KEY POINTS:
Troubled singer Britney Spears has checked out of the Cedars Sinai Medical Centre's psychiatric unit following an explosive morning of meltdowns.
Sources claim to PageSix.com that Spears, who was on a 72-hour psychiatric hold, went into meltdown in her bed and demanded to be released from the unit.
Screaming at medical staff and incandescent with rage, the seemingly bipolar Spears reportedly yanked out her IV drip attached to her arm and completely lost control.
Cedars supposedly had no choice but to let the star go, against medical advice.
This latest episode in the Britneygate drama comes after news broke of a dramatic police showdown at the star's home on Friday.
Spears was rushed to hospital after a dramatic stand-off with police over handing over her kids to ex K-Fed.
Spears had been due to hand over Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1, to Kevin Federline's bodyguard, but she was defiant and refused to let them go.
Emergency services were called, and Spears was carted off to hospital for medical evaluation.
Britney's custody drama
Following her admission to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre's psychiatric unit, Spears' and K-Fed's lawyers held an emergency hearing to determine custody rights for both parents.
After which a Los Angeles court gave sole legal custody of Britney Spears' two little boys to ex-husband Kevin Federline and suspended the troubled pop star's visitation rights.
Our resident nzherald.co.nz celebrity news blogger Myrddin Gwynedd takes up the story.
Friday 10:00pm: Two ambulances left Spears' home bound for Cedars Sinai hospital in LA - one for the pop wreck and one for two-year-old Jayden James. No word yet on what Jayden was being treated for.
Click here to watch footage of Spears being wheeled on a stretcher to the Cedars Sinai Hospital in LA.
Pagesix.com is claiming that the stress and mental anguish of the custody trial has taken its toll on the singer, causing her to "lose a tremendous amount of weight in the past several weeks."
The popstar has reportedly been taken to hospital for a possible mental health evaluation.
Click here to watch a clip of Spears arriving at hospital.
10:50pm: Sources are telling OK! Magazine that the plan is to keep Britney under guarded observation for 24 hours and later look at her as-yet unspecified offences.
6:00am: More disturbing details are emerging about what actually happened inside Spears' Beverly Hills home last night.
Pagesix.com is reporting that Spears locked herself in a bathroom with both of her children and refused to come out.
A source told PageSix.com that Britney was "hysterical and just wanted to keep the kids overnight."
6:40am: Usmagazine is reporting that Spears has been designated under a "special needs patient", which basically means the patient has either "overdosed or tried to commit suicide".
A source tells Us: "We go stay with these patients and monitor them constantly.
"We watch them so they don't hurt themselves and watch the people who come visit them to make sure they don't pass anything to them."
Spears will reportedly be on lockdown for 72 hours.
Saturday 6:50am: Spears was not on drugs during her dramatic showdown with police, Life & Style magazine claims.
Blood tests at the hospital where Spears has been admitted have come back negative, despite reports from police that she had appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance.
"Her blood test just came back, and, thank God, it was clean. There are no traces of drugs or alcohol of any kind," a source close to the Spears family tells Life & Style.
7:00am: Spears' and K-Fed's lawyers have just attended an emergency meeting to discuss the singer's meltdown. The expectation is that K-Fed's lawyers will ask the judge to strip Spears of access to her children while she's on a mental hold.
11:00am: More details are emerging about Spears' state of mind when she was carted off to hospital.
Us magazine reports a source: "They had to strap her down like a mental patient and she was going between laughing and hysterics." Adding that Spears had what appeared to be "a total psychotic breakdown. She just went crazy."
Spears was reportedly stripped and had all of her belongings confiscated when she entered the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre.
She was immediately stripped by security of her clothing, to prevent her from potentially harming herself," an insider tells PageSix.com.
Spears' mother Lynne has spoken to Access Hollywood, and is said to be in tears over her daughter's apparent mental breakdown.
According to Access, Lynne was "extremely distraught, crying on the phone" when their reporters contacted the mother.
