Reading this morning's online news about Britney Spears' latest antics. For those who missed it, she is hospitalized after refusing to turn her children back over to their father per court order last evening. There was apparently a period of a standoff with police, and eventually one child was returned to his father, and she and her youngest son were taken away by ambulance. The police statement has been that she was "under the influence of unknown substances".

I feel for these poor little ones caught in the middle of such a mess, and honestly--I feel badly for this young woman who is clearly so ill and not thinking rationally. Perhaps this time she will accept the help she needs so badly. In the meantime, it seems inevitable that she has lost even the small amount of time she has had with her children.

And her sister's show has been cancelled by Nickelodeon, which is certainly not a surprise.

What a mess.

I blame the parents.

This is truly sad. Britney is one of the most talented stars I have ever seen.

Just really, really tragic.

Do you think she will end up another Anna Nichole?

Just out of curiosity, why do you blame the parents?

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GO TONY!!!!!!!!!!! # 20!!!

I think having 40 cameras 2 feet from your face everywhere you go would drive anyone crazy. jmo

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Shauna

ITA!!!....I think she's had lots of patience with the paparazzi....more than I'd ever have that's for sure.

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#1 Red Wings....Stanley Cup winners 2008

Well yes but you know what these people know what they are getting into when they get into being a celebrity. I don't know if Britney's mom ever sat down and talked to her kids about stuff but there is a certain point in one's life that you become an adult and need to get a grip especially when children are involved.

I do feel sorry for the whole situation but it is time for her to learn her lesson and get some REAL help.

It seems clear Britney is mentally ill, whether bought on by stress, drugs, genetics, doesn't matter. I hope this time she gets some serious help. Problem being, of course, that once she 'stabilizes' she is free to check out (I think she's on a 14-day mental health stay now), and it will be a lot longer than that before she has a chance of recovering.

I think she's either totally narcastic (sp) from being spoiled rotten and not having good parenting or she is suffering from a mental illness. I hope they finally do something for her. She should not have those children for now, She has certainly showed us she isn't responsible. Her behavior is a cry for help.

narcissistic...and i agree with you. in the best interest of those kids, she should have no contact with them. i mean, what's more damaging, the children not being with their mother or when they are with her she is high as a kite and the paramedics and police are dragging her outta the house on a gurney?

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Shauna

Personally i do not think Britney is one of the most talented stars out there. I think she sings terribly. I can think of a lot more stars that are more talented then her. She knew that cameras would be in her face every second that is the lifestyle she chose for herself as did anyone that is a celeb. I think she is a terrible role model and she needs help and her sister is following her path.

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SAHM of Bailey 12, Tyler 9 , Emily Ann 5, and Ryan Matthew 4 yrs old.

I agree and I have to admit that there are other stars out there who are young and naive HOWEVER THEY DO NOT act the way that she does...

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GO TONY!!!!!!!!!!! # 20!!!

I don't think she's the MOST talented, but I do think she has a lot of talent.

As far as the "lifestyle she chose for herself", she's been doing this since a very small child. Whether her Mother pushed her to it once Mom found out her daughter had talent or Britney wanted to keep up with it, we'll never know. I personally feel you DO NOT make your life's calling/decisions as a very small child.

If her Mom didn't push her and all this time this is what Britney wanted, her Mom had even a greater responsibility to guide her daughter than with a non-celeb child. Did she? Again, who knows. This wouldn't be the first time a child strayed badly, even WITH good parenting.

I think show business is a hard life as an adult, much less a child. It can be a chance either way with a child in show business, what side they come out on as an adult. If anyone ever watches those shows that profile child stars from the 50's on up, it's amazing how they ever made it TO adulthood.

On one side, I feel bad for her....but there's PLENTY of her in real life. She's really not that special, she just happens to have more money than the rest in her position. She, like the rest in ordinary life, need to grow up and take responsibility for themselves.

Here's to hoping she does it, at least for her children's sake.

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I feel sorry for the kids, but not Britney. Not one bit. And, given that she's well into adulthood, I don't blame her mother, either. Unless she actually has a mental illness, she brought her problems on herself.

LAst night before all this broke about her stand-off it was reported that Britney had been seen with a member of the paparazzi checking into two different hotels yet she claims to hate them.

