Author Halperin Takes Geraldo By Storm, Told To Lose Hat
As Glosslip exclusively reported to you this weekend, award-winning journalist and best-selling author Ian Halperin appeared on Fox’s “Geraldo-At-Large” TV program Sunday night. We watched it, and suffered through the many gratuitous build-ups during the show, only to have to wait until the last 15 minutes to catch the main event. That Geraldo is tricky!
Ian, who has taken on a new persona (and a hat almost as tacky as his neon green disco shirt for his Hollywood Undercover expose) was smart, quick and pointed in his interview with Geraldo. Halperin posed as a member of the pack of paparazzi who stalk mega-star Britney Spears on a regular basis and was able to infiltrate her inner circle during his time undercover, is now revealing intimate details about Spears’ two suicide attempts and illicit drug use.
Halperin, who’s been getting his own share of criticism for his new book project, “Stalking Britney Spears: Under Siege With Britney Spears” went on the defensive last night and made it clear his portrayal of Spears is far more sympathetic than the public-at-large has been since her epic fall from grace, which began in December of 2006.
Spears who filed from divorce from ex-husband Kevin Federline in November of 2006, went through a very public mental break-down; including rehab stints, shaving her head, being repeatedly photographed without her underwear, as well as, numerous failed love interests and then ultimately the final blow, losing custody of her two sons, 2-year old Sean Preston and 1-year old Jayden James.
Halperin suggests Britney’s downfall was the result of “vultures and leeches” preying on her mental vulnerabilities (she’s been diagnosed as bi-polar) and not being properly looked after by her family. Ian also suggested that her current guardian, father Jamie Spears, may not be the best person to look after Britney, as his motivations are perhaps monetary in nature. Halperin made it clear Britney has been misunderstood and he considers her a loving and caring mother to her two boys and NEVER should have had her custody removed.
Glosslip respectful parts ways with Halperin on this last assertion, as Britney has done well since her father took over as custodian to her affairs, but then again, we weren’t as close as Ian was to Britney. And I think I can speak for both “k” (Glosslip’s resident Britney expert) that while Britney clearly loves her boys, she became unfit to care for them.
This should all play out most interestingly and Glosslip will be here to bring you more exclusives on this controversial book.
And finally, Geraldo suggested Ian lose that hat. What do YOU think?
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Ohhhh…I totally gotta disagree with Ian on that one.
Even I could see, from my vantage point of across the country, that Brit could not even take care of herself, let alone her sons. Just the act of holding Jayden hostage in the bathroom is proof of that, not to mention all the other things Brit did.
Now, however, things are totally different, and Brit seems to be getting her life back in order. As long as she continues on her current course of treatment and takes her meds, I don’t see any reason why she should not have visitation gradually restored.
And I like the hat…but I do think it needs to be about two sizes bigger.
Comment by k — June 23, 2008 @ 2:47 pm
Ian may possibly be the only person on the planet to wear that hat and get away with it.
Comment by D-Bomb — June 23, 2008 @ 3:54 pm
With respect, Ian was on for about 3 mins.?
During which time Geraldo seemed to snowball him about suicide.
Ian seemed (wrestled to control the interview?) to try to make good points about Britney and he brought up Lutfi, but Geraldo kept pushing for suicide attempts.
(Geraldo was anxious and excited to locate and view surfers breaking the nose of a pap. Maybe I should cut him some slack but I don’t share Geraldo’s enthusiasm for seeing a brother go down.)
I hope Ian’s agent will score him an interview with a journalist more credible than Geraldo.
What was the rush to talk to someone, as low on the media chain as Geraldo?
Comment by Concerned — June 23, 2008 @ 4:52 pm
I wonder if Ian knows he has a stalker of his own?
Comment by D — June 23, 2008 @ 5:07 pm
yeah, i can’t stand geraldo, so i didn’t watch, but i would like to read the book.
Comment by sally — June 23, 2008 @ 5:55 pm
I love that hat ; )
Comment by Noire Chocolat — June 23, 2008 @ 11:01 pm
Custody and visitation are different things. Right now, Britney is still so impaired that her legal team have told the court that she is unable to participate in any court proceedings, even ones that are for her welfare and benefit.
If she can’t answer simple questions in a courtroom, how would she make difficult parental decisions regarding her children? Well, she can’t. That’s why she hasn’t got custody, she only has visitation, and it has to be supervised.
I don’t have any doubt that she loves her children, but mental illness is not something to be taken lightly, and Britney’s breakdown was apparently quite severe. Growing up in the custody of Crazy Mama is not a nice thing to experience. Her boys deserve better.
Comment by Exyank — June 24, 2008 @ 11:53 am
D, being informed doesn’t make a person a stalker.
Ian is peripheral to an outside interest.
Comment by Concerned — June 24, 2008 @ 1:20 pm