Britney Fatigue: Paparrazo Quits, Ballet 'Meltdown'

When paparazzi have a crisis of conscience over the wellbeing of their celebrity prey, events have clearly reached a serious level. So it is with Britney Spears, the troubled pop star and America's favourite tabloid fodder, who was back under psychiatric evaluation in a Los Angeles hospital last night after the latest in a series of highly publicised meltdowns. [...]

Nick Stern has resigned from Splash, a Los Angeles-based, British-owned celebrity picture agency, in protest at the "aggressive" tactics employed in pursuing Spears, and predicted tragedy.

Stern writes that the stalking of Britney has grown increasingly grim.

    It's not what's being done, it's the way it's being done. As she continues to deteriorate psychologically, I just can't see a positive way out.

One of the specific problems: paps going nutso on the freeway.

    The paps are completely out of control. It's not unusual to have 20 or 30 cars pursuing her at any one time. It's become acceptable to drive at 80mph down the wrong side of the street into oncoming traffic. I was horrified at what goes on. It's so aggressive, there are fights and crashes and slashed tyres. I felt I needed to say something.

That's nuts, and perhaps helps explain why the LAPD not only cordoned off roads "with military precision" for Britney's trip to the hospital, but also arranged with the FAA to keep the skies clear as well.

A modern ballet called Meltdown about pop singer Britney Spears debuts Friday in London.

The 16-minute dance, choreographed by Hubert Essakow, portrays Spears fending off paparazzi, shaving her head and then being carried away by stretcher.

"I became fascinated by the fact we are fascinated with her," Essakow told the BBC.

"You can't open a newspaper without her being in it. I became obsessed by every detail of her life."

The ballet, a one-off performance by the Rambert Dance Company, comes just a day after Spears was whisked off to hospital surrounded by a police motorcade.