Framing Britney Spears landed on screens this week. The New York Times-produced documentary sheds light on the conservatorship Britney Spears is under, her most troubled years and the Free Britney campaign, which has been driven by devoted fans of the pop superstar.
There has been no shortage of coverage of the highs and lows of Spears, 39. However, the documentary appears to lift the lid on the ways she was let down by those closest to her, the media and the public.
Spears' conservatorship
The She's So Lucky singer has been living under conservatorship since 2008, after she was hospitalised and placed in involuntary psychiatric hold.
Spears shot to fame in October 1998, aged 16, when Baby One More Time topped charts around the world.
Less than a decade later, in January 2008, she was placed under a conservatorship led by her father, Jamie Spears, which gave him complete control of her assets, along with lawyer Andrew Wallet.
"She accepted that the conservatorship was going to happen, but she didn't want her father to be conservator," American lawyer Adam Streisand says in Framing Britney Spears.
The agreement has been altered since. In March 2019, Wallet voluntarily resigned as her co-conservator after 11 years. He resigned two months after Spears went on an "indefinite work hiatus".
In January 2019, Jamie Spears suffered a colon rupture and later temporarily stepped aside from the role that gave him power over her life decisions, while keeping his control over his daughter's finances. In September 2019, the singer's care manager, Jodi Montgomery, temporarily replaced her father as her conservator.
In August 2020, a court extended the arrangement with Montgomery until February 2021. This was a matter of days after Jamie Spears branded the Free Britney movement "a joke".
“Britney is strongly opposed to Jamie’s return as conservator of her person,” a court document from August 2020 states.
Conservatorship confusion from people close to Britney Spears
The documentary interviews a number of people close to the singer and “re-examines her career and offers a new assessment of the movement rallying against her court-mandated conservatorship, capturing the unsavoury dimensions of the American pop-star machine,” according to promotional material.
A key voice in the documentary is Felicia Culotta, Spears' friend and former personal assistant. Culotta claims to have known Spears since she was 5 years old.
Culotta says: "To be honest, I didn’t then nor do I now understand what a conservatorship is, especially for somebody Britney’s age and somebody capable of so much that I know firsthand she’s capable of."
Marketing executive Kim Kaiman, who worked with Spears at the beginning of her career, also appears in the documentary. She implies that the star's father has only ever been driven by money when it comes to his daughter.
"The only thing Jamie ever said to me was: 'My daughter is going to be so rich she’s going to buy me a boat,'" Kaiman says. "That’s all I’m [going to] say about Jamie."
Justin Timberlake's role
As well as casting a harsh light on her father, the documentary also scrutinises her relationship with Justin Timberlake. Since the documentary first aired, many have called for an apology from the former *Nsync singer.
Spears and Timberlake dated from June 1999 to March 2002, and the documentary argues that the Cry Me a River singer "weaponised" their break-up, forcing Spears to take on the role of villain following their split.
The documentary points to a Barbara Walters interview in particular, in which she asks intimate questions about Spears. Timberlake laughs them away instead of shutting down.
#FreeBritney – celebrity reaction
Since the documentary first aired on FX and Hulu on Saturday, February 6, a number of celebrities have tweeted their reactions, mainly using the #freeBritney hashtag.
On Saturday, February 7, "We are sorry Britney" trended on Twitter.
One of the first stars to voice their support was country singer, Kacey Musgraves.
"Everyone should watch the NY Times documentary on @britneyspears that just came out," Musgraves wrote on Instagram. "Never has one person been so used and abandoned by every facet around her. My heart goes out to her. She has always been such an inspiration to me my whole kid / teen life. Wish she could get a re-do."
The sentiment was echoed by Paramore's Hayley Williams, who tweeted: “No artist today would have to endure the literal torture that media / society / utter misogynists inflicted upon her. The mental health awareness conversation, culturally, could never be where it is without the awful price she has paid.”
Sarah Jessica Parker and Meghan McCain simply tweeted: "#FreeBritney".
Courtney Love has also taken to Twitter to show her support, apologising to Spears and thanking the New York Times.
GRAN%20TURISMO
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U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
- Saturday 15 January: UAE beat Canada by 49 runs
- Thursday 20 January: v England
- Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad:
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles
Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly,
Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya
Shetty, Kai Smith
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 2.5-litre, turbocharged 5-cylinder
Transmission: seven-speed auto
Power: 400hp
Torque: 500Nm
Price: Dh300,000 (estimate)
On sale: 2022
Company%20Profile
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ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Indika
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Essentials
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Seattle from Dh6,755 return in economy and Dh24,775 in business class.
The cruise
UnCruise Adventures offers a variety of small-ship cruises in Alaska and around the world. A 14-day Alaska’s Inside Passage and San Juans Cruise from Seattle to Juneau or reverse costs from $4,695 (Dh17,246), including accommodation, food and most activities. Trips in 2019 start in April and run until September.
UAE central contracts
Full time contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Usman, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Sultan Ahmed, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid
Part time contracts
Aryan Lakra, Ansh Tandon, Karthik Meiyappan, Rahul Bhatia, Alishan Sharafu, CP Rizwaan, Basil Hameed, Matiullah, Fahad Nawaz, Sanchit Sharma
The%20specs
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UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate
Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
The language of diplomacy in 1853
Treaty of Peace in Perpetuity Agreed Upon by the Chiefs of the Arabian Coast on Behalf of Themselves, Their Heirs and Successors Under the Mediation of the Resident of the Persian Gulf, 1853
(This treaty gave the region the name “Trucial States”.)
We, whose seals are hereunto affixed, Sheikh Sultan bin Suggar, Chief of Rassool-Kheimah, Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon, Chief of Aboo Dhebbee, Sheikh Saeed bin Buyte, Chief of Debay, Sheikh Hamid bin Rashed, Chief of Ejman, Sheikh Abdoola bin Rashed, Chief of Umm-ool-Keiweyn, having experienced for a series of years the benefits and advantages resulting from a maritime truce contracted amongst ourselves under the mediation of the Resident in the Persian Gulf and renewed from time to time up to the present period, and being fully impressed, therefore, with a sense of evil consequence formerly arising, from the prosecution of our feuds at sea, whereby our subjects and dependants were prevented from carrying on the pearl fishery in security, and were exposed to interruption and molestation when passing on their lawful occasions, accordingly, we, as aforesaid have determined, for ourselves, our heirs and successors, to conclude together a lasting and inviolable peace from this time forth in perpetuity.
Taken from Britain and Saudi Arabia, 1925-1939: the Imperial Oasis, by Clive Leatherdale
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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Suggested picnic spots
Abu Dhabi
Umm Al Emarat Park
Yas Gateway Park
Delma Park
Al Bateen beach
Saadiyaat beach
The Corniche
Zayed Sports City
Dubai
Kite Beach
Zabeel Park
Al Nahda Pond Park
Mushrif Park
Safa Park
Al Mamzar Beach Park
Al Qudrah Lakes
The essentials
What: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
When: Friday until March 9
Where: All main sessions are held in the InterContinental Dubai Festival City
Price: Sessions range from free entry to Dh125 tickets, with the exception of special events.
Hot Tip: If waiting for your book to be signed looks like it will be timeconsuming, ask the festival’s bookstore if they have pre-signed copies of the book you’re looking for. They should have a bunch from some of the festival’s biggest guest authors.
Information: www.emirateslitfest.com
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
