The drama is not over yet for Britney Spears.

 More than a year after being charged for driving without a California license, authorities have set an Oct. 15 trial date for the pop singer on the relatively minor offence.

 It’s always possible that case could be settled before then, but so far that has not happened — prompting speculation on the Internet that Spears is being treated harsher than most in her situation.
    
 Frank Mateljan, a spokesman for the L.A. City Attorney’s Office,  said those facing the same charge as Spears typically settle the case by agreeing to probation and a fine.
    
 ”We’re just looking for a fair outcome to this case. If they want to take it to trial then that’s where we’ll go,” Mateljan said, referring to Spears’ legal team. “We’re treating it like any other case.”
    
 The case stems from an Aug. 6, 2007, incident in which Spears scuffed another car in a parking lot as she was being trailed by dozens of paparazzi at a time when she was going through a very public meltdown. 

 She had a driver’s license from her home state of Louisiana and obtained one in October 2007 for California, as well as reaching an out of court settlement with the person whose car she hit.

(Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis)

Lynne Spears has taken much of the blame for the recent woes of daughters Britney and Jamie Lynn, both in her memoir “Through the Storm” and in a television interview.

“As a mother, don’t we always blame ourselves?” she said. “I took a lot of the blame. I took all the blame. The personality I have, it’s always my fault.”

Lynne has been heavily criticized lately for everything from being a pushy stage mom, profiting from her daughters’ fame, bad parenting when Jamie Lynn got pregnant at 16, and appearing to sit on the sidelines while Britney was shaving her head, attacking paparazzi with umbrellas and making a hash of raising her two young boys.

But is she being too hard on herself?  It wasn’t Lynne who had unprotected sex with her teen boyfriend. Nor did Lynne decide to have two babies within 12 months and then find she had taken on more than she could cope with.

When should kids start taking responsibility for themselves? And what about their fathers? Little has been said about recovering alcoholic Jamie Spears and his role in the phenomenal rise and fall of two daughters.  Jamie Spears, now divorced from Lynne, has stepped up his role this year, taking control of Britney’s business affairs and winning much of the credit for her stunning return to something more like the pop star she was five years ago.

But why do moms always get the blame?

Dabble with Brad Pitt in cyberspace if you dare.

The Hollywood hearthrob Brad Pitt has overtaken Paris Hilton as the most dangerous celebrity to search for in cyberpace, according to the second annual study of by Internet security company McAfee.

The company found Web users searching for “Brad Pitt,” “Brad Pitt downloads,” and Brad Pitt wallpaper, screen savers and pictures had an 18 percent chance of having their computer infected with online threats, such as spyware, spam, phishing, adware, viruses and other malware.

A spokesman for McAfee said in a statement that cybercriminals were using A-list names and images, like Beyonce and Justin Timberlake, to lure people surfing for the latest gossip, screen savers and ringtones to “fake” Web sites.

Pitt and Justin Timberlake were found to be the most dangerous men to seek on the Internet, while Beyonce and Heidi Montag from “The Hills” topped the list for women. Paris Hilton, who topped 2007’s list of the most dangerous celebrity searches, was missing from this year’s list as was pop star Britney Spears who came fourth last year.

Maybe they should change the name of the MTV Video Music Awards to the Britneys.

For the second year in a row, Britney Spears took center stage at Sunday’s event, winning all three categories in which she was nominated, including the coveted video of the year.

Unfortunately, her triumph could be overshadowed by the failure of MTV’s hype machine.

After weeks of speculation, the cable channel confirmed a few days ago that Spears would open the show. No, she would not sing, but the network promised something fun and unexpected.

What viewers got was a drawn-out prerecorded skit in which the ungainly actor Jonah Hill used mind-control techniques to try to kiss her. Then we were treated to her brief, real-time trek from the dressing room to the stage, surrounded by flustered handlers.  Once in the spotlight, she awkwardly held her microphone over much of her face, and delivered four groundbreaking sentences.

“Thank you so much. Thank you for all the love. I’m here tonight to celebrate a very important birthday, the 25th anniverary of the VMAs. This is the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards and it starts right now.”

And that’s what evidently passes for fun at MTV these days.    

She went on to win the first three “Moonman” statuettes of her career, but her acceptance speeches were pretty bland. It’s hard to imagine that she showed up without a guarantee that she would win some hardware. How much more humiliation can the cable channel dish out to her following her disastrous lip-synch at last year’s show?

To be fair, no one really cares who wins at MTV’s flagship kudocast. It’s all about the performances and the drama and the fashion. Even with “real” awards shows like the Oscars and the Grammys, the key winners are usually erased from the public consciousness within a day or so.

Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, Pink and Kid Rock delivered memorable performances. (Disclaimer: Kid Rock’s performance of “All Summer Long,” a mashup of Sweet Home Alabama and Werewolves of London, was the only song I knew.)

On-stage fireworks were limited to a rather silly controversy initiated by host Russell Brand about the Jonas Brothers’ chastity vows. Jordin Sparks, Ashley Tisdale and Paris Hilton quickly came to the boys’ defence.

