Independent Spirit Awards

The Squid and the Whale, writer-director Noah Baumbach's tale about a crumbling marriage, led the nominees Tuesday for the Independent Spirit Awards, the beachside party honoring the best indie films of the year.

Squid will face off against a relatively new directing talent � George Clooney, whose Edward R. Murrow drama Good Night, and Good Luck, scored four nominations, including best feature and director.

Other four-time nominees include Capote, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, the "gay cowboy movie" Brokeback Mountain, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and best lead actor nominee Heath Ledger, and Tommy Lee Jones's The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada.

Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney, who play a couple whose marriage is failing in Squid, received acting nominations, as did Jesse Eisenberg, who plays the couple's son. Dawn Hudson, executive director of event organizer Film Independent, said of the emotional film, which is set in Brooklyn in the 1980s, "We don't see an honest film about divorce from a kid's point of view."

Also nominated this year was Crash, the critically acclaimed drama about race in America, which was nominated for best first feature (for director Paul Haggis). Matt Dillon scored a supporting actor nod for his role as a corrupt cop in the film.

Dillon's Crash costar, Terrence Howard, picked up a lead acting nomination � but for a different film: Hustle & Flow. And Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman is up for lead actress in Transamerica, about a transgender man who becomes a woman.

Last year, the wine country comedy Sideways swept the Spirit Awards, winning all six categories in which it was nominated. (The next day, it won just one of the five Oscars for which it was nominated � for adapted screenplay.) The Spirit Awards, which are traditionally held the day before the Oscars in Santa Monica, will air live on the IFC channel March 4.

Mullet Evny

Actor Patrick Swayze is desperate to meet U2 frontman Bono, after discovering their joint love of the mullet hairstyle.

The Dirty Dancing star has long been a distant admirer of the Irish rocker, and asked a friend to arrange a meeting between the pair. And he was thrilled to discover Bono also thought they shared a connection - their passion for 1980s styling.

He says, "Bono said, 'I have issues with that guy, real serious issues.' My friend was like, 'Oh no!' and was about to skulk out of there when Bono told him, 'I read somewhere that people think Patrick Swayze invented the mullet. Someone needs to tell him I invented the mullet.' "When I heard that I went, 'Oh my God, I'm going to love him.'"

T&T

Donald Trump is launching a vodka line, even though he hates the taste of alcohol and steers clear of people who drink.

The tycoon is allowing a company called Drinks America to market Trump Super Premium Vodka. "By the summer of '06, I fully expect the most called-for cocktail in America to be the 'T&T' or the 'Trump and Tonic,' " Trump was quoted in a press release yesterday. "We are very excited that Drinks America will be leading this initiative and look for great success."

But back in January 2004, Trump told Page Six: "Never had a drink. Never had a cigarette. Number one, I don't like the taste [of alcohol]. Number two, my brother [Fred Trump] died of alcoholism. I saw what alcohol did to him . . . Most people that drink, I've found have a problem with it. I had a friend who I respected, but who would get totally bombed, and I'd be carrying him out by his arms and legs. He'd make a total jerk of himself . . . Subconsciously, I think I'm not into people who drink." A spokes woman for Trump said, "He hasn't tasted it, but he decided that for those who have a distinguished taste for vodka and who drink moderately, this is it."

Mother of All Bat Mitzvahs

50 Cent, Tom Petty, Stevie Nicks and members of Aerosmith and The Eagles joined forces to create one of the year's greatest live line-ups at the weekend, when they played a private Bat Mitzvah celebration gig.

Multi-millionaire David H. Brooks paid a reported $10 million to hire the artists to perform at his daughter Elizabeth's party at New York City venue The Rainbow Room. Brooks is said to have chartered his company jet to pick up Aerosmith rockers Steven Tyler and Joe Perry from their Saturday concert in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

He reportedly paid the stars $2 million to play a 45-minute set, while 50 Cent is thought to have received $500,000. Petty wowed the gathering with an acoustic performance, while The Eagles stars Joe Walsh and Don Henley played alongside Fleetwood Mac singer Nicks.

Other acts to perform at the extravagant event included Ciara, Nicole Richie's fiance DJ AM and saxophonist Kenny G. However, Brooks has denied the reported cost of the event. He told the New York Daily News, "All dollar figures vastly exaggerated. This was a private event and we do not wish to comment on details of the party."

--Whoa. This kid has no chance of having any knowledge of reality. I have to say though...WHY KENNY G?

LaSimpson's Nasty Divorce

The divorce of Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey will get nasty.

They were so sure they'd be together forever when they wed in 2002 that they didn't sign a prenuptial agreement. Considering Simpson made the bulk of the couple's assets while they were together, dragging in a cool $35 million last year, she could be paying through the nose.

Simpson has hired bulldog divorce lawyer Laura Wasser, who handled Angelina Jolie's divorce from Billy Bob Thornton. According to Us Weekly, Lachey found out Simpson was going to tell the media about their split via her publicist, Rob Shuter.

Peck's Star Stolen

Gregory Peck's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was stolen by someone who cut it out of the sidewalk where it had honored the actor for more than four decades, officials said Tuesday.

"They just left a big hole out there," said Johnny Grant, 82, who serves as Hollywood's honorary mayor and oversees ceremonies honoring star recipients. "Somebody went out there with a cement saw and carved it out of the black terrazzo."

Peck's star is the fourth star to be stolen since the Walk of Fame was begun in 1960. Some 2,200 stars are now part of the walkway.

Keep On Truckin', Vince

Vince Vaughn shows off a slightly trimmer form while walking in Santa Monica last week. The actor � who's admitted he put on a few pounds after quitting smoking earlier this year � has been staying in the beachside city, near the home of gal pal Jennifer Aniston.

Material Recordbreaker

Madonna is on her way to besting the King for the most top-10 hits of any artist in the rock era.

The Material Girl scored her 36th top-10 hit (the same number as Elvis Presley as her latest single, "Hung Up," climbed up the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart to #7 last week.

The pop superstar already holds the record for the most top-40 hits � 45 and counting � by a solo female artist.

RIP

Children's author Stan Berenstain, who with his wife wrote more than 200 books about a family of bears, has died at age 82.

He passed away on Saturday in Pennsylvania, Audra Boltion, a spokeswoman for HarperCollins Children's Books, tells the Associated Press.

The Berenstain Bears books, written by Stan and his wife Jan Berenstain, helped children cope with trips to the dentist, eating junk food and cleaning their messy rooms. The first of their bear books, The Great Honey Hunt, was published in 1962.

--I loved these books when I was a kid.

Gisele Joins Devil Cast

Giselle Bundchen has joined the cast of Meryl Streep's new movie The Devil Wears Prada.

The Brazilian model made her big screen debut in last year's Taxi as one of four beautiful female bank robbers who hit New Yorks' banks.

David Frankel has written and will direct the big screen version of Lauren Wisberger's best-selling novel The Devil Wears Prada, the story of a boss from hell.

The movie deals with how a small-town girl lands a job as assistant to a high-powered editor.

Ozzy Says...

Ozzy Osbourne says Christmas shopping with his wife Sharon would drive him back to drink and drugs.

According to Heat magazine he said: "I hate shopping. Especially with my wife! If anything was to drive me back to drink and drugs it would be going to Harrods with Sharon for the day."

Ozzy, who plans to spend Christmas in the US, revealed he is not a fan of the festivities. He added: "I am not a Christmas kind of guy. If you drink, it's great. But if you don't, it's a drag because everyone is pi**ed. I'll sit and watch a Christmas film but I won't play games. I'm crap at games."

Ozzy says one of his greatest presents this year has been son Jack's recovery from his addiction to drink and pills. He says the 20-year-old has turned his life around after doing rehab and then battling an addiction to food. "One day he turned round to me and said 'You know what? I'm going to lose weight. I'm going to Thai box and get a TV show'. And he did. He looks great. He's my hero. I learn more from him than he could ever learn from me.

"I'm so proud of him. Last year he was an angry man, the year before he was a stoner and this year he took on the ex-Thai boxing champion and knocked him out. He ran with a bull and climbed 4,000 feet up a cliff."

20 Cars, 7 Minutes

Saks Fifth Avenue recently saw all 20 of the special-edition 2007 Mercedes-Benz S600s offered through its holiday catalog fly off the shelves.

The $145,000 king of luxury sedans sold on Nov. 22 in less than seven minutes, with more than 700 waitlisted hopefuls eventually turned away. And for the lucky 20, wow. Not only will they be the first on their blocks to sport the 12-cylinder, bi-turbo sedans (the cars don't reach showrooms until next spring), but each is specially equipped with a transparent glass roof, DVD auto changer, and Sirius satellite radio.

TomKat Fetus

Rumor has it that the freak TomKat fetus is a boy:

Katie Holmes has revealed the sex of her child after being spotted buying up big on blue baby clothes in LA recently.

Onlookers say the actress was shopping up a storm for her unborn son at the trendy Beverly Hills store Petit Bateau. Friends have reportedly confirmed the news, adding that Tom and Katie have already decided to call their baby boy William Oscar. It�s unknown why the pair have chosen these names, although insiders note that Tom has an actor cousin named William Mapother.

Friends say the pair had also picked out the name Ella Elizabeth until it was confirmed they were expecting a boy.

--Story from Oh No They Didn't.
--Pic from Dlisted.

Nick Is Sad For 2 Seconds

NIck Lachey is wasting no time looking for female companionship now that he and wife Jessica Simpson have announced their separation.

The former 98 Degrees singer and his buddy, telecommunications billionaire Peter Loftin, were spotted swilling champagne and vodka with a bevy of babes at Mynt nightclub in Miami the other night.

Rumor has it that Lachey cozied up to a buxom lady who looked "dazed and drunk as she hung all over him." A spy sniffed, "She had big boobs but was clearly not as pretty as Jessica."

Speaking of newly single guys, former Paris Hilton fianc� Paris Latsis has been hitting the town with the high-stepping Hiltie's good friend, reality TV train wreck Tara Reid.

Laguna Gossip

Laguna Beach gossip:

As of two weeks ago, Kristin and Alex H. were sharing an apartment, but Alex H. left to move into another posh L.A. building with Alex M. It's a building that happens to be one of Kristin's dad's developments. Show insiders say that their relationship soured because Kristin insisted that everything be about her, expecting Alex to be on call. The last straw went down at a San Diego event for Dieter's charity, when Alex refused to drive Kristin back to L.A. early for an audition.

Stephen is sharing a downtown L.A. apartment with Dieter and Jason. They aren't in school right now, but while Stephen has acting classes, and Dieter has his charity, rumor has it that Jason's concentrating on cleaning up his act, though it doesn't seem to be happening. Says a source who works with the Laguna Beach crew, "Promoters are constantly calling them and sending them to different L.A. clubs every night of the week. Jason is always getting kicked out of clubs for getting into fights...He's wrecked a lot of cars, too. That's why you always see him driving different ones on the show." Same goes for Stephen. Word has it that last week he crashed a brand-new car the very same day he bought it!

Lauren, meanwhile, has cut ties with every other castmember except Jason, whom she's still dating. According to insiders, she and Kristin did make up months ago, but they're back to being enemies, maybe, because they both hooked up with Stephen again over the summer.

Lauren's spinoff is supposedly similar to MTV's PoweR Girls, except that it follows her and friend Heidi (who is hated by all of Lauren's other friends) around Los Angeles. The spinoff is being called The Hills--as in the Hollywood Hills--and MTV plans to show the exterior of some random Hollywood Hills home as if it's really hers. The truth? She's living in an apartment by L.A. shopping complex the Grove!

As for Laguna's next installment, one well-connected spy says, "It isn't centered around a boy or a love triangle, like the last two seasons have been. It'll revolve around a couple of girls who can't stand another girl. One of the girls, who's in the 'we don't like you' group, is the chick Jason took to prom this year. Also, there are twins who actually moved to Laguna from Texas just to be on the show!"

Butt Buddies

Matt Damon has revealed George Clooney can't get enough of his butt.

The actor says his 'Syriana' co-star pinches his behind at least once a day. The blonde star quipped Clooney's sexual advances are the reason why the pair have starred in so many films together.

He said: "George grabs my ass every day. At least once a day. That's why I've done three movies with him"

But during the making of the movie, Clooney became so depressed after piling on the pounds for his role, Damon found he was no longer the center of his attention. He said to Cinema Confidential : "George is normally so fun and vibrant--like grabbing my ass - but during the shoot he really wasn't He was very serious."

Geisha Controversy

"Memoirs of a Geisha" might not play well in Japan because the movie's three lead roles are played by Chinese women � Ziyi Zhang, Gong Li and Michelle Yeoh, an ethnic Chinese Malaysian.

And don't expect it to be a hit in China, either. Reuters reports that the Chinese, still bitter over the Japanese occupation from 1931 to 1945, bristle at the idea of Chinese women playing geishas. A blogger in China said of Zhang: "She's sold her soul and betrayed her country. Hacking her to death would not be good enough."

--I'd highly recommend this book if you haven't read it yet.

Ayalbert

Elisha Cuthbert's fiance Trace Ayala insists the couple are still engaged, despite reports their romance is in trouble.

The Girl Next Door actress, 23, and 25-year-old Ayala - best pal and business partner of Justin Timberlake - became engaged last year.

In recent weeks, Cuthbert has been spotted without her engagement ring or Ayala, who was recently photographed leaving a cinema with newly-single singer Jessica Simpson. However, Ayala tells People magazine, "Neither one of us is in a hurry to get married." "We've both got so much going on right now. I love her to death, so whatever happens, happens."

