US: Perhaps the shortest showbiz marriage in history was coming to an end yesterday as Britney Spears's "joke" wedding to a childhood friend was being annulled.
Annulment papers were filed and a hearing was last night under way in Nevada during which a judge was expected to rubber-stamp the request.
In theory, the judge could summon Spears and her "husband for a weekend", Mr Jason Allen Alexander (22), before the court. But court sources said this was unlikely and Spears was expected to be single once again within hours.
The pop diva, dressed in torn jeans and a baseball cap, wed Mr Alexander on the Las Vegas Strip in the early hours of Saturday morning. But within hours the 22-year-old Oops I Did It Again star realised she had taken the "joke too far", according to a spokesman.
Court spokesman Mr Michael Sommermeyer said Mr Alexander could contest any earnings Spears made during their brief marriage. But such a move was not expected.
Spears's record label, Jive, said in a statement: "On January 3rd, Britney Spears and a friend took a joke too far by getting married. Ms Spears and Mr Alexander have filed for an annulment which will become official on Monday, January 5th." The Las Vegas Sun reported that the Little White Wedding Chapel, where Spears said "I do", had been offered hundreds of thousands of pounds by newspapers for a copy of the videotape of the ceremony.