A friend of Britney said that “He has to give her permission to travel, and the money to do it. It’s not that he doesn’t want her there for her little sister. It’s just that he thinks it’s best to keep Britney close to home right now.”

Its said that Britney has not visited Kentwood for around 16 months and is said to be planning a second trip after she promised Jamie Lynn that she would be there for the birth of her baby which is due around the 29th June. According a source “At the baby shower, she told her little sister she wanted to be there for her the entire time. I’m not sure how Casey is going to feel about that. But Jamie Lynn seems pretty excited.”

Are they playing matchmaker?  Star reports in this week's publication that Britney's parents, Jamie and Lynne Spears, who divorced in 2000, have been paving a path toward a reunion.  "The get along so well, it's almost like they're married again," an insider tells Star.

"Lynne feels that Jamie's really stepped up and taken responsibility, and she is proud of him for kicking his own addictions and being there as a father."  That might be quite the understatement.  Jamie has taken Britney from her darkest place as a sideshow and absolute pop wreck and it appears that for now he has her life back on track.

That might be a real turn on for Lynne.  According to the insider, the two still tell each other, "I love you," but Jamie is using more than just words to express his feelings he often cooks special dinners for Lynne!  Will they get back together before Britney and K-Fed?

With Spears making her second guest appearance on the abruptly popular CBS comedy, the show's co-creator, Craig Thomas, tells THR.com that Monday's episode was written to leave the door open for the pop singer to make a return appearance next season.

"She was better than the first time, and I think the fans will enjoy it because her return answers a larger mystery set up earlier in the series," Thomas said. "So there's a good plot reason why she's there. And when people watch Britney's second appearance on the show they'll see that the door is still open for her to come back."

Spears' first visit resulted in "Mother" hitting its highest rating ever. The show has since maintained an elevated audience level compared to last year. Once considered on the bubble for a fall renewal, the critically acclaimed comedy is now considered a lock to return next season.

Britney and ex-husband Kevin Federline were in court on May 6 for the latest hearing in their ongoing custody battle. Although it was not made clear how Britney’s visitation rights have increased, Kevin’s lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan said it was an “expansion of time”, and went on to praise the troubled singer’s progress. He said: “It is a cautious step, but a step forward nonetheless.

We are seeing signs of her progress and her consistency over time is something welcome by Kevin. The children are doing great.” Britney, who was accompanied by her family as she left the Los Angeles court, refused to comment on the ruling.

Britney Spears, below, was awarded extended visits with her sons after a child custody hearing in Los Angeles Superior County Court on Tuesday, The Associated Press reported. Mark Vincent Kaplan, a lawyer for Kevin Federline, her former husband, said the extended visits with the children, Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1, were “recognition of the progress that has been made, a progress of structure and stability.” Mr. Federline has had full custody of the children since January, when the police were summoned to Ms. Spears’s home, and she was taken by ambulance to a medical center after refusing to surrender the boys to Mr. Federline’s bodyguard. In a statement read by a court spokesman, Ms. Spears’s parents said, “We are so pleased with Britney’s progress and we are very appreciative of the court’s recognition of this progress.” A report on the new arrangement was scheduled for July 15.

The lawyer representing Spears' ex-husband Kevin Federline in the extended legal wrangling told reporters the judge had extended her visitation rights, without providing details.

"We all see indicators of progress by Ms. Spears," Federline's lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, told reporters after the closed door hearing, which heard a report on Spears by a mental health expert.

"What was a seemingly daily state of extreme flux has been stabilized," Kaplan said.

Spears, 26, turned up at court on time, demurely dressed in a brown polka-dot dress and cream cardigan, and accompanied by her parents. It was a striking contrast to weekly court sessions of a few months ago when she failed to appear or left abruptly.

In the weeks that followed, Spears started acting out of character, all right: She laid low and avoided the cameras. She spent time with family members. She found work, and succeeded at it.

With that stability and momentum to build on, it would appear Spears' child-custody hearing Tuesday has the potential for a positive outcome as long as she gets it together to show up this time. All indications are that she will.

The troubled 26-year-old pop star, who has been under the conservatorship of her father since her one-week-early release from UCLA Medical Center, is expected to attend the custody status hearing in a downtown courthouse with her parents. Her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, will also attend, said his spokesman, Elliot Mintz.

Federline has had full custody of his two sons by Spears, 2-year-old Sean Preston and 1-year-old Jayden James, since January, when police were called to Spears' home after she refused to relinquish one of the boys to a Federline bodyguard. Spears was taken by ambulance to a hospital after the incident. Her visitation rights were suspended at the time, but have been gradually restored in recent months.

Tuesday's hearing will include discussion of a psychiatrist's evaluation of Spears, a person close to the case told The Associated Press. The person was not authorized to speak publicly about the case and requested anonymity.

The news of Spears’s financial ineptness comes in the midst of what many of her doe-eyed fans are calling her resurgence. However, it must be noted that a majority of those fans still believe Spears to be a virgin.

Spears’s campaign had already suffered setbacks after she lost custody of her kids and financial assets earlier this year. Lacking the veneer of familial and fiscal responsibility, Spears took to television to win back voters. Unfortunately, now it seems her cameo appearance on How I Met Your Mother was more of a last ditch effort to replenish funds than to regain voter confidence.

Spear’s camp is set to make an official announcement concerning the matter shortly. It can be expected that the announcement will go something like this: “Over the past year, Ms. Spears has endured great tragedy. She experienced the loss of her children, her fans, and her soul. She did her best to buy them all back, spending every penny her father would authorize. Unfortunately, it was not enough. Please tune in on May 10 to see Ms. Spears reprise her role on How I Met Your Mother; it may be your last chance to help a desperate woman.”

Britney Spears returned to her hometown of Kentwood, La. in a private jet on Friday, May 02, amidst reports that a baby shower is planned for her pregnant 17-year-old sister, Jamie Lynn, on Saturday.

Britney is accompanied by her father and co-conservator Jamie Spears.

Britney's mother, Lynne, who had spent the past few months caring for Britney, leaving Jamie Lynn alone, returned to Kentwood on April 24.

Britney's return home is likely to be emotionally charged. The 26-year-old pop star last visited Kentwood in early 2007, when her aunt died. Since then, she has struggled with her relationships, mental health and a child custody dispute complicated by her mental health.

The pregnancy of Jamie Lynn has also added to the challenges being faced by Britney and her family.

The next court date in Britney's custody dispute with K-Fed is on May 6.

In Touch Weekly is reporting an unbelievable amount of money that has been lost by Jmaie Lynn Spears big sister Britney.  The magazine is reporting this week that after going through her books, Jamie must have learned just how much of a toll Britney’s crazy behavior, which started in February 2007 when she shaved her head, has had on her bank account - she's lost nearly $61 million, the magazine claims. "It's staggering how much money has been used up,” a family friend says.
The report notes that in addition to the enormous tab for legal bills, rehab and psychiatric care, Britney’s inability to work has cost her a fortune. “By not touring for her last album [Blackout], she lost out on $50 million,” estimates Robert Bianchi, an LA-based CPA who isn’t an accountant for Britney.

Jamie hired his own accountants to sort out the money mess and bring an end to the 26-year-old’s excessive spending. “It’s been quite a challenge getting things under control,” the insider says. Luckily, as Britney’s mental health improves, so does her bottom line. “She’s spending about a fifth of what she used to,” the insider adds.