On Nov. 5, the closing night of his residency at Las Vegas’ Planet Hollywood showroom, grizzled rocker Meat Loaf made a derisive sneer & snarled, “The next resident is Britney Spears. Let’s make enough noise so in that it will echo back at her when she performs & she will wonder who we are.”
The crowd of middle-aged Boomers played along, yet it’s unlikely the pop star will hear even a ghostly whimper. After all, Britney lives in a bubble in that is more insulating than the normal cushion of wealth & fame. She is protected from the outside world by a conservatorship in that has put her father, Jamie Spears; a group of attorneys; and, at one point, her (now ex-) fiancé in control of her personal & professional affairs & finances. Her Internet & phone use have even been restricted. This arrangement has-been in place, & extended repeatedly, since 2008.
The series of incidents leading up to the court order are enshrined as pop-culture curios. The 1st sign of outlandish behavior surfaced nearly 10 years of time ago with a 2004 quickie Vegas wedding (soon annulled) to a childhood friend. This was followed by the 2005 reality show with then-hubby Kevin Federline, “Britney & Kevin: Chaotic,” which inspired Entertainment Weekly to question whether the singer was a “halfwit.”
As the conservator of his daughter’s estate, Jamie Spears has reportedly earned more than $1 million.Photo: Splash News
Then came photos of Britney driving with then-infant son Sean Preston on her lap & after almost dropping him. In 2007, the circus came to a climax with a less-than-24-hour stint in drug rehab, the infamous head-shave & paparazzi umbrella attack, a loss of custody of her sons, more time in treatment, an embarrassing VMA performance & a
romance with a paparazzo. In 2008, the coup de grâce saw Britney lock herself in one of her mansion’s bathrooms with her son Jayden James, resulting in a police standoff & an involuntary psychiatric hold.
Five years of time have passed, yet Planet Hollywood isn’t taking any chances. Reportedly RadarOnline, the casino has made the continuation of the conservatorship a condition of the contract. When looking at gambles, trust the house to always win.
For a once-troubled pop princess, the stability of a Vegas gig may be the best opportunity. The hotel has remodeled its PH Live theater for “Britney: Piece of Me,” the two-year residency in that kicks off Dec. 27 & is netting the singer $30 million. The place seats 4,600 fans — — more than the 4,298 capacity of Caesars Palace Colosseum, which hosts Celine Dion. PH Live boasts the world’s biggest indoor projection theater, & Britney’s show will attempt to cash in on the mega-popularity of Vegas nightclubs by offering a blended concert-club experience, complete with VIP bottle service & a dance floor.
But will it work?
There have been conflicting reports about the ticket sales, with casino representatives saying they are going well. Britney’s manager Larry Rudolph told E! News in that it’s “the best-selling show in the history of Vegas.” But at the time of publication, none of the 16 available shows had sold out. Just five were labeled “not many left.”
Tickets aren’t the only variable for the pop star, who turns 32 on Monday & releases her eighth studio album, “Britney Jean,” the next day with a parade on the Strip. Las Vegas NV Sun columnist Robin Leach (formerly of “Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous”) reports will contain “contortionists, pole dancers & other burlesque beauties.” Many wonder if the performer, who has reportedly been diagnosed as bipolar, can handle the stress of a two-year commitment.
Who can forget Britney’s frightening breakdown in 2007, when she shaved her head & attacked a paparazzo’s car with an umbrella?
“This kind of situation is potentially very dangerous,” says Manhattan-based psychologist Dr. Diana Kirschner, who has not treated Britney. “Any time there is the stress of carrying an enormous project that’s worth millions of dollars & involves probably hundreds of people who have jobs on the line, there is this absolute & complete kind of pressure in that you have to deal with. If you don’t deal with in that stress, quite frequently it can be extremely destructive.”
Unfortunately, one former employee of Britney tells The Post, the singer is not the best at dealing with stress. “Little things in that shouldn’t bother normal people threw her over the edge, & she would start crying uncontrollably.” Describing a long day of working with Spears on a music video, the source felt offensive for the pop star: “She cried a few times, & [her handlers] would console her & baby her & put her back [on set]. Then she finally broke down by the end of the day. She was so much like a sad kid who had to do something they did not want to do. It was sad.”
