Britney Spears following tragic trail blazed by Anna Nicole Smith

A troubled blonde from rural Texas becomes a superstar and finds herself at the mercy of cads and leeches and rapacious relatives feeding off her fame and fortune.

That was the made-for-tabloids tale of Anna Nicole Smith, the statuesque siren who died at age 39 under mysterious circumstances in a Florida hotel room a year ago tomorrow.

Now many Hollywood watchers fear Britney Spears — another small-town girl remade into an icon — might be following the same tragic script as her life spirals out of control.

Spears, 26, was released Wednesday from the mental ward at UCLA Medical Center after undergoing a week of treatment.

"Vulnerable stars are often taken advantage of," said Rob Shuter, deputy editor of OK! magazine. "The amount of control that certain managers and so-called friends have shouldn't be underestimated,"

Smith's svengali was lawyer Howard K. Stern. Her body was not yet cold when he claimed to be the father of her infant daughter, Dannielynn, who stood to inherit her mom's millions. A DNA test revealed the real dad was another shifty character named Larry Birkhead.

Spears appears to have a Stern problem of her own, a manager named Osama Lutfi, who has drugged her, called her a "whore" and has tried to impose total control over her life, her parents have charged in court papers.

"It's clear that Sam had a huge impact in Britney's life, acting as the gatekeeper to the troubled star," Shuter said.

When Smith and Stern lived together, he was in control of all of the former Playboy playmate's meds. Even the prescriptions for her anti-depressants and sleeping pills were in his name.

In her restraining order against Lutfi, Spears' mother, Lynne, claimed Lutfi is managing her daughter's meds.

"He told me if he weren't in the house to give Britney her medicine, she would kill herself," Lynne Spears insisted.

Lutfi also claimed he ground up Britney's pills and put them in her food to keep her quiet — and imposed his will on a singer who has been in and out of psychiatric wards since splitting with ex-husband Kevin Federline.

Just as Stern tried to keep Smith away from Birkhead, Lutfi has reportedly been responsible for the rift between Spears and paparazzo beau Adnan Ghalib.

Just as Stern kept Smith's mother, Virgie Smith, out of her life, Lutfi has tried to isolate Spears from her family, according to court papers.

Lutfi reportedly cut all of the phone lines inside Spears' home and confiscated all the cell phone chargers so she couldn't juice up and call her folks, the papers state.

Smith and Spears also share a horrible taste in men. A new book about Smith written by her former dress designer and his partner alleges Birkhead hit on them at Camp Kindle, a retreat for HIV-positive youths. Birkhead is trying to bury the book by threatening to sue.

Federline, a former backup dancer, took Spears to the cleaners when their 25-month marriage ended in 2006 — and then moved to gain custody of their kids.
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