I don't know how I feel about Britney Spears... There's something about this young person's seemingly wretched lifestyle that facinates me to the point that I'm almost ashamed about it... The poor girl should get her privacy and space, but at the same time I have that feeling that could have brought all these upon herself in the first place too. She's living in a bubble that consists only herself - she doesn't see what's going on outside and doesn't seem to care about that either. It looks like she's simply feeding off her own fantasy of her own version of the world she lives in.

I may be wrong...

Paris Hilton got her humbling experience through her imprisonment and the removal of a huge chunk of her inheritance by her grandfather. One has to wonder when will Paris' good friend Britney finally be humbled.

I stumbled upon this article about the pop singer who, fresh from news of her baby sister's pregnancy, was recently rushed to a hospital and put into a 72-hour mental lockdown where she was held for involuntary medical examination on grounds that she was a danger to herself and to other people around her.

What's Wrong With Britney? (Newsweek article)

Here's what happened that led to the debacle...

Apparently, now that her ex Kevin Federline has gained temporary full custody rights to their two children, Britney is left only with child visitation rights. However, on the day when the kids were supposed to go back to their father, Britney locked herself in a room with one of her kids, Jayden, refusing to hand the child over to Federline's assistant. Following that, ambulances and police arrived "got through the door and tied her down to a gurney", following which she was rushed to the hospital and kept under an evaluation known as "5150 Hold," which is, according to the medical code, "When any person, as a result of mental disorder, is a danger to others, or to himself or herself, or gravely disabled."

Britney on 72-Hour Mental Lockdown

Look at those photos of her. Dazed, delirious, stoned, just... empty.

In the ambulance

It's a disturbing, extremely eerie scene.

It's hard to think of reasons how such a promising young person could become like this, and only at the age of 26. It was said that she was under the influence of drugs when this happened, though we all know that the troubles started way before this faithful day. Bad behaviour leading to drug use? Or drug use resulting in bad behaviour? Just how much did papparazzi play a part in this? How much was her family a part of this? And just how much was it simply the results of her own decision? Only Britney herself knows for sure - once she is humbled enough to think through it.

I wonder if I am sounding too harsh on Britney. But I believe that there must come a time for a wake-up call for both Britney and the people around her. The fact that her mother wanted to publish a parenting book amid all of Britney's debacle suggests to me that perhaps, while Britney herself is living in a fantasy, so are those around her. Oblivious to the fact that really, Britney Spears needs help.

I am reminded of what her ex-bodyguard talked about in that MSN article, particularly about Britney and her children....

'When the kids are happy, she's happy. When they're crying or unwell, she's not sure what to do," he sighs. "When they are unwell, her answer is, 'Give the baby a bottle of medicine.' I've never seen her deal with them like a full, attentive [mom]."'

'Barretto relays several head-shaking, hair-raising incidents involving Sean and Jayden. Among his claims: Spears, who last week was charged with driving without a license (the New York Daily News believes her last valid license was issued in Louisiana and expired in 2001), once erratically zoomed off with the boys in the car ("We followed her but she was driving like a lunatic on the wrong side of the road. It was terrifying"); she forgot to tote along food for them during an outing to a dance studio; she would keep them up late at night so they would sleep longer in the morning; and she would upset them with her oddball antics and emotional outbursts ("She speaks to them in weird, creepy, baby voices, in made-up languages, which they just don't get. All it does is unsettle, upset and scare them. Often she would scream and cry uncontrollably. Imagine what that is like for young children"). Concludes Barretto, "Her children need attention, and Britney doesn't appear to be willing to give them that at the moment."'

Britney's kid sister, Jamie-Lynn, currently has woes of her own too, shouldering the responsibilities of motherhood at the tender age of 16 (truly a case of a child bearing a child). Fortunately, despite the mistake, she just appears like a better-adjusted girl and I only hope that she doesn't follow in the footsteps of her older sister. At least be a better mother than her. For the sake of the children.

Can you imagine the confusion, trauma and instability surrounding the Spears toddlers?

So really, what happened to her?


On a side note, I really liked Rosie O'Donnell's blunt but very true response to Jamie-Lynn's pregnancy:

O'Donnell says she talked to Chelsea (O'Donnell's daughter) about Britney Spear's younger sister and, as described in O'Donnell's blog-speak, "Here's how it went," she says.

"Mama u know the lady with the umbrella and no hair," Chelsea said. "Her sister is a teenager and she is having twin babies." (Actually, she only announced she was pregnant).

"And what do u think about that Chels?" asked O'Donnell.

"Teenagers can have babies?" her daughter asked.

"Yes they can, and it is never a good idea," she responded.

"Y didn't she take pills that make u not have a baby?"

O'Donnell's response: "Hmmmmmm." (From People online)