Britney Spears’ new relationship with her agent Jason Trawick has been semi-confirmed and it looks like she’s relieved that the news is out. She looks incredibly happy whenever she’s seen out with him. Britney sported a diamond engagement-looking ring on her left ring finger while out in LA on Friday, sparking speculation that she’s engaged. Star Magazine ran a story last week that Britney and Jason are engaged and are planning a December wedding. If it’s true, Britney may have decided that she didn’t want to break the news to the public after all. On Friday she showed off the ring by holding her hand out, but by Saturday she sported newly-dyed brunette hair and wore the pretty diamond ring on her middle finger. I’m hoping it’s true and that things are getting serious for Britney abut we’ll have to wait and see.

Britneys’ Twitpic account, the mobile photo upload service used to post photos to Twitter, was hacked. Someone posted a false message that claimed that she had died. Diddy and Ellen Degeneres’ Twitpic accounts were also hacked. Twitpic is not owned by Twitter. They assured users that they’re working on fixing the security vulnerability.

Photo Credit: Fame Pictures

There’s been a lot of buzz around Britney’s very close relationship with her agent, Jason Trawick. Trawick has been touring with her and has been seen on vacation with Britney and her sons. It’s hard to tell if there’s something going on there or if their relationship is just professional and friendly. Britney also travels everywhere with her female assistant. It’s natural that people are going to link her with an attractive man in her entourage, and we heard rumors about these two over a year ago when they were photographed together. Trawick has been Britney’s agent for years, and was seen out with her back when she was still married to K-Fed.

Now People has confirmed that Britney and Jason are more than just friends and co-workers. There is some romance going on there, and Trawick is not only an attentive boyfriend, he’s close to Britney’s sons:

After a tumultuous relationship with paparazzo Adnan Ghalib and a heartbreaking divorce from Kevin Federline, Britney Spears has found somebody new – and her family approves.

Confirming Internet rumors, a source tells PEOPLE that Spears, 27, is romantically involved with her agent, Jason Trawick. “They are totally and definitely dating,” the source says. “Her dad loves him. He’s the best thing that happened to her.”

In recent months, Trawick has often been photographed with the pop star, including during her May trip to the Bahamas with her sons, Preston, 3, and Jaden, 2.

“They’re very sweet together,” the source says, adding that Spears “always had a crush” on Trawick, who is also one of her brother Bryan’s best friends. “He makes Britney really happy, and he’s great with the boys.”

Spears’s rep had no comment.

[From People]

I’m so happy for Britney and that’s wonderful that she’s with a man who she trusts and who isn’t using her for money or fame. Some of the best relationships come out of long friendships, and Trawick is someone she’s known for years. This is such good news for Britney.

Britney is now in Europe with her Circus tour. She will perform until July 26, and will then get a two and a half month break before she heads to Australia on November 11 to the 24.

Britney, Jason, her assistant and boys are shown in the Caribbean on 5/20/09. Credit: Mavrixonline.com

Britney has been seen all over the place with her agent, Jason Trawick, with whom she’s been linked in the past. There’s plenty of speculation in the tabloids that the two are an item, but since Trawick works for Britney and was seen with her way back when she was still married to K-Fed, it’s hard to tell if their relationship is more than just professional. The paparazzi who trail Britney say it’s clear that there’s some kind of romance there, especially considering how much Trawick is around. I’ve seen photos of the guy on vacation with her in the Bahamas, and in a golf cart in Florida holding one of her boys. He’s been Britney’s agent for five years, and the romance rumors have been around since November, 2006 and were reignited again last year when Trawick joined Britney at Mel Gibson’s estate in Costa Rica. She was since briefly linked with a backup dancer, but not much seemed to come of that. Did she fall back into her agent’s arms or was he always just a friend and employee?

Spears and agent Jason Trawick have been spending more and more quality time together, according to celebrity photography site x17online.com.

“In my eyes, Britney and Jason are definitely together,” one of their paparazzi says. “I’ve never seen any other celebrity spend as much time with their agent as Brit does - vacation in Costa Rica, dinner, the Bahamas, running out to get Starbucks on a Saturday afternoon - I mean, it’s not just business as usual.”

