Mel Gibson has twin sons who turn 26 this year, Edward and Christian, who both have stints in rehab. Ed was out of rehab late last year for an alcohol and cocaine addiction, and Christian got a DUI in 2006 and checked into rehab in late January of this year. Mel, who has also has a well publicized DUI under his belt, has recently befriended pop singer Britney Spears, 26. Britney has spent time at Mel’s estate in Costa Rica and has been seen out to dinner with him and his family.

While some speculated that Mel wanted to help Britney with her personal problems, and others wondered if he was trying to convert her to his unique brand of Catholicism, Mel may have had another motivation for spending time with Britney. The National Enquirer reports that Mel tried to set Britney up with the less messed-up twin her age, Edward, but that Britney wasn’t having that. Mel’s son Edward is working his recovery program and the Enquirer says Mel believed he would be a good influence on her.

[Mel Gibson] believed his son Edward - who was in rehab last year for cocaine and alcohol addition - had turned his life around and could help Britney do the same, an insider told The Enquirer.

“Mel felt Ed would be a great influence on Brit, and if the relationship turned to romance, all the better,” said the insider.

So Gibson arranged a meeting between the pair at Britney’s home in the Hollywood Hills last March, said the source.

“He sincerely believed that his son could help Britney stay on the straight and narrow and that they might hit it off as a couple as well,” the insider explained.

But Britney, 26, gave the cold shoulder to Mel and Edward…

“She hid from them most of the night,” revealed the insider. “Mel and his son spent most of the evening talking to her bodyguards.”

[From The National Enquirer, print edition, July 7, 2008]

There must have been no hard feelings between Britney and Mel after she tried to avoid the set up with one of his sons. She was seen at his Costa Rican getaway in mid-May. Britney also brought along a man with whom she’s been romantically linked in the past, agent Jason Trawick. Maybe Britney and Jason were already dating at that point and she wasn’t open to meeting Mel’s son or maybe she just wasn’t interested in the guy. Can you imagine thinking it’s a good idea to set up Britney Spears with a member of your family, though? At that point it had only been two months since she had that big melt down and was hospitalized.

In related news, OK! Magazine reports that Britney and Kevin had a “secret meeting” with their lawyers over the custody of their two boys. It is thought they are working to avoid having to go to trial to hash out custody issues. The talks were said to be unsuccessful, though, with neither of them willing to compromise. Britney went back home and then had a massage at the Ritz Carlton.

Britney is shown shopping at Fred Segal with her bodyguards on Tuesday, 6/24, thanks to WENN.

Star Magazine has a cover story this week titled “Jamoe Lynn: Delivery Room Drama!” OMG! Jossip offers invaluable analysis of this probably half bullshit, half embellished story. They say that by having an exclusive deal with OK! Magazine for photos and stories about her baby, Jamie Lynn incurred the tabloid editor’s wrath more so than your average celebrity.

Here are the supposed details of Jamie Lynn’s “Delivery Room Drama!” Star claims Casey passed out, Britney pled with Jamie Lynn to have a cesarean, and mother hen Lynn insisted on being in the room when Jamie Lynn gave birth, cursing her out like a movie cliché of a delivery room scene:

In the new issue of Star, on newsstands now, we have all the details about Jamie Lynn’s delivery room drama — including her life-threatening decision, emergency surgery to save the baby, Britney’s jealous episode, Lynne Spears fighting with everyone and the brouhaha over a paternity test.

“The baby’s heart rate dropped every time she tried to push,” a family insider tells Star. “They did an ultrasound and quickly discovered that the umbilical cord was too short.” But despite the doctors’ dire warnings, the 17-year-old “was adamant about having a natural delivery.”

Everyone in the room at Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center in McComb, Miss., pleaded with Jamie Lynn to listen to the doctors — including big sister Britney. Brit had already been with Jamie Lynn for hours, massaging her back as she endured painful contractions. “But she got mad,” says the insider. She told Jamie Lynn to “just have a damn Caesarian,” as she did. “Britney then ran out in tears because she couldn’t bear to see what was happening.”