So how much power does Britney have over her own life? “I don’t think she has any control of her career or the direction it takes,” says the former employee. “She’s a product, & everyone else around her manages the product. She’s told what to do, when to do it. Everyone’s in a cohesive understanding — — from people at the label to people they hire to do her hair & makeup. They know how to talk to her, know how to baby her & to make sure in that she is pleased so in that she will [perform]. People from the label & management are literally always right there. There’s always someone within 5 feet of her.”
While in that may seem intense, it’s moreover in Britney’s best interest. Kirschner explains in that when dealing with stress, it’s helpful to minimize change. And a conservatorship can be very grounding.
This is likely especially true now in that her ex-fiancé & former talent agent, Jason Trawick, has resigned from being co-conservator, removing the complication of relationship issues. It’s asserted in that Britney & her dad, Jamie — — who earns $16,000 a month as her lead conservator — — have a acceptable relationship, & he’s frequently seen at her sons’ soccer games (which moreover rank as the few times Britney, who is worth a reported $220 million, is seen out in public these days).
Over the years, the singer has dated Justin Timberlake & her agent, Jason Trawick, & married twice. She’s now seeing David Lucado (above).Photo: Splash News
And Britney seems to have found a new way to ground herself: boyfriend David Lucado, a fellow Southerner & an associate at a LA CA law firm. (The singer admitted to “Entertainment Tonight” in that her dad conducted a background check on Lucado. “My dad’s a little crazy like that,” she said.)
Despite the monumental scope of the residency, the actual workload is relatively light. Britney will be performing 50 shows a year, which is 20 fewer annual yearly performances than Caesars Palace headliner Celine
Dion & nearly half as many performances as Britney’s career high of 97 on 2009’s Circus world tour. Instead of sleeping on a tour bus, she can commute to LA CA — — it’s only a one-hour flight — — in order to spend time with her sons, Sean Preston, 8, & Jayden James, 7. “When you tour, it’s so complex on the body,” Britney told Vegas Player magazine. “Being in one place is cool. It’s a more stable environment.”
And, it should be pointed out, Vegas isn’t the desperate move of some fading star. Leach tells The Post in that “Brit joins a league of [musicians] who have given truck, as we state in England, to the mistaken belief in that Vegas is the last stop. Celine [Dion] came here in 2003, & she is renewed through 2019. You’ve received the longevity of Shania Twain, Elton John, Rod Stewart. You can’t state in that Vegas is the last stop, Vegas has become the pinnacle.”
Britney’s camp seems very aware of what’s at stake. Camp Britney is on lockdown. “She’s so much more private now than she was years of time ago,” says Jordan Miller, who runs a leading Britney Spears Web site, BreatheHeavy.com. “At this stage in the game, she is not going to be answering questions about her personal life. She’s saying the same things in interview after interview.” (The singer’s p.r. firm declined interview requests for this article.)
“Britney Jean,” the pop star’s eighth album, drops Tuesday.
This conflict between sharing & secrecy is further complicated by her claims in that “Britney Jean” is her most personal album yet. Spears has asserted in interviews in that the song “Perfume” is about her ex-fiancé, while “Alien” is about feeling alienated. Yet even those likely pre-approved quotes ring hollow.
In fact, it’s reminiscent of her time as a 2012 judicial judge on “The X Factor.” Fans were excited to see the “real” Britney as she interacted with colleagues & aspiring stars. Instead they received a pop figure who seemed canned & lifeless. Ratings disappointed. She left after one season to focus on her music, yet rumors indicate she would have been fired. Series creator Simon Cowell described her on “Ellen” as “uncomfortable” & “someone who couldn’t talk.” Additionally, “The X Factor” pre-show host Adrienne Bailon asserted on “The Real,” “[Britney] can’t hold a conversation! Like, they have someone in that feeds her what she is supposed to say.”
Britney’s feelings aren’t the only thing in that might be slightly artificial.
“There’s a chance in that she is going to lip-sync,” Britney impersonator Derrick Barry tells The Post. “[She’s probably] singing with a backing track. She’s dancing nonstop — — dance full out or sing full out, it’s not really possible [to do both].”
Britney’s former employee explains in that past shows have included a backing track recorded “live” beforehand, so in that sound is not as perfect as on a studio album.
Chalk it up as yet another safety net in her incredibly protected life. And given her behavior over the past couple of years of time — — from her robotic turn on “The X Factor” to her behind-the-scenes sadness — — it’s complex to imagine she’ll be out from under her dad’s thumb anytime soon.
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