I never thought the day would come when I'll have to say I'm really sorry for Britney Spears, but that only goes to show that no one can ever know for sure what's going on in the life of a celebrity, even when that celebrity is under close media scrutiny day and night. Lynne Spears' official statement with regard to Sam Lufti however comes as just about the biggest revelation I've had in the whole Britney saga, including all the "Britney tell-alls" we've heard from the fallen pop star's former bodyguards, former assistants, former nannies... well, you get the point. And no, to be honest I don't think Lynne is lying as far as the main points she's trying to make are concerned - she may be exaggerating a bit, but we can never be sure. Trouble is, if Lynne's side of the story checks out, it would sure explain some of the things that went on in Brit's life over the past months.

So, was Britney held hostage by Lufti, drugged out and blackmailed emotionally instead of being taken to the hospital for treatment? It's easy to manipulate a person who's mentally ill - not to mention sick and degrading, but let's not get to the personal feelings part just yet. It's a tempting theory, one that would not only turn Britney from a major screw-up into a victim of manipulation and pointless cruelty, but it would also explain some of the particularly weird parts of her behavior - such as the fact that she always used to check into hotels, the fact that she was buying a new car every month and that she was always driving around and not spending too much time inside her house. A hostile home environment, with the ever-present Sam controlling everything must not have been the ideal home, I guess.

The trouble with this well-presented theory is that there's one big gaping hole in it. If Britney felt Lufti was terrorizing her, why didn't she simply kick him out? She has no relation to her, and therefore she's not bound or committed to him in any way. Most normal people would try to get rid of all the negative influences in their lives, particularly if they were as bad as Lynne Spears claims. But take a weak, mentally unstable celebrity, add a power-hungry megalomaniac control freak and there you have it... Anna Nicole Smith all over again. I only hope someone will do something in this case to prevent the tragedy from happening again.