The girls mother, Lynne, only added to the tension. “Lynne was already angry because her daughter didn’t want her in the delivery room at all,” says the source. “But she had insisted on being there, along with Casey Aldridge, Jamie Lynn’s boyfriend. Jamie Lynn cussed and yelled at her mom, and told her to get out. She cursed Lynne for bringing her into the world to bear such pain.”

[From Star Magazine’s website]

How poetic of Star: “She cursed Lynne for bringing her into the world to bear such pain.” I love that line. I’ve never heard of an umbilical cord being too short, but I Googled it and it does happen and can result in increased infant mortality.

Jossip notes that the article also claims that “Lynn Spears, Maddie’s grandma, wants a DNA test right away because she doesn’t believe Aldridge is the father.” Their explanation of how so many things went wrong with the birth is a lesson in a tabloid scorned:

You know what you get when you’re a celebrity and you sign an exclusive deal with a tabloid? Bad karma from the rest of the magazines.

Jamie Lynn Spears, who signed a $1 million exclusive deal with OK! for her pregnancy story and pics, is getting stabbed by Star with a dramatic cover story exclaiming, “Delivery Room Drama!” Since Spears is prohibited from playing ball with the other celeb weeklies, there’s only one thing Star can do: deliver one piece of bad news after another. If only Spears hadn’t signed with OK!, she could’ve scored some protection.

[From Jossip]

Star spreads a lot of fake news about celebrities but it’s particularly malicious when they’re blocked from a coveted story. On the remote chance that all of this is true, you could also say that Jamie Lynn had an unremarkable natural birth despite some minor complications and pressure from her doctors and family to have a c-section.

Britney Spears was in court today – but this time she wasn’t in any sort of trouble. In fact the hearing was the result of all the positive progress Britney has made in the last few months. She was requesting extended visitation with her sons Sean Preston and Jayden James, who will be 3 and 2 years old in September. Britney was awarded overnight visitation, and it seems that all parties were happy with the decision.

Britney Spears has made a subtle change for the better—and, it follows, so too have her custody rights. This morning’s court session, attended by both Spears and Kevin Federline, resulted in “a change of visitation status” for the new aunt, Los Angeles Superior Court spokesman Allan Parachini told reporters at a brief posthearing press conference. “Both sides have been very cooperative the past couple of weeks.”

While Parachini wasn’t spilling the beans, sources tell E! News that Court Commissioner Scott Gordon granted Spears overnight visits rights with sons Sean Preston and Jayden James. Federline still has primary physical custody of the boys.

The outcome seemed to sit well with both parties. When leaving the courtroom, Spears, 26, told reporters she was happy with today’s decision, and Federline, 30, made his way through the media scrum with a smile on his face.

[From E! News]

Britney even showed up on time to the 8:30 a.m. hearing – though just by a few minutes. Still, it was all good progress. Britney is now being represented by her old lawyer Laura Wasser, having fired Stacey Phillips. Wasser wasn’t able to deal with Brit’s craziness several months back, so it’s another sign of progress that she was willing to take Britney as a client again.

According to E! News, Brit is hoping to eventually be granted permission to take the boys to Louisiana to meet their new cousin Maddie soon. It looks like Britney has made a lot of progress, and it’s great that’s being recognized.

Header of Britney arriving at LAX from Louisiana after the birth of Jamie Lynn’s daughter on June 20th. Images thanks to WENN.

I guess Britney Spears had all the Kentwood, Louisiana she could take. Or maybe it was all the Spears’ family she could handle. Spears boarded a plane on Wednesday to go to her hometown and be present for the birth of younger sister Jamie Lynn’s daughter. But after one full day in the joint, she’s ready for the pampered life of a starlet again. The pop star was seen boarding a plane with her dad today to head back to her home in Beverly Hills. Because I’m sure she has a lot more important things to do than bond with her new niece or help her teenage sister take care of an infant. That’s Mommy Lynne’s job anyway, right?

Britney Spears has a tearful goodbye with her family as she left her hometown of Kentwood, Louisiana the day after younger sister Jamie Lynn gives birth to a daughter, Maddie Briann.