PHOTOS: Click for the full gallery of Brit and Jason’s coffee run on x17online.com.

A quick review of the maybe-couple’s sightings shows them in several closer-than-friends scenarios over the past few years.

Plus, Spears has a history of hooking up with her employees: K-Fed was her backup dancer before he became her lead partner.

With her career back in full swing, with her Circus tour and successful guest spots on “How I Met Your Mother,” Trawick is obviously earning his 10 percent.

Whether he has taken similar interest in personally resuscitating her personal life, remains to be seen.

[From Fox News]

Fox News offers a few photos of Britney and Jason together and they do look like more than just co-workers and friends. I hope this is true and that Britney has a great new boyfriend who just likes her for her and isn’t out for fame and cash. He’s earning money from her of course, but he doesn’t seem like a leech like K-Fed and he’s not a scary creep like Sam Lutfi or Adnan Ghalib. Britney has had a few minor setbacks on tour, but she’s doing great. If she has a hot guy by her side and that’s what she was hoping for more power to her. If Trawick is just an attentive agent then Britney is still lucky to have someone who is looking out for her best interests. This wouldn’t be the first time she’s been incorrectly linked to a male employee - remember her hot manny?

Britney, Jason, her assistant and boys are shown in the Caribbean on 5/20/09. Credit: Mavrixonline.com

Britney Spears appears in a faux ad for a supposed new eighth fragrance she’s putting out called ‘Mo. The pop singer promises “one spray and the gays will run your way.” It’s not a real perfume at all, but a viral ad for the LOGO network’s NewNowNext Awards, which are advertised in a small text window to the upper left of the video.

The NewNowNext Awards were hosted by Rupal and will air on the Logo Network on Saturday, June 13th. Britney, Lady Gaga, Vanessa Williams, and Eve are among the celebrities who made appearances in the pre-taped show. Britney was honored with a special award which “pays homage to gay icons,” the Always Next, Forever Now Award. She may have performed in the show, but I doubt it as the press release from Logo doesn’t mention it. If you don’t get Logo you can also watch the show on the air date on LogoOnline.

Photo below thanks to BritneySpears.com

TMZ has the details of some financial documents in Britney Spears’ ongoing conservatorship case and they’re pretty shocking. Britney is earning plenty of cash on her high-energy Circus tour, but it’s also slipping through her fingers like water. She spent over $10 million from February to December of last year:

Britney Spears’ conservators filed legal papers today explaining Britney’s finances right down to the last penny — and let’s just say she’s got a lot of pennies.

From March to December Brit blew $447,633.69 on security alone. Six months of household repairs and maintenance ran her $49,387.22.

Britney also spent $625,000 to pay Kevin Federline’s lawyers, as ordered by the courts. In the docs, the payments are referred to as “Federline Fees.”

K-Fed ain’t doin too bad either — from March to December, Britney kicked over $178,818.00 in child support payments.

Grand total expenses for Brit between Feb. and December — $10,116,678.23.

But the best part: Britney definitely felt the Christmas spirit — she spent $3400 just to hang lights.

[From TMZ]

Is Britney’s enormous overhead part of the reason why she went on tour and is now branching out to dates in Europe? The lawyers really fleeced her in the custody battle and seemed to be making up reasons to bill more hours and spend more time in court. Britney was responsible for paying K-Fed’s legal bills too, and when he seemed to work out a deal on his own to accompany Britney on tour his lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, was quick to go to the press and say that the arrangements weren’t yet worked out. Kaplan just seemed to be pissed that he wasn’t able the broker the deal with his own team and charge Britney tens of thousands for it.

