Rehab Reports Swirl for Britney Spears

Britney Spears was the subject of intense media scrutiny Friday: Had the 25-year-old pop star checked in _ and quickly out of _ rehab? Larry Rudolph, Spears' manager, couldn't be reached for comment late Friday.

Syndicated entertainment TV show "Extra" first reported that Spears, who has drawn criticism for her recent excessive partying and sloppy behavior, had entered a treatment facility. Celebrity Web site TMZ.com then said the singer had entered a treatment center but had checked out one day later. Neither revealed their sources.

People magazine's Web site, citing

"a source," said Spears had gone in and out of rehab, and identified the facility as Eric Clapton's Crossroads center in Antigua, in the Caribbean.

"Access Hollywood" then said the reports weren't true, but didn't cite a source.

A woman who answered the phone at Crossroads told The Associated Press that she couldn't confirm or deny anyone's presence at the facility.

On Tuesday, a gossip blog on the Hollywood.com Web site posted an e-mail that it said was from a former assistant to Spears, describing how the pop star was spiraling toward rock bottom and how friends and family wanted her to seek treatment.

Ruben Garay, who runs ThatOtherBlog, said the e-mail had come from Felicia Culotta, who was identified as having worked for Spears for nearly 10 years.

"I assure you with 100 percent certainty that the ... e-mail that Felicia sent in is 100 percent accurate," Garay told the AP in a phone interview. He also said the e-mail was legitimate.

Garay said he ran the fan Web site worldofbritney.com, which he shut down last year, and has known Culotta since 2003.

He declined to put the AP in contact with Culotta.