Britney Spears

Britney Spears went "completely psycho" as she was rushed to L.A.'s Cedars-Sinai Medical center late last night, sources very close to the embattled singer, who has been designated a "special needs" patient, report.

"They had to strap her down to the gurney like a mental patient and she was going between laughing and hysterics," a hospital source tells Us Weekly, calling it "a total psychotic breakdown. She just went crazy."

Sources at the hospital are now reporting that Britney's meltdown had nothing to do with drugs or alcohol, as was originally believed. They say it's mental and that what went down last night was not unexpected.

Life & Style claims that Britney tested negative for drugs and booze. A source told the magazine, "Her blood test just came back, and, thank God, it was clean. There are no traces of drugs or alcohol of any kind."

Because Britney Spears is in Cedars-Sinai's special needs unit, staff are monitoring her around the clock. However, the source said when they got the call to monitor the singer, "none of us wanted to go sit with her." Shocking!

Britney Spears will be on lockdown for 72 hours.

LAPD Officer Jason Lee said Spears appeared to be under the influence of an unknown substance after she was taken to the hospital on a gurney following a bizarre, nearly three-hour custody standoff. No injuries were reported.

Once in the ambulance, paramedics could be seen trying to strap her legs down before taking off. Britney Spears was admitted to Cedars-Sinai and placed on a "medical hold" - essentially an extended mental evaluation.

Reports also say Britney Spears has not slept or eaten in days.

Says a Britney Spears pal: "She has good and bad days - it's mental instability. All she has is to think of something sad and she goes crazy."

You think?

Meanwhile, TMZ reports that K-Fed's lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, will be in front of the court at 8:30 PST requesting Britney's visitation rights for Sean Preston and Jayden James (already limited) be revoked altogether.

Story still developing ...

Because Britney Spears' epic meltdown is so incredible, and so hard to follow, The Hollywood Gossip has compiled a timeline of events. All times are PST. Let's begin with her court deposition yesterday (Thursday) morning.

9:30 a.m.: Britney is scheduled to arrive for a two-hour court deposition with Kevin Federline's attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, in her custody case.

11:15 a.m.: Spears shows up (below), just in time to peace out after a brutal 12-minute session as time conveniently expired. Kaplan? Not thrilled.

12:10 p.m.: Britney arrives at her Beverly Hills home with Sean Preston and Jayden James, with whom she has visitation rights for the day.

7:00 p.m.: Britney Spears is scheduled to turn Sean Preston and Jayden James over to Kevin Federline. This deadline comes and goes.

8:00 p.m.: After Spears will not relent, the LAPD confirms that a call came in and officers were dispatched to resolve the custody dispute.

9:00 p.m.: Mark Vincent Kaplan is seen leaving Britney Spears' home.

10:50 p.m.: The fire department, ambulances and a police chopper arrive on the scene. LAPD Officer Jason Lee says, "The officers are still there. They are trying to resolve this peacefully and legally, according to the court order. They've been there since 8 p.m. and it is in regards to Britney Spears' custody battle."

11:05 p.m.: Determining that Spears is under the influence of a controlled substance, paramedics take a gurney and a backboard into her home.

11:25 p.m.: An ambulance arrives and parks behind Brit's car (above, left).

11:50 p.m.: An ambulance (above, right) carrying Spears and other vehicles leave the scene; Sean Preston and Jayden James are in Federline's custody.

12:40 a.m.: Spears is wheeled on a stretcher into Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Police erect screens to shield her from celebrity gossip photographers; Kevin Federline and Spears' pal, Sam Lutfi (above), soon arrive separately. Around time of Britney's arrival, Jayden James is carried into the emergency room by an officer while sucking on a pacifier. It is not known why Jayden was examined.

1:10 a.m.: Jamie Spears (below), Britney's father, arrives at Cedars Sinai.

3:45 a.m.: Cedars source confirms that Britney Spears is hospitalized and remains under close observation as a "special needs" patient.

4:00 a.m.: Jayden James and Sean Preston are formally released from the hospital under the care of Kevin Federline.

8:30 a.m.: As more information on Spears' condition becomes known, Kevin Federline appears in court in an emergency custody hearing.

Stay tuned for more developments!

After Britney Spears defied court-mandated visitation hours Thursday night by refusing to turn over her two sons to ex-husband Kevin Federline, police were summoned to the singer's home - and later, a reportedly intoxicated Britney was taken via ambulance to L.A.'s Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

As of 3:45 a.m PST Friday, Britney Spears remains hospitalized.

