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Britney Spears is back in the recording studio with J.R. Rotem and Sean Garrett, the producers confirm to PEOPLE.

“She’s great,” Rotem told PEOPLE at the BMI Pop Awards in Beverly Hills on Tuesday. “She’s like a master at what she does. She’s a lot more experienced than most people. She just has the ‘it’ factor that not every artist has. So it’s always nice to work with her.”

Although Rotem, who briefly dated Spears in 2007, would not reveal any details of the project, a Spears family source tells PEOPLE that the pop star is in the early stages of a follow-up to her last album Blackout, which was released last October.

“Britney is in the experimental stages of a new album,” says the source. “She’s trying to find the sound and direction she wants to go in, but nothing is set in stone just yet. She has been playing the piano a lot and just singing. She says she misses ‘just singing.’”

Producer Sean Garrett was mum on specifics but says that he and Spears, 26, have “a few things in the works.” At the BMI Pop Awards, Garrett told PEOPLE: “I’m just happy to see her back and recovering. She’s really shaping up and getting her whole situation back together. I’m really proud and happy to see her.”

A rep for Spears’s record label had no comment.

After spending five relaxing days in the sun and surf of Costa Rica, Britney Spears has returned to her L.A. home.

An eyewitness tells OK! that the singer,26, who was vacationing in Costa Rica with Oscar winner Mel Gibson, her father Jamie Spears and her agent, Jason Trawick, arrived at Burbank’s Bob Hope Airport shortly after 7:30 p.m. PT.

It was just last week that the world got to see a happier Britney frolicking in the waves and riding ATVs along the beach as she continues to recover from her whirlwind year.

Pictures showing Brit and Jason being affectionate and flirtatious with each other have sparked rumors that the two may be nurturing more than a professional relationship! Trawick is behind Brit’s recent cameos on How I Met Your Mother.

But all good things must come to an end. Brit has to focus now on her on-going custody case with ex Kevin Federline. The two are scheduled to meet face-to-face in a private conference this week to hammer out the logistics of their custody agreement.

Commissioner Gordon has said that if the two can’t come to an agreement, he will set a trial date for sometime in August or September.

Miley Cyrus has defended stars Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan against the criticism of the media.

“Everyone has their time. And I think most 21 to 25-year-olds go through this kind of thing. Basically, they’re being normal 21-year-olds, especially Lindsay (Lohan). I mean, most of that’s pretty normal. If you went to most high school, I could point out Britneys and Lindsays,” Cyrus said. “I guess that’s why I’m so adamant about the Britneys and Lindsays and whatever, because I know those people and I know they have good hearts and they’re just struggling.”

The 15-year-old Hannah Montana star has faced troubles of her own in recent weeks after posing for Vanity Fair magazine. The singer apologized for the photos in which she appears to be topless.

The Backstreet Boys star - who is currently touring Europe promoting his upcoming debut solo album - believes the 26-year-old singer is finally putting her troubles behind her, and thinks her appearances on hit TV show ‘How I Met Your Mother’ will help.

He said: “I think her performance on the show will do well. I think as long as she can just keep her feet on the ground and just find herself again. She is a little lost but I know she can do it, I believe in her. I believe in anybody who wants to do something for themselves.”

A.J. has been trying to get in contact with the mother-of-two for a long time, but hasn’t been able to reach her to offer his support.

He added to BANG Showbiz: “I’ve reached out to her for over a year now, to sit and have a chat, and you know, if she wants to she will, if she doesn’t then she won’t. I think she is going to be fine - I really do.”

Though Britney Spears has been enjoying her time in Costa Rica with fellow scandal-magnet Mel Gibson and his family, OK! has confirmed that the pop star should be back home in Los Angeles as early as Monday morning, as her presence is required at an important meeting.

“She has a previously scheduled custody mediation meeting,” one insider confirms to OK!, adding that it’s highly unlikely the singer will call in sick to this gathering. “With the tight leash that her dad has on her, it would take an act of God for her to not be there.”

Brit and Mel departed for his family home in Costa Rica last Thursday. The two have apparently grown close since their first meeting over dinner at Romanov in L.A. back in March.

LOS ANGELES - Kevin Federline’s attorney can’t complain about the intense interest in his client’s child-custody battle with Britney Spears.

He doesn’t grumble about the television trucks and news reporters swarming the courthouse every time there’s a hearing, or the paparazzi who hound the pop princess every moment there isn’t. And he’s certainly not opposed to the TV reports, tabloids and Web sites that have documented every shred of the case that has consumed him for the past 18 months.

After all, the attention has saved his side some major cash.

“If I had to hire an investigator or investigators to provide me with the intelligence about what’s going on, where they are, how are they doing,” said Mark Vincent Kaplan, “it would be north of half a million to a million dollars … as opposed to buying People magazine for $3.95 on Thursday morning or going on TMZ.”