There’s a somewhat related report in this week’s National Enquirer that claims that K-Fed would be willing to reconcile with Britney - if she had control of her own money. With her father as conservator Britney doesn’t have access to her wealth and it’s just not worth it for Fed-Ex to try to get back together. Last week we heard that $40k a month wasn’t enough for the money-hungry dad. He knows he could have a much more extravagant lifestyle with Britney, who surprised him with divorce papers in November, 2006, but the custody cash is as much as he’s going to get unless Britney gets out from under her dad Jamie’s thumb:

Britney Spears laid her cards on the table and told [Kevin]: I want a reconciliation, but first make a good faith move and dump girlfriend Victoria Prince. [Kevin declined due to Jamie's conservatorship]

“If Kevin saw it was in his best interests, he’d dump Victoria,” said a close pal. “But he’ll never entertain a situation where he’s back with Britney and has to ask her dad for money. He cares deeply about his sons, yet knows he can be a good father to them whether he’s with their mother or not. But if Kevin can get back to that lifestyle with Britney he used to enjoy, using her money to raise his profile, he’ll reconcile in a heartbeat. But only if Jamie’s out of the picture as her conservator.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, Mike Walker's column, May 25, 2009]

This guy had several high end custom-detailed luxury cars when he was with Britney, and was regularly seen out wearing six figure watches and ridiculous bling. He didn’t change overnight, but at least he stepped up to the plate to be a good dad to his young boys and put most of that aside for the time being. Britney might pine for the fantasy marriage she never had, but she’d do well to find another partner who is more interested in her and less interested in her cash. She divorced Federline for good reason.

Kevin Federline has been living large since he divorced Britney Spears and gained primary custody of their two boys. Britney pays K-Fed a whopping $20k a month in child support along with additional fees he’s negotiated, like $4k more a week for touring with her so she can see her children when she’s on the road. All that cash is not enough for money-hungry K-Fed, though. Britney’s baby daddy wants more money so he continue to live the lifestyle he’s accustomed to. He’s also blowing money funding another CD for himself despite the fact that he cannot rap and his first effort was widely mocked:

Kevin Federline is having a tough time making ends meet - despite getting $40,000 a month from ex-wife Britney Spears…

“Kevin has blown through millions of dollars,” revealed a source. “When he and Britney divorced, Kevin continued the superstar lifestyle, and he spends all the money he gets.”

The $2 million he received when his and Britney’s house in Malibu was sold is gone, as well as the $500,000 he received for two years of marriage. The money he earned from photos, interviews and personal appearances - estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands - has also been spent.

And despite getting a $5,000-a-month increase in child support last spring - bringing it from $15,000 to $20,000 - his spare-no-expense existence is proving to be more than his wallet can handle.

“Kevin can’t afford the rent, his help, the food and the booze it takes to keep up the place.”

K-Fed is also pouring tens of thousands of dollars into a second CD, even though his first was a failure..

To ease his financial woes, Kevin is moving to a less expensive home in the Chatsworth area of Los Angeles. Also, he’s been pocketing an extra $4,000 a week during March and April to be with Britney on her “Circus” tour…

“Jamie asked Kevin to come to Europe [on Britney's tour] with the boys,” added the source. “Kevin wants double, or $8,000 a week, to accommodate Britney.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, May 18, 2009]

K-Fed’s expenses are out of control, according to The Enquirer, and include a monthly:

- $7,500 for rent, although that’s been reduced now that he’s moved.
- $2,000 for food
- $500-$800 a month on booze
- $2,800 for the nanny
- $3,000 for body guards
- $1,500 for utilities

Why that leaves less than $3k a month in discretionary income if he doesn’t get any extra from Britney to tour with her! How will he ever cope?

The FedEx also pays his ex Shar Jackson’s bills, which is probably where a large chunk of his money is going. Federline is rumored to be in talks to represent NutriSystem’s new men’s line. If he can lose weight on that program he might make enough money to continue to live large, so to speak. Whatever happened to those rumors of a reunion with Britney? Did that ever happen for these two and have they since cooled their hot makeup sex or was all of that wishful thinking by the tabloids?

