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Jennifer Love Hewitt’s rep confirms exclusively to Usmagazine.com that Hewitt, 28, and boyfriend, Scottish actor Ross McCall, 32, are engaged to be married.
“They got engaged last week,” her rep tells Us. The couple is currently vacationing in Hawaii.
Us has learned that the antique engagement ring has been in Ross’ family for over 100 years.
Hewitt’s rep had no details about the wedding date.
Back when Britney Spears was allowed to drive with her children, she packed her two young sons and their court-appointed monitor in her Mercedes, drove to a chandelier shop, then left the kids in the car with the monitor while she perused new lighting fixtures.
For a woman who had only recently regained partial custody of her children, the move seemed shocking, but it was par for a course that has been increasingly erratic since Spears’ split from Kevin Federline just a year ago.
Spears once explained some of her behaviors on being “country,” but according to mental health professionals, former employees and friends, Spears’ problems at best stem from deep issues with fame, or at worst, indicate a serious drug or mental health problem.
“(Britney) is a drug addict. It is an indisputable point,” addiction specialist and “Loveline” host Dr. Drew Pinsky recently told Us Weekly. Pinsky, who does not treat Britney, backed up his claim, which has not been directly addressed by Spears or her camp, adding, “We know that she is a drug addict because she’s been admitted to a treatment center. You can’t be admitted unless you’ve met criteria for addiction.”
Or, you can be admitted because your ex-husband is threatening to take your kids away from you, which is what some close to Spears assert. “The reason she went to rehab is because Kevin made it clear that she’ll lose the kids,” said a source familiar with her stint at the Promises rehab facility in Malibu. “She was willing to admit she might be depressed, but she truly never felt like she had a problem.”
That being said, a California family court commissioner ruled in September that Spears engaged in “habitual, frequent and continuous use of controlled substances and alcohol” and ordered her to undergo random drug and alcohol testing.
However, psychologist Dr. Jolie Brams paints the pop star’s problems and her recent chandelier episode in a different light. “You can either look at that shopping trip and say, ‘She’s so unbelievably uncaring and narcissistic,’ or you can look at the situation with empathy and sympathy,” said Brams, who does not treat Spears. “She just may not be able to reflect on her behavior and decisions, and unfortunately this impacts her ability to recognize the needs of her children or how she might present to others.”
‘Predictably unpredictable’
“It doesn’t take a professional to see that her mood shifts from being overly happy and energetic to irritable and angry,” Brams said. “All of us get moody, but problems happen when our moods and behaviors change quickly and perhaps for no reason. She seems to be predictably unpredictable.”
A Sony BMG spokesperson for Spears said, “We don’t respond to speculation.” But according to one former employee of Spears, “predictably unpredictable” seems to sum up the point where Spears’ personal life intersects with her professional life. “She has moments where she is like, ‘Yeah, I can do this work,’” said a former employee of Spears. “And then she’ll have a jet set up and ready to go, and she’ll cancel it. She doesn’t care that she’s lost all kinds of money and it looks bad [professionally]. She’ll just decide she wants to do something else.”
Another source from inside Spears’ label disagrees that her work is in peril: “I guess that’s people’s opinions. She’s been very involved in the process [of her career] and music is where she started. It’s a grounding influence for her in some ways.”
Grounding as it may be, Spears’ “comeback” can be considered tenuous at best. Ironically, though, her success and her mental stability could be related. Dr. Brams explained: “At the start of her rise to fame, she was known for her energy on and off stage, and her daring but appealing nature. But the question that those who help her may need to ask is whether those qualities may have been symptoms of a mental health concern that became a problem over time, especially with the constant stress of stardom.”
A person with close ties to Spears since she was very young agrees. “The Britney you see now is the same Britney who has always been there, from my perspective,” said the source. “When she was young, she was just easier to manage. It’s like when you’ve got a kid who wants to go out, you can say, ‘No, you have to stay home.’ Until they can drive, that is. Britney can drive now.”
