Britney Spears was freed from her conservatorship during a landmark court hearing on Friday, where a Los Angeles judge decided to grant her request for termination of the 13-year-long conservatorship, the New York Times reports. Judge Brenda Penny's decision came after Spears and both of her parents, Jamie and Lynne, filed petitions in support of the dissolution of the conservatorship.
A Los Angeles judge has suspended Britney Spears' father Jamie Spears from the conservatorship that's controlled the singer's life, career and finances for 13 years. The decision is a major victory for the pop star, who has pushed to remove her father from the court-appointed arrangement, NPR reports. Mr Spears called the court’s decision “disappointing, and frankly, a loss for Britney”. Rolling Stone quoted Jamie Spears' statement sent through an attorney: “For 13 years, he has tried to do what is in her best interests, whether as a conservator or her father. This started with agreeing to serve as her conservator when she voluntarily entered into the conservatorship. This included helping her revive her career and re-establish a relationship with her children. For anyone who has tried to help a family member dealing with mental health issues, they can appreciate the tremendous amount of daily worry and work this required".
The outrageous story about Britney Spears' conservatorship just got added another new layer, thanks to a new documentary 'Controlling Britney Spears'. Rolling Stone picks out 10 new facts from it:
1. When Britney asked for an iPhone, her father Jamie Spears, her head of security Edan Yemini, and member of her management team Robin Greenhill used it for added surveillance.
2. Black Box Security set up a recording device in Britney’s bedroom.
3. Britney, who has a net worth of $60 million, was routinely denied minor indulgences for budgetary reasons.
4. Britney’s security was in charge of administering her medications.
5. Jamie Spears allegedly threatened to block access to Britney’s sons if she challenged her conservators.
6. Britney was forced onstage amid an apparent panic attack over the possibility of losing her kids.
7. Britney allegedly tried to sneak a new lawyer into rehab disguised as plumber.
8. The conservators were threatened by the #FreeBritney movement — and sent security to infiltrate it.
9. Jamie Britney was fixated on any men who were interested in Britney, and spied on them,
10. Britney’s ex-assistant was told the singer fired her, but allegedly it was a lie.
Britney Spears’ father Jamie Spears has filed a petition to end his daughter’s conservatorship after more than a decade in charge of it. Jamie Spears’ attorney Vivian Thoreen offered an explanation for the petition in the filing: "Ms. Spears has told this Court that she wants control of her life back without the safety rails of a conservatorship. She wants to be able to make decisions regarding her own medical care, deciding when, where and how often to get therapy. She wants to control the money she has made from her career and spend it without supervision or oversight. She wants to be able to get married and have a baby, if she so chooses. In short, she wants to live her life as she chooses without the constraints of a conservator or court proceeding. As Mr. Spears has said again and again, all he wants is what is best for his daughter. If Ms. Spears wants to terminate the conservatorship and believes that she can handle her own life, Mr. Spears believes that she should get that chance". In a statement to Rolling Stone, Britney Spears’ attorney Mathew S. Rosengart said that Jamie Spears’ new filing “represents a massive legal victory for Britney Spears, as well as vindication”.
Salon's Bernadette Barton joins the discussion about Britney Spears "exploring the gender inequality trapping Britney. In particular, I examine Britney Spears's story in light of the pornification of society over the past three decades. Pornification, the sexualization of culture also referred to as raunch culture, socializes women and girls to believe (and boys and men too) that a key element of female identity is looking 'hot' like a porn star or stripper. Pornification sells itself to girls and women using the rhetoric of sex positivity and empowerment. 'Look how free you are to express your inner porn star and be sexy.' This narrative falsely equates commodified sexualization with freedom, and devolves the language of sex positivity from an ecosystem of consent, pleasure, safety, and respect into the single expectation that women present themselves as sexual objects first and foremost".
Jamie Spears, Britney Spears' father, has agreed to step down as her conservator, according to documents filed with the Los Angeles Superior Court Thursday, NPR reports. The documents state that there are "no actual grounds for suspending or removing him under Probate Code section 2650" but that he has chosen to step down because of the "public battle with his daughter". The language of the documents also appears to question pop star's stability - "it is highly debatable whether a change in conservator at this time would be in Ms. Spears' best interests".
