Britney Spears 'settles sexual harassment lawsuit' filed by ex-bodyguard

Britney Spears has allegedly taken steps to end a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by her ex-bodyguard, Fernando Flores.
According to TMZ, Britney, 30, went before a private mediator and the case is now officially closed.
However, since the matter was settled outside of court, terms of the deal will remain confidential.

Flores filed the suit in September 2010, alleging Britney flashed him and invited him into her bedroom when she was naked.
He also claimed she had 'hygiene issues' and once borrowed his belt to discipline her two sons.
Britney denied the accusations, claiming Flores was trying to 'take advantage of the Spears family and make a name of himself,' her spokesman said at the time.
Flores launched the lawsuit last year, alleging that Spears continuously exposed herself and attempted to lure him into bed during his time working for the star from February to July 2010.
He had been seeking $10million for psychological damage he claimed he suffered as a result of the 'unwanted' sexual advances he alleges.

In court documents, obtained by star magazine and Radar Online, Flores outlined the reasons for his suit saying: 'She broke wind or picked her nose unselfconsciously and unapologetically before Plaintiff (Flores) and others and she was constantly and gratuitously loud and profane in her speech.
'She did not bathe for days on end, did not use deodorant, did not brush her teeth, did not fix her hair, did not wear shoes or socks.'
The documents also revealed his claims that Spears used drugs: 'Based on his former experience as a police officer, Plaintiff (Flores) is informed and believes and alleged thereon that Defendant Spears was often under the influence of illegal prescription and non-prescription drugs, such as Ritalin, Narcon (Naloxone) and methamphetamines,' it read.
In a motion filed by her lawyers last year to strike the claims, Spears said the claims: 'Contain a litany of insults toward Ms. Spears that are clearly designed to prejudice Ms. Spears in the eyes of the public and the Court.'

Source is http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2109740/Britney-Spears-settles-sexual-harassment-lawsuit-filed-ex-bodyguard.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Britney Spears in X Factor talks

Simon Cowell is 'definitely talking' to Britney Spears about being a judge on US 'X Factor', Louis Walsh has confirmed.

The 'X Factor' judge revealed the Simon - who recently said the talent show would be a 'walk in the park' for the 'Toxic' singer - has been in negotiations with the 30-year-old blonde about being a panellist on the programme.

He said: 'I was out with Simon Cowell during the week, he's in London. You know like you do and I know he is talking to Britney. He's definitely talking to Britney to do his American show. Absolutely true!'

Louis is expecting Take That singer Gary Barlow, N-Dubz star Tulisa Contostavlos and himself to return to the UK 'X Factor' for the next series later this year, but he is 'not sure' whether 'Down For Whatever' hitmaker Kelly Rowland will be a judge on the show again.

Speaking on 'Craig Doyle Live', he added: 'I think I'll be back, I think Gary will be back. I think Tulisa will be back. Dermot's definitely back! I'm not sure about Kelly. I'm not sure. No-one is contracted guys. I loved Nicole Scherzinger.'

Meanwhile, Janet Jackson has ruled herself out of replacing Paula Adbul and Nicole as a judge on the US version of the talent show.

She told Insider.com: 'I'm very flattered that 'X Factor' let me know that I was being considered for next season, but it just wouldn't be possible.'
Source is http://www.skynews.com.au/showbiz/article.aspx?id=724401&vId=

Britney Spears, Nicki Minaj Joined By Kanye West In New York

Yeezy spices up the Femme Fatale Tour stop, appearing with Nicki for 'Monster' on Tuesday night.

UNIONDALE, New York — The Nassau Coliseum was already packed by the time opening act Nicki Minaj took the stage Tuesday night. The screams that filled the stadium as "Roman's Revenge" boomed on the speakers made it seem like Britney Spears' Femme Fatale Tour is actually a co-headlining event.

And then came a bigger surprise. Only a few songs in, an unusual tension filled the arena as Nicki kept looking back over her shoulder during a transition between songs. Then the first few beats of "Monster" came on and out ran Kanye West. After the song, Kanye beamed his toothiest white smile, and the crowd could not have been any more psyched. The shrieking continued as Nicki finished off her set with hits including "Check It Out" and "Super Bass."