Header is of Kevin and girlfriend Victoria Prince out on 1/29/09. Credit: Bauergriffinonline. K-Fed is shown below on 3/2/09. Credit: Fame Pictures

Every year, Parade reveals its list of top celebrity earners in its “What People Earn” issue. This year, the list includes everyone from Jennifer Aniston ($27 million) to Tiger Woods ($110 million) and John Grisham ($25 million). Check out the full compilation below:

Jennifer Aniston $27 million
Alex Rodriguez $34 million
Kelly Ripa $8 million
Britney Spears $2.25 million
Patrick Drempsey $3.5
Tiger Woods $110 million
John Grisham $25 million
Rod Blagojevich $177,400
Will Ferrell $31 million
Sarah Palin $125,000
Chelsey Sullenberger $100,000
Beyonce $80 million
Taylor Swift $5.5 million
Carolyn Murphy $4.5 million
Jay-Z $82 million
Barbie $3.3 million
Michael Bloomberg $1 million
Tyler Perry $125 million
Danica Patrick $7 million
Rush Limbaugh $38 million
Tina Fey $4.6 million

from [Parade]

Parade doesn’t do a good job of explaining how they came to these numbers; I assume they are 2008 figures, and take into account the salaries the celebrities were supposed to receive directly (that is, no royalties were taken into consideration).

There are some surprises on the list, including Britney Spears’ lowly $2.25 million (though this may be due to her meltdown and absence from the entertainment scene last year). Even Taylor Swift was able to beat out Britney’s earnings. And I know Tyler Perry’s movies do well at the box office, but geez. $125 million is a lot of dough.

And talk about a power couple: Beyonce’s $80 million along with Jay-Z’s $82 million should make them a nice little nest egg when, and if, they decide to retire.

Say what you will about whether or not celebrities deserve the salaries they get; it’s always interesting to be able to compare the salaries of the celebrities themselves.

Photo credit: PRPhotos

Britney Spears was playing a show in Vancouver, British Columbia, when she stopped after just three songs due to the heavy pot smoke drifting from the crowd. The show was suspended for nearly an hour after an initial announcement that the smoke was unsafe for Britney and the crew. According to Britney’s rep, quoted on PerezHilton, it was indeed a safety issue for the crew above the stage:

The Toxic performer, who doesn’t even sing live at her shows, walked off stage after just three songs.

The concert came to a complete standstill, lights off, for over 20 minutes - when a voice came over the speaker system and announced that the show would not continue if people kept smoking marijuana (and cigarettes) in the arena. The announcer claimed it was “unsafe” for Britney and the performers to continue with the concert.

Almost 40 minutes later, Spears finally took to the stage again, much to the relief of the thousands in attendance. But, one concertgoer tells us, “She did not look into it at all!”…

A rep tells us, “We want to apologize to all the fans who attended our Vancouver show tonight for the brief pause in Britney’s set. Crew members above the stage became ill due to a ventilation issue.”

Sources tell us it really was a safety issue. “We were concerned for the lighting guys and everyone else working on the show…”

After the final encore, as Spears ran off the stage, Britney told the audience, “Thanks Vancouver. You were wonderful. Drive safe. Don’t smoke weed!”

[From Perez Hilton]

I have bad allergies and am very sensitive to secondhand smoke. It makes me dizzy and gives me headaches. It makes sense that this kind of smoking on a wide scale in a closed arena could affect the crew, particularly when it’s pot and they run the risk of getting high. Britney is a smoker, but this is different and it sounds like it wasn’t about her so much as the people who had to work up high where the smoke was drifting. Anyone can be affected by that much smoke, especially when they’re trying to dance around for hours.

Yesterday we heard a maybe completely fabricated cover story from Star Magazine that Britney and K-Fed are hot and heavy again and are hooking up all over the place on tour. Now there’s news that Federline has decided to take his kids home from Britney’s tour because Britney is partying too much and he feels like she’s dumping the boys on him. That kind of takes the wind out of those reconciliation rumors.

This story is worded confusingly, but the gist is that Britney is partying and K-Fed has taken the boys back home with him. They might eventually return and it could be a planned break that OK! is spinning into something more:

“He didn’t sign up to be the babysitter so she could party,” the insider tells OK!. “The idea was to accommodate Britney’s alleged desire to continue seeing the boys on her regular schedule.”