"Just say prayers," Lynne said.
11:50am: The Court has made a decision on the custody wrangle ....
TMZ states that there are "no winners" in the acrimonious battle between the former Mr & Mrs Spears.
12:10pm: Spears will not be charged with anything that occurred during her confrontation with police this week.
"We aren't charging her with anything at this time," LAPD officer Harding says. "She is at the [hospital] for her own health and welfare."
5:00pm: Britney is said to have been sedated and is currently resting at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre's psychiatric unit. A family insider tells PageSix.com that the singer requested that no visitors be admitted and her doctors agreed.
5:15pm: Sources say K-Fed is going to push for TOTAL custody of the kids and will ban Britney from having access to them until they reach adulthood.
The Sun reports a source close to 26-year-old Britney: "The custody battle with Kevin and the constant attention on her life is too much for her to bear.
"This is going to kill Britney. She loves those kids more than anything. The thought of losing them for so long will destroy her.
"She is a woman on the edge. Her mental state is very fragile. She needs help from professionals - and she needs it now."
Sunday, 8:00am: Britney's out! She reportedly checked herself out of the Cedars-Sinai.
TMZ is claiming the popwreck threw an almighty tanty on the 7th floor of the hospital, while demanding to leave, and screaming blue murder at staff.
Sources also reveal that Spears was visited by TV personality Dr. Phil McGraw just before her release.
Word has it she could end up being on his TV show next week.
8:15am: Spears is now at her Beverly Hills home.
ET reports Spears left the hospital via an underground tunnel (WTF?) with Dr. Phil because, "there was no reason to hold her longer."
"Now Britney is under the supervision of her family again," a source tells Us.
7:00pm: Police have once again been called to Spears' Beverly Hills home.
The Insider reports that the area in front of Spears' gated property is besieged with cops, camera crews and even a helicopter hovering overhead.
Cops are said to be towing photographers' cars away and trying to calm the media scrum camped outside the star's home.
Meanwhile, TV psych Dr. Phil, who went to visit Spears at Cedars Sinai yesterday, has released this statement to the press:
"My meeting with Britney and some of her family members this morning in her room at Cedars leaves me convinced more than ever that she is in dire need of both medical and psychological intervention.
"She was released moments before my arrival and was packing when I entered the room. We visited for about an hour before I walked with her to her car. I am very concerned for her."
20:30pm: Britney's father, Jamie Spears, is said to be distraught after news broke of his daughter's discharge from hospital.
People.com quotes a source as saying: "Jamie was really upset. He was in tears. When he got to the house and realised the situation there, it broke him down."
Meanwhile, Spears has gone AWOL and has not been seen for at least a couple of hours.
Rumour has it that she's shacked up with alleged paparazzo love, Adnan Ghalib.
20:40pm: BREAKING NEWS. New bombshell revelations are surfacing regarding Spears' dramatic showdown with police on Friday.
My moles inform me that a panic call from K-Fed sparked the stand-off with cops - because he was stricken with worry that she'd SHOOT their two sons.
Also, although Spears was said to be NOT high on illegal drugs when she was carted off to hospital, she had infact taken a cocktail of other drugs.
Story developing.
Stay tuned for updates in tomorrow's blog&
* * *
It's official: Wayward former pop star Britney Spears is the adult child of alien invaders.
Well, how else can you explain her latest display of deranged behaviour?
We've barely seen in the New Year, and Brit Brit's already embroiled in a series of messy stories and legal melodrama.
The popwreck missed her court-ordered deposition on Wednesday, and instead spent the day with rumoured new paparazzo love, Adnan Ghalib.
The star was due in court to give her child custody-related deposition at the Los Angeles offices of her ex-husband Kevin Federline's attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan.
But Brits had other ideas, and reportedly checked herself into a hotel room with British photographer Ghalib, before spending the day driving aimlessly around Los Angeles.
This is the FIFTH court hearing she's now missed.