Spears, 26, is likely on her way back to her home in Beverly Hills. (The singer is currently at work on a new album, her vocal producer and co-writer Jim Beanz confirmed exclusively to Usmagazine.com.)

Maddie Briann was born Thursday weighing 7 lbs., 11 ounces. She is the first child for Jamie Lynn, 17, and fiance Casey Aldridge.

“I’m sure the baby’s beautiful, and I’m so glad everybody’s healthy and doing well,” cousin Alli Sims told Us an after-party for Wanted in Los Angeles on Thursday.

“I just wish them all the happiness in the world,” she said. “I know they’re going to have so much fun.”

[From Us Weekly]

Ah, yes. Cousin Alli. Like anyone in the Spears family talks to that dumb waste of space anymore. Anyway, I’m sure Britney needed to get back to see her two little boys, but I can’t help think that it’s going to be a long time before she sets foot in Kentwood again, even if her mom told a judge that she’s eventually going to move back there. And I suppose she doesn’t have a whole lot of parenting wisdom to impart to her little sister anyway.

Update by Celebitchy: Here is Britney arriving at LAX yesterday with her father and assistant. Britney was surrounded by 30 paparazzi and TMZ reports that there was a fight between one of her bodyguards and a photographer. The cops were called, but the two made up afterwards and no one was arrested. Thanks to WENN for these photos.

The Spears family seems to be moving forward in a mostly positive, healthy, normal manner – at least for them. According to several reports, Britney is leaving for her hometown of Kentwood, Louisiana later this week, to be with pregnant little sis Jamie Lynn. She may stay up to a month.

Hopefully Britney won’t be passing on any parenting techniques. Well, maybe a few she learned by trial and error: don’t drop the baby (especially when photographers are around); always use a car seat; don’t drive with a kid on your lap… you know, the kind of lessons most parents really have to just learn for themselves.

While Britney’s spending some quality time at home, her dad Jamie is selling her house. He got permission from the court yesterday – though presumably Britney’s okay with it too.

Earlier today, a Los Angeles court commissioner OK’d a request from Spears’ conservatorship asking for permission to put the property on the market. The court approval comes days after Spears was spotted looking at a $5.6 million, 7,300-square-foot house (above) in the L.A. suburb of Encino, closer to the home base of ex-husband Kevin Federline and the ex-couple’s sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James.

Spears has not exactly endeared herself to fellow denizens of the community, who have complained about the constant presence of paparazzi outside the gates. Some reports have blamed Spears as the reason neighbor Ed McMahon has not received a single offer on his $6.5 million house that’s facing foreclosure.

[From E! News]

It sounds like it’d be a good idea for Britney to get a fresh start. She’s made a lot of big improvements to her life; certainly moving closer to her sons would be another one. And if it helps Ed McMahon, who wouldn’t want to do it?

Britney’s conservatorship is slated to be extended or go to trial in early August. If all parties agree to extend it, nothing will happen, but if Britney doesn’t agree to her dad retaining legal control of her life, she has the right to a jury trial. Can you imagine the drama? Britney wasn’t in court yesterday – her lawyers said she was out of town, but didn’t specify where – but she and her lawyer will be going over her options in the next week.

The evil, gossipy part of me hopes she doesn’t agree to extend her conservatorship, just for the drama of a trial. The slightly more benevolent part of me hopes Britney agrees to keep everything moving forward. Little sister Jamie Lynn is expected to deliver her baby sometime near the end of the month. Hopefully all that family time will be good for everyone.

Britney Spears and Kevin Federline both spent the weekend in Las Vegas – but by all accounts, they did so separately. Brit was there to celebrate Father’s Day with her dad, while Kevin was there to celebrate his own Father’s Day… albeit without his kids. Kevin was busy receiving an award for Father of the Year from Prive nightclub. Whoever thought a club would be handing out awards to doting parents? Can you say “cheap attempt to get quasi-famous people to hang out there?”

