March 10, 2008

It was a typical Saturday for a still-under-supervision Britney Spears, who ventured out in a panty-revealing dress to do a little bargain shoe shopping in Los Angeles with her ever-present bodyguards keeping watch.

Britney shoe shopping in Los Angeles on March 8

Alas, the burly minders were so busy repelling the crush of paparazzi they failed to protect their client from smacking her head on a metal bar as she exited the Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse through what appeared to be a back entrance.

For once, however, her hard-headedness paid off, and she was feeling energetic enough that night to hit the dance studio.

Noggin-knocking aside, chances are the bodyguards are being extra vigilant these days. The problem-plagued popster has reportedly been receiving unsettling packages from someone OK! describes as an "obsessed fan."

"It started about six weeks ago with just letters being sent once a week," an insider tells the mag. "And then it quickly escalated to larger packages that now arrive two to three times a week."

The alarming deliveries are apparently being sent to an address associated with Spears but not to either one of her Los Angeles-area homes.

"A lot of it was disturbing stalker kind of stuff," a source explains to E! News. "But to be safe her security team is turning it all over to the police and FBI."

So what separates "disturbing stalker kind of stuff" from the run-of-the-mill crackpot correspondence many celebrities receive? Seems the unwelcome mail has contained threats as well as references to bombs and the Middle East.

And that's not even the most troubling part.

According to OK!, the Minneapolis-postmarked packages have also included a price tag-festooned sex toy with two accompanying letters, one five pages typed and the other in longhand -- and both X-rated.

"The handwritten one is on note paper," says the mole, "and it's written in a crazy, all-caps chicken scratch."

One of creepiest items, relays the snitch, is a picture of a middle-aged guy with "stringy, greasy hair" and no eyes -- they've been cut out of the snap -- seemingly "squirting some sort of yellowish liquid into his open mouth."

"It's like something from a bad movie," shudders the source. "If I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't believe it."

But Spears may not be the only one targeted. OK! says Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's names also appear on the packages.

In happier news, Britney may be taking her first tentative steps toward career rehabilitation. TMZ.com reports she's landed a small, guest-starring role on the CBS sitcom "How I Met Your Mother."

A source explains that it's "a small legitimate project that will keep her busy doing something."

Pink Is the New Blog adds that Spears, who previously appeared on an episode of "Will & Grace," attended a read-through of the show on Monday.

The verdict: She was "really funny" and "very professional."

Meanwhile, as Spears browsed for some much-needed new shoes, her shots-calling, co-conservator dad, Jamie, and her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, played a round of golf in Tarzana, Calif.

Two days later, the friendly former relations swapped their shorts for suits to attend a court hearing over legal fees relating to the custody battle over Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1. (Under the microscope is the million-plus Brit has been charged by attorneys on both sides.)

Another legal matter settled on Monday was the judge's decision to grant Britney a debit card with a $1,500-a-week limit.

Her lawyer tells TMZ that it's "so she can spend money, have her freedom and make choices about how she wants to enjoy her life."

Speaking of enjoying life, Federline may be looking to lose the paunch he was snapped sporting while hitting the links solo a few days back and regain his former backup dancer physique.

"He is getting his butt in the gym just because he feels like it, not because anybody said anything!" former flame (and mother of two of his kids) Shar Jackson tells Us. "Sometimes, you feel like it."

Next: Love Bites: Paris' Sparkler, Starlet Hookups