The Sound of Diaz?

Julie Andrews says Cameron Diaz would be the perfect choice to play Maria if "The Sound of Music" is ever remade. Andrews starred in the best-picture Academy Award winner about a nun who leaves the convent behind to wed an Austrian widower (Christopher Plummer) and spread the "Do-Re-Mi" spirit to his seven kids.

At a question-and-answer session celebrating the 40th anniversary of the popular film, Andrews recalled the scene in which Maria runs through the mountains singing "The Hills Are Alive With the Sound of Music."

It wasn't as serene as it looked, the 70-year-old actress said Monday. "I will never forget it, there was a large helicopter coming towards me through the mountains with a brave cameraman hanging out the side," she said. "We shot the scene many times, and at the end of each take, the helicopter would circle round. The downdraft nailed me flat onto the grass, and a couple of times I bit the dust. At first it was funny, but after several times I began to get very angry."

Andrews, who has given up musical roles because of throat problems, said: "I miss singing very, very much, but the best thing is I have never been busier."

She will voice Queen Lillian in the upcoming "Shrek 3" movie. Diaz will voice Princess Fiona.

--I often find myself wondering, "How do you solve a problem like Cameron?"

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R 'n R Hall of Fame

After eight tries, legendary heavy metal act Black Sabbath will finally be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next year, whether Ozzy Osbourne likes it or not.

They will be joined by punk pioneers the Sex Pistols, new wave icons Blondie, jazz godhead Miles Davis and southern rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd . The 21st annual ceremony will take place on March 13 in New York at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

--Free bird!

Another Stewart Kid

Rod Stewart's fianc�e, Penny Lancaster, has given birth to a baby boy.

The boy was born at 2:24 a.m. Sunday at St. John and St. Elizabeth Hospital in London and weighed in at 7 lbs. 7 oz., Stewart's publicist announced in a statement. Both Penny and our baby son are gorgeous, healthy and doing well," said Stewart, who was present for, and participated in, the natural birth. "I am so very proud of my girl Pen for the commitment, courage and strength she showed throughout."

Lancaster, a former model, added: "It means so much to Rod and I that we were able to keep to our birthing plan and have our baby naturally. It was the most empowering and spiritual experience of my life."

The pair, who have been together for nearly six years, are currently at home in Epping, England. "We are celebrating every moment with our beautiful boy, we just can't take our eyes off him," said Stewart. Lancaster, 34, and Stewart, 60, previously said they're aiming for a spring 2006 wedding.

This is Lancaster's first child. Stewart has five children from previous relationships: Kimberly, 26 (who called off her brief engagement to Laguna Beach star Talan Torriero over the weekend), and Sean, 25, by first wife Alana Stewart; Ruby, 18, with former girlfriend Kelly Emberg; and Renee, 13, and Liam, 11, from his marriage to second wife Rachel Hunter.

J.Crew Comes To You

Pop-up stores have proven a big hit for retailers during the holiday season.

Now, J. Crew is taking the concept a step further with its traveling man mobile. The J. Crew Holiday Haberdasher, a customized Land Cruiser stocked with gifts for men, including ties, scarves, wallets, cuff links and shirts, will make stops throughout Manhattan.

Margo Brunell, J. Crew's marketing chief, said she hit upon the idea after a Land Cruiser featured on the cover of the company's August catalog drew a big response from men. "Guys would stop me at cocktail parties, wanting to know all about that Land Cruiser," she said.

During the busy holiday season, roving pop-up stores also have the added attraction of placing goods in the path of time-strapped consumers, making it easier for them to pick up gifts.

Spelling Suit

Producer Aaron Spelling has sued a nurse and her attorney for allegedly violating a confidentiality agreement and spreading rumors around Hollywood that Spelling sexually harassed her.

Spelling and his wife, Candy Spelling, filed suit in Los Angeles Superior Court last week against Charlene Richards and her attorney, Don D. Sessions. Richards signed a confidentiality agreement when she began working as a home nurse for Spelling, 82, in November 2004.

According to the lawsuit, Richards threatened to reveal confidential information about the "Charlie's Angels" TV producer unless he paid her "an unspecified amount" to settle her sexual harassment claims. Earlier this month, Sessions and Richards allegedly sent letters to "hundreds of people, including actresses on current and former Spelling television shows," implying Spelling sexually harassed Richards and other employees.

Simple Life Has A Home

Now, I can sleep tonight:

The Simple Life � which was canceled by FOX last month and seemed doomed by Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie's ongoing feud � is coming back on a new network.

The fourth season of the reality show, titled The Simple Life: Till Death Do Us Part,, will air on E! next spring, the cable network announced Monday. "We are thrilled to welcome Paris, Nicole and The Simple Life to E!," said Ted Harbert, the network's president & CEO.

The upcoming season will put the former best friends to "the matrimonial test," according to a statement. In the 10 new episodes, the two women will each take turns playing the role of "wife" and running a household. They will be required to perform household tasks such as cooking, cleaning � and taking care of children. According to E!, each family will decide which young heiress is a "keeper."

Rent Review

I saw "Rent" last night. Here are a few thoughts:

--If you liked the musical, I think you'll like the movie. If you know every song, every line, every rhythm, know the lines that are spoken and not sung, you may start out like I did: noticing every little difference. At some point, I began to let go of that, and appreciate the differences.

--While there's something to be said for the live music of the musical, the surround sound of a movie theater is amazing, and the music itself (sans singing) is quite powerful.

--Overall, the cast is quite strong. You can't go wrong with "Rent" veterans like Idina Menzel (Maureen), Adam Pascal (Roger), Anthony Rapp (Mark), Wilson Heredia (Angel), and Taye Diggs (Benny). Although, I wish they would have incorporated Diggs' character of Benny a bit more.

--Tracie Toms, who plays Joanne, is also a Broadway veteran, but not to "Rent." She was quite strong vocally, but I thought her acting left something to be desired. She didn't have as much chemistry as I would have liked with Menzel.

--Jesse L. Martin (Tom) was fantastic. You probably know him from "Law and Order." He put is own spin on Tom's songs, and really belted the "I'll Cover You" (Reprise). Superb casting there by director Chris Columbus.

--Rosario Dawson, you ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRE the weakest link! Goodbye! Seriously, could they not have rounded out the cast with someone of the same caliber as the rest of the gang? Don't get me wrong, she was decent, but it was glaringly obvious that she hadn't had the same vocal training as the rest.

--My recommendation--go see it. If you don't walk out humming the tunes, and feeling a little inspired, you're a Scrooge. :)

--Let me know your thoughts! I'm waiting for my resident Broadway expert, Kel P., and big "Rent" fan Iceman, to weigh in as well.

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Breakin' Up Is Hard To Do

Despite their breakup announcement, Nick and Jess spent Thanksgiving in Cincinnati. Boy, they look miserable.

Pic from A Socialite's Life.

Law To Have Cameo

Sienna Miller has landed boyfriend Jude Law a cameo in her new flick, "Factory Girl," perhaps, some say, to keep an eye on him.

The film will be shot in Shreveport, La., and Miller doesn't want to spend too much time away from her beau, whose eye wanders. Meanwhile, Miller � who was seen several times last week fighting viciously with Law on the streets of New York � was in town for the Thanksgiving week with Guy Pearce researching her role as Edie Sedgwick.

Thank God

Kimberly Stewart and MTV's Laguna Beach hunk Talan Torriero have called off their engagement.

The couple originally announced their plans to wed on Nov. 15, after only a couple of months of dating. But apparently they�ve both had a change of heart.

"It was just too soon to enter into a lifelong commitment," the couple's reps said in a joint statement to People. "It is better to have a brief engagement than a short marriage. The couple continue to share their time together and remain open to whatever the future may hold."

DiaJon

Diana Ross has confirmed she is dating movie star Jon Voight, following a six year search for the right man.

But even though the showbiz veterans are enjoying the early throes of romance, Ross is taking it slowly with the Midnight Cowboy actor. Her agent Phil Symes says, "It's still at an early stage. Certainly too early to say he is the new love of her life. But they have been on dates which they both enjoyed."

Eddie's New Woman?

By the looks of things between Eddie Murphy and Access Hollywood anchor Shaun Robinson, there may be a thaw in Hollywood�s relationship with the entertainment media.

Earlier this month Robinson arrived at a Beverly Hills steak house for Access's 10th-anniversary bash � with the newly single Murphy on her arm.

So are the two an item? The press certainly thinks so, given their coverage of the evening, although the 44-year-old funnyman has also been romantically linked with Robin Givens and Mariah Carey since splitting this summer from his wife, Nicole, after 12 years of marriage. (On Aug. 5, Nicole filed for divorce.)

My Fair Brady Wedding

Christopher Knight, aka Peter Brady of The Brady Bunch, and Adrianne Curry are planning a wedding � and reality TV cameras will be there.

The couple met on VH1's The Surreal Life and became engaged on the season finale of My Fair Brady. Now Knight, 48, and Curry, 23, will return for a second season of My Fair Brady, VH1 announced Tuesday. Curry first gained fame as the winner of America's Next Top Model.

In a statement, Knight said love had prevailed despite "our individual quirks and flaws. ... We look forward to planning the rest of our lives together and continuing to embrace our differences on our way to the altar."

Bye, Bye Marcia

Could it be?

Marcia Cross is facing the axe from Desperate Housewives to give the critically battered television show a much-needed boost. Insiders also say that bosses want to kill off one of the five characters � and control freak Bree van de Kemp has been singled out as the most likely to be moving out of Wisteria Lane forever.

That would leave Nicollette Sheridan, Teri Hatcher, Eva Longoria and Felicity Huffman to entertain viewers of ABC's Desperate Housewives.

Rumor has it that writers have been locked in secret talks about the shocking plan. Sources say Cross is the favorite to bow out in an episode during May sweeps, when top ratings will be crucial to guarantee the show's future.

"Ever since the show premiered, there's been talk that one of the key characters would be killed off," said a source close to the series. "And ABC and show execs want a blockbuster plotline to woo bigger audiences and regain critical acclaim for the prime time hit. TV dramas like Dallas and Lost drew huge numbers when they hyped killing off a key cast member. As a result, after a recent meeting between writers and show execs, Marcia is being pegged as the girl most likely to go in May."

--This would be a bad idea. Kill off Teri Hatcher! (Sorry, but she's the most boring one of the bunch!).

Nicole Wears the Pants

Nicole Richie is impressed with her fiance after he cancelled a lucrative DJ booking in favor of spending time with her.

Adam Goldstein had originally planned on playing at a Kids For Kids benefit in Montreal, but changed his mind after Nicole asked him to spend the weekend with her in Los Angeles.

A spokesperson for the event told In Touch magazine, "We had two first-class plane tickets and a hotel suite booked for him, but he freaked out and called us back and said it was a mistake, that he had to spend the weekend with his girl."

Not So Bright

Hotel heiress Paris Hilton has reportedly confessed that she believed in Santa Claus until she was 17 years old.

The Simple Life star, who recently broke off her engagement with reek shipping heir Paris Latsis claiming she was too young to get married, has revealed that she always treasured the Christmas holidays, until somebody shattered her childhood illusions, by telling her there is no such thing as 'Santa Claus'. "A mean person told me it wasn't true," she said.

However, seven years down the line, since her 17th birthday, the 24-year-old still celebrates 'Christmas', and this year she opes to receive a Bentley convertible and a pair of $150,000 diamond earrings from Father Christmas.

Last Season For Alias

Alias, the Emmy-winning action-spy series that made a brand-name star of Jennifer Garner will air its final episode in May, the network said.

Alias' exit makes it the latest series to meet its end on ABC in the 8 p.m., Thursday time slot. No scripted show has survived more than a year there since Mork & Mindy was canceled in 1982. Claire Danes (My So-Called Life), James Denton (Threat Matrix) and Benjamin Bratt (Knightwatch) are among the stars who needed other vehicles--and time slots--to achieve more lasting success.

WTF?

Depeche Mode star Dave Gahan was forced to remove the piercing between his testicles and his anus when one of his kids quizzed him about the ring that dangled there.

The singer had the sensitive area pierced years ago after hearing it was one of the most erotic areas to add jewellery.

He tells Blender magazine, "I would beg to differ with that. I don't know if any piercing is erotic, really. For me, it was probably about the pain. "I knew it was time to get rid of it when one of my kids noticed it and was like, 'Why do you have an earring in your a**?'"

RIP

Actor Pat Morita, best known for his role as Mr. Miyagi in The Karate Kid, has died at age 73.

The Oscar-nominated actor passed away on Thursday at his home in Las Vegas of natural causes, said his wife of 12 years, Evelyn, the Associated Press reports. She said in a statement that her husband, who first rose to fame with a role on the sitcom Happy Days, "dedicated his entire life to acting and comedy."

Breaking News

It's Official:
Jessica Simpson, 25, and Nick Lachey, 32, are going their separate ways, the couple announced in a statement Wednesday.

"After three years of marriage, and careful thought and consideration, we have decided to part ways," the statement says. "This is the mutual decision of two people with an enormous amount of respect and admiration for each other. We hope that you respect our privacy during this difficult time."

Happy Family

Our first close up look at SPF:

Could It Be?

Rumor du jour:

Jessica Simpson�s friends have revealed that she is pregnant.

Simpson has been fighting tabloid rumours surrounding her marriage to Nick Lachey for months, but it seems that a baby may just put those rumors to bed.

A friend of the couple�s told Star Magazine: "They tried to keep their secret to themselves,' a friend said. "But one day recently Nick decided it was time to break the news starting with his mom, Cate." "Jessica's got to be pregnant,"

"She's smirking like she knows something nobody else does and she's eating like a horse."