Roughly 30 minutes later, the Britney-themed countdown clock in the arena read 00:00 and the cheering threatened to blow the already-shaky roof straight off the rafters. After a short intro video, showing one of the world's biggest pop stars being hunted and arrested by a SWAT team, Britney burst onto the stage and went straight into "Hold It Against Me," as teens, young professionals, gay men and a healthy dose of middle-aged fans alike collectively pushed forward.

Spears performed songs off her latest album, Femme Fatale, intermixed with classics all the way back to "... Baby One More Time," though many were shortened versions of the originals. Some of the highlights included "Slave 4 U," in which she revisited some of the same choreography from her classic music video and 2001 VMA performance; a Rihanna-less "S&M" that involved her riding shirtless male dancers down a catwalk; and "Lace and Leather," in which she called her Long Island-born boyfriend, Jason Trawick, out of the audience, handcuffed him to a stripper pole and gave him a PG-rated lap dance.

While critics have noted that Britney doesn't dance as much as she did in her early days, there was a great deal of choreography in the live show, and she was always moving in some capacity — though much of it involved wrist snapping, finger pointing, prop-riding, hair-whipping and strutting. She smiled anytime she wasn't giving her infamous smoldering glare, and tore up a handful of song breakdowns (for songs like "Toxic" and "Big Fat Bass") with old-school Britney power thrusts.

The arena crowd stayed on their feet the entire time, and they received one last sort-of surprise (since it hasn't happened at every single show on the tour): Nicki Minaj joined Britney onstage for the encore performance of "Till the World Ends."

Source is http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1668369/britney-spears-nicki-minaj-concert-kanye-west.jhtml

YouTube's newest star: Britney's 3-year-old niece

New Delhi: A YouTube video posted by pop star Britney Spears of her three-year-old niece singing one of her hit songs is a hit on the video sharing website and has made Maddie Briann Aldridge a 'viral star'.
Over one million people endorsed the improvised version of 'Up and Down' sung by Maddie Briann Aldridge, the daughter of Britney's younger sister Jamie Lynn Spears.
It seems little Maddie, who drawls out the lyrics of the song is already following on her aunt's footsteps.

"OMG! Check out my niece Maddie covering Aunt Britney's Up N Down. Sooooo adorable! – Britney," the proud aunt tweeted.
'Up N' Down' is from Spears' latest album, Femme Fatale.
Maddie is the latest and perhaps one of YouTube's youngest stars after Rebecca Black's 'Friday' number became a rage on YouTube attracting spoofs and criticism for her style, tenor and quality.
Black's mother reportedly paid USD 4,000 to have the single and an accompanying music video put out as a vanity release through the record label ARK Music Factory.
Despite going viral on YouTube, 'Friday' was ridiculed by music critics as "the worst song ever."

Source is http://ibnlive.in.com/news/youtubes-newest-star-britneys-3yearold-niece/172455-19.html

Pauly D to join Britney Spears on tour

Britney Spears' concert tour is headed down the "Jersey Shore."

MTV reports that DJ Pauly D will open for Spears during six of her dates in August.

"I am so excited to be performing on the Britney Spears 'Femme Fatale' tour," Shore said in a statement.


"Britney is one of my favorite performers and certainly one of this generation's most influential artists. It's an amazing platform to connect with my fans around the country." Pauly D is sure to rock lots of tunes during his portion of the show, but Spears' songs won't be among them.

"A DJ should not play the artist's songs at her concert 'cause she has to perform these songs," he said. "I'm not going to be playing any Britney before she performs; maybe after. I'll let her perform, let her shine 'cause it's her night."

Pauly D will kick off his appearances August 17 at Spears' concert in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Source is http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/26/pauly-d-to-join-britney-spears-on-tour/

Britney Spears Cries and Farts to Scare Kids: Ex-Bodyguard

Just when you thought that Britney Spears was getting back on track with her new album Femme Fatale, she has hit the headlines again. This time, her ex-bodyguard has come up with fresh allegations against her, a Herald Sun report stated.

