Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty ImagesEven though he was specific in saying yesterday that he wasn’t certain Britney Spears would ever again perform in Las Vegas, Britney’s manager, Larry Rudolph, found some outlets taking his comments to mean Britney might never perform again, period.
“That’s not what I said,” Rudolph told Billboard later Wednesday. “I simply said that the Vegas residency is now officially off and that she hasn’t called me in months to talk about doing anything so I’m not sure if or when she will ever want to work again. It’s that simple.”
Rudolph also clarified his role in Britney’s affairs: “I have one role in Britney‘s life. I’m her manager,” he told Billboard. “She calls me if and when she wants to work. Other than that I’m not involved in anything else. Not the conservatorship, not her medical treatment, not her kids. Nothing else.”
Rudolph, who’s managed Britney for years, initially told TMZ, “As the person who guides her career — based on the information I and all of the professionals who work with her are being told on a need-to-know basis — from what I have gathered, it’s clear to me she should not be going back to do this Vegas residency, not in the near future and possibly never again.”
Even so, TMZ itself ran Rudolph’s comments under the arguably misleading headline: “Britney Spears Manager Larry Rudolph Says She May Never Perform Again.”
Last January, Britney canceled plans for her new Las Vegas show, Domination, after her father experienced a health crisis from which he continues to recover. Then she voluntarily checked herself into a mental health facility for three weeks last month to de-stress and adjust her psychiatric medications.
Rudolph told TMZ that given all this, it’s up to Britney whether or when she wants to perform.
“Last summer, when she wanted to tour, she called me every day. She was excited. She hasn’t called me in months,” he said. “Crickets. She clearly doesn’t want to perform now.”
Rudolph also said he only wants the best for Britney, insisting, “I don’t want her to work again ’till she’s ready, physically, mentally and passionately. If that time never comes again it will never come again. I have no desire or ability to make her work again.”
Last week, Britney and her parents appeared in court at a hearing in connection with her longtime conservatorship. The court ordered an expert evaluation of Britney’s current condition. The hearing was continued to September 18.
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