Odd Couple

Ralph Fiennes must have broken up with his partner of 10 years, Francesca Annis.

The actor was seen Friday night in the clutches of another woman � Gina Gershon. The two caught sexy rocker Maggie Kim's show at Crash Mansion on the Bowery at Spring Street, according to a spywitness: "They made out in a booth and then cuddled the rest of the night." A rep for Fiennes didn't return calls.

Stock Value Dropping

American Pie star Chris Klein has hinted at why Katie Holmes ended their engagement at the beginning of the year and found love with Tom Cruise - he has a mean streak.

The unforgiving actor tells women's style magazine Elle that he hates placating women and refuses to accept his partner gaining weight because it leads to insecurity issues. He says, "When a woman isn't feeling good about herself and you combine that with her period, eventually she'll ask you if you like her body. You have to say no... I don't placate."

He also admits he fell in love with the majority of his female co-stars and counts them all as ones that got away. Klein adds, "I've got this policy that you don't sleep with them (co-stars); it complicates stuff. So it's the Heather Grahams, the Rebecca Romijns, the Mena Suvaris, and the Leelee Sobieskis of the world. They all got away."

Meanwhile, the actor admits he plans to stay friends with his ex, even though they no longer speak to one another. He states, "Are we friends? Absolutely. Do we talk? No."

WTF?

Nothing says love like a sonogram machine:

In an interview taped Oct. 30 with Barbara Walters for her upcoming special Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2005, which airs Nov. 29 on ABC, Tom Cruise revealed his latest purchase for his expectant fianc�e Katie Holmes.

"I bought a sonogram machine," Cruise told Walters. "I am gonna donate it to a hospital when we are done." Added Walters: "Wait, you are going to do your own sonogram?" "Yes," said Cruise, laughing. The devices, which use ultrasound waves to allow a peek at a fetus's development, can cost anywhere from $15,000 to over $200,000. (Cruise's rep declined to comment on the purchase.)

So does Tom know if their camera-ready kid is a boy or a girl? "No, I don't," he said. "Barbara, I would tell you. I would say, 'I know if it's a boy or a girl and I'm not telling you.'" Walters asked, "So what do you see?" Said Cruise: "A little baby." It's wait and see for wedding plans too, according to Cruise. "We are gonna get married next summer or early fall," he told Walters. "We don't have a date set yet."

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LoLeto Is Over

It's kaput between Lindsay Lohan and Jared Leto.

Leto, who was keeping Lohan company at the Chateau Marmont and other hotels for the past six months, showed up in Las Vegas alone last weekend to catch the last night of Jeff Beacher's "Madhouse" show at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. After the show, which closed the Vegas Comedy Festival, Leto was "all over" a hot blonde, spies said. Also getting lucky was Johnny Knoxville, who left the show with two blondes on each arm for club Body English, where they all partied the night away.

New Soap For Logo

It was only a matter of time before a Melrose Place-like series came to Logo - MTV Networks' channel aimed at the gay and lesbian audience - and now gay icon Madonna may be the one catalyzing the process.

According to Daily Variety, Madonna's Maverick TV is working with Logo to create a nighttime soap tentatively titled San Rafael, which is currently in the early stages of development at the network.

Created by Christian McLaughlin and Valerie Ahern, San Rafael will follow the lives, loves and fights of a group of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered residents sharing an apartment complex.

Classy Toast

Christina Aguilera's new husband toasted his large manhood during the couple's wedding dinner rehearsal last Friday.

Record producer Jordan Bratman reportedly stood up at the Japanese meal and asked guests to raise their glasses as he thanked his shocked parents for his "good looks and large p***s". Afterwards, Jordan's brother and best man, Josh, and his father, Jack, both stood up and proudly celebrated the groom's appendage, according to New York Daily News.

Christina simply smiled and nodded in agreement.

--Good looks?

--Pic courtesy of A Socialite's Life

Kate Spade Baby Boutique

First comes baby, then comes baby boutique.

Following the joyous arrival of daughter Frances Beatrix on Feb. 18, Kate and Andy Spade are doing what comes instinctively. The couple will christen the birth of their first Kate Spade Baby store on Dec. 1. The 300 square foot boutique, located at 59 Thompson Street in Soho, served as the location for the first Kate Spade flagship store until it moved four blocks over to the roomier 454 Broome Street.

The baby store will carry a full line of current Kate Spade baby products, including the new baby clothing collection, the tabletop pieces, and the new McLaren stroller and baby carrier (both available in January). Feeling the need to spread the love�and to lend some shelf space�the Spades have also opted to stock the shop with onesies from Marie Chantal�s baby line, a jumper from Eliza Gran, and a variety of vintage books, such as the Beatrix Potter series.

Danica Patrick Weds

Although Danica Patrick got plenty of publicity for her season in the IRL, she certainly doesn't want much for her wedding.

The 23-year-old driver, who finished fourth in the Indy 500, and physical therapist Paul Hospenthal, 40, were married Saturday in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Patrick met Hospenthal while seeking treatment for a hip injury from a yoga session.

Watch Saddam's Trial

Court TV's online service will offer full coverage of Saddam Hussein's trial when it resumes, perhaps as early as next Monday.

Court TV Extra said Tuesday it would show the trial on a 20-minute delay. It is scheduled to air from roughly 4 to 9 a.m. EST, with on-demand highlight clips also available.

Two attorneys representing co-defendants in Saddam's trial have been assassinated since the trial began Oct. 19. Saddam and seven others are on trial for the 1982 deaths of 148 Shiite Muslims. If convicted, they could be hanged.

Look Out, NYC

Britney Spears and her trash-tastic hubby, Kevin Federline, are trying their best to take Manhattan � and seem to have gotten over the spats that consumed them earlier this month.

Last week, the two caught a showing of "Sweet Charity" � the show in which they're rumored to be in talks to co-star � and did some Christmas shopping. Over the weekend, Spears got a manicure complete with new, inch-long fake fingernails after a visit to Marquee Friday night with Federline and his brother � where they all proceeded to down a copious amount of alcohol.

According to one source, Spears' drink of choice was vanilla rum and orange juice, and "they seemed very lovey-dovey. They left at 2:30 a.m. while the rest of their crew closed it down." Son Sean Preston was seen in the back of the car when they left.

Oprah's Favorite Things

Oprah hosted her "Favorite Things" episode yesterday, where everyone in the audience gets what's on Oprah's list. Some Katrina heroes were surprise audience memebers.

The list:

Philip Stein Teslar Diamond Watch
Burberry Coat
Burberry Purse
UGG Australia's Uptown Boot
Garrett Popcorn Shops' CaramelCrisp� and CheeseCorn� Tin
The new Apple iPod
"The Oprah Sweater" by Ralph Lauren
Pure Color Cords
Lovely by Sarah Jessica Parker
BlackBerry 7105T� from T-Mobile
Brownies from Moveable Feast Geneva
Nike Free 5.0 iD
Kashw�re� Shawl Collar Robe
Croissants from Williams-Sonoma
Hope in a Jar from Philosophy
"Grace" Basket from Philosophy
Oatmeal Cookie Dough from Fox & Obel Market
The Oprah Winfrey Show 20th Anniversary Collection DVD
Sony VAIO� FJ Notebook

--Glad Oprah enjoys Philosophy's Amazing Grace fragrance as much as I do. Lovely by SJP also smells fantastic (Thanks, PJDJD). And if you haven't had popcorn from Garrett's in Chicago, you're really missing out. It's amazing, and a must to keep you nourished on your long walk down Michigan Avenue. I have to disagree with Miss O on a couple items: UGGS are heinous, and I think the Burberry purse she picked out is boring.

Jude Imposter

Rumor has it that a Jude Law impostor was able to pick up a gullible young woman at Cain in New York and take her back to the Hilton in his limo.

She later learned the real Jude was in Santa Monica with Sienna Miller, and now the woman is too embarrassed to file a complaint.

Guy Says Bye

Director Guy Ritchie is reportedly turning his back on the Kabbalah, risking the fury of his religious wife Madonna.

The film-maker fears studying the mystical offshoot of Judaism has done him no favors professionally, and is now attempting to distance himself from the faith. A pal says, "I think Guy is finally realising that following Kabbalah hasn't been his greatest career move. "He has been notably less enthusiastic about it of late and has apparently been staying away from the Kabbalah Center."

Prada Pope

The devil isn't the only one wearing Prada.

Pope Benedict XVI is generating a reputation as a man of the designer cloth - thanks to his penchant for wearing lipstick-red Prada shoes. According to the scuttlebutt from Rome, the new pope is also turning heads by wearing Gucci sunglasses.

Inside the Vatican, the heads of hard-core traditionalists are spinning over the Prada pope's decision to wear ceremonial robes designed by up-and-coming tailor Alessandro Cattaneo instead of those created by Annibale Gammarelli, the design house which has been responsible for papal attire since at least 1846.

Snoop Campaigns for Tookie

Snoop Dogg has been campaigning for the reprieve of a former LA gang boss set for execution.

Stanley "Tookie" Williams was convicted of four murders in 1981. He maintains his innocence, but his appeals in the California Supreme Court, the federal trial and appellate courts, and the U.S. Supreme Court have all failed.

Through his time in San Quentin State Prison, though, Williams has been campaigning against violence. He has been nominated for five Nobel Peace Prizes and four Nobel Prizes for literature. His supporters say he deserves a second chance, mostly famously rapper and former gang-member Snoop Dogg.

"Stanley Tookie Williams is not just a regular old guy, he's an inspiration," he explained. "He inspires me and I know I inspire millions." Williams, who is due to be executed on December 13, set up Los Angeles Crips gang in 1971.

Thank God This Didn't Happen

The film version of the hit Broadway musical Rent almost had a different cast.

Chris Columbus, the director of the Home Alone movies and the first two Harry Potter films, admits he considered going the celebrity route when casting Rent. Rent is the story of a group of friends, many of whom are struggling artists and musicians, living in a condemned building in New York's East Village. And though it is a musical about death and dying, Rent is a stirring celebration about life and love.

As Columbus' producing partner Mark Radcliffe recalls, he and the filmmaker "started out with the idea of not using the original cast and many of the biggest names in music were eager to be in a film version of Rent." They considered casting Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Usher, Christina Aguilera and Brittany Murphy in the central roles.

"Yes, I talked to Justin. He's a really sweet, talented guy and he was very interested in the project," says Columbus.

--I would have sat outside my local theater and protested if he had cast those peeps. Kill me now. Thank God he changed his mind.

Brangelina Goes Public

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie made their first public outing as a couple on Saturday night when they joined the celebrities paying tribute to boxing legend Muhammad Ali at a gala in Kentucky.

Jolie, dressed in a red gown, and Pitt, in a black tuxedo, stood side by side and swayed to the music side by side, holding up flashlights with the rest of the crowd for the finale song, Hold Up The Light.

The star-studded event, held to launch Ali's cultural and educational centre, also included guests such as Bill Clinton, Chris Tucker and Jim Carrey.

Bowie's Back on Screen

David Bowie is to star in a new movie with Michael Caine.

The Prestige follows the story of two competing magicians. The 58-year-old rockstar will play inventor and electrical wizard Nikola Tesla who is asked by one of the magicians to help him pull off the ultimate magic trick.

Caine plays a veteran magician in the Christopher Nolan directed movie which also co-stars Hugh Jackson and Christian Bale, reports Variety. The movie, adapted from Christopher Priest's novel by Jonathan Nolan will begin shooting in January.

--Ok, I'm excited about this. I absolutely LOVED "Labyrinth," and I loved Bowie in it. "You remind me of the babe...What babe? The babe with power...What power? The of voodoo...who do? You do. Do what? Remind me of the babe..."

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Busy Bee

"Laguna Beach" star Talan Torriero's just wrapped his first movie role, for an indie film called "Driftwood," about an attitude-adjustment correctional facility for teens that's haunted by the ghost of a kid murdered there. Torriero plays Yates, a security guard who beats on the kids.

Meanwhile, he's also nearly completed his debut album, and anticipates that "by the end of the week, it'll be done."

All this and an engagement to Kimbo in one week?

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Absolut Online

Absolut, the vodka whose bottle-icon campaign was one of the most high-profile campaigns ever, is about to radically alter its marketing strategy away from print to the Internet.

The move is a significant shift for a marketer whose print advertising crossed the barrier from mere liquor promotion into the lexicon of pop culture. The new direction was forced by consumers' changing tastes in media as well as fierce competition in the vodka category, the company said.

"Online plays a more important role than print. Print is not the key media anymore," said Patric Blixt, communications manager for new media at Absolut in Stockholm, Sweden. "Our consumer is more focused on the Internet and mobile communication so we're shifting also. We're evolving the iconic advertising, making it more inclusive and modern with the same wit and creativity we used in our offline advertising."

Mod Squad

I know there are some of you out there who think he's sexy. How, I don't know. He oozes "creepy" to me.

Donate Your Stripper Money

Here's a novel charity idea in time for the holidays, courtesy of rapper Nelly: Match the money you spend at the strip club with an equal amount in toys for underprivileged tykes.

Nelly told the crowd at the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network Awards benefit at Chelsea Piers how he and fellow hip hopper Jermaine Dupree left a strip club feeling guilty after spending more than $10,000 in a single night. So they thought: "How 'bout we go to the toy store and break the kids off, [it's] almost Christmas time." The next day the two matched the amount they'd spent at the flesh palace in toys, and delivered the gifts to needy tots.

