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Britney Spears' Husband Seeks Financial Support

(FILES) US singer Britney Spears (L) and Sam Asghari arrive for the premiere of Sony Pictures' "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood" at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California on July 22, 2019. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP)
(FILES) US singer Britney Spears (L) and Sam Asghari arrive for the premiere of Sony Pictures' "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood" at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California on July 22, 2019. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP)
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Britney Spears' Husband Seeks Financial Support

(FILES) US singer Britney Spears (L) and Sam Asghari arrive for the premiere of Sony Pictures' "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood" at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California on July 22, 2019. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP)
(FILES) US singer Britney Spears (L) and Sam Asghari arrive for the premiere of Sony Pictures' "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood" at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California on July 22, 2019. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP)

Britney Spears and her husband Sam Asghari separated nearly three weeks ago, and he is seeking spousal support and attorneys' fees in their divorce, according to his divorce filing.
Asghari, 29, filed his petition to dissolve his 14-month-old marriage to the 41-year-old pop superstar in Los Angeles County court late Wednesday.
Like the vast majority of those who file for divorce in California, he cites irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split.
The document lists the couple's separation date as July 28, though reports of the split did not emerge until Wednesday. It says he will try to get financial support from her, while blocking her from getting any from him. And it seeks to have her pay for his divorce lawyers.
The filing says the value of Spears' and Asghari's assets, and those they own jointly, has yet to be determined. Spears and Asghari had no children together.
“No negative intention has ever been directed towards her and never will be. Sam has always and will always support her,” Asghari’s representative Brandon Cohen said Thursday afternoon.
Email sent to a Spears' representatives were not returned.
She has not addressed the split on social media. An Instagram post since the divorce filing is a photo of herself on horseback on a beach, with a caption that begins, “Buying a horse soon!”
Spears married Asghari at her home in Thousand Oaks, California, on June 9, 2022, in front of guests including Selena Gomez, Drew Barrymore, Paris Hilton and Madonna, in a wedding seen as a milestone in her newly reclaimed life after the dissolution just six months earlier of the court conservatorship that controlled her life for more than 13 years.
Spears met and began dating Asghari, a model and actor, when he appeared in her video for the song “Slumber Party” in 2016.

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Entertainment

'Shrek' Director Tackles Taboo in Netflix Fairy Tale 'Spellbound'

(L-R) US actress Jenifer Lewis, US-Australian actress Nicole Kidman, US actor Tituss Burgess, US actress Rachel Zegler, Spanish actor Javier Bardem and US actor Nathan Lane arrive for the New York premiere of Netflix's animated film "Spellbound," on November 11, 2024. (Photo by Yuki IWAMURA / AFP)
(L-R) US actress Jenifer Lewis, US-Australian actress Nicole Kidman, US actor Tituss Burgess, US actress Rachel Zegler, Spanish actor Javier Bardem and US actor Nathan Lane arrive for the New York premiere of Netflix's animated film "Spellbound," on November 11, 2024. (Photo by Yuki IWAMURA / AFP)
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'Shrek' Director Tackles Taboo in Netflix Fairy Tale 'Spellbound'

(L-R) US actress Jenifer Lewis, US-Australian actress Nicole Kidman, US actor Tituss Burgess, US actress Rachel Zegler, Spanish actor Javier Bardem and US actor Nathan Lane arrive for the New York premiere of Netflix's animated film "Spellbound," on November 11, 2024. (Photo by Yuki IWAMURA / AFP)
(L-R) US actress Jenifer Lewis, US-Australian actress Nicole Kidman, US actor Tituss Burgess, US actress Rachel Zegler, Spanish actor Javier Bardem and US actor Nathan Lane arrive for the New York premiere of Netflix's animated film "Spellbound," on November 11, 2024. (Photo by Yuki IWAMURA / AFP)

Animated films tackling parent separation and divorce are few and far between.

While live-action kids' classics like "The Parent Trap" and "Mrs. Doubtfire" have used the concept as a launchpad for humorous antics, animation has tended to steer entirely clear of the issue.

"Isn't that funny... you can kill off a parent in a movie like 'Lion King,' or 'Bambi,'" said Vicky Jenson, best known for co-directing "Shrek."

"Disney moms are often dead -- the only time anyone remarries is because the other spouse is dead. This topic of separation, of parents not being able to live together... it's taboo."

But in Jenson's new film, "Spellbound," a princess's parents have been transformed by a dastardly spell into literal monsters.

It is an allegorical device that forces young Ellian to try to "fix" her mother and father, and their broken family.

"We encountered some resistance when we were looking for someone to help bring the movie to the world, a partner to distribute the movie," Jenson told AFP.

"They all reacted the same way, like: 'What a beautiful movie, what a great message.' And then they ghosted us!"

The movie went through a number of different studios, including Paramount and Apple TV+, before ultimately landing at Netflix, which will release the film Friday.

"I credit Netflix for stepping up bravely and partnering with us on this," said Jenson.

"In this environment, it does feel like stories that push the boundaries are more accessible on streaming.

"Theaters are kind of filled with superheroes right now... the big safe bets."

- 'Monsters' -

As the film starts, tenacious teen princess Ellian (voiced by Rachel Zegler) is desperately seeking a cure for the mysterious spell that has transformed her parents, Queen Ellsmere (Nicole Kidman) and King Solon (Javier Bardem).

To make matters worse, she must hide the whole mess from the oblivious citizens of Lumbria.

When the secret gets out, and panic spreads throughout the kingdom, Ellian is forced on a dangerous quest to undo the curse.

But even if she succeeds, she soon learns that her family may never go back to the way it once was.

To make Ellian's reaction to her -- literally -- monstrous parents believable and accurate, filmmakers employed the consulting services of a family psychologist and therapist who specialized in divorce.

"Kids feel like it's their responsibility to fix this. They don't understand that something happened to their parents -- they're acting like monsters," explained Jenson.

The director, and cast and crew, also drew on their own experiences, "because we all know our parents are monsters at one point -- and as parents, we're all monsters at one point," she joked.

- An inverse 'Shrek'? -

The end result is a thoroughly contemporary parable, set in a magical fairytale kingdom.

That has clear echoes of Jenson's smash-hit directing debut "Shrek," but with cause and effect reversed.

"'Shrek' was the modern take on fairy tales. This was a fairy tale take on a modern story," she said.

For Jenson and the filmmakers -- including legendary composer Alan Menken, of "The Little Mermaid,Beauty and the Beast" and countless more -- it was important to bring this "truth about family life" to the screen.

It "is there for so many of us, but hadn't been approached as a myth or as a new fairy tale before," said Jenson.

"Now, a new fairy tale is out there for that experience that so many kids, so many parents, so many families need help through."