Britney Spears News Blog @newzblogz.com

Britney Spears' first husband says he witnessed the singer abusing cocaine and nearly overdosing on ecstasy three years ago, according to excerpts of an interview printed in the New York Daily News.

Jason Alexander, to whom the pop star was married for 55 hours in 2004 after a Vegas quickie, claims he's drudging up the past because he doesn't want Spears to end up dead like Anna Nicole Smith.

"It freaked me out when I saw she had shaved off her hair; that was clearly a cry for help," Alexander, 25, told the Sunday Mirror of London, the Daily News reports. "She needs help."

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She has more rings than Saturn, loves the color lavender, and is a respected Oscar winner, AIDS activist and entrepreneur.

When it comes to weddings, she's a one-woman industry.

Elizabeth Taylor's quite a dame. Today, she celebrates her 75th birthday ?- marking a life filled with past husbands (seven), honors and human frailties. Interview magazine devoted the bulk of its February issue to Taylor, a Hollywood original who made her first movie when she was 9 and who today uses a wheelchair to get around ?- because of a chronic bad back.

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Keep your friends close — and your frenemies even closer.

What’s that? You’ve never heard of frenemies? It’s really quite simple: Friend + enemy = Frenemy.

It’s not necessarily a new concept — businesses have long used the term to describe friendly competitors.

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When Florida House Speaker Marco Rubio last week outlined why property taxes in the state should be eliminated and replaced with a 2.5-percent sales-tax increase, he specifically cited Leon County as an example of a local government that, in the wake of major increases in the value of real estate, had been fiscally responsible.

Officials here undoubtedly appreciated the speaker's acknowledgment. But the speaker's plan, which is still very much a work in progress and open for lots more discussion, could nevertheless punish Leon County. Local governments in the capital city already face unusual financial challenges because so much property is government owned and therefore off the tax rolls.

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Between hourly updates on the decomposing body of Anna Nicole Smith and the balding of Britney Spears, we can confidently declare that the Jerry Springerization of America is complete.

The travails of these two tragic characters would be of little interest in a normal world, but "celebrity" is the new normal. Like it or not, we're all in this together.Extras

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If you've been following the Britney Spears story, then I think we all agree that watching this girl unravel is truly painful. Since I'm 40, I still think of her as this little girl and I am constantly screaming at the TV: "Where is her mother?"

But I can't do that now. Because Britney is 25 years old, twice-divorced, having had a full-blown career that made her a bazillionaire and now she's the mother of two. She's all grown up. And she's in a lot of trouble.

Ironically, her mother was there. And this is the part that really gets my attention. At one point after shaving her head, Britney looks into the mirror with tears in her eyes and says, "My mom is going to freak." And she isn't saying it because she thinks her mom is a nut. She's saying my mom will be disappointed. She's saying this isn't what my mother wanted for me. This isn't how she raised me and this isn't what I'm supposed to be doing.

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You can barely worm your way through the thicket of writhing bodies on the Chop Suey dance floor, where New York City DJ Jay Dabhi, aka Lil' Jay, has launched a bass-thumping, fist-pumping sea of otherworld exuberance. At one corner of a late September throng — the touring cast of "Bombay Dreams," just off a two-week run at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre.

Here in this sweltering Capitol Hill club is a Seattle you may not recognize: A crowd of several hundred, most of them of Asian Indian descent, lost in the modern dance beats underlying traditional bhangra and popular Bollywood music.

The scene, sponsored by Sounds of the East, aka The Bollywood Project, has a distinctly Indian flavor drawing not only the adventurous but Asian Indians seeking cultural familiarity and reinforcement. And not far from Chop Suey, I Heart Shiva, the granddaddy of the local Asian Indian music scene, hosts twice-monthly events at the Baltic Room.

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By KIM HARWELL / Special Contributor to the Dallas Morning News

AP

Other than a passing fancy for Justin Timberlake and an ability to bear male children, I've never had much in common with Britney Spears. Unlike poor Brit-Brit, I've never been photographed driving with an infant on my lap, and I don't enjoy indulging in Red Bull-tinis with a Marlboro chaser. Except for a brief period following an unfortunate tanning incident in the early '90s, I've never been prone to leave the house sans underpants. And, fortuna...

