiana, MTV News' John Norris headed down to her actual hometown of Kentwood, where he talks to her friends, family and gets a tour of her childhood home (which features plenty of wood paneling and floral upholstery). This clip is amazing on about a million levels, from the appearances by Brit's mom, Lynne (pre-tell-all memoir), and sister Jamie-Lynn (pre-prepubescent pregnancy), to the fact that a Kentwood restaurant was selling chili pie for only 99 cents. Also: See Britney perform in what appears to be about two-thirds of a Body Glove wetsuit. Wonder why Norris chose to interview Spears' brother on a bizarrely spray-painted trampoline, and most of all, try not to snicker when Lynne describes the fellas from 'NSYNC as "good, clean-cut guys [who] have good, wholesome fun."
Source: mtv.com

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Britney Spears performs on The X Factor

Singer returns for her first UK TV appearance in four years

Britney Spears made her first UK television appearance in four years tonight (November 29) as she performed her current single 'Womanizer' on The X Factor.

The singer, who was dressed all in black and appeared to be miming, jetted in for the special appearance which saw flames and pyrotechnics shoot from the stage.

The five remaining finalists also covered one of her songs. Eoghan Quigg performed 'Sometimes', 'Ruth Lorenzo' sang 'I Love Rock 'N' Roll', Diana Vickers covered 'I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman' and JLS did a take on 'Baby One More Time'.

Miley Cyrus also performed her new single '7 Things' on the show which this year has seen Take That, Mariah Carey and Girls Aloud all perform.

Meanwhile, record companies are taking action to ensure Spears' and Take That's new albums reach stores in time after leading CD distributor Entertainment UK (EUK) collapsed when Woolworths was put into administration earlier this week.

EUK delivered up to 30% of physical music in the UK and its customers included retailers such Zavvi, Asda, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, WH Smith, as well as Woolworths, reports BBC News.

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Is Britney's Comeback Really, Like, for Real?

Los Angeles (E! Online) – Since you have this uncanny ability to predict celebrities' futures, can you predict whether Britney's comeback will be a successful one?

—A huge fan from Indonesia

You're too late, distant B!tchling. The media has already declared Britney fully exhumed, dusted and resurrected. Her mascara is tamed. Her hair is carefully brushed. And the rest of her is all toned up and ready to gyrate in various combinations of leather pants, belly shirts, live snakes, tear-away men's suits, top hats and skintight hoodies. So sayeth Rolling Stone. And the entire country of Germany. Now, achtung, schnell and all this!

What is Dita Von Teese's real name?

—Pipia

Heather Renee Sweet.

When we purchase music from the wonderful iTunes, how do the artists get paid? Also, I hear Madonna got a "perliminary" divorce. What is "perliminary"? Thanks Bitch!!!

—Abe from Arizona

For every 99-cent song, record companies get about 70 cents—about 8 to 11 cents of which then gets passed to the artist. As for "perliminary," it's preliminary, as in tentative, as in not yet finalized. The divorce decree can become final after six weeks and a day, in the fairy-tale parlance of the English courts.

How effin' hot is Adrien Brody??

—Perachas

Well, let's take a look-see. Between the swoonworthy cockatoo eyes and that breathtaking manatee schnoz, I would say he's about as hot as a trip to the Long Beach Aquarium.

Got a question about Hollywood? ASK IT: answerbitch@eonline.com

Oh, and subscribe to my free podcast, 'kay?

··· THEY SAID WHAT? Get today's most commented stories now at www.eonline.com

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Britney confirms UK concert dates

US singer Britney Spears is to play two concerts at the O2 arena in London next June - the only European shows on her forthcoming world tour.

Tickets for the dates on 3 and 4 June will go on general sale on 5 December - although fans who register with her website can buy them 24 hours earlier.

"It's going to be very special," said Rob Hallett of tour promoter AEG.

The concert, he said, would take its theme from her latest album The Circus, which is released next week.

"We're creating a musical circus," he said. "Expect to see jugglers, dancers, tattooed ladies and acrobats."

According to the promoter, the concerts will be Spears' only dates in Europe "for the foreseeable future".

Spears last performed in the UK in 2004 when her Onyx Hotel tour visited Birmingham, Glasgow, Belfast, Manchester and Wembley Arena in London.

'Radiant'

The 26-year-old will be in the capital this weekend to appear on ITV1 talent show The X Factor.

Before that she will travel to Germany to attend the annual Bambi entertainment awards in Dusseldorf.

The singer will be named best international pop star after achieving what organisers have called a "stunning comeback from an absolute low point".

"Britney Spears is back," said host Hubert Burda. "Radiant and better than ever, the erstwhile idol has reclaimed her throne."

In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, the performer admitted she felt "like an old person" now her much-documented troubles are behind her.

"I go to bed at, like, 9.30 every night and I don't go out or anything," she is quoted as saying. "I just feel like an old fart."

Spears' mother Lynne, meanwhile, has been telling the BBC how happy she is that her daughter has got her life back on track.

"Britney wants to do it right," she told Radio 5 Live's Colin Paterson, attributing her recent turnaround to having "good people around her" and "lots and lots of prayer".

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Britney Gets Muzzled by Daddy Spears

by EOL Staff
Maybe Britney Spears' impersonation of her dad, Jamie, was a little too spot-on?

A week after video surfaced of Brit poking fun at her pop, Papa Spears wasn't about to let his little girl take another crack—literally putting his hand over her mouth as the two made their way through LAX airport.

(Britney's on her way to Europe, where she'll promote Circus in Frankfurt and then perform on France's Star Academy Friday and English show The X Factor on Saturday.)

There's also a report that the pop star and her conservator dad have been fighting over her wanting to see Adnan, go clubbing and take the kids out in public.

Unfortunately, it looks like if Jamie gets his heavy-handed way, we're never gonna get to find out what the family beef is really all about.
Source: eonline.com

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