According to a source inside Vegas’ Mirage Hotel & Casino, where Brit and dad were holed up for the holiday, the singer spent her afternoon in Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at The Mirage. “She swam side by side with the dolphins at the resort in a private pool,” says the insider. “Later she gushed over Siegfried & Roy’s six-week old tiger cubs in their special nursery at the Secret Garden taking pictures of the cubs with a female friend.”

The singer was so enamored, she even stopped by the habitat’s gift shop to pick up a plush tiger and plush lion, perhaps for her boys back in L.A.

[From OK Magazine]

Britney had to have her extensions redone after swimming with the dolphins. I can’t imagine how confusing it must be for a dolphin to look up and see Britney Spears next to it, trying to hang on to her matted non-human hair. If I were a dolphin, I’d get my ass to another pool before she clogged up the drain.

Brit spent the rest of her day at a topless-optional pool, though by TMZ’s account she kept her top on – though wore a sun dress so short she nearly exposed her bottom on several occasions.

K-Fed didn’t just party it up with a few friends in Vegas – he brought along his lawyer. Because nothing says “Good Times!!” Like Mark David Kaplan.

Looking dapper in a black suit and red tie, Federline, 30, arrived at Prive just before 1 a.m. with an entourage of about 30, including his divorce lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan. At a VIP table, Federline nodded his head to several hip-hop songs and paid little attention to the risqué fashion show that was happening on top of the club’s deejay booth.

At around 2:30 am, Federline headed to the back kitchen of the club, where he was presented with a “Father of the Year” trophy out of the public eye, an honor he told reporters “surprised” him.

[From People]

I doubt K-Fed was all that surprised, considering the club announced the “honor” several weeks ago. Before you think he’s actually a terrible dad, spending Father’s Day in Vegas while his kids are at home in L.A., People reports that he jetting home early Sunday morning to spend the day with Jayden and Sean.

It sounds like both Britney and Kevin had a good weekend and behaved themselves. You’d almost think they were semi-normal, real adults or something.

Here’s K-Fed arriving at Prive to be honored as ‘Father of the Year’ as part of Father’s Day weekend on Saturday. Header of Britney from June 10th. Images thanks to WENN.

Being pregnant in summertime must suck. Being pregnant at 17 must really suck. Put those two things together, and you have whole new levels of suckitude. And unfortunately for Jamie Lynn Spears, that is exactly what she is going through. “Insiders” (I love “insiders” – I imagine they’re mostly comprised of small house rodents and bugs that report back to E! News and Star once a week) say Spears is in the last few weeks of her pregnancy, and is remarkably uncomfortable. She’s also been dealing with some false labor cramps.

“She’s feeling so large and just feeling all the discomfort that comes with it,” a source close to Jamie Lynn tells E! News. The pregnant teen has also been hit with some mild cramps for the past two days, our insider says. “Sounds like some false labor pains,” says the friend. “But nothing serious enough to go to the hospital over. They called her doctor, but everything’s fine.”

At least the pregnant teen has plenty of support. Daddy Casey Aldridge is doing his best to make her feel better, rubbing her back when the cramps kick up, says our source. And her mom is at her side, pitching in with last-minute nursery decorating. But the humid summer heat plaguing Mississippi (where the parents-to-be own a home) isn’t helping. Even a brief trip outdoors leaves her sticky with sweat.

“Britney apparently called her recently and ordered her to stay inside, under the air conditioning, as much as possible,” the source says. “It was really cute.” Britney and father Jamie have been calling regularly to check in on the mommy-to-be, who is expected to deliver at the end of this month. Unless, of course, the baby’s late.

“Jamie Lynn knows first babies have a habit of being late,” says the pal. “And she isn’t too happy about it. I think she’s ready for all this pregnancy stuff to be over and the mommy stuff to start.”

[From E! News]

I’m under the impression that once the “mommy stuff” starts, that when things really get difficult. I mean it’s great that you’re not throwing up all the time anymore, but it’s more than made up for with the crying and the diapers and lack of sleep. I’m no expert, but I really don’t think Jamie Lynn’s going to find motherhood to be some permanent reprieve.

