June 16, 2008

Not content merely to breathe in cigar smoke while being mentored by Mel Gibson, Britney Spears appears to be exploring the exotic animal therapy options available from Siegfried and Roy.

On Saturday, the closely supervised cautionary tale turned up at the illusionists' Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Sin City, says the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

There, Brit slipped on a wetsuit and waded into the dolphin pool, spending about an hour frolicking with the smart, sociable mammals, who were likely left longing for those carefree, ocean-dwelling days when they didn't need to earn a bucket of fish by entertaining troubled pop stars.

Spears also got in some playtime with Siegfried and Roy's six-week-old tiger cubs, posing for snaps with the cuddly (for now) creatures.

"She loved them," a source tells People. "She took photos of all of them from her own camera."

You'll recall that Britney has long had a soft spot for tigers. In a Letter of Truth from 2006, she wrote about how "mesmerized" she was by the big cats.

"Their eyes, their stripes, their constant quest for survival. They almost have a sense of mysteriousness about them," she marveled. "They pull you in and make it difficult to look away. They make you wonder what is behind their gaze. A sense of eerie awe comes over you in their presence. The fear they give you when you pass them is stunning. Behold the beauty of the tiger."

Happily, Spears will be able to remember the "mysteriousness" and "eerie awe" of the cubs courtesy of the habitat's gift shop, where she bought a stuffed lion and tiger, which we're optimistically hoping she'll give to sons Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 21 months.

After communing with the animals, she spent some time communing with her coif. OK! says she had her exhausted extensions redone by stylist Kim Vo and his staffers.

Brit also made a jaunt to the Bare Pool at the Mirage, which, according to the hotel's Web site, offers "European-style sun bathing secluded by towering palms."

Or, as TMZ more succinctly puts it, "topless-optional," although Britney is said to have kept her butt cheek-grazing blue minidress on while taking in the scene at the outdoor lounge.

She also soaked up some harmful UV rays on Friday at the just opened Palms Place pool, according to People.

That night, a black cocktail dress-clad Spears stuck to water and "showed little emotion" as she hung out for a couple of hours in a cabana at the CineVegas shindig with her dad, Jamie, and Palms owner George Maloof.

"She didn't even smile once," an eyewitness tells the Review-Journal, with another chiming in, "It looks like the spirit was ripped out of her."

Kevin Federline is honored in Las Vegas for fulfilling his parental obligations.

Perhaps Spears was just a little down about being within craps-throwing distance of ex-husband Kevin Federline, who was in town to pick up a Father of the Year Award from hot spot Prive (no word on who was watching Sean and Jayden while their parents were in Vegas).

People says Federline partied until the wee hours at the club with a group of about 30, including his cucumber-cool divorce attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan.

Kevin, who also has two children with former flame Shar Jackson, hung out at the VIP table before picking up his prize, which was presented to him privately in the club's kitchen, supposedly at his request.

"I'm surprised," Federline said of the honor (via Us). He's not the only one.

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