Attorney in Britney Spears case vows to fight on

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The attorney who claims to represent troubled pop star Britney Spears in the legal wrangling over control of her affairs vowed on Wednesday to continue his fight, one day after a federal judge ruled he is not the singer's lawyer.

Attorney Jon Eardley has said he was hired by Spears on February 12, but a California court had previously appointed conservators to control her personal and business affairs and another attorney to represent Spears.

District Judge Philip Gutierrez on Tuesday ruled the state court's appointment of the attorney precluded Eardley from acting as Spears' lawyer.

Spears was hospitalized twice in January for psychiatric evaluation, and the California state court's ruling occurred while she was not in court.

Eardley claims the state court violated Spears' civil rights by appointing conservators because she was not present. He further argues that her conservators are not acting in her best interest.

"We have only just begun the fight," Eardley said in a statement. "There is nothing that will stop me from dismantling, if necessary, this oppressive and unjust conservatorship."

Spears, 26, has seen her life spin out of control since her breakup with ex-husband Kevin Federline. She has lost custody and visitation rights to their two sons, spent time in rehab and in recent months the Louisiana native has been seen around Los Angeles wearing pink wigs and talking in a British accent.

On February 1, a California court gave the singer's father, Jamie Spears, control over her personal and business affairs through what is known as a conservatorship. An attorney, Andrew Wallet, was named co-conservator, and another lawyer, Samuel Ingham was appointed counsel for Britney.

That conservatorship has been extended on two occasions, and remains in effect until March 10. Judge Gutierrez ruled the case would remain in state court, not federal court as Eardley sought, because Eardley had no authority to move it.

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Who's In Charge of Britney Spears's Money?

The trust where Britney Spears keeps most of her estimated $100 million fortune is out of her hands – and under the control of her brother and a lawyer, according to court documents released Thursday. And for 30-year-old Bryan Spears, that means keeping tabs on everything from cash to pay for medicine to money for her Starbucks runs.

Bryan is a co-trustee to his famous sister's SJB revocable trust. According to the trust, which was established in 2004, if Britney stops being a trustee, "then Bryan Spears ... and Ivan Taback [a partner in the personal planning department of the New York-based law firm Proskauer Rose] may act as successor co-trustees under the trust."

The troubled 26-year-old singer, who was recently released from the UCLA Medical Center psych ward, has been stripped of her trustee powers because she is currently considered "legally disabled" by the court, which also extended her father Jamie's co-conservator role until March 10. A court reaffirmed Bryan and Taback’s roles on Thursday.

"This is nothing new," says Bryan Spears. "This was a decision made some time ago and signed off on by Britney, before she was married to Kevin, before she had kids. As with anyone with a large trust, trustees were named. This is nothing new."

So what does it mean to be a trustee? Bryan and Taback have the power to pay for Britney's "continued security, medicine, food, other day-to-day expenses and for psychiatric and other medical services," according to court documents. Neither party can act unilaterally, but require "unanimous consent" with the other trustees to act. The documents also state that the trustees can't sell or lease Britney's home without a court order, nor can they remove any of Britney's property from California.

The trustee appointments were made a week after conservatorship attorneys were granted the right to fire Britney's business manager, Howard Grossman.

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Klum Says She Wants to Help Spears

Heidi Klum wants to help Britney Spears. The 34-year-old model says she'd be willing to open her home to Spears while the troubled pop singer puts her life back together.

"She can call me and come live in our house with us for a couple of months," said Klum, a mother of three who is married to the singer Seal and lives in Beverly Hills, Calif. "I would help set her straight."

"I am sorry when a young person gets thrown so off track," Klum said, according to a transcript of an interview that will be aired Monday night by the German broadcaster ARD. "She has, of course, lived an extremely wild life."

After more than a year of bizarre behavior and two stints in a psychiatric hospital this year, Spears was placed under a conservatorship by the Los Angeles County Superior Court commissioner at the beginning of February. Conservatorships are established when a court determines that someone cannot take care of themselves or their affairs.

To hear Klum, the host of Bravo's "Project Runway," describe it, her own life seems like a fairy tale. "I have never been as happy as I am today," Klum said. "I have found the man of my life and we have three great kids. They are all so different and fantastic that it really can't get better than this."