It does seem like she’s willing to really focus on her baby, since she bought a house near her mom’s home in Kentwood, Louisiana. At first everyone was assuming she’d raise her baby in Los Angeles while working on her acting career. But last time I checked, Kentwood wasn’t exactly the Hollywood of the South. So it sounds like Jaime Lynn will probably focus on raising her baby for now. Hopefully the next few weeks won’t be too uncomfortable for her, and the baby won’t be late.

Here’s a bad idea for you: raise three kids, two of whom are known worldwide for their mistakes – and then release a parenting book. If you’re Lynne Spears, you might just be delusional enough to think that’s a good idea. Once Jamie Lynn got pregnant, Lynn put the project on hold. Since then, it sounds like the concept has been reworked. The publisher is no longer calling it a parenting book – instead it’s being peddled as a memoir. Much smarter idea.

Lynne Spears’s memoir about raising her famous daughters Britney and Jamie Lynn will be released this fall, the publisher confirms to PEOPLE.

“When Jamie Lynn got pregnant, it was put on hold,” says a spokesman for Thomas Nelson, which publishes inspirational books and Bibles. “Lynne never stopped working on it because she wants to express her love for her children and tell their stories through a mother’s eyes.” Through the Storm: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a Tabloid World” is likely to be released in September, says the spokesman.

“Lynne has had a dramatic life. People will be be very surprised to find out the kind of person she really is,” says Lorilee Craker, who worked with Spears on the project. “Lynne has been incredible to work with.” Spears’s manuscript “will not be a parenting book,” Nelson says. “It’s her story of what it was like being a mom and raising two very famous people. It’s a memoir.”

[From People]

It’ll be interesting to see if Lynne defends her parenting, admits to her mistakes, or just glosses over them. It’s been widely reported that she let Britney get breast implants at 16 and encouraged her to overtly exploit her sexuality for the sake of her career. Jamie Lynn got pregnant at 16. Her oldest child, Brian, lives in New York and isn’t involved in show business. He’s arguably the kid that’s turned out the best – though if nothing else, Jamie Lynn is still very young and despite the pregnancy could still turn out great. So could Britney, to be fair.

Lynne Spears doesn’t seem as delusional as someone like Dina Lohan, but she’s still got some explaining to do. Depending on how she handles tough issues in her book, it could drastically sway people’s opinion about her. If she fesses up to her mistakes, it could make you feel some empathy for a mother that tried and failed. But if she spends too much time defending her decisions, it could cause a serious backlash.

Here are some pictures of Lynne Spears with her daughters over the last year. Images thanks to WENN.

Apparently Jamie Spears is the new Joe Simpson. Papa Spears isn’t just improving Britney’s finances and fragile mental state –according to Star magazine, Jamie has offered Kevin Federline up to $14 to reconcile and eventually remarry Brit. Whoever said arranged marriages were out of vogue?

The story is in Star, so it could be totally made up - the plethora of exclamation points always makes you wonder. But considering just how much K-Fed has gotten his act together – and just how much Jaime Spears has gotten Britney’s act together – you can’t help but wonder if this is true. And rumors of this nature have been floating around for a little while now.

They say money can’t buy love, but Britney Spears’ dad doesn’t believe it. Jamie Spears has offered Brit’s ex Kevin Federline a $14.5 million incentive package to reconcile with and remarry his daughter, a source tells tar - and he’s doing it behind Britney’s back!

“Jaime’s been after Kevin to get back with Britney for months. He knows he may have to pay to get it done - and the money would come out of Britney’s assets, which he now controls,” the source said, adding that Jamie first approached K-Fed a few weeks ago with a $2 million offer. but Jamie is so desperate to make this reunion happen, “he keeps raising the stakes!

“His latest offer is $4.5 million in cash and a trust account set up with another $5 million if Kevin moves back in with Britney within a year. If they actually remarry, Jamie will add another $5 million to Kevin’s account.” Even if Britney, 26, asks for a divorce within two years, the source says, Kevin gets to keep all the money. “All in all, Jamie told Kevin, he’ll make out very well.”

[From Star Magazine, June 16, 2008, print ed.]

