Britney Pals Slapped With Restraining Order

Four years after meltdown, Britney ready to regain her life

(NEWSER) - Four years after Britney Spears spiraled out of control, her father is happy with her progress and wants to end his control over her finances and life this year, perhaps as early as February, reports the Daily Mail . Jamie Spears was named conservator in 2008 , after the singer suffered from very high-profile meltdowns. But now, with her life back on track and engaged to be married for the third time , Britney's father thinks it is time she resumes control over her life. More»

Spears is too wacky to give deposition, parents argue

(NEWSER) - Remember crazy Britney Spears? She seems to have been tootling along rather well. But apparently she's still a tad mentally incapacitated. That's what her parents are arguing in court as they battle a lawsuit from booted manager Sam Lutfi, reports KSFM . He's suing Brit's mom, Lynne, for defamation for writing in her book that he isolated the pop star from her parents and was a major negative influence. He's seeking a deposition from Britney to prove that wasn't the case. Now Britney's parents are trying to convince a judge that she's not mentally capable of giving a deposition, reports Billboard . Lutfi is demanding a shrink exam to prove it. Stay tuned. More»

Plus, Kiefer and Brooke speak out over headbutt, more

(NEWSER) - Britney Spears’ legal team slapped Sam Lutfi with a 3-year restraining order—and now they’re going after his money, People reports, asking a court to order the erstwhile manager to reimburse Spears $123,142 in legal fees. They also want $72,292 from similarly restrained ex Adnan Ghalib. Elsewhere:

• Rihanna is getting revenge on Chris Brown via song, the Sun reports. A demo of Silly Boy was posted by Kanye West this weekend.

She sneaked star a secret cell phone

(NEWSER) - Chafing under her dad's control, Britney Spears wants to hire her own lawyer, People reports. The sister of Spears' former manager, Sam Lutfi, told an LA court yesterday that she recently sneaked the singer a cellphone so she could call Lutfi and ask for help without her father knowing. "She was scared because her father was blackmailing her with visitation rights over her kids," Christina Lutfi testified. More»

Plus, Jamie cracks whip on fan site

(NEWSER) - Jamie Spears’ legal conservatorship over daughter Britney is fraught with tension, the New York Daily News reports. Brit let loose recently while Jamie was away, hooking up with a 21-year-old backup dancer. “Britney was a bad girl,” a source says. The fling “wasn’t serious,” but Jamie’s fight with one of Brit’s biggest fan sites is: He is trying to shut down BreatheHeavy over breach of copyright. More»