NEWSCover Story: Britney in Crisis!
Dec. 3 2008, Published 5:20 a.m. ET
Celebrating her 27th birthday on Dec. 2 in the Big Apple with a pair of show-stopping performances on Good Morning America, Britney Spears kicked off the promotional tour for her new album, Circus, with her parents, Jamie and Lynn Spears and her two boys, Sean Preston, 3, and Jayden James, 2, by her side.
But despite this upbeat ending to a year that has seen Brit overcome some of her most challenging emotional, mental, legal and professional hurdles, those familiar with the singer tell OK! she may be jumping into the deep end too quickly, especially when March rolls around and she embarks on a grueling 2-month tour — her first in five years.
"It is too much for her," an insider tells OK! of the star. "They packed her schedule too tight and now they're trying to find free time."
The early signs of cracks in Brit's armor are already beginning to show, as she pulled a diva trip on the producers of the 2008 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony, where she first pledged to perform and then yo-yoed back and forth until ultimately deciding on simply filming a pre-taped greeting.
So while the Britney PR machine swings into motion, is Britney the woman ready to launch back into the glitz and glamour of superstardom?
"She has the talent and the musical chops top pull it off, emotionally speaking, it's a little too soon," psychotherapist Dr. Jenn Berman, who does not treat Britney, tells OK!. "I don't think Britney will hit rock bottom, but it does leave her vulnerable to stress and burnout."
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
However, a source close to Brit insists she's ready, telling OK!,"She is focused. Everything is coming together."
For the full story on Britney and her continuing struggle to live a normal life, pick up the new OK! — on newsstands everywhere Thursday!
