Britney’s father retains conservator status

Britney’s father retains conservator status

LOS ANGELES — Britney Spears’ father will retain control of the pop singer’s finances and personal affairs through the end of the year.

Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Reva Goetz extended James Spears’ conservatorship over his daughter Thursday morning until the end of 2008.

Goetz opened the hearing by saying the singer “reluctantly agreed” to extend the arrangement, and scheduled an update hearing for October.

The pop singer’s father assumed control over personal life and finances earlier this year after a series of high-profile incidents of erratic behavior that twice led to her being hospitalized.

Spears has since shown signs of improvement, settling a custody dispute with Kevin Federline, making successful TV cameos and working on an album this summer. Neither Spears or her father appeared in court Thursday.

Alicia Keys snubs out cigarette brand from gig

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Philip Morris International pulled down billboards and posters promoting an Alicia Keys concert Thursday in Indonesia’s capital after the singer protested the cigarette company’s sponsorship.

The logo and slogans of A Mild cigarettes, produced by a Philip Morris affiliate, featured prominently in promotional materials for the concert.

The Washington-based Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids anti-smoking organization initially drew Keys’ attention to the company’s association with the show.

In a letter released by her record company, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, she said she had asked the company to stop the branding.

“I am an unyielding advocate for the well-being of children around the world and do not condone or endorse smoking,” she said.

Philip Morris International did not say whether it was demanding its money back, nor reveal how much it had paid to sponsor the event.

More than 30 percent of Indonesia’s 220 million people smoke, making it the fifth-largest tobacco market in the world, according to the World Health Organization.

‘Girls Gone Wild’ founder settles another suit

PANAMA CITY, Fla. — “Girls Gone Wild” video founder Joe Francis has settled another of the many legal cases against his soft porn empire.

The 35-year-old multimillionaire reached a settlement this week with a Panama City woman who said she was 16 when filmed flashing her breast in 2002.

Her picture was on the cover of a popular video.

Francis’ attorney says the woman will not be paid but will be freed of a countersuit alleging she abused the legal process.

Francis was released after a year in jail in March after pleading no contest to child abuse and prostitution for filming underage Panama City girls.

He is facing federal tax evasion charges in California.

Today’s birthdays

Cartoonist Tom Wilson (“Ziggy”) is 77. Actor-comedian Dom DeLuise is 75. Blues musician Robert Cray is 55. Singer Michael Penn is 50. Singer Joe Elliott of Def Leppard is 49. Rapper Chuck D of Public Enemy is 48. Guitarist Suzi Gardner of L7 is 48. Rapper Coolio is 45. Singer Adam Duritz of Counting Crows is 44. Country singer George Ducas is 42. Actress Tempestt Bledsoe (“The Cosby Show”) is 35. Singer Ashley Parker Angel (O-Town) is 27.