I have to agree the girl has a mental problem and I am by no means a doctor but when you have a birthmother and 2 sons who are bi-polar in your family and of those sons has a substance abuse problem you can spot a person with bi-polar a mile away. This girl has to have it based on the ups and downs she is having she is cycling I can see it by the way she acts. She needs to get herself well on meds for more than 6 months and stop drinking and drugging before she is even allowed a court supervised visit with the kids anywhere but at home if ever allowed to see them again, she just is unstable.

Some say parenting has something to do with it yes it does if they did not tell her how life would be as a bug superstar in the public or notice the signs and symptoms their child was heading for a downward spiral your darn skippy the parents are partly to blame and Britney and even Jamie Lynn need to hit rock bottom to learn and sometimes it takes more than one time hitting rock bottom to learn a lesson.

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Britney is reaping what she has sowed. All of her troubles are the consequences of poor judgement/bad decisions. The trouble with Britney is that she hasn't learned from her mistakes. She keeps repeating them. Her sister, Jamie, has just started down that same path. Too bad for both of them.

Have to agree that her behavior seems to range from manic to depressed, and since there is so much substance abuse by self-medicating bipolar sufferers, she seems to fit a lot of the checkpoints. Of course, these moods and behaviors can also be induced by heavy drug use, but I know she's been under some sort of drug testing recently to protect her kids.

I don't think she's very talented, but still feel badly as I would for anybody in this mess, particularly with children involved. While I think her parents have exploited both girls, the reality is that controlling a rich, drug abusing teen who lives on their own is next to impossible. Even great parents who have the ability to control the money, freedom and contacts of a drug-abusing teen have a huge battle on their hands.

Time will tell. Just glad I'm not Lynn Spears these days!

I agree with you. She started the "biz" as a child, she didn't know what she was getting into.

Also, she's a singer which means she makes music and performs in shows. What she does on her off time is her business. She's a human being just like the rest of us. I used to work at one of the "hippest" restaurants in Pittsburgh and all of the Steelers and Penguins came in weekly as well as movie and music stars like Dennis Quaid, Christina Aguilera, Mena Suvari, John Corbett, Gene Simmons, and more. I always felt so bad when people bothered them when they were trying to eat or just relax with friends and family. We all get star struck but we have to bare in mind that just because they are famous they are humans with feelings like the rest of us. You wouldn't want a camera flashing in your face 24/7 and neither do they.

I dont know I just feel really bad because the entertainment industry is their job, like we go to a 9-5 job everyday.

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Shauna

I am beginning to think that she is thriving on this attention, and being in the tabloids (even if it is for pathetic reasons). If she ceases from being in the tabloids, maybe she feels that she will not be a star. Musically, I don't think that she will ever get back on track. I predict her comeback will be writing a "Tell All" book. Unfortunately, that's it for her. It's sad and pathetic that she got so out of control.

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I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!

I agree that she was too young to know what she was signing up for. The problem with having a teenager who becomes famous, since they are too young & inexperienced to understand the implications, is that they cannot then become UN-famous when they are older. (I know, not a word, you get the point!)
I also agree that she has sought out paparazzi and absolutely craved the constant attention, negative or positive. Just not sure what came first--the attention-seeking outrageous behavior, or the insanity.

At least now the court is protecting her children for awhile.

You know, she knows the paparazzi are all over her, but she goes out to get her Starbucks and shops for Christmas gifts at the five and dime every day. She puts herself out there all the time. She seeks attention.

There isn't a day where there isn't a Brittny sighting.

She doesn't have to go to pay Big Macs at the drive through or pump her own gas. The fact that she does tells me that she likes the attention. She thrives on it.

Do I feel sorry for her? Not in the least.

Do you think this is work-related?

She lives for this! If Britney didn't want 24/7 attention, she would move to a quiet area and order in, wouldn't she? Why 2 mansions in LA - the highest profile place she could set up home(s)? Why stay at the same ritzy hotel on a regular basis in the same town despite having her 2 homes in the same town? Why the daily runs to convenience stores and Starbucks? She knows what a circus this causes, yet she seems to do it daily - translation - she LOVES this. It makes her feel like she's still on top - that people are still interested. I think that's why she's going further and further off the deep end - just to keep getting reinforcement that people still care.

Sick.

There are plenty of child stars that DON'T set up TWO separate homes in LA, and choose to live private, more normal lives successfully. The only reason the photographers camp out at Britney's house is because there is inevitably going to be a show every other day! It's probably the easiest job out there - getting pictures of Britney Spears pantiless, drunk, acting out, etc.

She may live for this, but I don't take it in the same context. This is all she's KNOWN for the last 2 decades. She's still a fairly young person, how do you just turn all of it off like a switch? She did not grow up, live, make decisions, learn, etc the way pretty much the rest of us have.

