Britney marries boy next door in Las Vegas. Another publicity scam?

First she was a virgin and then she was a vamp. So, after a very stage-managed kiss with Madonna, what better way for Britney Spears to return to her roots than by marrying the boy next door?

According to reports in America last night, Ms Spears, 22, walked into the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas and tied the knot with Jason Allen Alexander, also 22, her childhood friend from Kentwood, Louisiana.

But the same reports also carried claims from "sources close to the star" that the nuptials were a "joke that went too far".

"I don't know what's going through her mind," the source said, adding that plans were already being made for an annulment. Cynics might argue that, however brief, the marriage will have been worth it if it keeps the singer's name in the media.

The performer of hits such as "Oops I Did It Again" was said to have been recently reunited with Mr Alexander after her break-up with the singer Justin Timberlake. She and Mr Alexander are believed to have spent New Year's Eve together in Las Vegas.

According to the online edition of People magazine, they were driven to the chapel, where other celebrities such as Bruce Willis and Demi Moore have also married, on Friday night.

When they found they needed a licence they were driven to the Clark County Marriage Bureau office at the Las Vegas courthouse. Hours after they secured the licence the pair married, with Ms Spears wearing jeans and a baseball cap.

According to People, the ceremony was videotaped and the singer has been showing the footage to friends. The "honeymoon" was said to have taken place at a luxury suite at the Palms hotel. Strangely, Ms Spears' publicist was not responding yesterday to calls for comment.