“Piece Of Me” is up to #46 in the official UK singles chart this week, rising 23 places since last week!

“Blackout” is also proving more popular among the UK public this week.  It has risen 13 places and is currently at #65 in the official UK album chart.

The thing about being a celebrity fotog is that you can dip your pen in the company fountain and still show up for work the next day and everything’s business as usual.

The paparazzo turned boy-toy that Britney Spears plucked from her caravan of lurking photographers last weekend says he makes as much as $200,000 a year off of the pop wreck by staying on her tail 20 hours-a-day, 7 days a week — and he’s sticking with his day job.

“I think she’s awesome,” Brit’s one-night stand, Adnan Ghalib, told 20/20 in his first sitdown interview which aired last night.

“I think she’s a great person…It’s unfortunate that she’s the way she is, because of the people she surrounds herself with.”

When the reporter asked whether her life would improve if the 30-cars of stalking shutterbugs left her alone, the freelancer admitted he’d “be lying if I said no.”

“She’s so unpredictable…she is lucrative in that sense,” he rationalized.

Case in point: “We’d been out driving for about six hours. And I just stuck with her the whole time. She had paid for some cigarettes, went back in, picked up a lighter and said, I stole a lighter. I couldn’t believe it…Ball park, that 40-second clip could run about $40,000…

“I mean, if we’re not there, who’s going to pump her gas? Just yesterday she asked me to escort her home,” said the married videographer of their budding relationship.

Last week, PageSix.com exclusively revealed the behind the scene hour-by-hour of their overnight 5-star hideaway where Britney rambled for hours about her troubled life.

“Maybe the only friends she’s going to have that treat her with the respect that she deserves are going to be the photographers that work her 24 hours a day. It’s going to have to be us…I think we are her friends now. Until she tells us to go away.”

Source: Page Six

How deluded is he? Friends?

Here’s another remix of “Piece Of Me”, the Boz O Lo mix, which was produced by Bloodshy & Avant, who are also the producers of the original song.

I havent’ posted the full thing as it’s the only remix on the UK CD single. Click the Play button to listen!

Image via X17.

Britney’s latest single “Piece Of Me” has raced up the US Billboard Hot 100.

The song jumped 24 places to #21 this week!

The music video is also available to download now worldwide on iTunes.

Paris Hilton has done it. Lindsay Lohan and Nicole Richie both (barely) did it. And then there’s Michelle Rodriguez, Kiefer Sutherland… Heck, this year it seems like just about every celebrity has spent a little time in the gray-bar hotel. And if Britney Spears continues her past behaviour in her ongoing custody dispute, sources tell OK! she may very well end up spending some time in lockdown herself.

OK! has confirmed with sources close to the ongoing custody war between Britney and ex-hubby Kevin Federline that the pop star is — once again — scheduled next week to be deposed by K-Fed’s lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan. However, as the 25-year-old mother of two has blown off over a half-dozen previously scheduled attempts at being deposed — including two depositions ordered by the court! — many insiders are convinced that she will be a no-show for this one as well. But considering the potentially dire consequences for Brit, she might want to think twice before oversleeping or calling in sick next week.

“She could go to jail for contempt of court if she refuses to show,” one legal eagle confirms to OK!. “That would be extreme for a child custody hearing, but not outside the realm of possibility.” More likely, explains the courtroom insider, K-Fed’s team could ask the court to impose monetary sanctions on Britney, who is already footing the bill for Kevin’s legal expenses!

As things stand right now, barring any more emergency hearings, lawyers for Britney and Kevin are not due back in court until February, with the final custody hearing expected to start April 9.

Source: OK! Magazine

Here is another official remix of “Piece Of Me”.  It’s the Junior Vasquez & Johnny Vicious Vocal Club Remix.

Listen to it here.

One of the songs that leaked with the rest of the “Blackout” demos has been uploaded in its finished form to the producer’s MySpace profile.

It’s not much different to the demo, but the vocals have been polished up.  It was recorded during the “Blackout” sessions, but was obviously rejected once they decided to go with an upbeat album.

The official title is “To Love Let Go”, and was written by Britney, Devo Springsteen and Tom Craskey, according to the official song registering service, BMI Repetoire.

Listen here. 

Here’s another official remix of “Piece Of Me” - the Mysto & Pizzi Radio Edit.

Click the play button to listen!

Britney’s long time assistant and friend, Felicia Culotta, has spoken out on Britney for the first time since just before Britney went to rehab (check out some of what she had to say back then here). She was spotted backstage at Z100’s Jingle Ball recently, and was asked a few things about her long time employer.

Fe, who is now the assistant of the Jonas Brothers, said, “It’s just so sad to see Britney now.”  She has turned away from everyone that wants to help her and love her. I hope she reaches out to her family for help soon.”

She went on to comment on how working for Jonas Brothers differs from her time with Britney. “Working with the Jonas Brothers is a totally positive experience,” Culotta gushed. “They are wonderful, and I feel so lucky to be with such sweet people. It is a completely different experience from my time with Britney near the end.”

Britney and Fe parted ways in 2005.

Her latest album “Blackout” has only been out 6 weeks, but Britney is already heading back into the recording booth!

Britney was pretty angry the other night, after the paparazzi bust-up. She went into the bathroom at a gas station and started shouting down the phone at someone.