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"Anti-hero: A main character in a dramatic or narrative work who is characterized by a lack of traditional heroic qualities, such as idealism or courage."

Consider what occupies and diverts our attention from substantive matters: Anna Nicole Smith; Britney Spears; the astronaut gone wild, Lisa Nowak; the sleeping, dating, marital and divorce arrangements of film stars. It is all about the base, the tawdry and the anti-heroic. Today's heroes are cartoon characters and those (Superman, Batman, etc.) are from another era in which real heroes mattered.

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MALIBU, Calif. (AP) — Being in rehab doesn't sound so bad, if you had to go to the place Britney Spears is.

The Promises Residential Treatment Center in Malibu, California, offers gourmet meals, masseuses, the best linens and private rooms with a fireplace and a view of the beach.

A typical lunch is Korean short ribs, pot stickers, sashimi, Thai chicken coconut soup and teriyaki chicken. Besides personal counseling to kick their addictions, residents also get the services of a personal trainer and beautician.

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- Skip the soap. Sure, a good scrub with hot water and soap makes your hands feel clean, but it also depletes them of moisture. "Soap has a dirty little secret," Washington dermatologist Sandra Read says. "It does too good a job at cleaning because it strips away your skin's natural oils." Read recommends a hand sanitizer as an occasional alternative; stick with alcohol-based options, which are most effective at wiping out bacteria. Some versions moisturize and sanitize, such as Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer Moisture Therapy, which contains glycerin to promote moisture retention.

- Avoid dishpan hands. Those 1950s sitcom moms had it right (and probably had lovely hands): Wear rubber gloves while cleaning and doing dishes. If you'd rather go gloveless, look for dish soap brands that use natural ingredients, such as Method and Life Tree.

- Don gloves — and hand cream. Make the most of your morning commute by moisturizing before you slip on your winter gloves. Cotton gloves (try layering thin ones under your heavier wool or leather pair) will seal in the lotion while providing a barrier against dry-skin culprits such as cold and wind. We love multi-tasking.

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Stone Clooney "If you see this for some oddball reason . . . and you want to be friends, I would love so much to hang out with you. I think you're totally cool . . ." Anna Nicole Smith, the late Playboy pinup and reality TV star, in an open letter to Britney Spears on Smith's Web site "We've dug really deep. Three months into our marriage we had to dig really deep." Nicole Kidman, actress, on singer-hubby Keith Urban's stint in rehab

Sharon Stone scores a Razzie

for going back to 'Basic Instinct' Sharon Stone should have trusted her first "Basic Instinct" and left it alone, according to voters of the Razzie Awards, which mock, er, honor the worst of Hollywood. "Basic Instinct 2" won four Razzies on Saturday in L.A., including worst picture and worst actress for Stone. The Wayans brothers comedy "Little Man" placed second with three Razzies, including shared prizes by Shawn and Marlon Wayans for worst actor and worst screen couple. Filmmaker M. Night Shy...

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So much has been reported about Britney Spears' decision to shave her head, with a host of psychologists and hairstylists being asked to decipher its significance.

Some deem it a cry for help. Others say it's a sign of empowerment. One thing's for sure: It's created quite a stir.

But Spears' haircut is hardly the first to shock.

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Talk show host Craig Ferguson humanely pledges to lay off some celebrities, but their foibles are fair game.

February 26, 2007

LATE-NIGHT TV comedians aren't supposed to have pangs of conscience. So it was unsettling when Craig Ferguson, host of CBS' "The Late Late Show," said last week that he wasn't going to make jokes about the suddenly shorn Britney Spears and apologized for having poked fun at diaper-wearing astronaut Lisa Marie Nowak and other "vulnerable" people in the news.

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I'll admit it: I cracked jokes behind the late Anna Nicole Smith's back. I teased Britney Spears earlier on in the K-Fed epidemic and I smirked at the expression of Tom Cruise "jumping the couch."