Chelsea's New Man

Chelsea Clinton has a new love.

The former first daughter and Marc Mezvinsky have been close since their teens, when their parents hobnobbed in D.C. (his dad is former Iowa Rep. Ed Mezvinsky), and both attended Stanford � but lately their bond has blossomed.

First spotted together at the opening of TAO Las Vegas in October, they went public with their romance recently in N.Y.C., where they went to a premiere after-party Nov. 1, cheered on marathoners Nov. 6 and snuggled at a U.N. gala Nov. 9. A friend says Clinton, 25, who split with Ian Klaus this summer, seems "very happy." Adds another Clinton pal: "They�re best friends who fell in love."

Mezvinsky, 27, who works at Goldman Sachs, is "goofy and laid-back," says a source close to both. "He�s good for her."

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Who Knew?

According to Blender magazine, the Paris Hilton is a classically trained violinist - but she won't be breaking out the fiddle on her upcoming album, a collaboration with Snoop Dogg, Jadakiss and Fat Joe that she describes as "princess hip-hop."

Paris spouts to Blender, "I'm not going to be onstage playing the violin. That would be gay." And true to hip-hop form, there's a battle track called "Jealousy" where Paris airs her Beverly Hills beef with former pal Nicole Richie. "I don't even know what is happening with us," Hilton says. "I hope she doesn't get mad when she hears it."

The New Jeannie

Alias star Jennifer Garner, Kate Hudson and Lindsay Lohan have emerged as the front runners in the race to land the coveted role of Jeannie in the upcoming movie adaptation of TV series I Dream Of Jeannie.

Keira Knightley and Jessica Simpson were initially among the favorites to land the role that Barbara Eden made popular in the 1960s, but they've since fallen out of the race, according to the Los Angeles Times. The movie will be directed by Bend It Like Beckham filmmaker Gurinder Chada.

--I think Kate Hudson would be best.

Aguilera Weds

Christina Aguilera married her boyfriend, music executive Jordan Bratman, in northern California's Napa Valley on Saturday.

The nuptials took place at sunset under a mountainside tent at the Staglin Family Vineyards in Rutherford, Calif. The singer walked down the aisle in a Christian Lacroix gown; her bridesmaids wore dresses by Stevie Wonder's wife, designer Kai Milla.

Bride and groom exchanged wedding bands by London-based jeweler Stephen Webster, who also created Aguilera's five-carat, diamond-and-platinum engagement ring. The wedding festivities began Thursday and included a lavish Friday-night rehearsal dinner at the Auberge du Soleil resort. Aguilera and Bratman had asked guests to make donations to Hurricane Katrina and Rita relief efforts.

Bratman, 28, and Aguilera, 24, became engaged on Feb. 11, while on vacation in Carmel, Calif. Bratman proposed in a hotel room filled with rose petals, red and pink balloons and gift boxes, each containing a present and a self-penned poem.

"When I got to the last box, there was a ring in it," Aguilera said at the time. "He got down on one knee and said, 'Will you do me the honor of being my wife?' I've been floating ever since." "Christina was very surprised," a close friend of Aguilera's said at the time of the engagement. "She's ecstatic."

In April, the pair threw a party in Santa Monica to celebrate their upcoming nuptials � the groom-to-be even carried his fianc�e over the threshold of the restaurant � and their families met for the first time. Tables featured rose petals and mini wedding cakes. "It was a really romantic party," one attendee said. "They seemed really happy together."

In July, Aguilera picked out her wedding dress during Paris Fashion Week, and, on Oct. 28, she and Bratman held a joint bachelor-bachelorette party at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

--Can't say I'm lovin' the hairdo.

--Pic from A Socialite's Life.

Broadway's New Low

God help Broadway if they have to stoop this low:

Britney Spears is in talks for a very 'Sweet' deal. It has been reported that the pop music princess is in serious negotiations to make her Broadway debut in the current revival of Sweet Charity.

The 23-year-old Spears would replace Christina Applegate, 33, in the title role of the unlucky-in-love dancer, Charity.

And guess who may be joining Spears? Her husband, Kevin Federline. "He'd be a dancer in the show," a source tells Malkin. "The producers really want Britney and will do anything to make this happen." Spears was spotted as recently as last night attending a performance of the hit musical. A rep for Spears declined to comment.

As If We Didn't Know He Was a Loser

Pop star Kelly Osbourne is furious with Paris Hilton's boyfriend Stavros Niarchos- who ruined her 21st birthday party at the Hard Rock Hotel by trashing a neighboring suite.

The 20-year-old shipping heir caused a staggering $102,000 of damage by smashing furniture and setting off sprinklers at the plush Las Vegas, Nevada, hotel. The carnage resulted in the entire hotel being evacuated - and Osbourne got the blame.

She fumes, "Paris's stupid boyfriend ruined my 21st birthday. "It's so unfair. The manager tried to make me pay for it, but I was having none of it. I said no bloody way because I didn't do it. "Stavros caused the damage, so he can pay. He's a rich kid and they don't appreciate anything because they grow up with it all. I find it really annoying."

Uma Engaged?

Uma Thurman is reportedly ready to race into marriage again after accepting hotelier Andre Balazs' recent proposal.

The 35-year-old Kill Bill actress has been dating Balazs, 48, since splitting from actor husband Ethan Hawke last summer, and now she's ready to become a wife again, according to magazine Life + Style.

A source tells the publication that the couple plan to wed in the spring.

Simpson Dumped By Publicist

Jessica Simpson was unceremoniously dumped by her publicist of the past two years, Brad Cafarelli.
\
Cafarelli, who also represents Cameron Diaz and Kate Hudson, was allegedly tired of dealing with Jessica's creepily involved father, Joe Simpson -- presumably, Cafarelli would rather devote his time to his clients that don't need a constant father-figure.

Interestingly, rumor has it that Cafarelli's final straw was utter exhaustion, the sort that comes from pretending, for the benefit of the press, that Simpson's marriage to Nick Lachey isn't a total sham.

What Is She Wearing?

Wow. I always wonder what goes through people's minds when they look in the mirror. I mean, do you think she said, "Now, what do I need top off this outfit? Yes! A heinous fur and boots that are 4 sizes too big for me?"

Brangelina Prenup?

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have signed a pre-nuptial agreement after deciding to wed in December, it has been claimed.

Angelina reportedly insisted on the agreement to ensure her two adopted children, Maddox and Zahara, will be well looked after if the pair divorced. The Hollywood couple are set to tie the knot at George Clooney's Italian villa on December 1.

'Ocean's Eleven' star Brad has agreed a secret deal which means Angelina's Cambodian son, Maddox, four, and nine-month-old African daughter Zahara will never have to worry about money. Pitt is also planning to adopt more children with Angelina, and is looking forward to having a child of their own.

A source told Britain's Grazia magazine: "Brad has always understood that she wanted to adopt more because she has such strong feelings about helping children born into poverty. But she would love to have Brad's baby too."

Obnoxious

Victoria Gotti just can't handle the truth � that her son Carmine Agnello has a lousy voice.

Agnello, who's on VH1's "But Can You Sing?" along with Bai Ling, Morgan Fairchild and Antonio Sabado Jr., butchered yet another song during Friday's taping. Victoria went ballistic after British comedian and "Celebrity Fit Club" host Ant, who was judging that day, quipped: "Words can't describe how I feel about that performance, but sounds can. You sounded like a cat caught in a muffler."

Gotti, according to people on the set, "threw a Soprano-sized tantrum and stormed backstage. She halted production for over an hour, screaming at producers to remove the comment from the show. When producers asked why she was so upset, she said she was 'just being a mother protecting her son.' Ant, of course, chimed in, 'But this isn't a high school play.' " The comments only infuriated Gotti more. Soon after, producers "suggested" to Ant that "he be escorted to his car by security."

Another Nipplegate

Nipplegate #2:

Eagle-eyed TV watchers got more than an eyeful of The OC star Mischa Barton on last Thursday's episode of the FOX nighttime soap, prompting some to wonder if the Federal Communications Commission will soon be tuning in.

According to a video clip on the Web site TVgasm.com, the 19-year-old Barton's breast was exposed during a darkly lit scene in which she popped out of bed and briefly popped out of her pajama top. The site's tongue-in-cheek report says the video was sent to "the TVgasm forensics lab for enhancement." The result? "A very grainy yet very recognizable boob exposure."

And now that not only her breast but the word is out about this, some are wondering whether FOX will face complaints to the FCC � given the flap caused by Janet Jackson's Super Bowl "wardrobe malfunction" last year and the watchdogs groups that stepped forward to cry foul.

--Click here for the clip.

Jen's About To Hatch

She's about to blow at any moment:

I Love the Holidays

Because you love VH1's I Love... series as much as I do, they've decided to do another one: I Love the Holidays.

Break out the Halloween costumes, deck the halls, and light that Menorah cause it's time to get this party STARTED!!!!! All the wit, humor, pensive reflection and poetic waxing you can take from our newest batch of comics, rock stars, actors, and celebrities as they take their stab at the 5 major holidays. That's right, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Chanukah, Christmas and New Years.

They cover it all. From the Great Pumpkin to Thanksgiving leftovers. From spinning dreidels to dead Grandmothers run over by reindeer.

Still Together

How hammered to these two look? And, easy on the eyeliner, Jess. Damn!

DiCapridunst?

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kirsten Dunst have sparked romance rumors after they were spotted canoodling in public.

The Hollywood actor - who recently split from long term girlfriend, model Gisele Bundchen - was seen cozying up to the 'Spider-Man' star at a Los Angeles nightspot earlier this week.

An onlooker is quoted by Britain's Daily Star magazine as saying: "You could feel the chemistry between the two. It looked hard for them to take their eyes off one another."

Stud Farm

Former "Hollywood Madam" Heidi Fleiss says she's bound for a brothel in the southern Nevada desert that she wants to help remake into a resort featuring male prostitutes serving female customers.

"I am moving to Crystal," Fleiss said Wednesday of a desert crossroads 20 miles north of Pahrump and about 80 miles outside Las Vegas. It features two bordellos and little else.

"I am opening up a stud farm," Fleiss declared from her Hollywood home overlooking the Sunset Strip. "I am going to have the sexiest men on earth. Women are going to love it."

Quaid Gets Star

Dennis Quaid has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Quaid, who starred in The Day After Tomorrow, said: "I remember when this town was a beanfield."

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New AFI List

Inspiring minds want to know: Which film is most uplifting of all? AFI's on the case.

The list-happy American Film Institute is gearing up for another primetime countdown, this time focusing th powers of hierarchy on AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers: America's Most Inspiring Movies.

"Over the years, the movies have given us something to cheer about," says Jean Picker Firstenberg, the institute's director and CEO. "The past few years have not been easy in America--from September 11 to the devastation of hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. "AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers will celebrate the films that inspire us, encourage us to make a difference and send us from the theater with a greater sense of possibility and hope for the future."

To aid potential voters in their choice of inspiring films, a master ballot with 300 nominations was distributed Thursday to a jury of more than 1,500 industry types. The panel of actors, directors, critics and historians will whittle down the impressive compilation to just 100 for the prime-time special.

Flicks old and new appear on the ballot, with nominations as varied as 8 Mile and Gandhi, It's a Wonderful Life and The Karate Kid, and The Passion of the Christ and Rocky.

In Touch Surpasses All Gossip Mags

Bauer Publishing�s fast-growing In Touch Weekly has surged to the top of the celebrity weekly category in terms of average household income, according to the fall 2005 report from Mediamark Research Inc. In Touch readers have an average household income of $66,180, topping rivals like Wenner Media's Us Weekly ($65,169) and Time Inc.'s People ($63,364) for the first time.

It also surpasses household incomes for readers of well-regarded and widely-read titles like Martha Stewart Living ($65,995) and Conde Nast's Vogue ($60,432) and Glamour ($55,260).

Talanerly

Kimberly Stewart and MTV's Laguna Beach hunk Talan Torriero are getting married, the reality star's publicist has confirmed to People.

"He's engaged," according to Torriero's rep, Jack Ketsoyan, who says the pair have been dating for two months.

Late Wednesday night, Stewart, 26, and Torriero, 19, showed up at an XBox 360 party at a private home in Beverly Hills, where Stewart showed off her 5-carat diamond Neil Lane engagement ring to buddies Paris and Nicky Hilton.

A friend of Torriero's tells People: "He told me he really likes her and they're having a good time." The 6'1" California-born Torriero � who excels at surfing, volleyball and football � was a junior in high school when he first shot Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County for the music cable network last year.

In September, he told MTV News: "I'm doing an album, which is very exciting. ... I can't tell you what label I'm with, but it's a really big label push." He also said he was hoping to expand his career opportunities.

Trapped In The Closet-Next Installment

Click here for the latest installment of R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet" Cliff's Notes (For chapters 6-12).

I laughed so hard it hurt. They're genius. I especially love the Glossary sections.

Random

An unlikely friendship: Is Tara Reid the latest thong-flasher to threaten the Clinton political machine?

Rumor has it that Sen. Hillary Clinton has been in crisis mode ever since she learned her daughter, Chelsea, has been spending time with the nip-slipping party girl.

Clubland sources say the Clinton�s Stanford-and-Oxford-educated spawn first met Reid in Europe over the summer while the American Pie actress was filming her short-lived E! show, Taradise. After Chelsea broke up with her longtime boyfriend Ian Klaus, she and Reid became inseparable, we�re told.

