Britney Spears taken from her home in ambulance after 3-hour standoff

LOS ANGELES - A bizarre new chapter is unfolding in the life of Britney Spears, with the troubled pop star hospitalized today "for her own welfare" after a three-hour standoff involving her two young sons.
With paparazzi swarming the ambulance doors, Spears was whisked away late Thursday, nearly three hours after police arrived at her home in a gated community. No injuries were reported.
Police initially said it appeared the 26-year-old Spears was under the influence of an unknown substance but Officer April Harding said today she could not confirm that or other reports that Spears was hospitalized for mental evaluation.

"For her own welfare, she was transferred to a local hospital for medical treatment," Harding said, declining to elaborate.
Spears was conscious as the ambulance left her home escorted by a row of police cars. A horde of paparazzi chased the ambulance, their strobes going off as they held their cameras up to the vehicle’s rear window.
Another group of videographers met the ambulance at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, banging on the ambulance doors.
Cedars spokeswoman Simi Singer said she could neither confirm nor deny that Spears was at the hospital, citing patient confidentiality laws.
Officers were called to Spears’ house around 8 p.m. Thursday for an issue involving custody of 2-year-old Sean Preston and 1-year-old Jayden James, Harding said.
By about 10:30 p.m., six police cars, two ambulances and a fire truck had entered the gated-community, where Spears has a $4.5 million, five-bedroom, six-bathroom home in the Santa Monica Mountains above Beverly Hills.
Several police cars were seen in the area earlier in the night.
Spears turned over the children around 10:50 p.m., Officer Jason Lee said.
Spears and ex-husband Kevin Federline have been involved in a long and very public custody battle. Federline, 29, has temporary custody of the children because Spears, who has limited visitation rights, has defied court orders. The two were married in October 2004 and divorced in July.
Attorneys for Spears and Federline were in court today to discuss child custody arrangements.
Tara Scott, representing Spears, and Federline’s attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, spent about 30 minutes in chambers with Los Angeles County Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon, who has been handling the custody case. They made no comments to reporters.
Spears’ life has spiraled downward during the past year. She has been photographed without underwear and appeared to be drunk and out-of-control in public. She shaved her head, beat a car with an umbrella and spent a month in rehab, and has had a handful of fender benders, including one in which she ran over a photographer’s foot.
Earlier Thursday, Spears appeared for a deposition in her custody dispute. Spears was questioned for just 14 minutes, Kaplan told reporters after Spears left.
Spears called in sick for a Dec. 12 court-ordered deposition, but was photographed that day driving with a friend. She also didn’t show up for a session Wednesday, Kaplan said.
Spears’ attorneys from the firm Trope and Trope on Wednesday filed a court motion asking to be relieved due to a "breakdown" in communication with their client.
Kaplan said Spears’ attorneys were present for what became a very abbreviated session, which had been scheduled to last two hours.

"You can imagine in 14 minutes there’s not a lot of time to develop questions," he said.
Kaplan said another deposition would be scheduled.

Britney's Rest Stop

Britney Spears seems amused a paparazzo followed her into the restroom at Quizno's

Britney needs just one more minute y'all.

Britney reveals yet another new' do.we prefer her bald head to this look.

Although she usually prefers to go barefoot in public restrooms, Britney donned her favorite pair of tan boots this time around.

Baby Jayden holds on to big mother Sean Preston's hand for dear life.

Spears Ordered to Give Kids to Federline

Britney Spears Ordered to Relinquish Custody of Her 2 Sons to Ex-Husband Kevin Federline

Britney Spears hit another personal low, being ordered to relinquish her children by a judge who had cited her drug-and-alcohol-fueled lifestyle.
Ex-husband Kevin Federline will take Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1, beginning Wednesday "until further order of the court," Los Angeles County Court Commissioner Scott M. Gordon ruled Monday.

Phone messages left for representatives of Spears and Federline were not immediately returned.
This is the latest problem to plague Spears, whose fortunes have taken a very public turn for the worse since splitting from Federline, 29, last year. The two were married in October 2004. Spears filed for divorce last November and it became official in July.
Since becoming single, Spears has appeared increasingly erratic and out-of-control. First, she was photographed at various Hollywood hotspots partying hard with Paris Hilton, with some photos capturing the pop star without panties. Then Spears shaved her head as paparazzi looked on, beat a car with an umbrella and ended up spending a month in rehab.
Last month, Gordon said Spears engaged in "habitual, frequent and continuous use of controlled substances and alcohol" and ordered her to undergo random drug and alcohol testing twice a week as part of her ongoing custody dispute with Federline.