Seeing and hearing a barrage of insults aimed at celebrities undergoing their most vulnerable moments to date, I wonder if these jokes go too far and, if they do, when is the best time not to make them?

One guess I could muster would be when a certain celebrity's funeral rights are being debated. Another would be when some younger celebrity shaved her head and revealed to the world that not only is she no longer that innocent, but she also may need some help. As for an example pertaining to Tom Cruise without being a witty prick, I'll just call it a mission of impossible proportions not to make fun of him.

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LOS ANGELES - Mexican directors Guillermo del Toro, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu and Alfonso Cuaron shook up Oscar night with an incredible 16 nominations between them, leading some to compare the group to another trio of renowned filmmakers: Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas and John Ford.

Del Toro, for one, wasn't buying it.

"I was thinking more like Larry, Curly and Moe," joked the director, whose film "Pan's Labyrinth" garnered six nominations, including foreign-language film and screenplay.

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For a while last week, the images of courtrooms, dysfunction and death — from newspaper photos and television video — seemed to blur together. The conclusion of Liz Carroll's Clermont County murder trial — with a guilty verdict in the death of 3-year-old foster child Marcus Fiesel and a sentence of at least 54 years in prison — coincided with the circus-like court hearing in Florida over the remains of flamed-out celebrity Anna Nicole Smith and whether she would be buried alongside her dead 20-year-old son, a victim of drug abuse.

And you didn't have to flip through too many channels to find the latest breathless news about another pop icon, Britney Spears, and her shaved head and check-ins/check-outs at rehabilitation centers — all while her estranged husband is challenging her in court over custody of their two young children.Extras

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The U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services is developing a new citizenship test for immigrants.

That's the good news. The bad news is that they're not asking the right questions.

OK, first let me explain. Traditionally, the citizenship test has asked applicants to regurgitate a few facts about our country's history.

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My husband and I were enjoying a walk outside the Wiggins Lakes and Preserve complex in North Naples. Not far ahead of us was a man with a dark gray sweatshirt and a gray goatee, accompanied by his chocolate Labrador retriever.

The dog was off the leash and ? you guessed it ? relieved himself, twice, right in front of the complex's beautifully manicured grounds.

We asked the man to pick up the big dog's leavings, but he ignored us.

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The Academy Awards have had plenty of embarrassing, albeit memorable moments.

There's the debacle of Rob Lowe singing to Snow White in the late 1980s. There's the bizarre 1993 routine when Liza Minnelli lip-synced her way through a musical number about the empowerment of women that ended with the line, "Hillary will lead the way!"

And of course there's Robert Opal. You don't remember Mr. Opal? Surely you recall the streaker who strode across stage, giving David Niven the greatest one-liner in Oscar history: "Just think, the only laugh that man will probably ever get is for stripping and showing off his shortcomings."

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The Chicago real estate market apparently took a post-Super Bowl bounce.

That's the conclusion of a couple of Naperville appraisers who decided to apply a "Mythbusters" approach to their own field: They tested whether home sales this year lived up to the industry lore that buyers come out of hibernation after the Big Game and sellers list their homes. The culmination of the football season is the symbolic launch date of the so-called spring market.

"I personally heard more people talking about the `Super Bowl Myth' thing this year than ever before," said Robert Headrick, CEO of Headrick-Wagner Appraisal Group in Naperville. "People are looking for a silver lining."

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This year's Academy Awards promotional campaign is tied to famous movie quotes, so there's a bus kiosk poster on Santa Monica Boulevard that reads: "`Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn.' The Oscars."

No irony is intended.

Yet getting people to, in fact, give a damn has been the academy's mission and struggle during the past several years, as competing awards shows have been stealing the Oscars' thunder while the Academy Awards red carpet has become just one--albeit an especially fabulous one--in an ever-growing line of celebrity fashion shows. The academy attempted to re-establish the show's dominance in 2004 by moving it from March to February, but the issues haven't done a fade-out.