�It�s almost like Chelsea dumped Ian for Tara,� laughs one New York scenester. �All of a sudden Tara was staying at Chelsea�s in New York, and they were going out to Bungalow 8 and Nobu every night.�

Sources say the unlikely friendship remained out of the spotlight until the two flew to Las Vegas together in late September to attend the star-studded opening of Tao at the Venetian hotel.

What An Idiot!

Britney Spears' husband Kevin Federline has broken his hand - after spinning out of control on the dance floor.

The professional dancer was seen falling from a podium in trendy Los Angeles nightspot The Spider Club after one too many enthusiastic dance moves. The 27-year-old, who was recently slammed for leaving Britney looking after their newborn baby, Sean Preston, while he partied, has been seen wearing a bandage on his left hand.

A fellow reveller is quoted by Britain's Daily Star newspaper as saying: "Britney must have been at home with their baby son and Kevin was messing around dancing with his mates. "He was really going for it, throwing some seriously mad moves, when he suddenly slipped and landed on his butt. His arm got caught and he has fractured his left hand"

Engaged?

UrbaNicole?

There's a new wrinkle in Nicole Kidman's Urban mystery, People reports in its latest issue. The actress � who's been spotted with country singer Keith Urban since July but hasn't acknowledged a relationship � was wearing a ring on her wedding finger while walking arm-in-arm with Urban in Boston on Nov. 11.

Happy Birthday!

Happy 27th Birthday, Iceman!

Pammy's New Sugar

Pamela Anderson is getting some sugar from former Sugar Ray frontman Mark McGrath.

After spending a year hooking up with actor Stephen Dorff, her former hubby Tommy Lee, surfer Kelly Slater and a male model, the "Baywatch" babe has shacked up with McGrath, now an anchor on "Extra."

Lisa Loeb's Dating Show

E! Entertainment Television said Tuesday that it has greenlighted an unscripted series that will follow newly single singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb as she re-enters the dating world.

The eight-episode series, titled "#1 Single," will feature Loeb as she moves back to New York and starts dating again for the first time since college. The half-hour series is set to premiere in January.

--Maybe she can get one to "Stay." Ha. I crack myself up...

Well-Deserved Honor

British-born actor Sir Anthony Hopkins, best known for his Oscar-winning role as the evil Hannibal Lecter in "The Silence of the Lambs," will receive a lifetime achievement award at the Golden Globe Awards in January.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which hands out the awards, said on Wednesday that Hopkins would be presented with the Cecil B. DeMille Award at its January 16 Golden Globe ceremony in Beverly Hills.

The prolific Hopkins, 67, has been nominated for six Golden Globes including his work in "Nixon," "The Remains of the Day" and "Magic."

Sexiest Man Alive

MP&S wouldn't lead you astray. As reported, Matthew McConaughey has been crowned People's Sexiest Man Alive.

Others on People's list: Patrick Dempsey, Terrence Howard, Viggo Mortensen, Vince Vaughn, Nick Lachey, Heath Ledger, Daniel Dae Kim, Keith Urban, Ian McShane (um, WTF?), Matt Damon, Denis Leary, Anderson Cooper, and Clive Owen.

She's Nuts

Anna Nicole Smith showed up at Hamburger Mary's in West Hollywood to play bingo for charity last week and took home quite a prize � a barmaid.

Tracy, a pretty blonde, allowed herself to be picked up by the former Playmate and was later bragging about the night she spent with Smith, sharing pictures from her digital camera with patrons at the bar. "She wasn't keeping it a secret," a Page Six source relates. "Anna Nicole put her in handcuffs and her neck was covered with hickeys."

The source added, "Anna Nicole was doing that butt-slapping thing � it was just bizarre. And her son was in the house." Calls to Tracy and Smith were not returned.

The Sound of Mucus?

Julie Andrews reunited for the first time in years the other night with her "Sound of Music" cast at the 40th anniversary DVD release party at Tavern on the Green.

But the happy film family was not complete. Even though Christopher Plummer's photo was included in the program, he was a no-show because "he's working on set," said one of the event's publicists. And we thought Plummer's latest picture, Spike Lee's "Inside Man," wrapped months ago. There might be another explanation for his absence.

According to Rodgers & Hammerstein Society president Ted Chapin, "Sound of Music" was not one of Plummer's "favorite things." "He used to refer to it as the 'Sound of Mucus,' " Chapin told us. Publicly, he told the crowd at Tavern that Plummer has been "very charitable to the film" of late. In fact, on the two-disc set just released, Plummer provides commentary along with Andrews and is included in many of the disc's featurettes.

Other bonus materials include Mia Farrow's screen test for the role of eldest daughter Liesl, which has her dancing and singing "Sixteen Going on Seventeen."

--Um, who's thrilled that Mia wasn't Liesl?? My God, that would have been horrendous!

Fiddy Overload

50 Cent will again turn his reality into fiction with a new line of hip-hop novellas and graphic novels featuring his former G-Unit rap crew buddies, a publisher announced.

Pocket/MTV Books promised the venture would showcase "gritty" stories and cover much of the same terrain as 50 Cent's raps. "These tales will tell the truth about The Life; the sex, guns and cash; the brutal highs and short lives of the players on the streets," the publisher said in a release over the weekend.

The G-Unit Books line of street fiction will feature G-Unit members Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, Young Buck and Olivia as characters, the release said. Nikki Turner, author of "The Glamorous Life" and "A Hustler's Wife," will pen the line's first novella. It is set to be published in 2007.

Desperate Flasher

Desperate Housewives star Page Kennedy was reportedly fired from the hit drama because he loved to flash his naked body at the other stars.

Kennedy, who played fugitive Caleb in the second series of the ABC show, was dropped on November 4 after the studio conducted an investigation into allegations against him. A source tells the New York Post, "Kennedy may have had a problem with flashing people on the set."

Good Husband

What a good husband. Nick takes Jess's little yippy dog to the vet.

Pics courtesy of Rosie.

GQ's First Woman of the Year

GQ named Jennifer Aniston the magazine's first woman of the year in its annual Man of the Year issue, which hits newsstand nationally Nov. 22.

Brosnan's Rant

Pierce Brosnan is not handing over James Bond's tux without a few choice words. The actor launched a four-letter tirade against the bosses who dropped him in favor of Layer Cake star Daniel Craig.

In a Playboy magazine interview Pierce told producers "f*** you", and added: "It's bloody frustrating that the f*****s pulled the rug when they did."

The 52-year-old also claimed that his new film Matador proved them wrong, saying: "It's great to say f*** you a**holes. F*** you who thought I was some wuss. F*** you."

Celeb Advertising

--Louis Vuitton has confirmed that Gisele B�ndchen will star in its next campaign. Speculation had been rampant in the supermodel�s native Brazil that she had landed the account�B�ndchen�s first role with Vuitton, in fact�which was photographed by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggot. �People naturally thought we would have another celebrity for spring, based on past campaigns,� a spokeswoman said. �But Gisele is a natural fit for our spring collection.�

--Halle Berry is the new face of Versace. Berry has agreed a lucrative deal with the fashion giants to be the star of their upcoming print campaign. Halle met with renowned photographer Mario Testino, famous for snapping the late Princess Diana, for a shoot in Los Angeles last weekend and according to sources the session was a huge success. Halle is not the first star to advertise Versace. Madonna and actress Demi Moore both have previously promoted the fashion house after being approached by owner Donatella Versace.

Lennon Murderer Speaks

The man who murdered John Lennon 25 years ago says "nothing could have stopped" his twisted quest to track down and assassinate the ex-Beatle.

"I was under total compulsion," killer Mark David Chapman says in a segment to be aired at 8 p.m. EST Friday on "Dateline NBC." "It was like a train, a runaway train, there was no stopping it."

Chapman fatally shot Lennon on Dec. 8, 1980, as the musician and his wife, Yoko Ono, returned home from a night in a Manhattan recording studio. Chapman's comments came from audiotapes made in 1991-92 and first used as part of a British documentary.

Chapman recalled waiting for Lennon that night, then reacting as he saw a limousine pull up outside the ex-Beatle's home. "I heard a voice in my head saying, `Do it, do it,'" Chapman recounted. "And as he passed me I pulled out the gun, aimed at his back and pulled the trigger five times in succession."

Chapman recalled that his desire to kill Lennon began one day in his apartment in Hawaii, where he was sitting on the floor and looking at the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album. His animosity soon began to consume Chapman. "There was a successful man who kind of had the world on a chain, so to speak, and there I was, not even a link of that chain, just a person who had no personality," Chapman said. "And something in me just broke."

Chapman, 50, is eligible for parole again next year. Ono has repeatedly argued against Chapman's release, and his bids for freedom were already rejected three times by the state parole board.

New Bushnell Show

Writer Candace Bushnell of "Sex and the City" fame is developing an hourlong series for NBC about the familiar topic of women in New York, the network said Tuesday.

Based on Bushnell's novel "Lipstick Jungle," the series is part of the network's development slate for the 2006 fall season, an NBC spokesman said.

The novel is "so strong .... It's a really fun character piece," NBC Universal Television executive Katherine Pope told trade paper Daily Variety.

Monkey Business

Paris Hilton's new pet monkey, Baby Luv, went bananas when she took the peeved primate on a lingerie shopping spree in Las Vegas last weekend.

Rumor has it that Baby Luv bit Hilton and clawed her face when she walked into the Agent Provocateur shop at Caesars on Saturday with the beast on her shoulder. Paris managed to pull Baby Luv off her and hooked his leash to a cabinet while she rang up $4,000 worth of bras and panties and a bullwhip, says our eyewitness.

Later that night, when the lingerie line hosted Kelly Osbourne's 21st birthday bash at the Hard Rock, Baby Luv escaped from Hilton's clutches � delaying the start of the Agent Provocateur show until staffers found him after a 20-minute search.

Meanwhile, Hilton's boyfriend, Stavros Niarchos III, was up to monkey business of his own. In one of the Hard Rock rooms paid for by Niarchos, his bonehead buddies started a fire Sunday morning. The blaze set off the sprinkler system which flooded a dozen rooms, a hotel source says. We're told Niarchos agreed to put $25,000 in damages on his credit card, but he'll likely have to pony up a lot more cash. "The damage may be closer to $100,000," says a source.

Aguilatman

Christina Aguilera and her fiance Jordan Bratman, who had a his 'n' hers bachelor and bachelorette weekend in Mexico recently, are set to wed this weekend.

Rumor has it that Aguilera's dress is by Christian Lacroix and the bridesmaids will be wearing designs by Kai Milla, wife of Stevie Wonder.

On Again

Together again, and in public, too: Jude Law and Sienna Miller were both at Sunday night's Los Angeles premiere of her new movie, Casanova.

Though they walked the red carpet separately, Miller confirmed to the Associated Press about the off-again relationship, which apparently is on-again: "Well, it's pretty obvious, isn't it?" Elaborating, she said that "it's just fantastic to have him here and support the film. We're working things out. And he's always and will remain my closest friend in the world, so, you know, so it's good."

Admittedly, she added, "Yeah, we've had a rough ride, so that is good � That's very good."

Laguna Spawn

'Laguna Beach," the teen reality show/soap that has become the biggest series on MTV, has spawned a spin-off.

"The Hills" will follow the continuing drama that always seems to swirl around Lauren Conrad � better known to fans as L.C., the vivacious young blonde who drew so much attention on "Laguna" � as she moves to Los Angeles, goes to college and works as an intern at Teen Vogue.

"The way I look at it is, 'The Hills' is to 'Laguna Beach' what 'Melrose Place' was to 'Beverly Hills, 90210,' " says Tony DiSanto, executive producer of both shows.

"This is the story of Lauren from 'Laguna Beach' bursting out of that bubble, moving to L.A. and trying to juggle school, a career and relationships � you're going to get a good mix of the three different avenues of her life and how she's trying to keep it all together," DiSanto says. "It's a nice change from 'Laguna' � you're sort of living this with her � it's a progression from 'Laguna Beach.' "

Another "Laguna"-like show called "8th & Ocean" is also in production by the same team. But that show will center on the lives of wannabe fashion models trying to hit the big time in Miami's spiciest neighborhood � home to what has been called the "sexiest beach" in the U.S.

--Did you all catch the cryfest that was last night's commercial-free finale?

Holmes To Quit Acting

Katie Holmes is reportedly quitting acting - to be a stay-at-home mum.

The 26-year-old - who is pregnant with fianc� Tom Cruise's baby - allegedly wants to devote herself to being a full-time mother and housewife.

A source told Britain's The Sun newspaper: "Katie has decided to give up acting altogether. She's been telling friends that she and Tom have decided it is best she stays at home and brings up their baby."

"Her decision is raising a lot of eyebrows in Hollywood. She is at the perfect age for so many screen roles and has completely closed the door on a promising career."

Time Person of the Year

Time magazine's "Person of the Year" for 2005 will be Mother Nature, if yesterday's lunch debate in the Time-Life Building was any indication.

The panel � which included NBC's Brian Williams, CNN's Anderson Cooper, Democratic consultant Donna Brazile and conservative think tank head Grover Norquist � all agreed this year's combination of hurricanes, tsunami and the Pakistan earthquake make for a natural choice.

Asked by Time editor Jim Kelly who should play Mother Nature on the cover, Williams cracked, "Bea Arthur." The runner-ups figure to be Bono, the Google guys, Condoleezza Rice, Pope Benedict XVI, Patrick Fitzgerald, Lance Armstrong and Steve Jobs.

Bad Celebrity Child Names

Frank Zappa's daughter Moon Unit has topped a list of celebrity offspring with the most bizarre names, according to an online poll.

