Dr. Phil went too far, says Spears family

Dr. Phil went too far,
says Spears family

NEW YORK — Britney Spears’ family says “Dr. Phil” McGraw crossed the line by not keeping his mouth shut after making a house call on the singer last week. Lou Taylor, a business manager for Spears’ mother, Lynne, and younger sister, Jamie Lynn, appeared on NBC’s “Today” show Wednesday and said McGraw had betrayed the family’s trust by talking to the media about Spears’ mental health after showing up at the 26-year-old pop star’s hospital room on Saturday for a visit. “The family basically extended an invitation of trust for him to come in as a resource to support them, not to go out and make public statements,” Taylor said. “Any statement publicly that he made, because he was brought in under this cloak of trust, (is) just inappropriate.” McGraw said earlier this week that he was shelving plans for a show on Spears’ latest breakdown. Mental health professionals also criticized McGraw this week, saying he went too far by showing up at Spears’ room at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles as she was about to be discharged. McGraw fired back at his critics in an interview with “Entertainment Tonight” on Monday. “Somebody needs to step up and get this young woman into some quality care — and I do not apologize one whit, not one second, for trying to make that happen,” he said.

Johnny Cash tribute
concert is scrapped

FOLSOM, Calif. — A concert marking the 40th anniversary of Johnny Cash’s famous concert at Folsom State Prison has been scrapped, with the prison and the promoter blaming each other for the cancellation. The tribute concert, scheduled for Sunday, was to have been staged in the same prison cafeteria where Cash performed before inmates on Jan. 13, 1968.

Today’s birthdays

Baseball Hall-of-Famer Willie McCovey is 70. Singer Frank Sinatra Jr. is 64. Singer Rod Stewart is 63. Rock singer-musician Donald Fagen (Steely Dan) is 60. Boxer George Foreman is 59. Singer Pat Benatar is 55. Rock singer Brad Roberts (Crash Test Dummies) is 44. Rock musician Matt Roberts (3 Doors Down) is 30.