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TONIGHT'S Oscars will be awarded, most likely, in the usual atmosphere of solemn self-congratulation and decorous chest-thumping. But for all the outward celebration, the truth is that the industry is in a state of ongoing disquiet.

It is hardly news that for years now the American motion picture industry has been in a slow downward spiral. Though by some accounts attendance was slightly up in 2006 over the previous year, the box-office tracking firm Exhibitors Relations reported that attendance actually declined yet again, reaching its lowest point in 10 years. And though defenders of the industry protest that foreign markets account for 40% of a film's revenue and that those proceeds are compensating for falling domestic ...

Even more worrisome than what could be just a cyclical dip is how people are regarding motion pictures and the moviegoing experience. A recent Zogby survey found that 45% of American moviegoers had decreased their attendance over the last five years, with the highest percentage of that decrease in the coveted 18- to 24-year-old bracket; at the same time, 21% of respondents said they never went to the movies. The two most-cited reasons for seeing fewer movies were rising ticket prices and the quality of the films (a perpetual culprit).

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No Tiger in the morning quarterfinals or the afternoon semifinals. No Tiger in today's final. That will be played between

Henrik Stenson and Geoff Ogilvy, who won last year.

No American for the first time in nine Accenture finals, because Stenson is from Sweden and Ogilvy from Australia, although in this sports-failed society of ours, we can claim him because Geoff does live in Scottsdale.

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Tonight, the Academy Awards will air and I will be watching something else.

Sure, I will miss the latest Hollywood fashions, which actress comes closest to baring it all, and how many thank-you speeches approach the pain level of dental surgery. This is my loss, and I accept it.

But that doesn't mean I can't honor the spirit of the awards season with some handouts of my own. After all, there are plenty of people - from the Treasure Coast to the Left Coast - who deserve recognition for all that they do. Like it or not.

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When you drive a Hummer, people take notice. I was stopped at an intersection in Silver Lake on Friday morning when L.A. City Councilman Tom Labonge did a double-take from his own car.

"I borrowed it from Jaime de la Vega!" I shouted out the window, and Labonge snapped a photo.

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Britney is bald, but not the first celeb to be so bold

For The Associated Press

We may never know why Britney Spears shaved her head.

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`ANTI-HERO: A main character in a dramatic or narrative work who is characterized by a lack of traditional heroic qualities, such as idealism or courage."

Consider what occupies and diverts our attention from substantive matters: Anna Nicole Smith; Britney Spears; the astronaut gone wild, Lisa Nowak; the sleeping, dating, marital and divorce arrangements of film stars. It is all about the base, the tawdry and the anti-heroic. Today's heroes are cartoon characters and those (Superman, Batman, etc.) are from another era in which real heroes mattered.

Some blame television networks, especially cable, for our increasingly prurient interests. In recent days, TV has climbed into the septic tank with so many of the rest of us and delivered not what we need ("eat your vegetables, dear, they are good for you"), but what we seemingly cannot get enough of ("never mind the vegetables; eat your dessert"). TV wouldn't be obsessing with it if we didn't demand it.

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CHEVY GM brand wins race and takes five of top 10 Daytona spots. Remember when that was GM's market share?

FLORENCE BALLARD "Effie" character in "Dreamgirls" flick revives interest in original Supreme who died after brief comeback as a solo act. She'll be pulling for Jennifer Hudson tonight.

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The dire state of the American "news" industry is evidenced in observing that the dopey antics of Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and the late Anna Nicole Smith have fascinated us and, in many cases, led broadcasts, which make the bogus claim to be news and news-oriented but which are, in fact, entertainment programs tailored to the voyeuristic American.

These individuals have in common that they are famous for simply being famous, having made no serious contribution to our lives or our culture, in fact diminishing our society. It is sad to realize that some who view these characters seek to emulate them.

It is easy to point the finger at the media for bringing us nonsense and fluff packaged as a legitimate story, but it is we who are to blame because we have increasingly become a culture of the simpleminded through our "bimbo love."

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We may never know why Britney Spears shaved her head.But she's hardly the first female celebrity to go hair-free. The difference: Most of those women lost their locks for their art.Historically, shaved heads have had practical purposes. In ancient Egypt men and women shaved their heads and wore wigs to protect against lice, among other things.

