Jan 7, 2008 11:15 am US/Pacific
Britney In Desert, Dr. Phil Show A No-Go
Pop Star Spotted With Paparazzo; TV Shrink Criticized For Capitalizing On Her Troubles
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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According to Norm Clarke of the Las Vegas Review Journal, Spears was seen enjoying a mimosa during a breakfast at the Daily Grill restaurant Saturday morning with paparazzi pal Adnan Ghalib.
CBS
Britney Spears was reportedly spotted sipping a drink in Palm Desert, Calif. a day after she was released from a Los Angeles hospital.
According to Norm Clarke of the Las Vegas Review Journal, Spears was seen enjoying a mimosa during a breakfast at the Daily Grill restaurant Saturday morning with paparazzi pal Adnan Ghalib. A restaurant manager later confirmed to Clarke that it was Spears.
Spears, 26, has been seen with Ghalib, 35, before in recent weeks. He told Us Magazine in December that the two are "just friends."
The troubled young entertainer was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center by paramedics Thursday night after police were called to her home because of a custody dispute with ex-husband Kevin Federline over their two young sons.
As first reported on "Entertainment Tonight" and "The Insider," Spears was released from the hospital Saturday. The news came via a press release from talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw to the entertainment shows, saying that he met with her as she was preparing to leave. He said he's convinced she's "in dire need of both medical and psychological intervention."
Dr. Phil says he'll be speaking about his visit with Spears on his talk show this week, prompting criticism that the visit was for his own gain.
The TV shrink responded to critics by saying he was called in at the family's request.
"I went to see Britney at the request of her family," he told "Entertainment Tonight" correspondent Kevin Frazier in an interview aired on The Early Show. "I talked to (her mother) Lynn, I talked to (her father) Jamie, I talked to Brian, her brother and they were very frustrated that she apparently wasn't going to be held for a longer period of time and they said, will you come talk to her?,' which I said I would."
Dr. Phil added that this was not the first time the family has spoken to him about Spears' troubles.
"I was first contacted by her family over a year ago and maintained a running dialogue with them throughout the last year," he said.
Managing editor Harvey Levin of celebrity Web site TMZ.com said "Britney didn't ask for it, Britney didn't know about it" and he said Spears walked out when Dr. Phil walked in.
TMZ.com said it spoke with eight psychiatrists who don't think Dr. Phil should've been allowed in to see Spears when he doesn't have inpatient privileges.
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