On May 6, the 61-year-old attorney emerged from Superior Court in Los Angeles where, for the first time in months, there was positive news to report about the former couple’s custody tug-of-war: Spears was to have longer visits with her children.

The change, he said, was “recognition of the progress that has been made, a progress in structure and stability.”

Days later, he sat down with The Associated Press at his high-rise office near Beverly Hills, letting on that those inside the case were viewing it through the same prism as the rest of us.

“Everyone who had a big toe in this case at every level followed what was going on by looking at the Web sites,” he said.

Spears has always been an irresistible media target, but the 26-year-old’s split from Federline launched a series of antics that amplified coverage of her life. The pop star appeared in public without underwear, shaved her own head at a suburban salon and beat a car with an umbrella. She checked in and out of rehab, got into fender-benders, inexplicably spoke with a British accent and made a paparazzo her personal companion.

Twice she was rushed by ambulance to local hospitals, drawing hordes of helicopters each time.

“No other case has had the media addiction and frenzy that surrounded this case and these people 24-seven,” he said. “There’s never been anything like this, and there probably won’t be for a while.”

Each bizarre episode formed a new wrinkle in her custody dispute, and each twist prompted a new round of news reports. The press swarmed whenever Spears was allowed to see 2-year-old Sean Preston and 1-year-old Jayden James, and she was not averse to trotting the tots through known paparazzi hot spots.

In January, after her second hospitalization, Spears’ visitation rights were suspended completely; her father, Jamie Spears, legally took over her personal and financial affairs in a conservatorship — a legal designation normally reserved for cases involving the elderly and infirm.

But in the ensuing months, she has avoided the harsh spotlight, instead spending time with family and even finding success in a cameo role on television’s “How I Met Your Mother.”

The scene at the May 6 hearing was so low-key as to be almost anticlimactic. The tide had apparently turned, not only for Spears, but also for the horde that was feeding off months of high drama.

It was a long time coming.

“In order for a high-profile case not to be high profile, everybody’s got to want it not to be high profile,” Kaplan said. “That wasn’t happening for a while.”

While the frenzy may have abated, it hasn’t completely dissipated, in part because the case is continuing in open court rather than before a private judge, where celebrities often choose to settle their private affairs. Kaplan says that’s happening for reasons he can’t discuss.

One of the effects, however, is an evolution of Federline’s public image — from the guy who caused the downfall of America’s pop princess, to the more stable, responsible parent in an ugly situation.

“I think when the media saw that here’s a guy who stepped up to the plate, not just because he had to but because he wanted to … I think they gained a respect for him and that really turned them around a lot,” Kaplan said. “The mission involved — wanting to change the wrongful impression that was generally perceived for my client — without the media being a willing participant, it would have been impossible.”

That “mission” is why Kaplan says he took the case. Kaplan prepared Federline’s prenuptial agreement, and the two reunited when Spears filed for divorce.

“It was at that time that I knew that this was someone that I believed in who was taking on a cause that I believed in,” Kaplan said. “I realized that, in order to achieve the goal that he had regarding custody, that we couldn’t get from point A to point B without passing right through the center of the American dream.”

With A-list resources, Spears has employed a revolving door of representation, including four family law firms and some 15 attorneys throughout the case, while Kaplan and his partner, Jim Simon, have been the only two fighting for Federline. Spears was forced to pay most of his legal bills, and as of last month, Kaplan was still due $343,834.

When Federline, who has two other children from a previous relationship, won sole legal and physical custody of Sean Preston and Jayden James in January, it was a victory for Kaplan & Simon, LLP. And it was merited, said Connoly Oyler, a veteran Los Angeles family law attorney who is not involved in the Spears-Federline matter.

“In Spears’ case, with the emotional breakdown that she had, that’s a legitimate reason for one parent to say, ‘I want sole legal and sole physical (custody), because the other parent is not physically or psychologically able to take care of the children,’” he said. “There is good reason for Kevin Federline doing what he did, legally.”

Despite the overabundance of drama and media, the Spears-Federline case does share one thing with other custody disputes, Kaplan said: It’s a battle over the welfare of children who don’t grasp what’s going on around them.

“The bottom line is you’ve got two kids … who don’t know and don’t care and should never have to care about who their parents are,” he said. “They just want to be safe and secure, nurtured and bonded with their parents just like any other kids. … That’s really what’s at the core of this just like any other case.”

Kaplan said he’s proud of what he and Simon have accomplished for Federline. The case is arguably among the most significant in the attorney’s 34-year career, and Kaplan said it has inspired personal satisfaction and professional growth.

“We’ve expanded and everyone’s coming and wanting to hire me,” he said. “I’m seen as, in a lot of ways, taking on Goliath.”

“Very few lawyers get the opportunity that this case has presented on every possible issue you can think of,” he continued. “Even fewer lawyers recognize the opportunity, and even a smaller percentage of those have the (guts) to go for the opportunity.”