Entertainmentwise.com reports that Spears and Ghalib checked into the Parker Hotel in Palm Springs at 2am, and later emerged at around 7am.
When quizzed by reporters outside the hotel, Ghalib insisted: "We are just friends. She was just a little upset, pretty much about everything."
Just friends, eh? Or is our snappy snapper telling porkies?
US Magazine quoted the photog way back in September as saying: "I'll get her [Britney] sooner or later."
Update: Reports just in indicate that Spears' photographer boyfriend is married.
OK! Magazine claims that Spears' playmate of the last couple of weeks will continue to see the singer regardless.
Ghalib is also said to have spent New Year's Eve with Britney, her boys and the court appointed monitor.
Quite the scandal.
And it gets better...
TMZ is reporting that Britney's lawyers have left the building / bitten the dust / bailed / seen the light (*delete as appropriate*).
Legal eagles appointed by Spears at high-powered firm Trope and Trope have withdrawn their services and will no longer represent the star in her ongoing custody battle with former hubby, K-Fed.
The firm had this to say: "There has been a breakdown in communications between [Britney] and Trope and Trope making further representation of her interests impossible."
The next hearing for Spears and Kevin Federline is set for February 19.
Meanwhile...
Brit Brit is reportedly riddled with guilt and blames herself for her 16-year-old sister, Jamie Lynn's pregnancy.
After Jamie Lynn made the announcement that she was up the duff, Brit Brit is said to have spiralled out of control and told pals that she was to blame for not setting a good example to her little sister.
Britney reportedly told a pal: "I've done some pretty dumb stuff and haven't been a good role model. I warned this girl, I really did. She seemed to take my advice."
The Toxic singer is said to be furious with Jamie Lynn for getting pregnant.
She fumed: "I'm really disappointed in her. I told her over and over just to be a kid and let the adult things like sex and drinking and all that wait.
"I just can't believe she's pregnant. She is way too young to be a mom. She should be having fun and stuff, not having a baby."
I think someone's been sniffing dumb dust.
Britney's clearly suffering from a serious case of C.R.S: Can't Remember S**t. Does she not remember getting knocked up at a delicate age herself?
Learn from your parent's mistakes, girls - use birth control.
Oops, too late!
Sources: entertainmentwise.com, contactmusic.com, People.com
Not so blind item
Pagesix.com published this little gem this week: "Which 40ish actress has finally gotten pregnant for the first time? Her rep is denying it because she's only a month into it, and has suffered miscarriages in the past. Said our source: 'Watch for her to get bangs and start wearing hats to hide her sagging face because you can't be on Botox when you are pregnant.'"
I'm no Einstein, but I'd say they're gasbagging about a certain antipodean actress who was recently photographed sporting what looks suspiciously like a baby bump.
Did someone order a celebrity breeding season?
I don't know about you, but if I want to hear the pitter patter of little feet, I'll put shoes on my cats.
Slash bans Wacko
Guitar guru Slash says that when he worked with Michael Jackson some years ago, he refused to let his kids near the singer - because he didn't trust him.
Slash told Uncut Magazine, "You know, I give the benefit of the doubt to Michael on everything - innocent until proven guilty and whatnot - but I was thinking, okay Michael, you figure out your s**t and I'll hold on to my son!"
Poor Michael - If he's not being accused of paedophilia, he's scaring the bejesus out of all and sundry with his collapsing lips and eyes that look like two pee holes in the snow.
Be afraid, be very afraid.
Source: gigwise.com
American Beauty
First rule of interviewing: Know your subject and do your research.
Now, this interviewer quizzing actor John Cusack is either a comic genius or she's meandering to a different drummer.
Either way, it's genius&and Cusack's restraint and professionalism is gold.
Watch the American Beauty denial here.
This hottie is potty
Ha ha! Check out this unintentionally hilarious trailer for Paris Hilton's new flick The Hottie And The Nottie.
