Britney Seeks Control, Bounces Assistant

Fri., Jul. 27, 2007 5:22 PM PDT by Tina Dirmann

Oops, she did it again...

Yes, the joke is old, but the sentiment isn't: Just days after her OK! magazine debacle, Britney Spears has fired her personal assistant, the latest in a string of firings within the Spears entourage.

"Britney is adamant these days that no one around her tries to control her in anyway," a source close to the pop princess reveals. "The moment she feels someone is trying to tell her what to do, she responds by firing them. And she thought her new assistant was trying to be too 'in charge,' as she put it."

Spears gave Shannon Funk her walking papers just three weeks after hiring her, our source said. The termination follows the recent axings of manager Larry Rudolph and the powerhouse public relations firm BWR. Spears' previous assistant, Alli Sims—who also happened to be her cousin—parted ways with the performer last month. And Spears has even sought to distance herself and her kids from her mother, Lynne.

There was no immediate comment from Spears. Attempts to reach Funk were unsuccessful.

Sources close to Spears say she partly blames the recent fallout from the disastrous OK! photo shoot on Funk.

According to OK!, Spears was uncooperative during the session, refusing to use the magazine's hair and makeup team, ruining a designer dress after using it as a napkin and then storming off before the photographer could finish the shoot. Spears left wearing nearly $9,000 in designer duds, per the magazine's account. Funk, meanwhile, was caught trying to walk off with another designer dress but was stopped by the wardrobe coordinator, according to the magazine (though she did score a tank top and pair of shorts, the article said).

"Britney didn't blame the day directly on her assistant," the source said, "but just said in general that a lot of her problems recently were caused by Shannon's unprofessional behavior. Britney thought Shannon was rude and tried to run her affairs without listening to her."

The firing came just hours before Spears hopped on a plane to Vegas, where one of her bodyguards was cited by police after getting into a fight with a paparazzo. Spears claims the photographer was overly aggressive, especially toward her son Sean Preston, and she has filed her own complaint with police.

But the recent scandals are not surprising to those who know Spears.

"Britney becomes hostile toward anyone she thinks is trying to control her," our source said. "So a lot of these blowups kind of stem from that. Britney has been telling friends that she will never work for anyone ever again who tries to make her do anything she doesn't want to. That's why she fired her manager and publicist. She thought they were all taking advantage of her, making her do things that would make them money but weren't really in her best interest. She said she's tired of being taken advantage of."

In particular, Spears bristled at having to give Rudolph 20 percent of her income, the source said.

"She thinks everyone just sees her as their personal cash cow, and it's made her overly sensitive to anybody who tries to give her direction or advise her," the source said.

That sentiment came to a head following Spears' stint at the rehab facility, Promises. Rudolph was a key player in convincing Spears she needed to go.

"That was the end for her," the source said. "She never felt like she belonged there. So that's when she decided never to do anything she didn't want. She won't sit through a photo session if she doesn't feel like it. And she won't keep around any assistant who tries to make her stick to a schedule if she doesn't want to stick to it."