Forcing a woman to shave her head also has been used as a means of control and humiliation: Thousands of women lost their hair in Nazi concentration camps.These days, a shaved head is often a sign that a person is undergoing chemotherapy or is making a some kind of political or militant statement, said David Shmagin, stylist and manager of Robert Kree salon in New York, where clients include Drew Barrymore and Sarah Jessica Parker."It's a strength thing and to show they don't have to care about...

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Britney Spears' falling apart is bringing her ex-loved ones together in an aawwww kind of way.

Her estranged husband, Kevin Federline, visited her Friday at the Promises rehab facility in Malibu, Calif. He's been described as involved in her stay there. "He cares a lot about her," People was told.

One person who agrees that K-Fed has bald Brit's best interests at heart is her childhood friend and first husband, Jason Alexander, whom Brit wed in Las Vegas in 2004 – their marriage was annulled 55 hours later.

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Not since Sammy Davis Jr. has there been as multi-talented an entertainer as Jamie Foxx. Like Davis, Foxx is an actor, singer, comedian, impressionist, ladies man and cutup, doing it all with personality, style and not a little ego.

The only thing Foxx doesn't do is dance, unless you count his hip-grinding, crotch-grabbing moves, which he did while singing his salacious come-on songs (he can, however, make his tongue dance).

Foxx had a big crowd loving his every change of character and mood Friday night at KeyArena, where he did a stand-up routine, sang with a 10-piece band, channeled Ray Charles -- as he did in his Oscar-winning starring role in "Ray," the Charles biopic -- and closed with more singing.

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Thumbs down to Caltrans staff for stiffing the Valley once again. Only one central San Joaquin Valley project -- widening Highway 198 between Hanford and Visalia -- is on the list for a share of the first $2.8 billion in Proposition 1B funds passed by state voters in November. Other desperately needed projects will have to wait. We shouldn't be surprised. Caltrans isn't the only state agency with a history of neglect when it comes to the Valley. At least the $1 billion specifically set aside in ...

Thumbs up to Carlos Martinez, executive director of the Fresno Art Museum, for his appointment to the California Arts Council. Martinez was appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to a partial term last November; he has now been named to a full four-year term. Martinez has been with the Fresno museum since 2004. He is also active in a number of other area organizations. Martinez is the first Valley representative on the state arts council in several decades.

Thumbs up to Bruce Jackson, owner of Jackson Jewelry in Clovis, for donating a new wedding ring to Army Spc. Francisco Rosas, whose ring was lost while he served in Iraq. After being shot eight times and blown out of four different vehicles by bombs, the 23-year-old soldier started to think he might not make it home. He gave a letter to his wife and his wedding ring to a buddy for safekeeping. A week later, while in the hospital recovering from yet another blast, Rosas learned his friend had bee...

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The travails of these two tragic characters would be of little interest in a normal world, but "celebrity" is the new normal. Like it or not, we're all in this together.

Britney and Anna Nicole, after all, are our inventions. We made them celebrities, awarded them icon status, gave them life. Now, like Dr. Frankenstein upon realizing he's created a monster, we've become instruments of their undoing.

Anyone who has turned on a TV the past few days has been witness to the spectacle in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. where hearings have been in progress to decide what to do with Anna Nicole's body.

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Look Who's Talking: AP Interviews with Musical Artists

Legendary Music Venue CBGB Closes its Doors

Looking Back at Tupac Shakur

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LOS ANGELES - Britney Spears' decision to check into rehab could help her in court as she to tries to retain custody of her two young children with estranged husband Kevin Federline, according to family law attorneys.

That is, of course, if she actually completes a rehab program.

When Spears checked in to Promises Malibu drug and alcohol rehabilitation center Thursday, it was said to be the third time in a week she has checked into a rehab center.