Earlier this week, right-wing congressman Matt Gaetz arrived at the #FreeBritney rally demanding "freedom and liberty" for the singer, constrained "through guardianship and conservatorship”, Rolling Stone points out. "The #FreeBritney movement has also more broadly served as a talking point within the mainstream GOP. National Republican Congressional Committee has been using Spears’ case as part of its text message fundraising efforts, referring to her in texts to donors as 'a victim of toxic gov’t overreach & censorship'; Gaetz and other Republicans, including QAnon supporter Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, have also issued a formal invite to Spears to testify before Congress about her conservatorship struggles. And within far-right circles on the internet, the #FreeBritney case has been a flashpoint of discussion, in large part due to the issues it raises of sovereignty and bodily autonomy. A number of anti-vaccine accounts on Instagram have also shared content comparing Spears’s tearful testimony that she was forced by her father and handlers to have an IUD, to being forced to take a COVID vaccine".
A judge has approved Britney Spears’ request to hire her own private counsel to represent her in her ongoing conservatorship case, after her court appointed attorney, Sam Ingham, tendered his resignation, NBC reports. Spears has already picked Matthew Rosengart, a go-to attorney for A-list clients. Spears appeared in court on Wednesday where she told Judge Penny that she was “extremely scared” of her father Jamie, who remains the sole overseer of the conservatorship. “This conservatorship has allowed my dad to ruin my life,” she said through tears. “I’m here to get rid of my dad and charge him with conservatorship abuse.”
Among dozens of nominees for this year's Emmys, there are some music ones. Apple TV’s 'Billie Eilish: The World’s A Little Blurry' documentary is up for three awards, whereas David Byrne’s HBO special 'David Byrne: American Utopia' has been nominated in eight categories. The New York Times’ docu 'Framing Britney Spears' is up for two awards. Elsewhere in the nominations, Cynthia Erivo picked up a nod for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie, for her role portraying the late Aretha Franklin in the National Geographic miniseries 'Genius: Aretha', whereas Marcus Mumford is nominated for his 'Ted Lasso' theme, in the category of Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music. Check the full list at EW.
"The question of control has surrounded Britney Spears from the start of her career. How much was she being manipulated by the powerful men who stood to profit from her image? To what extent was her existence manufactured by the demands of the system around her?" - The New Yorker asks in a long-read after the disturbing testimony pop star gave at the Los Angeles court about her conservatorship. "Many of the most harrowing revelations in her testimony had been visible to anyone who cared to look closely. She told the court that she’d wanted to express them for a long time but had been afraid to do so in public - 'I thought people would make fun of me'”.
The unpleasant story of Britney Spears' conservatorship took another twist this week. First, the Los Angeles Superior Court has denied a months-old request by Spears’ attorney, Samuel Ingham III, to remove her father, Jamie Spears, as her sole conservator. Singer's father has, however, filed documents that show Jamie Spears is the conservator of the estate, controlling her financial decisions, and that Jodi Montgomery is the temporary conservator over the person, at her request, controlling her health treatment and other personal care issues. The documents also reveal that Jamie Spears has been cut off from communicating with Britney Spears, as Variety reports. Also, Britney Spears has yet to file a petition to terminate her conservatorship.
Britney Spears appeared in Los Angeles court on Wednesday and formally asked a judge in a passionate speech to end her decade-long conservatorship, calling it abusive and doing her more harm than good. Spears made a strong case for removing her father, Jamie Spears, as conservator, giving examples of how the conservatorship is abusive, including being put on Lithium against her will, Consequence reports. She also claimed that the conservatorship is blocking her from expanding her family - “I want to be able to get married and have a baby. I was told I can’t get married. I have an IUD inside me but this so-called team won’t let me go to the doctor to remove it because they don’t want me to have any more children".