A hospital source says Britney Spears is designated a "special needs" patient, meaning "they have either overdosed or tried to commit suicide."

Hospital staff stays with these patients and monitors them constantly, to ensure they don't hurt themselves, and to make sure people who come visit them don't pass anything to them. They're watching you, Sam Lutfi.

Speaking of Sam Lutfi, he apparently rushed to the hospital early this morning, as did Britney's father, Jamie Spears. No sign of Adnan Gahlib.

Britney Spears was wheeled out of her home on a gurney... but was still coherent enough to give the finger to the celebrity news media, according to TMZ.

The star was due to turn over Sean Preston and Jayden James Thursday at 7 p.m. Federline's bodyguard was supposed to pick them up, but Spears was defiant. She had been with the two little kids at her Beverly Hills home since noon Thursday, after her brief court deposition in her ongoing custody dispute.

About 90 minutes after refusing to give up the kids, police arrived.

"There have been police sent to that residence," an LAPD officer said. "We don't know any more at this time, but apparently they've arrived."

TMZ reports that while cops were at the troubled pop star's home, they discovered Spears under the influence of an unknown substance.

Several ambulances were called to the scene, and a complete clusterf*%k ensued. Stay tuned for more details as the story develops.

It was quite the scene in Century City, Calif., today as Britney Spears arrived for her mandatory court deposition - then bolted very shortly after.

Why the rush, Britney?

K-Fed's attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, explained that the deposition in her custody case was originally scheduled to go from 9:45 to 11:45 a.m.

It poses a bit of a problem, of course, when the person being deposed shows up almost two hours late. Kaplan says the proceedings started around 11:32 a.m. when Britney finally rolled in, leaving him time to fire off only a few questions before ending at the regularly scheduled time - 13 minutes later.

Two hours late!? Hey, at least Britney Spears showed up this time!

Why was the train wreck so tardy? Mark Vincent Kaplan wouldn't say. But he did say another deposition has been scheduled. As for seeking new sanctions against Spears - who continues to disobey court orders and make his job damn near impossible - Kaplan says he hasn't decided whether to go there.

But he might, he says, if he decides Britney Spears - whose own lawyers quit today - caused his client, Kevin Federline - any "undue hardship."

Like the last year and a half?

Wearing a black wig and dark sunglasses, Britney Spears ducked into a hotel in Palm Springs with celebrity news photographer Adnan Ghalib around 2 a.m. on January 2 - and then checked out promptly around 7 a.m.

Spears and Ghalib went to one of the $1,200-a-night-plus villas, with two other men - apparently her security guards - following right behind them.

Of course, this isn't the first time Spears has spent time in a hotel with Adnan Ghalib. They also spent New Year's together, and the day before Christmas.

While details vary, Spears certainly has some relationship with the photographer, who proclaimed to a tabloid in September, "I'll get her sooner or later."

Last week, Ghalib "comforted her" at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills. Adnan said at the time that he and Britney Spears are merely platonic, that "we are just friends. She was just a little upset, pretty much about everything."

The photographer, who works for the agency Finalpixx, did tell ABC's 20/20 that he's made up to $200,000 a year taking Britney Spears photos.

He has also called the singer "awesome." He must not own her CDs.

"I think she's a great person," Adnan Ghalib said. "It's unfortunate that she's the way she is, because of the people she surrounds herself with."

The lawyers representing Britney Spears in her custody battle are quitting.

The law firm Trope and Trope asked the court Wednesday to be formally relieved as Spears' attorneys. The firm cited a "breakdown" in communication with the troubled pop princess that makes representing her impossible.

Spears and ex-husband Kevin Federline have been wrangling for months over custody of their sons, 2-year-old Sean Preston and 1-year-old Jayden James.

FedEx has temporary custody because Spears, who has limited visitation rights, has defied court orders. A lot. She's also a drunk, and a little bit unstable.

Britney Spears and Kevin Federline married in October 2004, separated near the end of 2006 and finalized their divorce in July of 2007. They have two l'il mistakes.

On a separate legal front, an attorney for Spears wants the city attorney's office to prove that the star is a permanent California resident and thus subject to state laws that require her to have a valid California driver's license.

Spears faces up to a year's probation if convicted of driving without a valid license, a charge to which she has pleaded not guilty. The case stems from a videotaped fender bender in a parking lot in August. A hit-and-run charge was dismissed.

Spears' attorney, J. Michael Flanagan, requested Wednesday that prosecutors be required to demonstrate that Spears, who also owns homes in Louisiana and Florida, intends to make Los Angeles her permanent legal home.