Ashley and Paris came back to the chilly, distant soundstage where the humble reporters were uncomfortably sequestered next to the photographers. They deigned to talk to us. People like Britney and LL Cool J ignored us as they made a bee line for the photo area.
 

A dance troupe called Fanny Pack executed a series of wacky poses for photograpers, but no one took their photos. No reporters were interested in talking to them.

The Pussycat Dolls posed with their Moonman statuette for best dancing in a video (a somewhat dubious accolade). Nicole Scherzinger, who had custody of the statuette, stayed on the podium posing long after her bandmates had left.

- Reporting by Dean Goodman

It appears the emotional scars from Britney Spears’ much maligned performance on MTV’s Video Music Awards last year haven’t healed quite yet. After weeks of ”will she or won’t she” speculation about whether Spears will perform again this year, her manager told Ryan Seacrest on Monday that she will not.

“Britney Spears will not be performing at the VMAs this year.  I’m telling you officially and unequivocally,” said manager Larry Rudolf on Seacrest’s KISS-FM morning radio show in Los Angeles.

Who could forget Britney, who used to steal the show with her song and dance performances, clumsily teetering around the stage last year with a bad hair weave and ill-fitting lingerie outfit? It was so bad, it was good. 

When Spears recently appeared in a series of tongue-in-cheek VMA promo commercials – complete with a 9,000-pound live elephant in the room-alongside this year’s host, British comedian Russell Brand – rumors swirled that she would seek redemption by performing again at the upcoming show on Sept. 7.

And while Rudolf’s words to radio and TV personality Seacrest seem to be firm, given Spears’ rollercoaster of a life this past year, anything could still happen. Rudolf could not be reached for comment or confirmation but Gina Orr, a spokeswoman for Spears’ label Jive Records would neither confirm or deny that Britney will be absent from the VMA’s stage.

Orr emailed us a statement saying only, “Contrary to media reports, Britney was never slated to perform on this year’s VMAs. She’s in the middle of recording her next album, which is going amazingly well, and her focus remains on the studio.”

But it doesn’t say she won’t perform and when pressed for a firm answer, Orr said the statement was all there was to be said. So, in the words of TV pitch people everywhere, “stay tuned.”

And would it be so bad to see Britney perform, anyway? A stellar act might redeem Britney’s image once and for all. If not, the memories of her dazed routine might be the publicity bomb that haunts her forever.

(Reporting by Jennifer Martinez)

Eleven months after her disastrous performance on the MTV Video Music Awards, pop star Britney Spears is back to promote this year’s show, appearing in a series of upcoming promotional ads shot with a real-life, 9,000-pound elephant literally in the room with her.

The 10- to 30-second promos were recorded earlier this week on the Paramount studio lot in Hollywood, site of this year’s show, featuring Spears giving tongue-in-cheek hosting advice to the new emcee, British comedian Russell Brand from the recent film “Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” An MTV spokeswoman says the mostly ad-libbed spots, in which the elephant poses in the background, will begin airing this coming weekend.

The 25th annual edition of the Video Music Awards, long considered a looser, hipper version of the Grammys, will be broadcast live on MTV on Sept. 7, returning to Los Angeles for the first time in a decade.

Spears, coming off two marriages, two children and two stints in rehab, sought to launch a comeback on last year’s show with a performance of the song “Gimme More.” Instead, she drew a torrent of ridicule for lumbering around on stage in an ill-fitting black bikini as she awkwardly lip-synced her way through the dance number. The incident proved a publicity bomb for Spears but a ratings boon for MTV.

With Spears said to be back in the recording studio this summer working on her next album, and her personal life more or less back in order, the big question is whether she would dare venture a return engagement on the Video Music Awards. Hence, the presence of the 9,000-pound pachyderm in the commercials she filmed this week.

MTV is making the most of the suspense for now, refusing to say whether Spears, 26, might appear as either a presenter or performer on next month’s show. She’s nominated for two awards — best female video and best pop video, both for the song “Piece of Me.”   

New laws against paparrazzi? Who needs them?  If celebrities just kept their clothes on, the problem might go away. Anyhow, Lindsay’s got a girlfriend and Britney has cleaned up her act.

No, that’s not a paparazzi photo agency talking. It’s Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton explaining why he boycotted a city council meeting on Thursday to discuss what should be done to clamp down on out-of-control photographers.

Bratton says there are enough laws already on the books to deal with agressive paparrazzi and no new ones are needed. And here’s why.

“Half of this issue — actually about 90 percent of the issue is that
celebrities should keep their clothes on,” Bratton told Los Angeles’ Fox11 television on Thursday.

“Paris Hilton’s out of town, things are quiet; Lindsey Lohan’s got a
new girlfriend, that’s keeping things quiet; and evidently Britney has gone
straight now in terms of cleaning her act up, so basically paparazzi are losing
interest,” Bratton said.