Just how bad does this film look? Someone should tell Paris that she's better off posing for lads' mags, drinking champagne and blowing bubbles into her think tank.
This isn't "acting"; it's a cry for help.
Bum-bum
Somebody needs to sit Lilly Allen down and tell her about the birds and the bees.
The pregnant singer came out with this clanger recently: "I was with mum, dad, his wife and my sister. We were all sitting round and I said 'My nipples really hurt today'.
"My dad's wife said 'Maybe you're pregnant'. I said no, I'm not pregnant and my dad went: 'Are you telling me you and your boyfriend have had sex?'
"I said: 'Well yes but I didn't think you could have sex by having it in the bum bum!'
"I thought I would write a song about it that goes: 'I didn't know you could get pregnant from the bum bum'."
Oh, Allen; me thinks you got into the gene pool while the lifeguard wasn't watching.
Source: Holymoly.co.uk
Li-Lo's back on form
Is this photographic proof that Lindsay Lohan is a good time that's had by all?
The wild child reportedly managed to bag herself some man action while she partied her way through the 24 hours she spent at the Italian island of Capri for a film festival.
The Daily Mail reports the rehab queen clocked up three passionate encounters during her short trip.
First came waiter Alessandro Di Nunzio. The pair was spotted exchanging telephone numbers at a film screening the actress attended with pal Hayden Panettiere.
Then came actor Dario Faiella, whom the 21-year-old actress was caught on camera canoodling during a romantic dinner.
But Lohan didn't stop there. She allegedly hooked up with another Italian hunk the morning after, actor Eduardo Costa.
So it's all debauchery and sin in the land of Lohan.
But the classiest and most romantic part of all has to be this pic of one of the sleazy Italian blokes, fag in hand, unzipping his pants and giving Li-Lo a guided tour of his tonsils - all in full view of swarm of flashing paparazzi.
Li-Lo, you're turning into a bottomless pit of needs & wants.
Mind you, she's probably making up for lost time while she was going cold turkey and sorting her crap out in rehab.
But, then again, excess is never too much in moderation, as they say.
Lohan: 51 per cent love chick ... 49 party animal. Care to try your luck?
Minogue does McCartney
Click here to watch a clip of Kylie Minogue and Paul McCartney performing a duet on Jools Holland's New Year special on British TV.
It's rather fabulous.
Posh Beckham's s**t list
If your name's not down, you're not coming in - so says matriarch Victoria Beckham.
The hard-nosed diva is said to have complied a "ban list" of celebs that are not allowed to watch her perform with the Spice Girls in concert.
The list apparently includes Jordan, Peter Andre, Graham Norton, Lily Allen, Sophie Ellis Bextor and Denise Van Outen.
A source said: "Victoria has taken some stick over the years from certain celebrities. She doesn't want to be doing her stuff on stage, and then see famous faces in the audience taking the piss. So, quite understandably, Victoria has banned a number of well-known names from the show."
The miserable old goat. May the fleas of a thousand camels infest one of your erogenous zones.
Cheer up, love.
Source: Post Chronicle
Italians do it better
I'm simply loving this trailer for the Italian Spider-man.
I have no idea what's going on, but who cares? The dodgy acting and mind-bending music makes me glow inside.
End bit
So there you have it: another week of celebrity chaos, panic and disorder. My work here is done.
See you Monday, darlings.
Fast gossip
Give me five minutes, and I'll tell you everything...
Before they had stylists... popbytes
Cate Blanchett has Suri hair: Dlisted
Mariah Carey managed to squeeze into this: Hollywoodtuna
Katherine Heigl's wedding interview: Just Jared
Paris Hilton hooked up with Larry Birkhead? Celebrity Smack
Vince Vaughn is loving the ice cream: Daily Stab
Sting chews his wife's feet: CDL
What is wrong with Posh Spice's make up: Celeb Warship
The stars of the new Indiana Jones movie: ICYDK
Tyra Banks just keeps stuffing her face: Celebitchy
