No, not us, as in The Gossip. We’re talking about Us Weekly, as the beleaguered Britney Spears is reportedly battling the celeb tabloid yet again.
In a statement released through her record label, the expectant mother said she and her deadbeat, freeloading husband, Kevin Federline, were outraged and saddened that photos of a recent family vacation in Miami ended up in Us Weekly after being “stolen by an unknown perpetrator.”
Although the photos actually depict some happy, decidedly uncontroversial moments for for Mr. & Mrs. Federline (as opposed to Harper’s Bazzar’s nude Britney Spears spread), the couple is considering legal action against the magazine for publishing the pics without their permission, E! Online reports.
Us Weekly issued a statement denying that the magazine resorted to illegal means in order to obtain the photos.
“Any charge that Us Weekly stole these photos is preposterous. The magazine acquired the photos strictly through legal means,” an Us spokesperson said.
This is just the latest in a long-running feud between Spears and Us that has resulted in frequent barbs and court battles. To sum up:
December 2005: Britney sued the publication for $20 million after a column claimed Spears and Federline were worried about a “raunchy sex video” of their exploits would become public. According to the suit, said tape does not exist.
The Rebuttal: The magazine stands by its source.
February 2006: New mom Brit said she was “disturbed” by Us’ decision to publish her private honeymoon photos.
The Rebuttal: Us shot back, stating that “Coming from a celebrity who sold pictures of both her wedding and her stepdaughter, it’s unlikely the issue here is privacy. Could it be that Britney is seeing red after not seeing the green from these photos? Britney Spears should start a magazine if she’d like to dictate her own coverage.”
March 2006: On her website, Spears posted an angry tirade aimed at “false tabloids,” calling out Us Weekly, In Touch and Star in particular for printing lies and employing liars.
The Rebuttal: “Unlike other magazines that pay for access to Britney, the writers at Us Weekly have high journalistic standards and do their own researching and reporting for all stories. Our coverage of Britney has proven to be accurate,” the magazine said in a statement.
Yikes. Maybe Spears should just start up her own publication, as she told Matt Lauer she wanted to while being interviewed on Dateline.
“You know what? I need to create my own magazine. These people like — I mean, they want stories to sell and they’re very good. I need to come up with my own magazine and say the real deal,” she said.
We have another idea, Britney. Just read The Hollywood Gossip instead! We have no love for Us (or Paris Hilton, or Ashlee Simpson). Tell you what — you can have your own column, and we won’t even edit it! Deal?