Pinsky, however, disagrees. “Her mental health has almost nothing to do with her career,” he told Us Weekly. But he does believe her mega-stardom makes it harder to help her. “Fame hinders getting to [Britney] now. It is hard to get through the sycophants who are enabling her and be able to find people around Britney who are willing to potentially sacrifice either their salary or their access to her by bringing her into treatment.”
“The good news is that mental health issues are treatable,” Brams said. “But those nearest to the person needing help must be strong enough to remove their loved one from the environment that triggers the problems, and not be afraid to demand that they comply with treatment.”
Unfortunately for Spears, those nearest to her rarely have her best interests in mind. One former employee said, “There was always a revolving door of people around her, people who would become instant ‘best friends’ for no real reason. They just ‘yes’ her all the time.”
Leaving Los Angeles would help, and it’s something Spears has discussed in the past. “She’s very torn,” one of her former employee said. “One day she said, ‘Madonna took a seven-year break, why can’t I?’ I’ve heard her call her manager and say, ‘Why can’t I just run away like Demi Moore did, or go to a town where the police will keep the paparazzi away from me?’ But she loves the limelight.”
The terms of Spears divorce don’t allow her to cut ties from California, but her desire to do so does show that the pop star has some degree of insight on the situation.
“Really, I think she just wants to feel loved,” said the source with professional ties to Spears. “I think that’s what her quest for fame has been about all along, and at some point she woke up, realized she had all this money, kids and was still the same person who wanted to be loved and liked.”
Another source very close to Spears doesn’t necessarily agree. “It’s easy for people to look out and make suggestions, and make up ideas about what should or shouldn’t happen. A nice career in music can be helpful. A nice career wouldn’t be a bad thing for her to have.”
B Spears & numerous body doubles took to LA restaurant/nightclub Social Hollywood to shoot her music video for “Piece of Me”. Wearing identical blond bobss & black trench coats, the girls filmed takes while piling in & out of a silver Mercedes SUV.
Supposedly the premise of the video is that the paparazzi are hounding Britney, so they’re dressed alike to trick the photogs. Then they all go into the club to get away, a paparazzo sneaks in- but Britney discovers him. Meanwhile, the faux-Britneys weren’t impressed with Ms. Spears, as she reportedly showed up 12 hours late on set.
Some things don’t change: court, work- it’s all the same … she’s never on time.
Show me more Uma!
After months of holding out for approval of a final script, Disney star Zac Efron has signed on to reprise his tween heartthrob role as Troy Bolton in High School Musical 3 for a cool $3 million, reports Entertainment Weekly. Neither Efron nor Disney has commented on the salary.
Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale and Zac all reportedly sought pay increases for HSM3, which will hit the big screen. Director Kenny Ortega has said the film will focus on the Wildcat’s senior year revolving around prom. Vanessa, Ashley, Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman and Lucas Grabeel have all confirmed their return. Cameras start rolling on HSM3 in March.
She has just shot the spring/summer 2008 campaign in LA with fashion shutterbugs Mert and Marcus (who were nominated for a British Fashion Award last night). Miuccia Prada has always been fond of using celebrities for Miu Miu campaigns – previously casting Kim Basinger and Lindsay Lohan – although last season model Laeticia Casta starred in the ads. Miu Miu is set to expand even further in the US next year with new stores planned for New York and LA, so it was the perfect time to inject some Hollywood glamour into the brand again.
They were looking for Hollywood glamour, and all they could come up with is Kirsten Dunst!? Now that’s funny.
Despite a tabloid cover story that declares pop star Britney Spears is once again pregnant, OK! can exclusively confirm that the pop star is anything but expecting.
“She’s furious at InTouch,” a close pal of Britney reveals to OK!, referring to their item that the mother of two is expecting a child from music producer J.R. Rotem. “The story is a complete lie. She does not even see or talk to J.R., and she hasn’t had any dealings with him in months.”
According to the friend, Brit, who celebrates her 26th birthday this weekend, is busy working on her latest video and is truly upset that these sorts of lies are being spread about her.
“She’s thinking about suing,” explains the pal. “She’s so mad. She’s worked so hard at being a working mom and resolving legal issues. To have such a messed up lie come out like this now really angers her. She is serious about wanting to sue.”
