Hollywood Predicts Kevin Federline’s 15 Minutes Of Fame Are Up Without Spears

The saga of Britney Spears and Kevin Federline is about to play itself out in the courts.

And as we told you on Wednesday, it could be nasty, since the angry husband has now filed court papers challenging the pop star’s custody demand for their two young sons.

But what happens when the dust settles and the split is finally a fait accompli?

Spears will likely be fine. She’s amassed millions of dollars from record sales and her career should proceed as normal.

Federline, on the other hand, is an entirely different story.

It’s believed the former dancer-turned-rap artist signed an extensive pre-nuptial agreement with Spears before their marriage two years ago that may even keep him from collecting alimony.

So the question remains: can K-Fed make it on his own?

Early indications are the answer is no.

Federline’s new CD, “Playing With Fire” isn’t exactly burning down record stores. It only sold about 6,500 copies in its debut week, a horrible beginning, despite all the hype.

When the man tabloids are calling “Fed Ex” appeared at the famed House of Blues in Chicago Wednesday night, ticket sales were so bad, promoters had to give them away for free so the venue would appear to be filled.

A similar event in New York led to an almost empty house while a Cleveland concert last week was cancelled by poor ticket sales.

And it’s not because of a lack of publicity.

“I think there are very few people who don’t know that he has a record out,” comments Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly.

“But I haven’t heard of any sort of appearance that he’s made where he hasn’t been heckled and booed … he just strikes me as either completely clueless or just incredibly tenacious. And possibly deluded.”

So what happens next once Spears disappears?

Some suggest he’ll be reduced to the fate of a reality TV star, destined to appear on B-list shows until his 15 minutes of fame burns out.

“I’d almost expect him to drift away into obscurity,” believes Gary Bongiovanni of concert tracking firm Pollstar. “He gets a hit record, that changes everything. Absent that, you know, he gets divorced, there goes the curiosity factor.”

As for the 28-year-old would-be star himself, there was only one reference to his marital troubles during the Chicago gig. “I’ve been seeing a lot of fine ladies – you know who’s about to be a free man?” he asked the few hundred who attended.

The audience’s reply wasn’t recorded.

• While K-Fed may not be popular with paying audiences, he seems to have retained some sort of bizarre status with those looking for a freebie. His appearance on MuchMusic Monday has been posted to the video sharing site Youtube. As of Thursday, it has become the most viewed item of the millions available on the site. To see it, click here.