Britney Spears said she was forced into a mental health facility as punishment for objecting during a rehearsal, leaked court documents, which were seen by The New York Times, have revealed. The paper reports that, according to a transcript from a closed-door hearing in spring 2019, "she asserted that she had been forced into a mental health facility against her will on exaggerated grounds, which she viewed as punishment for standing up for herself and making an objection during a rehearsal". According to the documents, the singer's 2019 stint in a mental health facility was against her will after her Las Vegas residency was canceled, The Times reported. Documents also quote Britney Spears as referring to the conservatorship as an "oppressive and controlling tool against her". Today, Wednesday, June 23, Spears will be speaking directly, albeit from a remote location, to a Los Angeles Superior Court judge about her situation, NPR reports.
Britney Spears spoke for the first time about the New York Times' documentary 'Framing Britney Spears' saying that she had cried for two weeks after seeing parts of it (she never saw the whole thing), Billboard reports. However, it's the other thing that she has said that speaks volumes about her mental health: "I do what I can in my own spirituality with myself to try and keep my own joy … love … and happiness !!!! Every day dancing brings me joy !!! I'm not here to be perfect … perfect is boring … I'm here to pass on kindness !!!! ... My life has always been very speculated … watched … and judged really my whole life !!! For my sanity I need to dance... every night of my life to feel wild and human and alive !!!".
Britney Spears’ attorney Samuel D Ingham III has requested that her father, Jamie Spears, be permanently removed from overseeing her personal affairs, according to Variety. Attorney asked that the singer’s temporary care manager, Jodi Montgomery, be permanently installed as her sole conservator. At the same time Spears’ petition notes that she “expressly reserves the right to petition for termination of this conservatorship”.
This year's documentries 'Demi Lovato: Dancing with the Devil', 'The World’s a Little Blurry' (about Billie Eilish), 'Framing Britney Spears', and 'Alone Together' (Charlie XCX project) are a part of "a larger reconsideration of how female stars are discussed, hounded, anointed and denigrated – and thus how we judge and value women in public, how we consider ourselves", Guardian writes comparing the four. "As Lovato’s story attests, the appearance of power under the impossible binds of marketable public womanhood, especially for young women – be sexy but sexless, confident but not threatening, empowered but desirable – is a ruse" the G's writer concludes.
Adele has been named as the UK’s best-selling female album artist of the century by The British Phonographic Industry, according to Music Week. She holds the top spot above the stars such as P!nk, Madonna, Rihanna, Dido, Amy Winehouse, Kylie Minogue, Beyonce, Britney Spears, and Lady Gaga. Her second album, ‘21‘, also holds the title for the UK’s number one album by a female artist since 2000, after shifting just shy of 6 million copies in the UK alone. The new statistics have been unveiled to coincide with the confirmed return of National Album Day on October 21, which will adopt ‘Celebrating Women In Music’ as its 2021 theme.
LA judge has ordered Britney Spears' father and conservator Jamie Spears to share his control of her investment with financial company Bessemer Trust, which has now been appointed as a co-conservator, NBC reports. Britney Spears' legal team has asked the court to give a third party equal power to her father in managing the 39-year-old pop star's finances. After the court's ruling, Mr. Spears and Bessemer will work together on a budget and investment plan for the singer.
"Another notch in a string of slow-rolling, ever-expanding reconsiderations of American celebrity culture, and particularly the female tabloid figures of the 90s and aughts, one facilitated by the larger #MeToo retelling of sex, power and the spectra of traumas faced by women, partly by the simple passage of time" - Guardian writes in the review of 'Framing Britney Spears', a new docu mostly about the controversial conservatorship by her father. CNN asks a "more uncomfortable, slightly meta question... whether even serious attempts to examine the star's fame and potential exploitation wind up participating in the process". Decider thought it was "entertaining to watch, but even more than that, it is shocking and hopefully motivating".
"People close to Britney Spears and lawyers tied to her conservatorship now reassess her career as she battles her father in court over who should control her life" - the press release for the upcoming documentary 'Framing Britney Spears' says. It is a part of 'The New York Times Presents' series and it comes out Feb. 5.
Los Angeles court has rejected an attempt by Britney Spears to have her father removed as conservator of her estate, but didn’t close the door on ousting him at a future date and — per the singer’s request — appointed a financial fiduciary as a co-conservator, LA Times reports. Jamie Spears has been his daughter's legal guardian for 12 years, due to concerns about her mental health. Britney Spears' attorney said in court she fears her father and will not resume her career so long as he has power over it.