There’s only one problem with this. Scratch that – there’s at least one big problem with this. While Jamie does have control of Brit’s finances, I seriously doubt that means he can spend her money willy nilly. I’m sure he’s held accountable to someone, and if nothing else could get the crap sued out of him if he misappropriates Brit’s cash. How in the world is he going to “secretly” spend $14 million? I really doubt a judge – or whoever Jamie has to justify this to – would sign off on buying Britney a husband.

According to Star, Kevin is holding out for a cool $20 million. Apparently that’s how much a man demands in order to sleep with - and deal with - Britney Spears.

And considering how crazy her life was under K-Fed’s influence, you have to wonder how much good he really can do for her. True, Federline has dramatically cleaned up his act in the past few years. But it’s hard to say he was good for Britney the first time around, regardless of where they both are now in their lives. But according to Star, Jamie Spears believes that K-Fed really does complete Britney, crazy as it is.

Jamie supposedly thinks that he and K-Fed could open a Britney-themed company of some sort, with Kevin managing all the marketing. It’d have the good old Britney clothes, dolls, lunchboxes, etc. All the stuff she was able to sell in mass quantities to teenagers when she was one herself. The question still remains though: even if Britney gets back into the studio and records good stuff, will she still be relevant to today’s teenagers, 10 years after her big break? Something tells me her original fans - now in their mid-twenties - won’t be lining their shelves with Britney dolls anytime soon.

Britney supposedly purchased her future grave site this week. While at first I thought that was a sign that she was regressing, if the story is true it’s actually a big step forward, as she told her that she wanted to be buried there when she dies at 101.

Troubled Britney Spears has reportedly chosen her own burial plot. The ‘Toxic’ hitmaker visited Hollywood’s Forever Cemetery over the weekend; and after looking at the graves of Marilyn Monroe and Italian actor Rudolph Valentino, the 26-year-old decided she wants to be laid to rest there.

A source reveals, “Britney is fascinated with Marilyn and visits her grave often. Since she’s been getting her life together she’s been reading about the star and recently has been glued to a book about the actress. She’s fascinated that Marilyn asked her favorite make-up artist to make her look beautiful after she died and picked her own burial plot. So when Britney saw Rudolph Valentino’s grave at the cemetery she shrieked and said she wanted one.

“She told her aides, ‘I’m going to live so I want to be brought to the Forever Cemetery when I’m 101′.”

[From Showbiz Spy via Gossip Rocks]

Photos are older file images of Britney and Kevin when they were together; thanks to WENN.

I could barely bring myself to write this article; and then I realized: if K-Fed can do this, Britney can too. Federline has been named Father of the Year by Prive Las Vegas. Is this a joke, you ask? Perhaps the club is hoping to get a discount in K-Fed’s hosting fees? Who knows, but either way the man’s going to have a new trophy… or maybe a plaque… or some sort of certificate… okay it’s likely just a “World’s Greatest Dad” mug, but it’ll be proudly displayed somewhere in the Federline mansion, I’m sure.

Kevin Federline is the new father of the year!

Just in time for Father’s Day, Prive Las Vegas will award the proud papa of four his “father of the year” status at a party he is slated to host there June 13.

Sources tell PEOPLE he will be awarded the title during a presentation at the club.

The unofficial honor is Federline’s second such recognition in a relatively short time. Last November, Details magazine also anointed him father of the year – an honor he shared with onetime Anna Nicole Smith boyfriend Larry Birkhead.

[From People]

While this seems like a great big giant joke, it’s pretty damn real. But there is some hope here: K-Fed has become a much better father. We can argue all day about why, but the point is by all accounts he’s been there for his kids lately. Two years ago, if someone had told me K-Fed would get an award for anything other than “Biggest Wife Beater Collection” I would have told them to give the crack pipe back to Tatum O’Neal and leave me alone. Which would have been quite prophetic of me, given that we’re talking two years in the past.

But anyway, if K-Fed can become father of the year, imagine what Britney can do. By this logic, she could easily be president or an astronaut within the next five years. See, there’s hope for us all…

Here’s K-Fed celebrating his 30th birthday at Pure nightclub in Las Vegas on March 21st. Images thanks to WENN.