Britney: The Comeback!

Forget the undie errors, the tearful calls to her ex, the collapse from "exhaustion" in a nightclub and the wild nights with Paris, because Britney Spears and her manager are currently masterminding her BIG comeback.

Despite rumours that Britney's label Jive are planning to drop the singer, Larry Rudolph - who managed her until 2003 and is now back at the reigns - has announced Britney will blow our socks off again come summer with a killer single.

"She's taking all the right steps," he said. "Britney Spears will be back and absolutely at the top of the entertainment industry very soon."

However it sounds like a case of tough love with both Larry and Brit conceding that at the moment her reputation is in tatters.

Earlier this month Ruben Garay, creator of one-time hugely successful website World Of Britney.com, announced he 's pulling the plug on the site later this month because he 's so dismayed with the racy antics of the once squeaky clean pop princess.

"I'm not defending (her behaviour), and she's not defending it," said Rudolph. However, referring to reports of Britney's NYE collapse, he explained how stories get exaggerated.

"We were sitting there drinking orange juice. She got tired in a club, and we took her back to her room. Suddenly, I'm hearing words like 'collapsed' and 'passed out.'

"From a fan's perspective, from what they've been seeing and hearing, I understand the disappointment," he said.

"But Britney is increasingly motivated to get out there. She sees this as a challenge, that some fans may be questioning her. She is respectful. She sees this as her challenge to win them back."

And Brit is going to let the music speak for itself. She plans to get right back into the studio after her break in the Sanctuary Spa in Arizona where she's taking a few days out.

Her new album is already half-completed and according to Rudolph Brit is "real excited".

Let's hope this is the real deal, this time, Britney. Time to start pulling yer socks up...

SLJ