Larry speaks about Britney on Showbiz Tonight

Transcript from the interview...

Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, TV's most provocative entertainment news show. I'm Brooke Anderson. Tonight, a SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exclusive interview with Britney Spears' former manager, Larry Rudolph. Larry was right by Britney`s side throughout her massive worldwide success. But the two suddenly parted ways over a year ago just as Britney's troubles were just getting started.

Now, Larry, who is currently a judge on the hit MTV show "Rock the Cradle," is back in her life and says that she`s doing better than ever.

I sat down with Larry, and we talked about what it was like for him to watch Britney fall and why he thinks she could come back bigger than ever.

ANDERSON: You really are known to have been the backbone of her career. And then you parted ways. It was said that you wanted to get her help. You wanted to get her into rehab. But then you parted ways. The downfall began, the head shaving, the VMA performance, the psych ward. Were you shaking your head in disbelief? Because you've been there...you've helped her all through the years.

RUDOLPH: Yes. You know, it was a difficult time, there's no doubt about it. It was difficult for me to watch. I think it was difficult for everybody to watch who knew her. But she's really strong, and she's smart, and she`s pulling it together now in a great way. And I'm really happy to see it.

Look, everybody goes through their rough times. And she went through a very rough time, and hopefully the roughest time she'll ever have. I really see it - I've been spending a little bit of time with her non professionally. I've just been spending some time with her over the past few weeks and she's been doing great; She's in a much, much different place. And I think that's all passed, and that's all behind her.

ANDERSON: You know, on your MySpace page, it's flooded with postings from people saying, "Larry, please help Britney. We need the old Britney back. Is she all right?" You're saying she is, and she's going to come back stronger than ever.

RUDOLPH: Yes, I do believe that. I mean, look, the jury's still out - I mean, it`s not there yet. I mean, be clear. She's well on her way. I'm very, very happy with where she is now. I've had great conversations with her. She's in a much different place than the last time I saw her. I hadn't seen her in a year and I had been watching what everybody else had been watching. It was rough. And now it's a lot better. A lot better.

ANDERSON: You said she could make the biggest comeback in history.

RUDOLPH: Right.

ANDERSON: How big do you think? And you have a lot of faith in her, don't you?

RUDOLPH: Well, think about it. Ultimately - if it's what she wants, and if she decides that she wants to get back into the recording studio - if she gets back on a stage and put that all on again. If that's the life that she wants and she gets back on a stage, for instance, think about what that would be.

To go see a Britney Spears show with her back in her prime and doing what she does best, at this point, I can't imagine a hotter ticket in terms of a touring ticket. There's no show that I'd rather see. I think a lot of fans agree with that.

ANDERSON: A lot of fans would pay to see that, I'm sure. But what's your strategy? Do you have a three-point plan to help her get back to where she can be?

RUDOLPH: There's no strategy right now. There's no business being discussed, and that's the best way for now. It's not about that right now. It's not about business. It's not about whether she makes another album, whether she goes on tour. I'm just talking, you know, what if.

Right now, it's just about her getting it back together, getting back to where she needs to be in her life, not her career.

ANDERSON: Sounds like Larry's got a healthy plan in mind for Britney.

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