Recently, her seventh studio album has debuted at number one on the Billboard hot 100, making her join the ranks of Mariah Carey to be only the second artist in history to have two singles debut at number one. The album's sales soared in the United States and has apparently sold over 590,000 copies.

However, it looks like Spears is far from the squeaky clean image which she used to have during her Baby One More Time days .

Her bodyguard has come up with fresh claims in a recently filed lawsuit against her. The lawsuit claims he was harassed by her and says that she had obnoxious hygiene and used to scare her kids by crying and farting in front of them. He also adds that she picked her nose in front of everyone and hardly ever took a bath and did not brush her teeth for days.

Fernando Flores, her ex-bodyguard, had already filed a lawsuit against her for sexual harassment last year. The all new claims by him could be a huge blow to her already tarnished image. He has also spoken about her taking a cocktail of drugs and smelling of stale tobacco all the time. For somebody like Britney, who is considered the pop princess and a mother of two, allegations of having poor hygiene is one of the worst accusations to come by.

Wonder what Spears has to say about her never ending troubles with her ex-bodyguard and his fresh accusations!

Source is http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/185555/20110723/britney-spears-fernando-flores.htm

Britney's show tired, outshone by her opener, Nicki Minaj

I’ll admit that my personal agenda of the evening was mainly to see Nicki Minaj, but having to sit through the anticlimactic Britney Spears set was a heavy price to pay. As I uttered when the countdown to Brit’s performance dwindled on the big screen and the lights went down in the AmericanAirlines Arena on Friday, “Let’s just get through this.”

The show was an overblown and underwhelming spectacle with all the generic elements and story lines you can throw on one stage. Spears opened with “Hold It Against Me” to find the Femme Fatale eluding authorities (assumingly for ticket gouging). But attempts to entrance the audience with the obligatory (and overused) rise above the audience routine, along fireworks and Brit’s stiff dancing, were contrived and blasé. Even the “…Baby One More Time” lead into Rihanna’s “S&M” fell short, probably because it was performed in the never sexy and quite tired dominatrix garb. We get it Brit, you are trying to shed the pop tart image.

Random Marilyn Monroe and Cleopatra references, along with cartoonish Japanese skits and design sets, were more self-indulgent than engaging. Relying heavily on mechanical props, moving platforms and an army of dancers to propel this performance to the level her fans wish it would be instead faltered. Perhaps now that the theatrics have become stale it’s time to do better than 40 percent live?

Before Brit Brit even pretended to sing a note, she may have left a bad taste in some of her fans’ mouths, when floor seats are at an outlandish $350 – and merchandise everywhere down to commemorative Britney sodas at $8. But then that’s how the Britney machine rolls.

For such heinous acts against music lovers the pop diva should deliver more than an evening with one of her CDs blasting at high volume. But the near sell-out crowd didn’t seem to bat a fake eyelash or flip a neon pink wig. By the time Britney performed “Toxic” and “Till The World Ends”, the crowd was into it and all was forgiven between Britney and her fans. I just hope those who had floor seats weren’t amongst the dozens walking to their car uttering, “She wasn’t lip-syncing the whole time.”

Of course, on this particular Pink Friday the effervescent Nicki Minaj was the energetic, hip-hop delight I was hoping for. With a bedazzled mic in fist and a small accompaniment of dancers, Nicki romped and gyrated, getting things jumping with “Roman’s Revenge”.

The show also featured Sean Kingston making his first appearance since his near-fatal watercraft accident over the Memorial Day weekend. Kingston joined Minaj for “Letting Go (Dutty Love)” in a set heavy with “featuring Nicki Minaj” tracks. I’d love to see her remove the unnecessary story line, Enya sequences and hype up the production value, so hip hop’s royalty won’t have to open for the likes of Britney Spears any more.
Jessie and the Toy Boys opened the entire evening, entertaining the arriving crowd who were trying to locate seats and situate cocktails with their quick set of dance pop songs.

Source is http://www.pbpulse.com/music/concert-reviews/live-shows/2011/07/23/britneys-show-tired-outshone-by-her-opener-nicki-minaj/