Another of the singer-songwriter's four children -- Dweezil -- also makes the top 10 at number seven, but there are no mentions for the ground-breaking musician's two other children: Ahmed Emuukha Rodan and Diva Muffin.

Moon Unit Zappa won out ahead of Coldplay frontman Chris Martin and Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow's daughter, Apple.

The top 10 is:

1 Moon Unit -- Frank Zappa
2 Apple -- Chris Martin (Colplay)
3 Misty Kyd -- Sharleen Spiteri (Texas)
4 Geronimo -- Alex James (Blur)
5 Heavenly Hirani Tiger Lily -- Michael Hutchence/Paula Yates
6 Dandelion -- Keith Richards (Rolling Stones)
7 Dweezil -- Frank Zappa
8 Elijah Bob Patricius Guggi Q -- Bono (U2)
9 Zowie Bowie -- David Bowie
10 Rufus Tiger -- Roger Taylor (Queen)

Joniana?

Angelina Jolie's estranged father Jon Voight has reportedly found love with soul diva Diana Ross after the odd couple were introduced by Motown founder Berry Gordy.

The couple arrived together hand in hand at the recent Hollywood tribute to Ross' 1972 movie Lady Sings The Blues and pals claim they're very much in love. A friend maintains the movie tribute was the ideal opportunity for Voight to be introduced to Ross' children. The pal says, "It was the first time all the kids met him together and it was obvious that he charmed them. At one point, when he was introduced to a family friend, one of Diana's daughters cracked, 'Jon's one of us.'"

Friends claim the couple have been fond of each other for years but didn't embark on a romance until last month when Gordy set them up on a dinner date. A source says, "Diana has been to hell and back over her booze problems and DUI (drunk-driving) arrest, and he (Gordy) kept telling her that since she beat her demons and emerged from the depths of depression, all she needed now was love. And I'll be damned if he didn't go out and find the perfect man for her himself."

Rod Froze Sperm

Rod Stewart froze his sperm "in case of problems", his fianc�e Penny Lancaster has revealed.

The blonde model, who is expecting her first child with the rocker next month, said they had taken the precautionary measure at home before trying for a baby. Penny, whose 'Roddy' has six children already, also confessed to popping his sample into her handbag before rushing it to a sperm bank in her sports car.

She explained: "We did freeze Rod's sperm in case there are going to be any problems. We were at home. We didn't do it at a hospital. We were at home privately, you know, intimately. And then I rushed down in the Ferrari with my handbag and the little vial next to it"

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Turner Played Drunk

Kathleen Turner says she pretended to be an alcoholic to hide the fact she had rheumatoid arthritis.

She feared she would be unable to find work if she had arthritis because of Hollywood's obsession with youth. The 51-year-old, who is moving to Italy, blasted the attitude of American directors who she accuses of only employing actress below a certain age.

"I was afraid I wouldn't get work," she told the New York Daily News. "My hands were very crippled for a while, so I kept dropping glasses and things because I couldn't grip them. "Some of the medications make you blow up and puffy, so the rumor was that I had a drinking problem. "It was safer for me to let people think I was drinking than to tell them that I had this.

"They always hire drunks, all the time. But they wouldn't hire someone with a disease they didn't understand."

Snoop Doggs

Rappers Lil' Jon and Ice-T may hawk their own energy drinks, but Snoop Dogg hopes to upstage them both with his new line of hot dogs.

The laid-back hip-hopper has lent his name to "Foot Long Snoop Doggs," which will feature a wrapper that bears Snoop's likeness, reports aversion.com, which notes, "If Snoop Doggs take off, expect a line of J. Lo's huge buns to surface in the near future."

Brangelina To Go Public?

Angelina Jolie reportedly wants to go on television to tell the world about her relationship with Brad Pitt.

The tight-lipped star is said to be so fed-up with the rumors and gossip surrounding their romance, she wants to set the record straight. A source is quoted in Britain's Daily Star newspaper as saying: "Angelina's told Brad it's time they came clean about their relationship on TV. She's just looking for the right show to set the record straight"

Earlier this week it was revealed that Brad is desperate for Angelina to reunite with her estranged father - so he can walk her down the aisle when they marry.

Janice's New Drama

Jessica Seneca, estranged wife of Quo nightclub owner Carlo Seneca, is bitter over his relationship with model Janice Dickinson.

"I had a baby girl on Sept. 20, and I am furious and really hurt," she told Page Six's Tom Sykes. "I found his cellphone bill, and he had been calling [Dickinson] every day since July. He called her on my birthday, even on the day the baby was born. When I confronted him about it three weeks ago, he said he was seeing her because he wanted a celebrity name attached to his club and to his new restaurant, and I threw him out."

Carlo, whose restaurant, Pre-Post, on 27th Street (in which Dickinson is a partner), opens next month, fires back: "We grew apart because when Jessica went to dental school, all she wanted to do all day was study. I was being ignored, so I opened the club. I have more than met my responsibilities. I have put $50,000 in a bank account in the baby's name, and I am still paying the $5,000-a-month rent on the apartment and all the bills."

Jess Heads To Kenya

Some pics of Jessica's recent humanitarian trip to Kenya:

Bruce Says...

Actor Bruce Willis has offered $1 million to anyone who turns in al-Qaeda terror leaders. The patriotic star will pay out for information on the whereabouts of Osama Bin Laden, Aymen Al-Zawahiri or Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, the alleged brains behind the 9/11 atrocity.

Willis announced his reward on the show Rita Cosby: Live And Direct, where he also slammed biased media coverage of the Iraq war. He said, "I am baffled to understand why the things that I saw happening in Iraq, really good things happening in Iraq, are not being reported on."

Oprah's New DVD

The public, and certainly the comedians, were amazed when Tom Cruise bounced on Oprah Winfrey's couch proclaiming his love for Katie Holmes, but the talk show queen told "Good Morning America" she had no idea what was going on at the time.

"It was wilder than it was appearing to me," Winfrey said. "I was just trying to maintain the truth for myself because I couldn't figure out what was going on. And what I was prepared for was the dance that happens when you're doing celebrities � when you know they're not going to tell you, but you're going to ask anyway, and then you try asking another way."

"I was not buying � not buying or not buying," Winfrey said of Cruise's declarations of love. "That's why I kept saying to 'you're gone, you're really gone.'" Cruise's infamous appearance on "Oprah" is just one of many celebrity moments on the anniversary DVD celebrating Winfrey's 20 years on air.

Winfrey has accumulated great wealth over the years � Forbes estimates her fortune to be $1 billion � but said she does not worry about the money changing her.

Tea In Your Chocolate?

Chocolate infused with tea � be it Earl Grey, green or Irish Breakfast � is exploding in the chocolate industry. Many confectioners showed off their candy brews at the 8th annual Chocolate Show this weekend in New York City.

"Tea and chocolate are a very good combination," said Fran�ois Payard, owner of Payard patisserie and bistro in Manhattan. "They are two strong flavors that go well together."

And go well together they do, when it's quality chocolate and equally top-notch tea. Payard's Earl Grey dark chocolates are divine, as are the Missouri-based Bissinger's green-tea truffles with lemongrass. Chocolate Bar in Manhattan's Greenwich Village offers both tea-infused truffles � Irish Breakfast and Earl Grey � and chocolate-infused tea, made with Valrhona flakes of 99 percent cacao.

"Tea and chocolate are sharing an interesting evolution within the consumer market," said Chocolate Bar owner and founder Alison Nelson. "They're both high in antioxidants, so putting them together is a natural choice."

Around Their Necks

New parents Britney Spears and Kevin Federline have taken to wearing photographs of each other as babies around their necks.

The couple's odd behavior was exposed when the cute pictures were assumed to be of their new three-month-old son Sean Preston. But the pair insist it is just another way of expressing their intense love for each other.

Spears' representative Leslie Sloane says, "That photo Kevin is wearing around his neck is actually a photo of Britney as a baby."

Oprah on Marriage

Oprah Winfrey will never marry fiance.

Oprah Winfrey never intends to marry fiance Stedman Graham, as his proposal was guarantee enough their relationship is serious. The talk show host doesn't see the point in marrying her partner of 17 years, but she insists he did ask.

Winfrey says, "A piece of paper does not define a life. I always knew that was not the answer for me. "I was like most women though. I wanted a man who, I wanted to know he did want it. So I'm telling you, after he proposed, I was over it. "I do believe that had we gotten married, we would not be together today. The traditional role of marriage would not work in this relationship."

Broadway News

--Mary Poppins is bound for Broadway.

The hit musical starring the ageless London nanny, based on the P.L. Travers stories and the 1964 Walt Disney film, is scheduled to begin performances Oct. 14, 2006, at the New Amsterdam Theatre, for a Nov. 16 opening, according to Thomas Schumacher, president of Disney Theatrical Productions.

And Disney's The Lion King will move from the New Amsterdam Theatre to its new home, the Minskoff Theatre, on June 13, 2006. The Minskoff is being renovated to accommodate the Tony-winning production.

Mary Poppins will feature many of the original songs from the 1964 film, which won five Acadamy Awards, including best actress for Julie Andrews' performance in the title role.

--Two weeks after having surgery for breast cancer, Maria Friedman will open Thursday - as scheduled - in "The Woman in White," the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical based on Wilkie Collins' Victorian mystery novel.

Friedman started preview performances Oct. 28 at Broadway's Marquis Theatre, but left the show six days later after discovering a lump in her left breast. She returned to the musical Nov. 10, missing only a week of performances. During her absence, understudy Lisa Brescia played the role of Marian Holcombe, the musical's adventurous heroine.

Friedman, in an interview with The New York Times, said she would begin radiation treatments in December. "I'm not going for hero status," the actress told the newspaper. "I'm doing what I can do, with enormous support."

The musical, adapted by Charlotte Jones and with lyrics by David Zippel, is directed by Trevor Nunn, who supervised such Lloyd Webber shows as "Cats," "Starlight Express," "Aspects of Love" and "Sunset Boulevard."

VS Show

Victoria's Secret, the leading specialty retailer of lingerie and beauty products, sexified the Lexington Avenue Armory in New York City last night for the highly anticipated Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

This year, production company Done and Dusted wanted to infuse the holiday-themed show with just the right dose of Vickie's signature sexiness. And with a line up featuring Gisele Bundchen, Tyra Banks, Heidi Klum, Adriana Lima, Naomi Campbell, Karolina Kurkova and Oluchi Onweagba, among others, the show surely made many little (and not-so-little) boys' holiday wishes come true.

"This took about a year in planning," said Monica Mitro, one of the show's executive producers. Mitro, who has worked on the show for the past ten years, was among the many producers who searched the globe looking for the perfect team to ensure the event's success. Even the most nominal details were labored over, right down to the feathers on the famed angel wings.

"We had the feathers flown in, specially done by a woman in Paris," said Mitro. As for who got to wear the show-stopping wings, it sounded like there was a level of seniority involved. "We love Heidi, she's been with us since the beginning. Heidi gets the biggest wings."

The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show will air Tuesday, December 6 on CBS and will include red carpet interviews, model profiles, and a behind-the-scenes peek of the making of the fashion show. From 10 p.m. to 11 p.m., this television special is sure to get you in the mood�the holiday mood, that is.

--Um, could Heidi look any more amazing after giving birth just 2 months ago? Wow.

ParisNews

ParisNews:

Is Paris Hilton getting cranky with Nicole Richie?
Richie is complaining to friends that she believes Hilton has been crank-calling her, according to a report.

�Nicole has been getting phony phone calls very late at night, practically every night, and she suspects the culprit is her ex-best friend,� reports the forthcoming issue of In Touch Weekly. �Nicole doesn't have proof, but she's almost sure it�s Paris,� a friend told the mag.

And the ring was a CZ?
The real reason Paris Hilton hasn't given her ex-fianc�, Paris Latsis, back his 24-carat engagement ring is because it's not real. Hilton, who's now fooling around with young Stavros Niarchos, "bought it for herself," giggled a spy. "It's a cubic zirconia. The ring Paris [Latsis] gave her was a much smaller one [from Cartier]. She lied to Us Weekly about it and everyone picked it up."

"Walk the Line" Controversy

Kathy Cash, one of Johnny Cash's five children, was so upset about how her mother is portrayed in the upcoming movie "Walk the Line" that she walked out of a family-only screening � five times.

She thinks the movie, which opens nationwide Nov. 18, is good and that performances by Joaquin Phoenix as her dad and Reese Witherspoon as her stepmother, June Carter Cash, are Oscar-worthy.

But she also said the film unfairly shows her mother, Vivian Liberto Distin, Johnny Cash's first wife, as a shrew. Actress Ginnifer Goodwin plays her in the movie.

"My mom was basically a nonentity in the entire film except for the mad little psycho who hated his career. That's not true. She loved his career and was proud of him until he started taking drugs and stopped coming home," Kathy Cash said.

Vivian Liberto Distin died earlier this year as a result of complications from lung cancer. She and Cash were married 13 years and had four children together. He pledged to remain faithful to her in his song "I Walk the Line."

Kathy Cash also said the movie fails to include any meaningful scenes with the children or show the pain she and her three sisters endured during their father's fight with drugs and their parents' divorce. She says it portrays Johnny Cash's father too negatively.

No More Coke For Rod

Rod Stewart says he doesn't do cocaine anymore because it's just not as pure as it used to be.

The crooner, 60, longs for the days when dealers didn't mix the drug to maximize profits. "I don't know why anyone would want to take coke now," Stewart tells contactmusic.com. "It was different in my day, because it was all so much purer. Now these dealers mix it with salt, washing powders, anything they can get their hands on. Kids just don't know what they're taking."