The most important detail recorded from the conversation was that Britney said, “you’re not listening to me! I said I want THAT studio.”

It sounds like she mentions “Conway” too, which is the name of the studio she used to record a lot of her last album “In The Zone.”

This news comes as it was revealed that there would be a re-release of “Blackout” in the new year. She has also scheduled rehearsals at Millenium Dance Complex, which she later cancelled due to media attention.

Check out the video of the incident by clicking the read more link, and Merry Christmas!

Read the rest of this entry »

“Piece Of Me” enters the official UK singles chart at #69, based on legal downloads of the song as an album track.  The official release is still set for January 7th, 2008.

“Blackout” has re-entered the top 80, and is currently at #78 in the album chart.

“Gimme More” falls 10 places to #63 in the singles chart.

There’s a new edition to the Curious family: Curious Heart!  It’s unknown whether this has a different scent to the regular Curious fragrance, or if it’s just the bottle that’s the limited edition.

Check it out here.

The Spanish Promusic website, which is the alliance between all the major record labels, has released a preliminary calendar of 2008 music releases, including a rerelease of Blackout, pencilled in for release on June 17th.

Here is my translation from Spanish:

“Special edition of Britney’s latest critically acclaimed album “Blackout”. Includes the original album plus 4 new tracks, remixes and a DVD about the  production of the most risky project in Britney’s career make up this collectors boxset. June 17th 2008.”

Here’s a video of Britney last night getting extremely agitated with the paparazzi.  While trying to take a picture, the photographers block her view, leading her to scream at them.

You can also see Britney arriving at the Four Seasons hotel with the paparazzo she handpicked for her spontaneous date!

Watch it here.

Britney Spears love-hate relationship with the paparazzi took a bizarre twist last night as she went on a wild date with a photographer.

The erratic former pop princess was seen holding hands with the snapper after calling him up on his mobile phone and jumping into his car.

The ‘Toxic’ hit-maker - dressed in a pink wig - took a shine to the snapper - known as Adnan - after he slipped her a business card.

The star was believed to be partying with the photographer at a Hollywood hotel into the early hours of the morning (Sunday). Her bizarre behaviour comes in the middle of the star’s custody battle to get her children back from ex-husband Kevin Federline.

The strange night began with Britney getting a bite to eat at popular Greek restaurant Taverna Tony’s in Malibu.

A source said: “The night’s events started when Britney left her Hollywood Hills hideaway and headed towards Malibu. “When she arrived in Malibu Britney pulled over and asked for a photographer called Phillipe. When he arrived she whispered to him that her assistant liked him.

“Britney then asked where his friend Adnan was to which he replied, ‘He is not working tonight.’ So Britney asked him to contact Adnan for her.”

The snapper quickly called his friend who rushed to the restaurant in the hope of a double date.

The source added: “After two hours eating she left Malibu, paying no attention to Adnan, and headed to Hollywood where she drove aimlessly for one hour before stopping at a restroom because she was feeling sick. “After leaving the bathroom Adnan caught up with her and slipped her his business card.

“She called him a number of times from her car but because he didn’t know her phone number he was not answering the phone.

“Finally Britney got frustrated and pulled up alongside him to ask why he wasn’t answering her calls.

“After a short conversation she jumped in his car and they drove off together.

“They stopped off at another petrol station and a supermarket apparently looking for another restroom so she could make a pitstop.

“They then headed back towards her Hollywood Hills house.”

After discussing the possibility of him going to her house she said that her house was too dirty and that she would rather go to a hotel, according to the source. “So they changed cars and she went back to her house to freshen up while Adnan parked down the road and waited for her. She then came out in her car and they both drove to an LA hotel.”

Cameras caught the star - wearing a leopard print dress and ripped fishnet tights - arriving at The Peninsula Hotel in Beverley Hills hand in hand with the photographer.

Source: ShowbizSpy

Scott Mills, one of the DJ’s at Britain’s biggest radio station, BBC Radio 1, has made Britney’s latest single “Piece Of Me” his record of the week!

Thanks a lot to Sean for the info.

TMZ has learned Britney Spears just spent $500 on a gift basket for her newly pregnant unwed teen sister Jamie Lynn.

We’re told Brit called up West Hollywood celeb baby emporium Petit Tresor late Wednesday afternoon and ordered Jamie Lynn a Tuni & G tank top with the words “Hot Mama 2 B” on it, along with a bunch of all white items including a blanket, a stuffed elephant with a white satin bow, onesies, socks and sneakers. According to our sources, the note attached read: “Dear J.L., We love you! Brit, Sean and Jayden.” Auntie Brit luvs y’all!

Source: TMZ

Things are even more hectic than usual for Britney Spears. On Thursday, after spending a cozy afternoon at her Beverly Hills home with sons Preston, 2, and Jayden, 1, the singer scheduled – then cancelled – a session at Millennium Dance Complex.

“She wanted to try out a new dance routine,” says a source. But, in the wake of her 16-year-old sister’s surprise pregnancy announcement, the studio was swarmed by hoards of photographers.

When Spears, 26 – who had been kept in the dark about the baby news until the story broke on Tuesday – saw the crowd, “she freaked out and just kept driving,” says the source, who was on the scene.

“Britney said that she doesn’t want to deal with the media because she is still shocked [about Jamie Lynn's pregnancy news],” adds the source. “She feels that she needs peace and quiet.”

Source: People Magazine