But after Britney’s March 20 hookup with Chase in a Montreal club bathroom and her night at Lotus, Kevin issued an ultimatum. “He wants out of this arrangement and he’ll go back into court to get it changed if he has to,” the source says. “They had a huge argument, with Kevin yelling at Britney that he’s done and taking the boys home.”

Kevin has sole custody of Preston and Jayden, while Britney has supervised visitation only: two overnights plus one additional daytime visit per week. Britney agreed to pay her former husband $5,000 a week to go on the tour with the boys, with a bus to accommodate them.

If Kevin signed an agreement regarding his tour duties, he may need legal assistance to break it and remain at his Tarzana, Calif., home with the kids until Britney wraps the U.S. leg of Circus on May 3. He’s already laid the groundwork by returning to L.A. with the boys right after his ex-wife’s night out in Dallas.

Britney had a few days off and headed to her new house in L.A.’s suburban Calabasas on April 4, then flew to her next stop, Alberta, Canada, two days later without her sons.

[From OK! Magazine]

I’m more inclined to believe this account than Star’s story that Britney and Kevin got busted having sex by her dad and Kevin’s girlfriend. Britney is doing a decent job on tour though from most accounts and this latest setback with the smoke in Vancouver sounds unavoidable and minor. Whether she’s getting it on with K-Fed or arguing with him over getting busy with a male dancer she’s still having fun and continuing to bring it on tour and that’s what really matters.

Britney is shown performing on 3/23/09. Credit: WENN.com

How much do you think Britney’s life story is worth? Lindsay Lohan is rumored to have been paid $2million for her 22 year old story, Miley Cyrus got paid $4million for her tale of 16 years. Britney, at 27, has arguably had a much more interesting life, although perhaps her biography would be worth less since her mother sold a reasonable portion of the tale in her book Through the Storm. However, for Britney, $3million isn’t enough.

The singer summoned publishing bosses to her California home shortly before she embarked on her Circus tour, to discuss a big money memoirs deal to share her life with fans, reports Us Weekly magazine.

But Spears rejected multi-million dollar offers from executives at publishing houses HarperCollins, Random House and Little Brown, because they were a lot less than she expected.

According to insiders, Spears is seeking a figure closer to $8 million.

A source tells Us Weekly, “She was hoping for much more money.”

San Francisco Chronicle

I understand that she wants more money - this is the biggest exclusive ever, telling the whole, unadulterated truth about her teenage sex life (Justin Timberlake watch out!), her rise to fame, her pushy parents, her marriage, her teenage sister’s pregnancy, her mental breakdown and her comeback. Frankly, she could probably make $3million from selling just a portion of that story to People. If Miley Cyrus can get paid $4mil to whinge about how the public perceive her relationship with her father, surely Britney should get more than that, even if she isn’t technically writing it and is working with a ghost author.

I’d buy the Britney authorized biography - I want to know, if nothing else, what possessed her to wear that tunic top with no pants.

Photos are of Britney poolside in Miami on 3/10/09. Header photo credit: Mavrixonline.com. Photo below credit: Bauergriffinonline.com

In Touch has comparison photos in this week’s issue that show just how close Britney’s Circus tour costumes are to some of the flashy outfits Cher wore on stage during her 2004 ‘farewell’ tour. The photos I’ve found here are close, not as close as In Touch’s photos are, but they’re a good approximation

Britney performed in Germany in a top hat, black leotard and boots that looked remarkably similar to one of Madonna’s outfits on her Stick and Sweet tour. Given how similar her outfits are to Cher’s tour, including an Indian-inspired number and of course a big top look, her costume designers must be getting more than just some inspiration from other artists. It’s not a blatant rip off though and there are some differences in the outfits.

Britney is doing well and hanging in there on tour. This week’s Star reports that Britney and Kevin are rekindling their romance as he joins her on tour, but that’s not likely. She’s thought to be having a secret romance with her agent, Jason Trawick, with whom she’s been linked in the past.