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Umm

Pink says she would like to seduce Kelly Osbourne.

The singer, who is engaged to motorcross racer Carey Hart, says she is attracted to Ozzy's daughter.

According to IOL.com she said: "I think Kelly's straight, but she's really sexy. "I could eat her up."

Fergie To Play Stripper

Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie has been given an offer she can't refuse - to star in an episode of The Sopranos.

Fergie - real name Stacy Ferguson - is swapping the music business for family business by playing an undercover cop working in Tony Soprano's seedy Bad-A-Bing strip club. She starts filming the episode early next year.

"Fergie can't believe her luck at landing this part - she's obsessed with The Sopranos," an insider told the Daily Mirror. "The producers thought she'd be perfect because she's got such a toned body and has no problems flaunting her flesh." She is also said to have been hitting the gym with a personal trainer to be "the hottest stripper Bad-A-Bing's ever seen".

She's also set to appear in the remake of 70s disaster flick The Poseiden Adventure, with Kurt Russell.

People's Choice Awards

Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and Oprah Winfrey were among those nominated Thursday for the 32nd annual People's Choice Awards. Internet research firm Knowledge Networks called on pop culture fans to help determine the nominees. The public can help choose the winners online at http://www.pcavote.com. The show will broadcast live from the Shrine Auditorium on Jan. 10.

The nominees were:

Female movie star: Sandra Bullock, Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman.

Male movie star: Nicolas Cage, Johnny Depp, Samuel L. Jackson.

Leading lady: Cameron Diaz, Reese Witherspoon, Renee Zellwegger.

Leading man: Jamie Foxx, Brad Pitt, Adam Sandler.

Female action star: Jennifer Garner, Angelina Jolie, Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Male action star: Matthew McConaughey, Brad Pitt, The Rock.

On-screen match-up: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in "Mr. and Mrs. Smith;" Chris Rock and Adam Sandler in "The Longest Yard;" Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson in "Wedding Crashers."

Female performer: Kelly Clarkson, Faith Hill, Gwen Stefani.

Male performer: Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, Usher.

Group: Black Eyed Peas, Destiny's Child, Green Day.

New TV comedy: "Everybody Hates Chris," "How I Met Your Mother," "My Name is Earl."

New TV drama: "Commander in Chief," "Criminal Minds," "Prison Break."

TV comedy: "Everybody Loves Raymond," "That '70s Show," "The Simpsons."

TV drama: "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "Desperate Housewives," "Law & Order: SVU."

Reality show competition: "American Idol," "Fear Factor," "Survivor."

Reality show other: "Extreme Makeover," "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," "Supernanny."

Late-night talk show host: Jay Leno, David Letterman, Conan O'Brien.

Daytime talk show host: Ellen DeGeneres, Regis Philbin & Kelly Ripa, Oprah Winfrey.

Female TV star: Jennifer Garner, Teri Hatcher, Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Male TV star: Ray Romano, Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland.

Funny female star: Drew Barrymore, Ellen DeGeneres, Queen Latifah.

Funny male star: Chris Rock, Adam Sandler, Will Smith.

Connery To Receive AFI Honor

Sean Connery will receive the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award, its highest honor for a career in film, the institute announced Thursday. The award will be presented to the Scottish actor June 8 in Los Angeles.

Howard Stringer, chairman of the AFI Board of Trustees, called Connery "an artist of the highest order." "Though best remembered for creating one of the great film heroes of all time, his talents transcend typecasting," Stringer said. "His body of work not only stands the test of time, but illuminates a career more extraordinary than James Bond himself." Connery portrayed agent James Bond in six films from 1962 to 1971. He appeared in "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" in 2003.

Connery is the 34th recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award, which was established in 1973. Past recipients include Orson Welles, Bette Davis, Alfred Hitchcock, Sidney Poitier, Elizabeth Taylor, Jack Nicholson, Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, Robert DeNiro, Meryl Streep and George Lucas.

Stork Arrival

Late Night host Conan O'Brien and his wife Liza Powel O'Brien welcomed their second child Wednesday night.

The couple "is thrilled to announce the arrival of their son, Beckett O'Brien," a statement says. The baby boy was born Wednesday in New York City at 8:27 p.m., and weighed in at 8 lbs., 4 oz.

"Mother, baby and father are all well," according to the statement released by NBC. This is the second child for the 42-year-old comedian and his wife, who will turn 35 on Saturday. Their daughter Neve was born Oct. 14, 2003.

Industry News

Anjelica Huston is to star opposite Pierce Brosnan and Liam Neeson in a new period drama.

Set at the end of the Civil War, Seraphim Falls tells the story of a colonel who fails to put down his weapon, reports Variety. Set at the end of the Civil War, the project tells the story of a colonel who fails to put down his weapon and instead hunts down a man to settle a grudge from the war.

Huston, whose character is being kept under wraps, heads to New Mexico next week to film her part. Von Ancken wrote the script with Abbey Everett Jaques for Mel Gibson and Bruce Davey's Icon Productions.

Berry's Baby Brigade?

Rumor du jour:

The New York Daily News is reporting that Academy Award-winning actress Halle Berry is either pregnant or trying to have a baby.

Berry, who has been dating her Their Eyes Were Watching God co-star Michael Ealy, hasn't been shy when talking about her hope to become a mother.

Talking about her upcoming 40th birthday, the 39-year-old actress told Oprah Winfrey in March, "If there's no serious man, whoever I'm dating at the time, I'll say, 'Hey, would you like to have a baby? I'll sign a paper that will say I won't ask you for one red cent.'

Awkward Interview

Jessica Simpson is very excited about the new shoes in her fashion line, so who can blame her for wanting to talk all about them when she sat down with Access Hollywood's Billy Bush over the weekend? And while that's fine, Billy also wanted to address the elephant in the room � the status of her marriage with Nick. But when he did, it led to one interesting interview.

When asked about her busy schedule and how she keep sit all together she admitted: �I have a lot of really good handlers."

And one of the people Jessica relies upon these days is a therapist. She recently told Teen People it's because she respects what it is they do for a living. But for some reason, her publicist wouldn't let her tell Billy that. �You went into therapy. What was behind that decision because a lot of people do?� he asked, only to find Jess reluctant to answer the question.

�I mean, hmm, I don't wanna� Everybody's asking that question,� she softly said. "I would stay away from that,� a publicist said from off-camera.

Billy tried to explain his position to Jessica and her people. �There's an unnaturalness to all of this because everybody in the entertainment business in talking about your life in one way and yet�,� he said, only to be interrupted by the publicist. �This is just about the line and that's all we're talking about. That's why we're here today. I need you to stay with that,� the publicist insisted. �Do you understand my situation to be here?� Billy asked Jessica. �Of course,� Simpson admitted. �I totally understand but that is the focus of why we're here today and that's all we're talking about today,� the publicist said.

�Is there something you do say to people though? Is there some kind of position that you have on all these things that have been written about you everywhere we go?� Billy inquired. �Is there one kind of thing you do say to people?� �Honestly, um,� Jessica said, only to have her people once again speak up in her place. �That's just not why we're here. If you want to keep talking about the clothing line, that's fine. But that's all we're doing,� the pub said. �That's all we're doing.�

The duo had a good time checking out the new fancy footwear she has designed and then it was time to wrap it up. And of course, there was no way Billy would get shut down asking about Jessica's recent charity work, right? �Tell me quickly if you can about Operation Smile, which is a terrific organization. You just made a trip to Africa, didn't you?� Billy asked Jessica. �I did,� she replied. �It was a wonderful great trip that taught me a lot about myself. It just puts life into perspective. I met so many amazing kids. We went into hospitals and did surgeries then we were out on safari and all of kinds of stuff. It was really a beautiful time for me.�

�Did you see anything in particular?� Billy followed up. But this time, it wasn't Jessica who responded. �That's it. No other questions,� the publicist interrupted one final time. Billy looked at Jessica and all she could do was shrug her shoulders and smile. �Sorry,� she said. �I gotta listen to my peeps.�

Elton's Desperate

Elton John has begged producers to allow him to guest star in TV sensation Desperate Housewives.

The singer is a massive fan of the hit show and courted star Teri Hatcher to help him get a cameo when she appeared in the video for his single "Turn The Lights Out When You Leave." He says, "It's so bitchy and funny! I'd love to do Desperate Housewives!"

WTF?

Enrique Iglesias has hinted he's not the perfect lover, by revealing he wants to launch his own range of small condoms.

The Spanish singer enjoys a high profile relationship with tennis beauty Anna Kournikova and is lusted after by female fans around the world. But they may be underwhelmed by his confession.

He says, "The next product I'm going to put my name on is extra-small condoms. I can never find extra-small condoms and I know it's really embarrassing for people."

--Whoa. Poor Anna.

Shoot To Kill

Christmas is just over a month away, so it's time for Eva Longoria to load up her shotgun.

Longoria told Cosmopolitan magazine that being from Texas, she and her family "kill wild pigs for tamales." The "Desperate Housewives" star said "hunting is a family thing" and they eat all they kill.

Longoria is such a good shot she beat Kiefer Sutherland and Michael Douglas at a shooting range while filming the movie "The Sentinel."

Poor Little Rich Girl

Paris Hilton's aunt has revealed the hotel heiress was bullied as a child.

Kyle Richards � the sister of Kathy Hilton � has had a very close relationship with her niece since she was young. And on an A&E biography TV special on Paris, Kyle said: "There was jealousy and she was being picked on. "I had to go down there a few times and straighten some people out.

"People would hear the last name and she was always a beautiful girl and that doesn't make for making a lot of friends with girls. "She always had this attitude that she didn't care what people thought but she definitely did."

Kyle also revealed sexy Paris is preparing for possible motherhood - by keeping lots of pets. "She talks about wanting to be a mom. And all her animals are her practicing. "She will make a very good mom, very nurturing and she has good maternal instincts."

--WAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

--Too bad her new boyfriend can't drive.

MJ Ditches US

Michael Jackson will come back to the United States, but it's unlikely the King of Pop would ever make it his home again, says his father.

"He'll come back to visit, but not to stay, not to live," Joseph Jackson told The Associated Press in a recent interview. Jackson said his son, who was acquitted in June of child molestation, has received lots of threats in the United States. The superstar now lives in Bahrain and his lawyers have said that he no longer considers his Neverland Ranch in California as his home. "They didn't treat him right here. I know if I was him, I wouldn't come back," his father said.

However, the elder Jackson said he expects Michael to return to his music career - and hopes it would include a reunion with his brothers. "I'm trying to motivate them to go ahead and do this record," he said of his other sons. "They want to do it, but they're too slow. They'd rather do it with Michael."

Michael Jackson is working on a charity single for hurricane relief with stars such as R. Kelly and Snoop Dogg.

--Don't get your glove caught in the door, buddy.

You're a Singer

Christina Aguilera is desperate to develop her acting career beyond her part in animated hit Shark Tale, but no-one wants to cast her.

The singer hoped her role as a singing jellyfish in the movie would kickstart a move into movies - but she's still waiting by the phone. Aguilera says, "The only part I got offered was in Shark Tale. I would consider more acting roles though."

--Um, no.

ReebokTV

Coming to a flatscreen near you! Reebok announced Tuesday their unprecedented partnership with DoD, the video-on-demand outlet.

As of Friday, Comcast Cable customers can access Reebok�s boutique programming venture, with behind-the-scenes interviews with Allen Iverson, 50 Cent, and Jay-Z. The TV deal follows the brand�s successful experiment in broadcasting last Spring, when behind-the-scenes footage from Allen Iverson�s Reebok commercial became the most viewed content ON DEMAND in the Philadelphia market where it aired. The programs will allow viewers a closer look at the stars who embody the Reebok lifestyle.

LoLeto

Are Lindsay Lohan and Jared Leto heading down the aisle?

The two are said to have been secretly dating for months, but according to one report, Lohan is hot to marry Leto. �She�s crazy about Jared,� a �friend� told Life & Style Weekly. �She says it would be great to run away, get married barefoot on the beach and shock everybody.�

Another pal says that �Lindsay says she has met the man of her dreams,� and adds that Leto has encouraged her to eat healthy foods, which has helped her bring back her curvy figure. But friends are reportedly telling Lohan to take it slowly with Leto, a notorious ladies� man who has dated Cameron Diaz, Scarlett Johansson and Ashley Olsen.

Lohan�s eagerness to wed is supposedly not just because of her fondness for Leto � but also because of her ire at Paris Hilton. �She�s angry at Paris for hooking up with Mary-Kate Olsen�s ex, Stavros Niarchos,� says the friend. Olsen and Lohan are buddies. �Catching a husband would be a poke in Paris� eye.�

A Passion For Cinema (and Shoes)

Are you a Cinderella, a Venus, or an Aristocrat? At Ferragamo�s new store in Athens, international chicsters with a shoe fetish can find out. Opening today, the exhibit, �A Passion for Cinema.� will feature shoes flown in from the Ferragamo Museum in Florence and worn by the belles of Ferragamo�s Hollywood past.

The shoe-master famously classified his starlet customers into three categories, according to their shoe size. �The Cinderellas always wear a size smaller than 6. They are quintessentially feminine, lovers of jewels, and furs. They always need to be loved to be happy. Venuses wear size 6. They�re generally very beautiful, fascinating and sophisticated, though beneath the exterior shell they may be very homely and love the simple things in life. Aristocrats wear size 7. They�re sensitive, rather moody but understanding.� No word on how he classed those with sample-sized extremities.