There are plenty of child stars that don't achieve this level of fame, either. And it seems like the ones that have -- take the "Diff'rent Strokes" kids, 2 with a lot of past drug/legal problems and 1 dead -- have another set of issues. Some recover - Willie Ames, Lance Kerwin, Leif Garrett (sorta) and some never seemed to have many problems at all - Kim Fields, Molly Ringwald.

Still, I don't know if any of those equal the "star power" of Britney. I'm not entirely sure this is just some spoiled brat making a spectacle of herself. I think she's in some real mental and emotional trouble brought on by this long life in the spotlight. Too much, too much, too much, too soon.

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Those are good points, too, Ambrianna. She definitely knows nothing else.

It's creepy to be at the level she's reached of fame - I compare it to Michael Jackson. At some point, you cross over this fine line, and you create your own world where you only surround yourself with people who tell you what you want to hear. These people have NO sense of reality - only the created world of the people surrounding them who live off of them. I'm sure she has no clue how the world sees her, since the sleazy characters that surround her probably work hard to keep her "in the dark" about that. Anyone that has said things that these stars didn't want to hear (like their managers, publicists, attorneys) are quickly fired and replaced, or just fired. Britney could do with a good PR person now...

But I think if she truly wanted a more private life, she could have one. Right now she is much more famous for her behavior than for her original "talent"...

I guess call me crazy or naive, but I think she goes to Starbucks and convenient stores for the same reason that we do? Just to go grab a coffee. When I want something or want to do something i just get up and go get it or do it. I would say that she is probably just doing the same. Trying to live a semi "normal" young adult life. I'm the same age as her. I go shopping when I want, out to eat when I want because I can. And heck if she has 2 homes then dang, it's cuz she can. She's worth more money than my whole family will see in a lifetime.

We can all agree on one thing though, she cannot care for those children. And it's a sad sad day when Kevin Federline is the better parent.

Oh, and actually, I really like her new cd.

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Shauna

The thing is, if YOU go to Starbucks on a whim, or if I going to Starbucks on a whim, it is more or less uneventful. A far different thing than Britney going to Starbucks. Let's face it - we are not getting NEAR the same results for grabbing a latte on the go as SHE is! There is nothing casual about any of her actions - think about walking out of your house almost daily just for a caffiene fix - being swarmed by 80 photographers (that alone must take 15 minutes to navigate through), having to slowly inch forward after the path is cleared as the photographers click away, having to go through the same to get into the Starbucks, and then out, and then home - that whole event probably took an hour and a half! I'm thinking that I could drive to the next state for my coffee, and I'd still be back home before her. No, her payoff is different than yours or mine. She's not in it for the java...

Agreed on Britney's parenting issues. However, I never heard that Kevin F was a poor parent - and I've NEVER seen a picture of him with the kids - how does he stay out of the public eye so easily? I guess where there's a will, there's a way...

I agree. She appears to have no interest whatsoever in living a normal live. She seems to crave the high drama and the ridiculous attention. It only been a few months since she waded into the ocean in her underwear -- you don't do that if you just want to live a normal life. Going for coffee yourself, driving yourself, with your baby (on your lap, no less!) -- she wants the attention.

Jennifer Garner is pretty darn famous, too, and you don't see her pulling any of this crap. Reese Witherspoon is another young mother who doesn't do the drama queen stuff.

Who would have ever thought Kevin Federline would come out of this as the good guy?
Not me!

cj/

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I was walking home one night and a guy hammering on a roof called me a paranoid little weirdo. In morse code. -Emo Phillips

Yeah, I think her new CD is pretty good, too

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Real eyes...realize...real lies.

Jamie Lynn is the one I just want to grab and say "come with me, I want to help you". I am never going to win parent of the year but this kid needs someone to help her and care about her as more than a $$ supplier for their lifestyle. She is still very young and needs an adult to help and care about her. She is the one I feel sorry for.

I was watching Regis and Kelly one day, and she made mention of the fact that her (Kelly's ) ringtone was Britney singing "It's Britney bit*h". This is a very famous mother of 3, does anyone else find this surprising?? That's why I am amazed when people talk of her popularity fading. Why one very famous mother would put that on of another very famous mother, I don't know. She also made note that it was heard at a PTA meeting. Can you imagine riding down the road, your phone ringing, and your kids hearing "It's Britney, bit*h". A little disconcerting to me.....