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'Dr. Phil' Betrayed Trust, Spears Family Complains

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 10, 2008

Britney Spears' family says "Dr. Phil" McGraw crossed the line by not keeping his mouth shut after making a house call on the singer last week.

Lou Taylor, a business manager for Spears' mother, Lynne, and younger sister, Jamie Lynn, appeared on NBC's "Today" show Wednesday and said McGraw had betrayed the family's trust by talking to the media about Spears' mental health after showing up at the 26-year-old pop star's hospital room on Saturday for a visit.

"The family basically extended an invitation of trust for him to come in as a resource to support them, not to go out and make public statements," Taylor said. "Any statement publicly that he made, because he was brought in under this cloak of trust, is just inappropriate."

Taylor said McGraw was invited to the hospital by Spears' family, but "he was not invited to make this part of a public display or part of the media."

McGraw said this week that he was shelving plans for a show on Spears' latest breakdown. He said Spears' predicament was "too intense" for him to go on with the show.

Later Wednesday, McGraw representative Theresa Corigliano said McGraw "stands by his previous statements."

Spears was hospitalized Thursday night after a child custody dispute with ex-husband Kevin Federline resulted in an hourslong standoff with police. On Friday, a court commissioner gave sole physical and legal custody of 1-year-old Jayden James and 2-year-old Sean Preston to Federline.

'Do The Write Thing,' Picketers Say

Facing dwindling bank accounts, striking film and TV writers returned to the picket line Wednesday, saying they're eager to get back to work but determined to tough it out until their demands are met.

As the walkout stretched into its 10th week, hundreds gathered in front of the offices of Viacom Inc., including some writers who have seen their shows return to the air without them. One protester's sign urged the media conglomerate, which owns Comedy Central, to "Do the Write Thing."

Jay Katsir, a 26-year-old writer for "The Colbert Report," would not talk about the show, which resumed broadcasting an unscripted version Monday, saying only: "We need to keep our focus on production companies and getting everybody back at work."

The strikers made themselves felt this week, with Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart back on the air without the aid of scripts or teleprompters. On Monday, organizers facing the prospect of a Golden Globes ceremony without any celebrities reduced the event to a news conference.

Sigel Jailed 1 Day, Probation Extended

Rap star Beanie Sigel was briefly jailed Wednesday and ordered to live in a halfway house for six months after a second probation violation, just weeks before his federal probation was to have ended.

A judge found that Sigel took an unauthorized trip to Atlantic City, N.J., and had contact with a convicted felon.

U.S. District Judge R. Barclay Surrick ordered Sigel to spend a day behind bars and extended his probation by 18 months, including the halfway house stint.

During those six months, Sigel can pursue his work in Philadelphia by day but cannot travel to promote his latest album, "The Solution."

Today's Birthdays

Singer Frank Sinatra Jr. is 64. Singer Rod Stewart is 63. Singer-keyboardist Donald Fagen of Steely Dan is 60. Singer Pat Benatar is 55. Rapper Chris Smith of Kris Kross is 29.

Source: The Associated Press

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