Britney Spears’ latest sidekicks are coming under scrutiny. I’m told there’s a lot of concern about her latest pal, Sam Lutfi, as well as her constant "cousin" Alli Sims. (They’re not blood relatives.) The latter has her own Web site and still has her sights set on becoming a pop star. The complaint among those who know all the players: It’s very "All About Eve."
As for Lutfi, to say Britney’s old friends are skeptical about him is an understatement. But he has become ubiquitous in Spears’ world. Sources say they were introduced by her mother, Lynn Spears.
What do they have in common? Lutfi is as used to the courtrooms of Los Angeles as Spears is. According to public documents, he’s had numerous tax liens and a couple of lawsuits brought against him.
In 2000, he lost a judgment of $34,246 when a San Francisco cleaning company sued him and his partner, D-movie producer Ted Collins (aka Edward W. Collins III). According to records, the judgment has not been satisfied.
Lutfi and Collins briefly were associated at the time through a company called Bulldog Pictures. According to IMDB.com, Lutfi was executive producer on a Collins movie called "Circles" and producer on another called "Bug Buster." The key words on IMDB are "blood splatter" and "horror," i.e. not exactly "The English Patient." Lutfi’s career in films seems to have ended in 2001.
Lutfi’s involvement with Spears comes just as her "Blackout" album is a week from release. Although she is not exactly a groundbreaking recording artist, Spears might have managed to dig up a hit record. A track called "Heaven on Earth" is the catchiest piece of radio pop I’ve heard in some time and much better than anything else on the otherwise uneven album.
"Blackout" — No. 33 on Amazon.com — contains 15 tracks. We already know "Gimme More" more than we want to. I’ve already told you about a few others, such as "Hot as Ice," in which Spears uses the F-word, "Break the Ice," "Radar" and "Piece of Me," in which she warbles about her friends the paparazzi.
The other tracks are "Get Naked," "Freakshow," "Get Back," "Why Should I Be So Sad," "Perfect Lover," "Toy Soldier," "Outta This World," "Ooh Ooh Baby" and "Everybody."
So far, "Gimme More" has been more of a cause celebre for the embattled young mother of two. Most of the other tracks are bland, electronically programmed dance music. But "Heaven on Earth" may be just what saves her if a couple of things happen:
First, of course, Spears would have to make a clever video. Second, she’d have to stay out of trouble, keep a low profile and avoid any more problems with her family court judge.
Can it happen? No one knows. It’s all up to Spears. But if she cut the hijinks for two minutes, took "Heaven on Earth" to radio stations and worked the room, as they say, she could be back on top in a second.
Oh, yes, and by the by: One week from her CD release, Britney still has no manager or publicist.
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