The unusual story about Britney Spears' conservatorship just got a new twist - singer's court-appointed lawyer Samuel Ingham told an L.A. judge she lacks the capacity to sign a declaration expressing her wishes and compared her to a "comatose" person. Furthermore, according to Billboard, Ingham filed that the conservatorship is voluntary, and if Spears wants out, Ingham can file the paperwork.
Britney Spears' dad Jamie Spears remains the sole conservator of her estate, despite the singer's request for him to step down, Entertainment Tonight reports. Jamie Spears was put in charge of his daughter's welfare and finances in 2008, following the superstar's infamous meltdown. Last year, Britney Spears' Jodi Montgomery, took over as temporary conservator, after Jamie Spears fell ill. However, following a hearing on Wednesday, court documents showed that the status of Britney Spears' conservatorship remains unchanged.
Britney Spears has asked LA court not to return her father Jamie Spears to the role of her legal conservator that gave him control over her life and career, LA Times reports. Jamie Spears has been his daughter's legal conservator for 12 years, due to concerns around her mental health. The conservatorship is up for extension again after 22 August. Britney Spears wants her manager Jodi Montgomery, who stepped in for her father last year during his absence due to health issues, to become his permanent replacement. The court document also revealed that Britney has no plans to perform again soon.
Fans of Britney Spears say they will protest outside a Los Angeles court demanding she be awarded control over her business and personal affairs, the Blast reports. Her career has been in the hands of legal guardians known as a conservatorship since she faced mental health issues in 2008. Her father Jamie Spears stepped down as her conservator last September. A judge appointed Spears' "care manager", Jodi Montgomery, as his replacement, and she will remain Spears' conservator until 22 August, when the conservatorship is up for extension again. Some of Spears' fans believe she was forced into the arrangement and claim she has been pleading for help on social media. Britney Spears started her show business trip aged 11 in 1992 when she was cast in 'The Mickey Mouse Club'.
Since the outbreak, the UK government has been meeting with Britain's supermarket bosses to align on communication strategies that can minimise disruptive or irresponsible shopper behaviour, according to Wired. Music is one of a host of tricks supermarkets are using to try and encourage shoppers to maintain social distancing, and not to panic buy. Some surprising turns - Britney Spear's ‘Toxic’ has been struck off, The Bee Gees’ ‘Stayin’ Alive’ was also flagged as inappropriate, Lewis Capaldi isn’t getting much air time anymore as curators avoid ballads and downbeat tracks. Music policies, in general, have been made even more stringent to maintain a positive, if restrained, atmosphere.
Britney Spears shared a graphic by the writer Mimi Zhu on her Instagram, which included the line: “We will feed each other, re-destribute wealth, strike”. Spears captioned the graphic: “Communion moves beyond walls” and added three red rose emojis, a symbol associated with the socialist cause online, Complex reports. Zhu said on Twitter that she was “really grateful” that "comrade Britney" had shared the post, because "she moved me a lot while I was growing up". Spears has been under her father’s conservatorship since February 2008 and does not control her own fortune or business decisions, including her lucrative Vegas residency.
Sony Pictures has won a bidding war for the movie rights to a new Broadway musical featuring Britney Spears' hit songs, Deadline reports. The stage version of 'Once Upon a One More Time' premiers in autumn, but the hype surrounding the show has already piqued the interests of movie executives. The fantasy musical imagines Cinderella, […]
37-year old pop singer is seeking treatment for her mental health - recently she began a 30-day program at a mental health facility to "focus on herself” as she cares for her father, Jamie, in the wake of his “life-threatening” colon rupture. Spears seemingly acknowledged the reports in an Instagram post on Wednesday. She shared […]
Britney Spears overcomes her painful shyness by cutting loose and putting on fierce performances onstage. "I'm very sensitive and sometimes I just want to run away because I'm a very shy person... I think it's healthy to be able to put on the persona of being confident," the singer said. "I think it's an escape because honestly […]
