Britney can't see kids for at least one month

The exceedingly public unraveling of Britney Spears continued this week. A Los Angeles judge issued a continuation of an emergency order that will deny Spears access to her two young sons until at least Feb. 19, the next scheduled hearing on custody of the children. Spears appeared at the courthouse Monday while the hearing on the emergency order occurred, but never went inside and left just minutes after her arrival.

Sean Preston and Jayden James will remain in the permanent custody of Spears' ex-husband Kevin Federline. The estranged couple had been sharing custody since their divorce last July, but Federline gained temporary custody in October 2007. Spears had her visitation rights revoked two weeks ago after she was hospitalized following a bizarre standoff with Federline's bodyguard, during which she refused to hand over the children as scheduled.

"The word 'victory' is not something Mr. Federline or his counsel would ascribe to this result," Federline's attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan told reporters after Monday's hearing. "Not that it wasn't the result he was seeking, but this was a grave situation for everybody. Mr. Federline is pleased that it's an appropriate order, but he is not joyous or victorious. His hope for the future is that at some point, he will be able to parent the children, the minor children, with participation from their mother."

Daughtry jabs Idol, then clarifies

When it comes to giving opinions about the show that launched their careers, American Idol alums are in a bit of a tough spot. You don't want to seem to bite the hand that fed you, but you also want to establish your own identity. Chris Daughtry is in the midst of that conundrum right now.

Asked by Rolling Stone earlier this week about the show, the one-time fourth-place Idol finisher and one of 2007's top-selling artists said the show was "lacking some credibility at this point. It's in a state of decline and if they don't do something about it, it's probably not gonna last too much longer. I'm sure that'll be used against me, but that's the truth, you know?"

Daughtry suggested that the show should target more unsigned artists as contestants--"find some people that you can really invest in"--instead of picking some less talented singers who might bring more comedic value to the show. The rocker obviously heard some backlash very quickly, because he posted an entry on his blog soon after to clarify and apologize for the comments.

"It's so sad that when you're asked something and you answer honestly...you're made out to be the bad guy," he wrote. "Let's not forget I was a struggling artist for 11 years that never got any respect or notoriety, so know that I'm eternally grateful for the opportunity that Idol gave me... I also said I think it's AWESOME that they are letting the contestants play their own instruments, and that, I feel, that will show something in the contestants that people never get to see... My long-winded point is this... I was never trying to "DISS" the show or "BITE THE HAND THAT FED ME," so to speak. I was simply giving my input on what I think would spice the show up a bit."

Foxy Brown wants out

Prison allows for plenty of free time. In Foxy Brown's case, the time has given her the opportunity to concoct a lengthy diatribe as to why she should be allowed to leave Riker's Island to get her hearing aid repaired--in Hollywood.

The New York Daily News reported this week that Brown sent a handwritten, four-page note asking a judge to let her out of her year-long prison stay early so she can travel to Hollywood to meet with an expert who can repair her hearing aid.

"I am terrified of not hearing a fire alarm go off, or being locked in a cell, and someone not being kind enough to let me out, since not everyone understands the severity of my condition," the rapper, who served a stint in solitary confinement last year, wrote in the letter.

A lawyer for Foxy--real name Inga Marchand--told Judge Melissa Jackson that there may be "one or two places" in New York that do cochlear implant adjustments, but Marchand needs to go to Hollywood if she wants to properly repair her "progressively deteriorating hearing loss."

"Up until now, you've only hear about Foxy Brown the artist," she wrote. "I'd like to show you Inga Marchand, the beautiful person that my mom raised me to be. 'Foxy Brown gets into an altercation with a neighbor' would be great front-page headlines, whereas 'Foxy Brown brings Christmas toys to 30 disabled children' would hardly be mentioned."

George Michael to pen memoir

A simple perusal of newspaper headlines in recent years will tell you that the life of George Michael is filled with entertaining stories. But now the pop star will write a no-holds-barred biography to appear in autumn 2009 after signing what HarperCollins called "one of the biggest book deals ever concluded in UK publishing."

"George has promised HarperCollins a no-holds-barred biography, and it's certain to be just that," Michael's manager Andy Stephens told the Associated Press. "People aren't stupid. They're beginning to notice that the truth is more interesting than the stories the press come up with!"

In June 2007, Michael, 44, was banned from driving for two years and sentenced to 100 hours of community service after pleading guilty to driving under the influence of drugs. That case stemmed from an incident in which he was found slumped at the wheel of his car at a red light in north London in May 2007.

Michael, who has sold more than 80 million records, ended years of speculation about his sexuality by announcing he was gay after he was arrested in 1998 for engaging in a "lewd act" in a Los Angeles public toilet.

Coroner: Ike Turner died of cocaine overdose

Rock and roll pioneer Ike Turner's death last month at age 76 was caused by a cocaine overdose, the San Diego County Medical Examiner's office said Wednesday.

"We are listing that he abused cocaine, and that's what resulted in the cocaine toxicity," Paul Parker, chief investigator at the medical examiner's office, told the Associated Press. The medical examiner's office also listed hypertensive cardiovascular disease and pulmonary emphysema as "significant and contributing factors" to Turner's death, Parker said.

Turner, whose musical accomplishments were overshadowed by his image as the man who brutally abused former wife Tina Turner, died Dec. 12 after years of drug abuse. He was jailed in 1989 and served 17 months, but had worked to repair his image in recent years and landed a Grammy nomination in 2001 for his album Here and Now.

Turner once told The Associated Press he originally began using drugs to stay awake and handle the rigors of nonstop touring during his glory years.

"My experience, man, with drugs--I can't say that I'm proud that I did drugs, but I'm glad I'm still alive to convey how I came through," he said. "I'm a good example that you can go to the bottom. ... I used to pray, 'God, if you let me get three days clean, I will never look back.' But I never did get to three days. You know why? Because I would lie to myself. And then only when I went to jail, man, did I get those three days. And man, I haven't looked back since then."