Newsmakers: Britney Spears’ father in control of her estate

The father of Britney Spears was named her temporary conservator Friday, putting him in control of her welfare a day after she was whisked to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.

While James Spears was named conservator of the troubled pop star herself, he and an attorney, Andrew Wallete, were name conservators of her estate. The singer’s mother, Lynne Spears, was also in court in Los Angeles.

The court also issued a restraining order against Britney Spears’ sometimes manager and friend, Sam Lutfi, and gave permission to change the locks on her estate and remove anyone who is there.

A court creates conservatorships when a person cannot care for themselves or handle their affairs.

Eva Mendes getting help

Eva Mendes has report­edly checked into rehab.

“Eva has been working hard for the past year and made a positive decision to take some much-needed time off to proactively attend to some personal issues that, while not critical, she felt deserved some outside professional support,” the 31-year-old actress’ publicist, Brad Cafarelli, said Friday in a statement.

The celebrity Web site TMZ reported Friday that Mendes had checked into a Utah rehab center for substance abuse.

Mendes’ screen credits include “Training Day,” “2 Fast 2 Furious,” “Hitch” and “Ghost Rider.”

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