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MALIBU, Calif. (AP) -- Gourmet meals, masseuses, 500-thread-count sheets and private rooms with a fireplace and a view of one of the city's most exclusive beaches. It sounds like a high-end resort and it is - for the rich and famous looking to kick an addiction. Called Promises Residential Treatment Center, it's the place Britney Spears is supposed to call home for the next month while she attempts to grab control of a life that looked to be spinning out of control. In a little over a week, ...

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LOS ANGELES -- If Britney Spears completes a term in a rehab facility, it might help her become the primary custodian of her children.

So says family law expert Jason Adess. The Chicago attorney said if Spears makes it through her latest rehab, she could tell the court she knows she has an issue, she's gotten help and she can now take care of the children.

Right now, Spears and estranged husband Kevin Federline have joint custody of their five and 17-month-old sons. That agreement lasts through the end of the month.

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Britney Spears' father, Jamie, has spoken out about his daughter's third trip to rehab.

Jamie Spears told Fox News that the troubled singer is "a sick little girl ... we're just trying to take care of her, and other than that I have no comment."

Speaking Thursday from his Louisiana home, Spears said his daughter's issues are "not about what other people think," adding that he and his ex-wife, Lynne, are "concerned about our daughter."

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Britney Spears' decision to check into rehab could help her in court as she to tries to retain custody of her two young children with estranged husband Kevin Federline, according to family law attorneys. That is, of course, if she actually completes a rehab program.

When Spears checked into Promises Malibu drug and alcohol rehabilitation center Thursday, it was said to be the third time in a week she has checked into a rehab center.

"It actually may reflect well on her that she's now gone back, if she stays and sees herself through the program," said Jason Adess, a family law attorney in Chicago. "That way she can present to the court that she has an issue, she has acknowledged the issue, she has gotten help and now she is able to resume primary custody of the children."

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LOS ANGELES ? Britney Spears' decision to check into rehab could help her in court as she to tries to retain custody of her two young children with estranged husband Kevin Federline, according to family law attorneys. That is, of course, if she actually completes a rehab program.

When Spears checked into Promises Malibu drug and alcohol rehabilitation center Thursday, it was said to be the third time in a week she has checked into a rehab center.

"It actually may reflect well on her that she's now gone back, if she stays and sees herself through the program," said Jason Adess, a family law attorney in Chicago. "That way she can present to the court that she has an issue, she has acknowledged the issue, she has gotten help and now she is able to resume primary custody of the children."

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Welcome to the Pop Arcade, your source for fair and balanced pop-culture news. I am your host, Chemarryn Thornton, still sweeping the leg.

Sympathy for the rebel

You know, I had my mind set on writing a hard-hitting column that focused on the historical significance of having an African American and a woman debating as the potential frontrunners in what will possibly be a very diverse presidential ticket for the Democratic Party. Then Britney Spears shaved her head, and all bets were off.

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Re Ana Veciana-Suarez's Feb. 17 column, Wait, wait, they tell me: Many physicians schedule patients in such a way that long waits are inevitable. Some of us are sensitive to this issue and do our best to minimize patients' waits and inconvenience.

There are several circumstances that are not under our control: an unexpected delay at the hospital before coming to the office; a procedure that takes longer than anticipated; a patient visit that gets prolonged, etc. My goal is to take patients as close to on time as possible and to keep waiting down to no more than 15 minutes past the scheduled appointment.

Many of the physicians with whom I work also find it unacceptable to keep patients waiting on a routine basis. I suggest that people find physicians who respect their time and do their best to minimize the waits.

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 LOS ANGELES (AP) — If Britney Spears completes a term in a rehab facility, it might help her become the primary custodian of her children.

So says family law expert Jason Adess. The Chicago attorney says if Spears makes it through her latest rehab, she could tell the court she knows she has an issue, she's gotten help and she can now take care of the children.

Right now, Spears and estranged husband Kevin Federline have joint custody of their five and 17-month-old sons. That agreement lasts through the end of the month.

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LOS ANGELES - Britney Spears' decision to check into rehab could help her in court as she to tries to retain custody of her two young children with estranged husband Kevin Federline, according to family law attorneys. That is, of course, if she actually completes a rehab program.

