More Horrifying Details Come With New Britney Documentary

Even Britney herself saw it, but she wants to disassociate herself.

In the second installment of the FX and New York Times documentary "Controlling Britney Spears," Britney Spears' assistants, security personnel, and tour managers speak out (now streaming on Hulu). Spears' lawyer is now responding to new allegations of her father, James "Jamie" Spears, bugging Britney's home and accusing him of power abuses.

Mathew Rosengart, Spears' lawyer, filed a supplemental motion on Monday to remove and suspend her father's conservatorship. Rosengart requests that Jamie Spears be suspended "no later than September 29, 2021," the date of the next hearing in the singer's conservatorship case, according to court documents obtained by USA TODAY.

In the petition, Rosengart wrote, "Mr. Spears has crossed unfathomable lines."

Jamie Spears' "suspension will not impede the ultimate termination of the entire conservatorship," according to the court filing, and "the only thing Mr. Spears will 'lose' is something he should never have had — the ability to further harm his daughter."

Spears' father filed a petition earlier this month to end his daughter's conservatorship, which he has had at least in part for the past 13 years. Jamie Spears made a dramatic shift in his position, arguing in court documents for years that his daughter was not ready to be released from guardianship.

The Hulu documentary comes as several other media outlets, including CNN and Netflix, have announced their own programming centered on Spears ahead of the hearing to end the conservatorship on Wednesday. "Framing Britney," the New York Times' first investigative look into the conservatorship, sparked national debate.

In the documentary, Spears' Circus tour manager Dan George said, "The first rule of the conservatorship was that you don't talk about the conservatorship."

Spears addressed the new documentary in an Instagram post on Monday, saying she "watched a little bit" of it and "must say I scratched my head a couple of times," but that she mostly tries "to disassociate myself from the drama" because it's in the "past."

Interviews revealing the private details of Spears' life under what is now a very public conservatorship are included in "Controlling Britney." Here are a few of the most shocking revelations.

Spears' iPhone was monitored by security via iPad.

The New York Times published a bombshell expose titled "The Surveillance Apparatus That Surrounded Britney Spears" the same day "Controlling Britney" premiered, which Rosengart references in his latest court filing. Jamie Spears allegedly "secretly monitored her communication and secretly captured audio recordings from her bedroom, including interactions and conversations with her boyfriend and children," according to the New York Times report.

"Mr. Spears engaged in horrifying and unconscionable invasions of his adult daughter's privacy," according to Rosengart's court petition, which also claims that Spears' father's surveillance "apparently captured attorney-client communications with her prior lawyer, which communications are a sacrosanct part of the legal system."

Alex Vlasov spoke about his time as a member of Spears' security team, which lasted from 2012 to 2021, in the documentary. Spears' father hired Black Box Security, led by Edan Yemini, to provide her with round-the-clock security.

While under conservatorship, Vlasov remembered Spears wanting an iPhone.

"She saw her assistants, dancers, team, and even Edan (Yemini) have iPhones, and she wanted one," Vlasov says. "Everyone was apprehensive."

According to Vlasov, the concerns stemmed from security concerns, with Yemini asking if iPhones had "parental controls." Spears' business management team member Robin Greenhill, according to Vlasov, came up with the idea of monitoring her phone with an iPad and an iCloud account linked to Spears' phone.

"All messages, all Facetime calls, notes, browser history, and photographs would be visible," Vlasov says. "They'd listen in on her conversations with her friends, her mother, and her lawyer, Sam Ingham."

In August, the actress announced on Instagram that she had received an iPad for the first time.

During Spears' Circus tour, her assistants were isolated.

The environment on the Circus tour was described as "toxic" and "yucky" by those who worked there.

Spears' long-time personal assistant was Felicia Culotta. She returned to her assistant role when the Circus tour began, but with new rules.

"It gradually became a situation where I wasn't allowed to be by her side or have a conversation without other people present, which was very strange," Culotta says.

Jamie Spears summoned Culotta to a meeting one day and informed her that she would not be working on the European tour.

Culotta recalls, "He said if (Britney) sees you, she won't go on stage."

She went on the tour despite the orders, but tried to stay out of the pop singer's sight. She did, however, make eye contact with Spears backstage during the last show.

"She took a full running leap and ran all the way down the hall and jumped (sp) onto me and said, 'Fe!... Where have you been?'" Culotta recalls.

"The reason I was kicked out of the support system was because I simply stated, 'If I see something with my eyes, I will tell you.'"

The 'Free Britney' movement was monitored by security.

When news of Spears' conservatorship became public in 2019, the 'Free Britney' movement grew in popularity. The first FX and New York Times installment, "Framing Britney Spears," which premiered on Hulu in February, reignited interest.

"Edan was initially concerned about the "Free Britney" movement because it was something beyond their control, something that was taking shape on its own," Vlasov explains.

When the movement began, Vlasov claims it was "heavily investigated."

"Undercover investigators were stationed among the crowds to speak with fans, identify them, and document their identities. It was all done under the guise of Britney's protection "he declares

Later, Vlasov stated that Spears' testimony in July inspired him to leave Black Box Security.

"It was the polar opposite of everything we'd ever been told about working there," he says. "I think hearing Britney's testimony was the final straw for me to come forward with what I know," she says.


Krees De Guia

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