Spears also was previously ordered to meet weekly with a "parenting coach" who was to observe and report back to the court about her parenting skills. Both Spears and Federline must complete the court's "Parenting Without Conflict" class.

Spears was set to redeem herself and return to the pop throne with a much-hyped performance at the MTV Video Music Awards last month. But it was universally panned, with Spears appearing spaced-out and lethargic and, in some eyes, less than buff. The following week, her management firm dropped her and her divorce lawyer resigned.
Spears was then charged with misdemeanor counts of hit-and-run and driving without a valid license for allegedly crashing into a parked car in August.

Phone messages left for representatives of Spears and Federline were not immediately returned.
This is the latest problem to plague Spears, whose fortunes have taken a very public turn for the worse since splitting from Federline, 29, last year. The two were married in October 2004. Spears filed for divorce last November and it became official in July.
Since becoming single, Spears has appeared increasingly erratic and out-of-control. First, she was photographed at various Hollywood hotspots partying hard with Paris Hilton, with some photos capturing the pop star without panties. Then Spears shaved her head as paparazzi looked on, beat a car with an umbrella and ended up spending a month in rehab.
Last month, Gordon said Spears engaged in "habitual, frequent and continuous use of controlled substances and alcohol" and ordered her to undergo random drug and alcohol testing twice a week as part of her ongoing custody dispute with Federline.
Spears also was previously ordered to meet weekly with a "parenting coach" who was to observe and report back to the court about her parenting skills. Both Spears and Federline must complete the court's "Parenting Without Conflict" class.
Spears was set to redeem herself and return to the pop throne with a much-hyped performance at the MTV Video Music Awards last month. But it was universally panned, with Spears appearing spaced-out and lethargic and, in some eyes, less than buff. The following week, her management firm dropped her and her divorce lawyer resigned.
Spears was then charged with misdemeanor counts of hit-and-run and driving without a valid license for allegedly crashing into a parked car in August.

"She was driving without a license with a child in the car," Felder said. "You can put aside the in and out of rehab, the shaving her head. But this? When a judge went out on a limb for her? There's no going back."
Though Spears must relinquish physical custody of the children until further ruling from the court, she and Federline still share legal custody.
Los Angeles divorce lawyer Connolly Oyler said he's surprised the children weren't taken from Spears sooner. Judges typically remove youngsters from households where parents are ordered to undergo drug testing, he said.
But, he added, all is not lost for Spears.
"If she picks a good counselor and gets a different set of friends, there's a good chance she can turn things around," he said, noting "she's only 25."
The couple is due back in court Oct. 3. Spears' new album is set to be released Nov. 13.
Associated Press writer Raquel Maria Dillon in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Court Monitor Controls Brit's Access to Kids

Britney Spears Will Be Allowed to See Her Children Every Other Day

Britney Spears can see her kids, but she'd better behave while doing so.
In a court order issued Thursday, Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Scott M. Gordon said Spears can visit her two sons, 2-year-old son Sean Preston and 1-year-old Jayden James, every other day, The Associated Press reported. A monitor must watch Spears and will be allowed to cut her visits short if "any behavior or action by Spears endangers the children."

Gordon said monitoring was necessary because Spears has not been in "substantial compliance" with a previous court order, according to the AP.
Monday, Gordon ordered Spears to surrender custody of her sons to her ex-husband Kevin Federline until further order of the court. He retained custody of the children after a follow-up hearing Wednesday.
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Outside the courthouse, Federline's attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, voiced his support of Gordon's decision, telling reporters, "Kevin wants to maintain the custody that he has as long as he can."
While Federline attended Wednesday's hearing, Spears hit the town, according to entertainment news show "Extra."
"Extra" reported that Spears visited a Los Angeles gas station, vitamin store and Starbucks. She had a driver take her around and brought her Yorkie, London, along for the ride. She smiled at the paparazzi and seemed to be in a good mood.
Another hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 26. Though Spears was not present at Wednesday's hearing — neither she nor Federline were required to be in court — according to the AP, both will have to appear Oct. 26.

Wake-Up Call
Lawyers agree that the court is trying to give Spears a wake-up call by taking away her children.
"This is a little shock treatment for Britney to get the treatment that she needs," attorney Gloria Allred, who represents Spears' former bodyguard, said on "Good Morning America" Tuesday.
According to Beverly Hills family law attorney Daniel Jaffe, the court has probably lost faith in Spears' ability to be a fit parent.
"The court must have felt that the kids are in danger with her," Jaffe said. "This would be an unusual order, but, as you can see in the tabloids, she hasn't been behaving properly."