It’s true. Compared to last year’s  daily round of celebs in trouble, getting jailed, arrested,  checking in and out of rehab and generally making news for all the wrong reason, it’s been relatively quiet on the Hollywood scandal front this summer.

And while that may be good for Bratton, it’s definitely bad news for the paparazzi.

Sen. Barack Obama has yet to sign a record contract or party until dawn in Hollywood with a paparazzi entourage — but that’s not stopping his presidential rival, Sen. John McCain, from comparing him to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton.
    
A television ad from the McCain campaign airing for the first time on Wednesday opens with images of the two blond starlets, before cutting to shots of Obama waving to adoring crowds. With the familiar chant “O-ba-ma” as background noise, a female voice intones: “He’s the biggest celebrity in the world. But, is he ready to lead?”
    
The ad’s script makes no mention of Britney — a pop singer — and Paris — a celebrity heiress — other than the visual cues. Britney is shown walking in a crowd with an umbrella behind her and Paris is seen striking a regal pose, apparently for photographers.
 
Britney, 26, and Paris, 27, have legions of fans and detractors who watch their every move. But will McCain’s attempt to link Obama with Hollywood celebrity fly with voters?
 
Last week, McCain struggled for media attention as Obama toured the Middle East and Europe. Obama’s speech in Berlin drew a crowd of more than 200,000, while McCain had lunch at a German-American eatery in Ohio.   

 (Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis)  
    

The heat has been cranking up for months around 15-year-old singer and actor Miley Cyrus, and it rose even higher this week as the star fended off a much-publicized advertising offer from a condom maker and confessed to feeling overworked on her hit Disney Channel show “Hannah Montana.”

From the media firestorm around Miley come conflicting reports about her life and career, and one wonders if the young woman is more pawn than princess in a red hot Hollywood chess game. It all brings to mind the recent, personal meltdowns of Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan, who also broke through to fame as teenagers.  
    
Dr. Kimberly Williams, a pediatric neuropsychiatrist at New York University’s Child Study Center, said the national media spotlight can be too much for young stars like Cyrus. “This is just a typical teenager who just has peer pressure, social issues at school to worry about, and so now we add the weight of the nation and that kind of scrutiny,” Williams said.
    
Even though Cyrus wears a purity ring signifying her chastity until marriage, media reports this week said she received a $1 million offer from LifeStyles condoms to appear in an advertising campaign for the company. 
    
Cyrus’ representative told E! News the star had not even received an offer and that she would not even consider it. A spokeswoman for Lifestyles declined to comment.
    
Separately, Cyrus told E! News in an interview that she think her Disney Channel show “Hannah Montana” may be nearing its end. Cyrus portrays Hannah, who at school is just an average teenager but has another, secret life as a pop singing sensation.

“We’re thinking this is our last season,” Cyrus told E! The star said that she has played Hannah Montana since she was 11, and she added that the heavy work load included shooting “two seasons in one last year.”
    
But her representative downplayed Cyrus comments, telling E! that “Hannah Montana” not only starts production on a third season August 4 but also has an option for a fourth beyond that. A “Hannah Montana” movie is scheduled for a spring 2009 release.
    
“You’ve got a stressed out, depressed teenager who still has to go and go and go, and no one has time to hear, ‘Oh Miley, you’re tired,’” Williams said.
    
In April this year, a photo of a Cyrus apparently topless and covered with a only sheet emerged from a Vanity Fair magazine photo shoot by famed photographer Annie Liebovitz. Many Cyrus watchers saw it as far too adult for a 15 year-old, and Cyrus had to apologize to her fans. Yet this month Cyrus released a new pop CD called “Breakout” that she described as “grown up.”

Spears, 26, is an alumnus of the Disney star factory as she appeared on the Disney Channel as part of the Mickey Mouse Club when she was a child. Like many child stars, she encountered personal problems later in life and was briefly hospitalized twice earlier this year for psychiactric evaluation.

Lohan, 22, was a child star in Disney movie “The Parent Trap” in 1998. In recent years she has had problems with substance abuse and was arrested for driving under the influence, as she became known as a regular on the party circuit.

Is Miley headed for the same? We can only wait and watch.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis)

After a disastrous peformance at last year’s MTV Video Music Awards, pop singer Britney Spears will be back again for this year’s ceremony — but this time as a nominee.

Spears is nominated in the “Best Female Video” category for “Piece of Me”. She is up against Mariah Carey, Rihanna, Jordin Sparks and newcomer Katy Perry for the award that will be announced on Sunday, Sept 7, at the MTV’s 25th annual Video Music Awards.

As for the men, nominees for the “Best Male Video” include Usher, Chris Brown, Flo Rida, T.I., and Lil Wayne.

 Spears’ much maligned comback at last year’s awards was picked as the most embarrassing dance sequence of all time in a survey by UKTV Gold. Dressed in a poorly fitted bra and panties, Spears mimed her way half-heartedly through “Gimme More”. The performance came as Spears was locked in a bitter custody dispute with ex-husband Kevin Federline over their two sons.