Flanagan said Britney Spears had a valid Louisiana driver's license during the incident and got a California license six days after the complaint was filed.

On February 16, 2007, Britney Spears shaved her head. Top that, 2008.

Britney Shears. What else needs to be said?

As 2007 draws to a close, it's time to reflect and pay tribute to the stars who made this a year to remember. On that note, The Hollywood Gossip is announcing its 10 finalists for its first annual Celebrity of the Year award.

They've given us their best, their worst and, in a more than a few cases, their naked pictures. Now it is time for us to give a little something back with this special feature, because without these celebrities, we are nothing.

We previously profiled sex tape star Kim Kardashian as our runner-up. Now, without delay, we present our Celebrity of the Year … the incomparable Britney Spears!

With the type of year the former international sex symbol had, it wasn't exactly a close race for this award. When a living, breathing train wreck like Britney Spears is in the news every hour of every day, everyone else is playing for second.

Eyes bloodshot, wearing a leopard-print dress and a pink wig, Britney Spears drives around aimlessly in Los Angeles. That sums up the past few months right there.

Since filing for divorce from Kevin Federline at the end of 2006, Britney's life has been in a tailspin, resulting in countless traffic incidents, custody hearings, photos of her clubbing in no underwear, family drama, and random ass dudes and pals.

From Isaac Cohen, Jason Filyaw, Daimon Shippen, Tony Barretto, Alli Sims, Sam Lutfi and Howie Day to Mark Vincent Kaplan, Robert Edie, J.R. Rotem, Lucy Walsh and some celebrity gossip photographer named Adnan, the list of once anonymous peeps Spears has brought into her life - and our site - continues to grow.

As far as her family life goes, well, that's been no less turbulent. Aside from the two adorable little mistakes - Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1 - that she routinely neglects, Britney has been estranged from her mother, Lynne Spears, for much of the year. Oh, and 16-year-old sister Jamie Lynn Spears recently got pregnant.

A very brief list of Britney Spears highlights from the year:

• Shaving her head (February)
• Attacking paparazzi with umbrella (February)
• Leaving rehab, partying immediately (March)
• A drug overdose with Howie Day (May)
• J.R. Rotem hitting that wheelbarrow style (June)
• Random topless photos emerge (August)
• Giving Tony Romo lap dance (October)
• Running red light while texting (November)
• Pregnancy rumors surface (November-December)

Clearly, our Celebrity of the Year could be no one else. Congratulations, Britney Spears, and thank you for all you've given us. Keep up the good work, baby.

We haven't heard from The Sports Gal in awhile.

But the wife of ESPN columnist Bill Simmons couldn't possibly keep quiet in the wake of Jamie Lynn Spears getting knocked up. Here's her professional take on it:

My favorite part of this fiasco is that Britney is going to be an aunt and possibly even the godmother. Somehow this is scarier than her being a mom.

At least moms can lose custody -- if you're an aunt, you're always an aunt and this means Brit will always be around during the holidays. "Uh-oh, hide the cigarettes, Aunt Britney just pulled into the driveway!"

Britney Spears has already pulled a no-show at several hearings, including a pair of mandatory, court-ordered depositions, in her custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline over their two children, Sean Preston and Jayden James.

She has blamed her absence on everything from anxiety attacks (or so says her unofficial press secretary, Sam Lutfi) to the paparazzi. Legal sources are now saying, though, that if Britney skips the next one, she's in deep $h!t.

Sources close to the ongoing custody war between Britney and Kevin confirm that the "Gimme More" and "Piece of Me" singer is â€" once again â€" scheduled to be deposed by K-Fed's lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, the first week in January.

However, as the train wreck mother of two has already blown off over a half-dozen previously scheduled attempts at being deposed by Kaplan â€" many insiders are convinced that Britney, 26, will be a no-show for this one as well.

Will Britney Spears bail on yet another custody hearing?

The consequences? "She could go to jail for contempt if she refuses to show," a legal experts told OK! Magazine. "That would be extreme for a child custody hearing, but not outside the realm of possibility given the circumstances."

More likely, explains the courtroom insider, is the possibility that team Federline could ask the court to impose additional monetary sanctions on Britney Spears, who is already paying most or all of Kevin's legal costs.

Would jail really be such a terrible thing for Britney right now? It's probably less rank than some of the gas stations she visits every day... and it's harder to kill yourself in jail as well, with no belt, shoelaces and the like. Just saying.