Of course being around celebrity has perks of its own.

“It’s made it possible to not have to make reservations at a restaurant,” he said, “but that too shall pass.”

Britney Spears and Mel Gibson are headed to Costa Rica where they will vacation with the singer’s father and Gibson’s wife, a source tells PEOPLE.

“They’re just going away for a few days to relax,” says a source.

The group plan to stay at Gibson’s Costa Rican home. They will be back early next week.

The unlikely pair were first spotted together back in mid-March when they dined at Russian restaurant Romanov in Studio City. However, it wasn’t their first meeting. Gibson and Spears and their families met a number of times after the pop star was hospitalized in February, a different source told PEOPLE at the time.

“Mel and his wife Robin clearly saw a woman in crisis and wanted to extend themselves in any way possible,” the source said.

Gibson and Spears used to be neighbors when the singer previously lived in Malibu. “There are no expectations, there is no agenda,” the source added. “It’s simply an act of human kindness – one neighbor reaching out to the other.”

“Radar,” Britney’s 4th single off her album “Blackout,” is set to hit airwaves June 24th according to AllAccess.com.

Britney was at the beach again today sporting her bikini! She seems to be having fun in Costa Rica.

*FANMADE*

Even though Britney Spears’ second guest appearance on How I Met Your Mother has come and gone, it’s still the top item on everyone’s list of questions for show co-star Alyson Hannigan.

“Was she acting all crazy on the set?” asked Jimmy Kimmel, who was filling in for Regis Philbin on Friday’s Live With Regis & Kelly.

“Not at all,” said Alyson. “She’s very funny… very lovely and polite.”

Recounting the pop star’s time on the HIMYM set, Alyson recalled, “She really liked my little dog… They bonded. My puppy got to kiss Britney Spears!”

While co-host Kelly Ripa suggested that Hannigan “never wash that puppy again,” Jimmy was a little more forward, saying, “I hope Britney doesn’t end up pregnant!”

We just snapped these exclusive pics of our girl Brit at a public beach in Samara, which is on the Guanacaste Peninsula on Costa Rica’s pacific coast. She’s currently on day two of her vacation with Mel Gibson, and it looks like she’s enjoying the sun and sand and getting a killer tan.

And that’s Brit’s agent, Jason Trawick, with her on the ATV! Is sun and sand with your client part of the job description? Is this business or pleasure???

Britney is reportedly in negotiations to make a huge comeback in Sin City at none other than the Palms Casino. She met with the Maloof Brothers, who own the Palms, to discuss a possible six show extravaganza.

This may be exactly what Brit needs. She’s been very dedicated at the gym every day to get back into shape, and she would definitely be able to sell out a show in Vegas! Do you think this would be a good career move for Brit?

BRITNEY SPEARS is NOT pregnant, her spokesperson has told The Sun.

Rumours have been swirling around the world after the singer’s stomach swelled and she spent two hours in a health clinic.

But a spokesperson claims: “I want to make completely clear that Britney is not pregnant. There’s not going to be a statement – she’s just not.”

A pal also explained the appearance of what looks a baby bump.

The friend said: “It’s a mix of water retention, unflattering clothes and people liking to analyse everything she does.

“Britney’s getting herself together slowly but surely and isn’t going to mess that up.

“She’s far too busy to even be thinking about a baby right now.”

Our gallery’s updates have been MIA for awhile but tonight I uploaded everything that we were lacking, including HIMYM screens and candids, so check it out now!

ET breaks news that BRITNEY SPEARS and MEL GIBSON are currently en route to Costa Rica on vacation together! Britney arrived on time, about 5 minutes after Mel, and the plane departed at 9:05 a.m.

We spotted them leaving on a private plane to the Central American state early this morning. Sources tell us that Mel is taking Britney and her father JAMIE for a mini-vacation. We’ve learned they will be guests at Mel’s home in Costa Rica.

According to the terms of her custody Britney’s children cannot leave the country without special approval, so they are not joining her on the trip.

While the pop star and the actor may appear to be an unlikely duo, they used to live in the same Malibu community and were spotted having dinner together at Studio City’s Romanov restaurant in March.

Source: ETOnline

“They’re just going away for a few days to relax,” says a source.

The group plan to stay at Gibson’s Costa Rican home. They will be back early next week.

The unlikely pair were first spotted together back in mid-March when they dined at Russian restaurant Romanov in Studio City. However, it wasn’t their first meeting. Gibson and Spears and their families met a number of times after the pop star was hospitalized in February, a different source told PEOPLE at the time.

“Mel and his wife Robin clearly saw a woman in crisis and wanted to extend themselves in any way possible,” the source said.

Gibson and Spears used to be neighbors when the singer previously lived in Malibu. “There are no expectations, there is no agenda,” the source added. “It’s simply an act of human kindness – one neighbor reaching out to the other.”

Source: People