UK Newspaper Describes Britney Spears as "Zombie" and "Puppet .

`Zombie` Britney Spears is silent on brink, say pals

T0 the naked eye it seems Britney Spears is back - and on her bestflesh-flashing form yet.

The 29-year-old singer has returned to the spot with the loss of herseventh album Femme Fatale, already hailed as one of the better of her career.

The CD`s launch has been supported by sexy new images, raunchy televisionappearances and the proclamation of a vast American summer tour.

Four days after skimming off her hair during her infamous public meltdown, itlooks like Britney finally has her head screwed on once again.

She appears to be back where her fans desire to see her - on stage, in thecharts and in skimpy outfits. Fragile

But scratch beneath the rise of the tight basques and even tighter PRmachine and all is not as it seems on TV.

Members of Britney`s inner circle are terrified her pristine pop star maskcould slip once again at any moment, sources have told The Sun.

They are concerned she will not be capable to observe the act for even afive-minute interview if she strays from their control - let alone agruelling two-month, 26-date tour.

And their fears have created the most painfully stage-managed promotional tourshowbiz has always seen.

A source close to the genius told The Sun: "She`s very fragile. Up until a fewmonths ago she was still heavily medicated and pop up to ten pills aday.

"It`s like she has to be wheeled from one site to another. She can`t betrusted to do anything on her own. Whether she is playing or recordingit`s the same. Sometimes she`s like a zombie. Her mood swings are unrealtoo. It is 4 days since she famously cut off all her hair and hit rockbottom.

"But as late as last year she was still pull the same stunt - hackingher hair off with scissors when she wanted attention from her staff andloved ones at home."

Britney walked head-on into an airbrushing row with the pictures produced toplug her new album.

The heavily doctored snaps show the lead looking thin and sexy.

But the author said: "She has missed a lot of weighting for her return but thenreleasing pictures like those take any deserved credit away because they areso far distant from what she really looks like.

"And it`s not only the pictures - it`s like they are airbrushing her wholelife."

The singer`s promotional appearances in America this week have been criticisedas among the most stage-managed of all time.

American TV host Carson Daly, 37, tweeted that her management had requested hehand over his pre-taped interview so they could cut it.

NBC host Carson, who has known Britney for ten years, wrote: "Even when Iinterviewed Michael Jackson, it wasn`t anything like this_ it`s reallyinsane."

Central to her comeback plan was Britney performing a short, three-song set onGood Morning America on Tuesday.

But she was blamed for obviously miming and barely dancing during theperformance in San Francisco.

The Billboard Charts` associate director Keith Caulfield said: "You expect herto dance ferociously because when you`re lip syncing, we ask you todance."

A San Francisco paper blasted her "awkward dance moves" and "dead-eyed stare".

The critic stormed on: "She strutted robotically, her gaze never straying tothe audience."

The Good Morning America breakfast show was evidently chosen over otheroutlets for the big comeback because they let her mime and allowed theappearance to be tightly controlled. Minders

On the show Britney announced she was passing on the route with pop heart-throbEnrique Iglesias, 35. But hours after he pulled out of the tour. Next it wasBritney`s turn to draw the stopper on a planned appearance, on Ellen DeGeneres`popular daytime chat show.

Her team blamed "scheduling conflicts" for the motion but rumours swept TVcircles that the formatting of the evidence was deemed too relaxed for Britney tokeep up the facade.

Instead, she took office in a tightly scripted, albeit funny, comedy skit onlate night show Jimmy Kimmel Live, where she assumed to be shooting into theair in a portable toilet.

Another major factor of the album`s PR campaign was a part on hit TV showGlee - where again she could hide behind a script. A reservoir on set claimedshe was "out of it".

A respected US website reported: "They led her in face of the cameras andshe`d sit there like a deer in the headlights until she had to say herlines. When she was finished they`d bring her by the hand and tip her awayagain."

The Glee source also said she was completely reliant on her team of minders inorder to work professionally. The control-freakery also made its wayover the pond on Wednesday, during an interview on London`s Capital FMradio.

Britney`s ramblings were cut short when her management told the interviewer to"shut up" in his ear.

One view of her return to have dodged much of the critique is the albumitself. Despite her voice being heavily autotuned, some pop critics havecalled it her best yet.

A bit of the tracks, filled with stomping beats and lots of sexualinnuendo, will clearly be dancefloor fixtures for days to come.

But how heavily Britney herself was mired in creating the album has alsocome under scrutiny. Puppet

Describing the procedure within the studio, a former pal revealed: "I was withBritney when she recorded at least 3 of the tracks on Femme Fatale.

"It appeared she had almost nil to do with its introduction other thanvocals.

"She was like a creature who would be told what to do. She`d go into the soundbooth and basically say the lyrics from a sheet.

"But they`d get to halt when she kept getting it wrong."

Also bubbling behind the scenes is a legal row with former bodyguard FernandoFlores, 29.

He has launched a sexual harassment suit against the star, accusing her ofpursuing him for sex when he worked for her final year.

The other officer has yet told pals he has filthy nude photographs sent bythe singer and the care is he may turn them to keep his case.

One author has claimed that instead of a musical comeback, Britney should beconcentrating on her health and wellbeing. Her rocky relationship withformer manager Jason Trawick, 39, seems to have settled down in recentmonths.

She has likewise been praised for behaving more like a responsible mother figureto Sean Preston, five, and Jayden James, four, than ever before.

A source said: "She seems to get missed a lot of her drive - and who can blameher?

"She has been done a blaze of a lot and is coming out the former side.

"But rather than the pressures of putting on her pop star mask again, sheshould do what makes her happiest. And if you ask me, that would be justbeing herself, being near a mum and eating fried chicken around the pool athome."