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britney spear

The court extended the conservatorship of Britney Spears on Thursday, and took actions intended to give her father and a lawyer access to money in the pop singer's trust to cover her needs. James Spears' temporary control over his daughter's life and estate will continue at least until a hearing on March 10, Superior Court Commissioner Reva Goetz said. At that time, she said, a court-appointed attorney also must submit an evaluation of Britney Spears' medical and psychological condition. There was no mention of her condition since her latest release from a hospital. After more than a year of bizarre behavior in which she divorced Kevin Federline and lost custody of her two young sons, Britney Spears was put in a psychiatric hospital twice in January and has been under a repeatedly extended temporary conservatorship since the beginning of February. Attorney Jeryll Cohen, who represents James Spears, also told Goetz that investigators have spent more than 200 hours trying to locate the singer's sometime companion Sam Lutfi to serve him with a temporary restraining order issued in response to claims that he had taken virtual control of her life and even drugged her.

"We have made great effort to have Mr. Lutfi served," said Cohen. "We staked out his residence at the hospital. We did many things we do not want to discuss right now. We have information he is intentionally avoiding service." Cohen asked that the order be reissued if it is not served in time for Lutfi to obtain counsel and appear for a Feb. 22 hearing. The commissioner agreed and said that when Lutfi does appear, she will order live testimony taken. Goetz also granted a request to expand James Spears' powers as conservator to allow him to handle taxes on Britney Spears' assets and other matters. Among numerous lawyers present were Andrew Wallet, who was appointed with the father as a co-conservator for her estate, and two attorneys representing Britney Spears' brother, Bryan.

Goetz granted an application by a law firm and Bryan Spears to be named temporary co-trustees of a trust established by Britney Spears in order for them to gain access to assets held in it. Documents submitted to the court said Britney Spears set up the trust in 2004 with herself as the sole trustee and "all of Britney's liquid assets are vested in the trust." As a result, the documents said, the co-conservators have been unable to access any liquid assets and her family members, friends and members of her household have been paying for her necessities. "Immediate access to the trust's liquid assets is necessary to pay for Britney's security, and to pay for her medicine, food, other day-to-day expenses, and for psychiatric and other essential medical services," the papers said.

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Britney Out, Posh In For 'Spamalot' Song

Britney Spears is out, Posh Spice is in — as a lyric for the Lady in the Lake in the Broadway musical "Monty Python's Spamalot." Asked why the lyric was changed in the song "Diva's Lament," "Spamalot" author Eric Idle said Tuesday in an e-mail:

"Because we don't laugh at sad people. Mike Nichols (the show's director) requested it and he's right. We changed the lyrics in London, on tour, on Broadway and in Las Vegas. We think that it's now too sad. Britney Spears is being tortured to death and we don't want to be on that side." The changes went into the various companies last week.

What the Lady in the Lady (currently played on Broadway by Hannah Waddingham) once sang:

"I am sick of my career
Always stuck in second gear
Up to here with frustration and with fears
I've no Grammy no rewards
I've no Tony Awards
I'm constantly replaced by Britney Spears
Britney Spears!"

It's been replaced by:

"My love life is a mess
I've got constant PMS
My career is about as hot as ice
They hate me there backstage
They say I'm too old for my age
They're trying to replace me with Posh Spice
With Posh Spice!!"

news source : http://www.accesshollywood.com/

Delta Burke Joins Britney Spears as Celebrities Are Being Checked in to the Psych Ward

Just when I thought I had enough of hearing about Britney Spear's problems and the fact that, not only was she checked into the psychiatric ward "America's Analyst" Dr. Phil had his own regrets over the fact that those in Britney's camp were coming after him for trying to capitalize off of her illness I now hear that Delta Burke has checked herself into the hospital. This comes as a shock to me because I have known for Delta Burke for anything but erratic or eccentric behavior; as one of the cast of "Designing Women" she went on to have her own self-titled sitcom in 1992, Delta.

What most may not know, is that Delta Burke went on record on the Barbara Walters show discussing the drama behind the scenes of the cast of "Designing Women" and was let out of her contract early, and also suffered from issues over weight gain and type-2 diabetes. In fact her struggles with depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder seem to mirror that of Sally Brampton, a British actress who has also checked herself into the psychiatric ward, and suffered from failed suicide attempts as well as the side effects of such drugs as Venlafaxine and Lithium. She has written a book "Shoot the Damn Dog", detailing her journey.

Justin Chambers has checked himself into a hospital earlier this week. Of course if you actually watch "Grey's Anatomy" on a regular basis, it wouldn't really come as a surprise to anyone because he plays a neurotic character on the show that well. He is in the same hospital that Britney was being held at. Speaking of Britney, you're hard pressed to find information on anyone other than her when it comes to having been admitted to a psychiatric hospital, which is sad, because it happens a lot more often than anyone is really willing to admit, and a lot more people out there really need help than we'll ever be willing to admit.

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