The most thankless job in celebrity PR has turned over yet again. Britney Spears has been without a personal publicist since October, when, as Radar reported, she dropped Leslie Sloane Zelnik (also the longtime cleaner-up of Lindsay Lohan's messes). In the interim, Sonia Muckle, a flack at Spears's label, Jive Records, has been handling her press. But now Muckle, too, is moving on, leaving Jive to start her own marketing and promotions company.

Muckle insists that her departure is totally unrelated to Spears recent antics, which include flying wing for Paris Hilton and exhibiting her ladywink to paparazzi. "I left of my own accord," she says. "This has been in the works for several months." With Spears headed into the studio in January, Jive will continue to handle her publicity for the time being.

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• Britney Flying Solo