AceShowbiz - Gwyneth Paltrow's new movie "Country Strong" about a washed-up alcoholic singer is based on the real-life troubles of pop star Britney Spears, according to the film's director. The Oscar-winning actress plays a fallen country performer battling personal problems who attempts to resurrect her career in the acclaimed new film from writer/director Shana Feste.

Feste admits she was inspired to write the story after Spears hit headlines with her highly-publicized meltdown, during which she shaved her head and attacked a car with an umbrella, before being forced into a psychiatric ward in 2008. Feste tells the Los Angeles Times, "That's where this movie came from. I mean, I was seeing what was happening in the media to Britney Spears."

The director also reveals the plot was partly inspired by Michael Jackson's love/hate relationship with the press, adding: "I finished the script when Michael Jackson passed away. I think it's tragic how we treat people who give us so much, and we love to see them knocked down to build them back up again, to knock them down again. It's a weird fascination."