Britneyspears.com

Britney Spears’ Circus.

By Robin Leach

Published Friday, April 24, 2009 | 11:49 a.m.

Updated Sunday, April 26, 2009 | 2:52 p.m.

*Check out this story with all the accompanying photos and a photo gallery at VegasDeLuxe.com.*

Trouble and turmoil seem to envelop pop princess Britney Spears whenever she puts Las Vegas on her schedule, and this weekend’s visit with her Circus Tour stop is no exception!

Yesterday, the troubled singer was kept busy denying rumors that she’s pregnant, but when it’s American Idol host and L.A. radio deejay Ryan Seacrest spreading the word, one has to wonder if there’s some element of truth to it.

Additionally, yesterday a judge ruled that Britney was not sufficiently competent to testify in a continuing court battle between her father, Jamie, and former manager Sam Lufti, former paparazzi boyfriend Adnan Ghalib and former attorney Jon Eardley. They have been trying to break a conservatorship that Jamie Spears was given over his daughter’s affairs through the end of April that he now seeks to have in place permanently.

“Britney Spears is being held prisoner by her father. She is crying out for help,” said attorney Roger Diamond in a L.A. courtroom when he represented Jon. They had all tried to get Britney into court so they could question her about her father’s control, but the judge refused the request. I’m reliably told that Britney will be “well secured” while she is in Las Vegas and isolated from any attempts by her former manager and boyfriend to reach her here.

Earlier this week, Britney had an all-star turnout of celebrity fans for one of her L.A. area concerts. Queen Latifah, Rihanna, Lindsay Lohan, Victoria Beckham and the Kardashians were among the VIPs who attended the Anaheim stop of her Circus Tour stop. Before arriving in town for tomorrow’s show, Britney had two Phoenix concerts and then will play three Chicago dates next week. In June, she begins a run of eight shows at London’s 02 Arena, where Michael Jackson will perform in July.

The photos in our gallery are from fans along the tour stops who posted them to Britney’s Web site www.BritneySpears.com.

Britney’s concert comes complete with a clown-costumed backup band, magic illusions and “a sideshow of freaks and midgets,” as reviewers have described it. Additionally, Britney has more costume changes, from stripper outfits to military and police uniforms, for her energetic dance routines than any other pop star performance in history. Critics have complained that all the dancing and workouts inside and on top of a cage set in the circular stage, complete with a bike stunt ride illuminated by exploding waterfalls of fireworks, mandates that she lip syncs -- and that her live mic is barely ever turned on!

We’ll be backstage and up close for the Saturday show, so be sure to click back here Sunday for the first photos and again Monday for the full photo report.

I can let you in on one secret that has fans baffled: When Britney first steps onstage, both her skin and costumes sparkle under the lights. I’ve learned that she is sprayed with Infinity Sun’s “Shimmer Spray,” a tanning aerosol that makes her skin and costumes pop. Her wardrobe designers who produced the provocative looks and outfits and makeup artist Garret Gervais first use Infinity Sun’s “Clear” bronzer elixir to darken her instantly. Then they add the “Glow on the Glow” spray all over her torso, legs and arms.

It saves 20 minutes before the show starts versus the old hands-on applications. Apparently it looks so great that all the dancers in Britney’s show now have the same tanning treatments!

Both Britney’s dad and her manager Larry Rudolph will be here to ensure that there are no mishaps or headline incidents. She is not expected at the official Virgin Circus party at Prive in Planet Hollywood.

Although her opening act The Pussycat Dolls will party at Pure in Caesars Palace after the concert, Britney is not expected there, either. Pure was the scene of Britney’s New Year’s Eve meltdown two years ago that began the six-month downward spiral that concluded with her head-shaving stunt and eventual hospitalization at Cedars Sinai Hospital.

MGM officials have told me there are no official plans for any nightclub celebrations there after her show. Britney’s tour is produced by AEG Live/Concerts West, the entertainment conglomerate responsible for Cher and Bette Midler at Caesars Palace and Carlos Santana’s new residency at The Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel.

Its president, John Meglen, told me: “It is one of the biggest and best-selling tours of the decade. Response and reaction has been phenomenal worldwide, and this weekend date at MGM is the highest ticket-selling gross so far. European fans cannot wait for her to get there, and in many, many venues, the tickets have been sold out instantly, and we’ve had to juggle dates to add more shows to meet the demand.”

Kenny Chesney @The Joint

Meantime, Britney will be in a head-to-head rivalry against country king Kenny Chesney as he goes “Down the Road” and into The Joint with his Sun City Carnival Tour joined by Miranda Lambert and Lady Antebellum. Last year, his Poets & Pirates Tour outsold any other tour of all music genres, and he’s on track for a repeat.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground. Read more of Robin's stories at VegasDeLuxe.com.