Barretto started working for Spears when she got out of rehab on March 20, and was fired on May 17 because, according to his high profile Los Angeles lawyer Gloria Allred, "He did not hear her when he was asked to pick up her hat."
In a press conference Monday Allred said that Tony, earlier alluded to as a "secret witness" against Spears in her custody battle with Federline, was prepared to testify under oath Monday but Spears' attorney chose not to cross-examine him.
Allred also claims that while Barretto, himself the father of young children, worked for Britney he became "very concerned" about the safety of her two boys and Allred raised those concerns with the County Counsel for Child Protective Services.
Meanwhile, Britney's manager, Jeff Kwatinetz, confirmed that he has parted company with the troubled pop star.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
'Britney has nudity, drugs and safety issues'
Dhoni to lead in ODIs; Pathan, Harbhajan recalled
Mahendra Singh Dhoni Tuesday replaced Rahul Dravid as captain for the One-day International home series against Australia and Pakistan, while Irfan Pathan and Harbhajan Singh come back to the side.
Dhoni, 26, is currently leading India at the Twenty20 World Championship in South Africa. Dravid, who had opted out of the Twenty20, had made himself unavailable for the captaincy to concentrate on his batting after the recent tour of England.
Announcing a 15-member team for the first three ODIs against Australia at a press conference, cricket board secretary Niranjan Shah said here that Yuvraj Singh, who is senior to Dhoni, would be the vice-captain.
"We thought he was the best man for the job. He is a good (Twenty20) captain and it is the right time to groom him," said Dilip Vengsarkar, chairman of the selection committee.
Referring to speculation that Sachin Tendulkar had declined to lead the ODI team, he said that no one was offered the captaincy before Dhoni was finally picked.
Rohit Sharma, Ajit Agarkar and Munaf Patel, who were part of the team that recently toured England, were dropped for the first three matches.
The three ODIs will be played at Bangalore (Sep 29) Kochi (Oct 2) and Hyderabad (Oct 5).
The team for the remaining four one-dayers will be announced later.
A hard-hitting batsman who can change his game according to the situation, the Ranchi-based Dhoni has played 84 ODIs since making his debut against Bangladesh at Dhaka in 2004 and scored 2,477 runs at 44.23. In 20 Tests, he has scored 1,019 runs at 36.39.
Board president Sharad Pawar, who approved the team, endorsed the choice of Dhoni and the team as a whole.
"Anything that takes the team forward should be welcomed. We also have to see that the young generation is given opportunity and if the captain is also young that's good," he said.
The seven-match One-day International series against Australia will be played from Sep 29 to Oct 17.
The Pakistani team will visit India for five ODIs and three Test matches to be played between Nov 6 and Dec 12.
The captain for the Test series will be named later, said Vengsarkar.
On the recall of left-arm pacer Pathan and off-spinner Harbhajan, both of whom are playing Twenty20 World Championship, he said they have done well to merit a recall.
On Virender Sehwag, who is also playing in South Africa but was again ignored for the ODIs, Vengsarkar said that since the team was only for three matches, "he will get his opportunity" later in the series.
Team: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain/wicket keeper), Yuvraj Singh (vice captain), Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Gautam Gambhir, Dinesh Karthik, Robin Uthappa, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Sreesanth, Piyush Chawla, Ramesh Powar, Zaheer Khan and Rudra Pratap Singh.
Australia in India | |||
Date | Match | Venue | |
Tue, Sep 25 | Australia team arrival | ||
Sat, Sep 29 | First ODI | Bangalore | |
Tue, Oct 2 | Second ODI | Kochi | |
Fri, Oct 5 | Third ODI | Hyderabad | |
Mon, Oct 8 | Fourth ODI | Guwahati | |
Thu, Oct 11 | Fifth ODI | Baroda | |
Sun, Oct 14 | Sixth ODI | Nagpur | |
Wed, Oct 17 | Seventh ODI | Mumbai |
Pakistan in India | |||
Date | Match | Venue | |
Fri, Nov 2 | Pakistan team arrival | ||
Tue, Nov 6 | First ODI | Faridabad | |
Fri, Nov 9 | Second ODI | Mohali | |
Mon, Nov 12 | Third ODI | Kanpur | |
Thu, Nov 15 | Fourth ODI | Gwalior | |
Sun, Nov 18 | Fifth ODI | Jaipur | |
Thu, Nov 22 - Mon, Nov 26 | First Test | Delhi | |
Fri, Nov 30 to Tue, Dec 4 | Second Test | Kolkata | |
Sat, Dec 8 - Wed, Dec 12 | Third Test | Bangalore |
Tania Sachdev won the Asian Women's Chess Championship
Isn't she cute?
Sienna Miller Bares All for Hippie Film
The 25-year-old is known for her bohemian fashion sense and it seems that now she is taking that sensibility one step further.
In her role in movie Hippie Hippie Shake, Sienna plays artist Louise Ferrier, the girlfriend of Australian underground magazine editor Richard Neville. Margo Stilley and Cillian Murphy also have parts in the swinging 60s film.
The actress is no stranger to the era, having taken on the role of Andy Warhol's muse Edie Sedgwick in biopic Factory Girl.
According to the Daily Mail, directors of Hippie Hippie Shake have asked Sienna to change her exercise routine so that she can develop a more rounded figure for the role, as well as dying her hair from blonde to brunette.
One insider claims Sienna is 'perfect' for the part: "She is not shy when it comes to stripping off and it is little wonder."
"She has always been praised for her distinctive boho look and even without clothes, she pulls this off."
Sienna is currently still filming the flick in various UK locations. Hippie Hippie Shake has a release date of sometime in 2008, but we'll let you know when they make it official.