Britney, mom engage in ‘shocking slapfest’

The bad blood between Britney Spears and her mother has turned physical.

The troubled pop princess and Lynne Spears had a “shocking slapfest” in mid-June that “left Lynne shaken and Britney more determined than ever to cut her mother out of her life for good,” according to Star magazine.

The trouble reportedly began when Lynne Spears stopped by her daughter’s house with an invitation on the weekend of June 15. “Lynne barged into the house and insisted on taking the kids out to spend some private time with them,” an insider told the tab. “She didn’t ask or suggest, she demanded!” says the insider. “Then she began denigrating Britney’s mothering skills and losing her temper at the same time!”

It was because of the cat fight that Spears served the legal papers against her mother, but the buzz is that Lynne Spears is mulling a countersuit. But she doesn’t completely blame her daughter — she believes the Toxic star is suffering from depression.

“Despite their problems, Lynne cares deeply for Britney and wants to find a way to help her,” a “friend” told Star.  “She thinks antidepressant drugs may be the answer.  Lynne feels Britney has severe depression issues, and they are in large part the cause of her apparent manic behavior and past problems with alcohol.” 

Timberbiel going public?
Things are going a little more smoothly for Spears’s ex and his supposed new sweetie.

Justin Timberlake is rumored to be dating Jessica Biel, and the word is they’ll be taking their relationship public soon.

“I think they’re perfect for each other,” Lance Bass, Timberlake’s former bandmate, told Life & Style. “They’re so happy.”

The twosome will appear as a couple for the first time at MTV’s Video Music Awards on September 9, a source told the mag. “It’ll be the first time they make the scene together,” says the insider. “They’re going to hit all the parties!”

Notes from all over
Tension was in the air with Hilary Duff and her nemesis Nicole Richie recently. Joel Madden and Richie were having a romantic dinner at L.A.'s Chateau Marmont — while his ex-girlfriend Duff was a few tables away, reports In Touch Weekly. Although they were in the same place, “there was no greeting, no acknowledgement,” a witness told the mag  . . .  Mark Consuelos says he's lucky to have married Kelly Ripa. “She's pretty much fulfilled all of my requirements and then some," he told Redbook. “You've gotta be smart, have beautiful eyes, be funny. You've gotta be adventurous and a challenge. She's all of those things. And beautiful. And sexy. Let me just put it this way: I married way above my station.” . . . Perrey Reeves says she loves shooting those steamy loves scenes as Jeremy Piven's wife in “Entourage.” “He always makes me laugh. I don’t have to do much. All I do is react to him!” the woman known on screen as Mrs. Ari Gold told OK! magazine. “I adore Jeremy, so the scenes are really fun. Of course, there’s a crew of 25 men, and I’m the only one in my underwear! No one’s allowed to say anything because that would be considered sexual harassment, but I’m like, ‘I’m in my underwear — would someone please say something nice?’ ”

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