When Spears checked into Promises Malibu drug and alcohol rehabilitation center Thursday, it was said to be the third time in a week she has checked into a rehab center.

"It actually may reflect well on her that she's now gone back, if she stays and sees herself through the program," said Jason Adess, a family law attorney in Chicago. "That way she can present to the court that she has an issue, she has acknowledged the issue, she has gotten help and now she is able to resume primary custody of the children."

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The drama that began with a plane crash is plummeting faster than Britney Spears.

ABC's "Lost," once the darling of the television industry, almost as popular as it was impenetrable, has bled viewers since returning from a three-month hiatus. This week's episode was up 110,000 viewers from last week's all-time low of 12.84 million, but it's still a far cry from the days when the cryptic series routinely drew more than 20 million viewers.

And ABC may be going down with it.

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The estranged husband of Britney Spears canceled a last-minute court hearing this morning amid reports that the pop star had checked herself back into a rehab center.

Attorneys for rapper Kevin Federline had been scheduled to appear before a Los Angeles Superior Court judge, reportedly in connection with custody arrangements involving the couple's two sons. But the hearing was canceled and no reason was offered, according to Los Angeles Superior Court spokesman Allan Parachini.

Spears re-entered the Promises Malibu drug and alcohol treatment center, her manager, Larry Rudolph, told the Associated Press today. The singer had reportedly spent less than a day at the Promises center before leaving early Wednesday.

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LOS ANGELES - Britney Spears' decision to check into rehab could help her in court as she to tries to retain custody of her two young children with estranged husband Kevin Federline, according to family law attorneys. That is, of course, if she actually completes a rehab program.

When Spears checked into Promises Malibu drug and alcohol rehabilitation center Thursday, it was said to be the third time in a week she has checked into a rehab center.

"It actually may reflect well on her that she's now gone back, if she stays and sees herself through the program," said Jason Adess, a family law attorney in Chicago. "That way she can present to the court that she has an issue, she has acknowledged the issue, she has gotten help and now she is able to resume primary custody of the children."

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LOS ANGELES - Britney Spears' decision to check into rehab could help her in court as she to tries to retain custody of her two young children with estranged husband Kevin Federline, according to family law attorneys.

That is, of course, if she actually completes a rehab program.

When Spears checked into Promises Malibu drug and alcohol rehabilitation center Thursday, it was said to be the third time in a week she has checked into a rehab center.

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LOS ANGELES If Britney Spears completes a term in a rehab facility, it might help her become the primary custodian of her children.So says family law expert Jason Adess. The Chicago attorney says if Spears makes it through her latest rehab, she could tell the court she knows she has an issue, she's gotten help and she can now take care of the children.Right now, Spears and estranged husband Kevin Federline have joint custody of their five and 17-month-old sons. That agreement lasts through the e...

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NEW YORK - "Dying is a very dull, dreary affair," the late British author W. Somerset Maugham has oft been quoted as saying. He obviously didn't live in the Anna Nicole Smith era.

It's been two weeks since the aspiring heiress, reality star and just plain famous-for-being-famous Smith died in the aptly named town of Hollywood, Fla. But her strange tale has far from died with her. Instead, the messy, convoluted aftermath of her death seems to have eclipsed even her wackiest moments on earth.

Turns out all those references to Smith's "train wreck" life were premature. The real wreck has been unfolding this week with the unseemly dispute on one coast over paternity of her baby, and, on the opposite coast, the bizarre hearing over where her body will ultimately rest. That six-day proceeding ended Thursday with the judge, already compared to a reality show host for his oddly jocular behavior, breaking down and weeping as he granted custody of Smith's remains to a guardian for her baby daughter.

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An emergency family court hearing called by Kevin Federline for Thursday has been cancelled, after Britney Spears entered a rehab facility for the third time in ten days.

TMZ.com reported that Federline has expressed concern for the health of Spears, and "wants her to get the help she is now seeking."

Federline's emergency request for a hearing had come amid increasingly bizarre behavior by Spears, which culminated with her reportedly checking into and out of two rehab centers in a week and shaving her head bald last Friday.

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