�A Passion for Cinema� will explore these fairytale shoe moments and chart the course of Ferragamo�s longstanding love affair with the silver screen. Shoes worn by Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Madonna, and more will be on display in the shiny new Greek flagship through November 30th.

Mirror Mirror On the Wall

People magazine is set to anoint Matthew McConaughey as its "Sexiest Man Alive" later this month, tattles a source to the New York Post.

The actor, who's often photographed exercising with his shirt off, would seem to be as good a selection as any. But a spokeswoman for People was coy about the magazine's hunk-of-the-year selection. "Lots of sexy guys are up for this year's 'Sexiest Man Alive,' " she said. "No final decision is made until the last possible moment."

--He's definitely due for the title. Considering the past few they've picked...Depp, Law, etc. Gag me.

Click here to help People crown the Sexiest Man Ever!

Which Sexiest Man is your favorite?
Mel Gibson (1985)
Mark Harmon (1986)
Harry Hamlin (1987)
John F. Kennedy Jr. (1988)
Sean Connery (1989)
Tom Cruise (1990)
Patrick Swayze (1991)
Nick Nolte (1992)
Brad Pitt (1995 & 2000)
Denzel Washington (1996)
George Clooney (1997)
Harrison Ford (1998)
Richard Gere (1999)
Pierce Brosnan (2001)
Ben Affleck (2002)
Johnny Depp (2003)
Jude Law (2004)

--If I had to pick just one, I'd go for Clooney. Followed very closely by JFK, Jr.

Spears Suit Dismissed

An Indiana songwriter's copyright infringement lawsuit against singer Britney Spears over the song "Sometimes" has been dismissed because she was able to show it wasn't copied, her attorney said Tuesday.

"I cannot emphasize enough this was not a settlement but a dismissal," said David R. Baum, an attorney for Spears and her co-defendants. No money will change hands, he said.

U.S. District Judge John D. Tinder in Indianapolis last week dismissed the lawsuit by Steve Wallace.

Wallace sued Spears, her album promoter, Sony/BMG Music Publishing Inc., and recording and publishing companies affiliated with the singer, claiming he had written the song 15 years ago.

The complaint acknowledged Wallace did not formally copyright his song until 2003. A few weeks after writing it in 1990, he executed what's commonly known as a "poor man's" copyright in which he placed his work in a sealed envelope and obtained a postmark. He shopped the song to publishers in 1994.

--Judge Tinder is a great judge. I'm sure this was the right decision.

UPDATE: A keen legal eye pointed out to me after some legal investigation was done, that Judge Tinder didn't actually dismiss the case himself. The parties signed a stipulated order for dismissal. So, in essence, the parties agreed to the dismissal themselves.

Kiss and Tell

Us Weekly has a bit of fun with an item that rates the 'grossest kiss,' 'most shocking kiss' and 'most romantic kiss' in this week's issue.

Angelina Jolie - grabbed two awards, unfortunately - both were in the 'gross' section.

The first one many will never forget. For nearly an entire summer, (2000) Jolie and her sibling had a habit of showing up at awards shows and making people uncomfortable with their affection. However, what really got people talking (and set off incest alarms) was the overly long and passionate kiss she shared with her brother, James Haven, after she won an Oscar for Girl, Interrupted. She even delivered this memorable quote: "I am so in love with my brother right now."

Jolie also got a nod for her nasty public kisses to then hubby Billy Bob Thornton.

The most romantic kiss was Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck sharing a passionate kiss while Ben touches Jen's pregnant stomach. Most shocking - what else? Britney Spears lesbian kiss of Madonna at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards.

Kobe's Wife Is Pregs

Kobe Bryant and wife Vanessa are expecting their second child in May.

A spokesman for the Bryants said: "In addition to their excitement, Kobe and Vanessa have been sharing a lot of laughs because after hitting game winning shots for the Lakers, Kobe has been making late night food runs for his wife's pregnancy cravings only to get home with the food and find out that her craving has changed."

Desperate Actor Fired

Page Kennedy, who plays a fugitive from the law on "Desperate Housewives," was fired from the hit ABC drama for improper conduct, a series spokeswoman said Tuesday.

Kennedy, who joined the show this season, was let go Friday after a "thorough investigation by the studio" of the allegations against him, publicist Janet Daily said. "Desperate Housewives" is produced by Touchstone Television, part of The Walt Disney Co.

The alleged misconduct didn't involve another cast member, a source close to the production said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Kennedy played Caleb, a character shrouded in mystery and seen only briefly as he was held captive in the basement of Wisteria Lane newcomer Betty Applewhite ( Alfre Woodard). In the Oct. 23 episode, it was revealed that Caleb may be responsible for a teenager's murder in Chicago.

Laguna Links

Laguna Beach Links:

Did you know that Lauren (LC) and Stephen both have their own websites?

You'll quickly notice that Stephen's is just a giant, dorky pic of himself. No shock there.

And here's a brainless Laguna quiz for you:

You are Lo!


Which Laguna Beach Cast Member are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

CZJ's No Domestic Diva

She may be a Hollywood diva, but Catherine Zeta Jones is no goddess when it comes to things domestic.

She has revealed that hubby Michael Dougless would rather she kept out of the kitchen. "Michael is scared when I'm in the kitchen," she told Closer magazine, "In fact, I'm now banned!"

And if you had visions of CZJ and hubby Michael Douglas being waited on hand and foot in their Bermuda mansion, think again. "Just after we got married, I actually burnt a pan - there was smoke everywhere," said Welsh-born Catherine.

"That was the first and last time I tried to cook. Now I just microwave chicken nuggets!" But she's more than happy to stay home with children Dylan and Carys while Michael is making movies - and she's determined they will not become "Hollywood brats."

New Bunny Suit

The Playboy bunny has a new look � and will soon be getting a new place to hop around in.

Ears and noses were a-twitch Friday night when Italian designer Roberto Cavalli showed off his new designs for the world-famous bunny costume in Las Vegas, where Playboy is building a casino-and-nightclub complex � its first "club" since the last Playboy Club in the United States closed in Lansing, Mich., in 1988.

"Reinterpreting the Playboy uniform has been an incredible project," Cavalli said in a press release. "Updating something so iconic with my own modern design sensibility has been a challenge � and one that I've really enjoyed."

This design retains the collar, cuffs, bunny ears and bunny tail of the old costume � but also features some sexy changes, including a sparkly black bodice with an external corset, an S&M-inspired metallic collar and armbands, higher and more streamlined leg lines and a white furry tail. It also leaves little to the imagination on top.

--This is sure to cheer up Iceman after his rough morning.

Big Sale

The words discount and designer get new heft Thursday when the Super Bowl of sample sales - 7th on Sale - kicked off on eBay. The unprecedented month-long, online auction will offer up more than 6,000 items donated by 300 of the world's top designers at the behest of a team led by Vogue editor Anna Wintour. (The sale benefits AIDS-related charities.)

"It's not like any designer is going to empty out their sock drawer," cracks one insider, referring to the shoddy stuff some companies try to offload elsewhere. "Everything on sale during this event is top-notch."

The main event promises to be women's wear offered by designers as diverse as BCBG and Balenciaga, with such runway hits as Michael Kors' Python trench. Retail price: $26,000. Starting bid: $2,600. Other hot-ticket items include Ralph Lauren's peacock-feather trimmed denims ($1,298; starting bid, $130) and Manolo Blahnik's classic black patent "Campari" pump ($515; starting bid, $51).

To shop 7th on Sale online, which runs through Dec. 7, visit eBay.com/7thonsale.

Black Headed To Weather Channel

Daily Show resident ranter and self-proclaimed weatherman watcher Lewis Black is blowing in to the Weather Channel.

The comic has been tapped to enliven the meteorologically minded basic cable staple, taping multiple segments that will begin airing late Wednesday night on Evening Edition with Dave Schwartz. "I'm going to make my transition to weatherman soon," Black joked Tuesday via phone from his Manhattan apartment.

The comic, best known for his Thursday "Back in Black" diatribes on Comedy Central's The Daily Show, is the first of several celebrities the Atlanta-based Weather Channel hopes to recruit to shake up its typical servings of five-day forecasts and storm alerts.

Cruise Dumps Sister

Tom Cruise has parted ways with his publicist sister 20 months after giving her the job over his longtime PR Pat Kingsley.

Lee Anne DeVette has dealt with her brother's romance with Katie Holmes and his controversial comments about Scientology and psychiatry during her time as his press officer. Cruise has replaced his sister with top Hollywood PR man Paul Bloch, who also serves as co-chairman for publicity powerhouse Rogers & Cowan and represents movie stars John Travolta, Sylvester Stallone, Billy Bob Thornton and David Beckham and Victoria Beckham, among others.

However, DeVette will continue to work alongside her brother as the full-time caretaker of his charity work. In a statement, the movie star says, "Lee Anne has done a wonderful job on behalf of me and Cruise-Wagner Productions over the last few years, but she has always expressed a desire to oversee and expand the day-to-day activities of my charitable endeavors." DeVette adds, "I know how important Tom's charitable goals are to him, and I look forward to assisting in raising the profile of the good works that he does on behalf of children's health issues, mentoring, literacy and other social reforms."

--Hmmm...

--Pic from Popsugar.

Joaquin's Odd Behavior

What in the world is going on with Joaquin Phoenix? The "Walk the Line" star � who spent some time earlier this year in rehab for his drinking � has been "acting very oddly" while promoting the Johnny Cash biopic.
"It seems like he is on the verge of a nervous breakdown," said one insider.

During an interview with the Associated Press at the movie's L.A. premiere on Friday night, Phoenix asked the reporter: "Do I have a large frog in my hair? . . . Something's crawling out of my scalp."

When the reporter assured Phoenix he "looked great," the actor replied, "No, but I feel it. I'm not worried about the looks. I'm worried about the sensation of my brain being eaten . . . What did you ask me?"

Phoenix's publicist, Sue Patricola, told Page Six: "I think a fly flew on his head. I was standing right there and was laughing with him. He then went right back to the press line. He's doing interviews every damn day. And no, he's not having a nervous breakdown and is still sober. He's fantastic."

The day before, Phoenix was supposed to do a full day of interviews during the media junket for the movie, with co-stars Reese Witherspoon as the Man in Black's talented wife, June Carter Cash. Phoenix did a round of interviews with the print media at the W in L.A.'s Westwood but had a meltdown half way through the day. One spy said: "In the middle of the print interviews he stood up and said, 'I can't do this. I have done 40 other [bleeping] interviews today,' and then walked out. He didn't do the radio group at all."

Patricola said: "There was no meltdown. He did not do radio because he doesn't like the medium. He's not comfortable with it." A radio source fumed: "Doesn't like radio? He plays Johnny Cash, for chrissake � and Johnny's music was played on the radio! Reese Witherspoon sat through everything even though she had a case of sinusitis � but he can't do the interviews?"

The next day, Friday, during the television interviews, he was "just as difficult," and "cut interviews short and repeated that he 'can't do this any more' in just about every session. He looked like he was having a breakdown." Patricola responded: "He was done and didn't want to do any more. I can't blame him � he has been working like crazy. He has never done this much press."

Paris Got Served

A real-life version of Cops has seriously cut in on Paris Hilton's party time.

For those of you wondering why the hotel heiress was late in arriving at Thursday night's Motorola party in Hollywood, she was busy dealing with the Los Angeles Police Department, who had served a subpoena at her Hollywood Hills home.

"All I know is she was summoned to be a witness on a case," her publicist, Jack Ketsoyan, said Friday. Video obtained by E! News showed several police swarming Hilton's home as a white limo idled outside, waiting to whisk her to a party. (The LAPD is familiar with the grounds, having been to Chez Hilton last weekend, when her Halloween party got so out of control Christian Slater ended up falling off the roof of the neighbor's house.)

According to an LAPD spokesperson, Hilton "is a witness in a criminal investigation." Police say Paris Hilton is a material witness to a crime and want to know any information she has regarding Darnell Riley, an alleged burglar who targeted L.A.'s fabulous set.

Riley, 28, was arrested in March for a robbery involving Girls Gone Wild mastermind Joe Francis and remains behind bars at the Los Angeles County Jail. Riley is also being investigated for a high-profile heists at the homes of Johnson & Johnson heiress Casey Johnson, club promoter Tommy Alastra and the Hiltons, per the New York Post. The newspaper quoted an unnamed police source saying many of the crimes followed similar patterns: an unnamed Elite model would hit the party circuit and weasel herself into the confidence of the target, then pass along relevant info (security codes, house layout, etc.) to Riley, who would allegedly handle the breaking and entering.

"Paris allegedly told Joe Francis that an associate of Darnell Riley's admitted at a party that Darnell Riley was involved in the burglary," Riley's attorney, Ronald Richards, tells E! News. Francis then informed LAPD, which prompted the visit to Hilton's.

The Hilton sisters were robbed Aug. 4, 2004. The perp, who apparently entered by cutting through a screen, got away with a laptop, wads of cash and more than $100,000 in jewelry. Also missing: several of Nicky's designer bags, a collection of watches, photographs and videotapes. The Post later reported that Paris Hilton was being blackmailed to keep one tape away from the public--an item neither the Hiltons nor police have confirmed.

Richards says that Hilton was subpoenaed because she "has not agreed to any interviews with the prosecution or defense...I'd be interested to see if she even had a conversation about Joe Francis." Asked if Riley was involved in any of the crimes, Richards responds: "That's absolutely not true." Riley's next court date in the Francis case is set for Nov. 21.

As for Hilton's little interlude Thursday, she chatted with police until approximately 10:30 p.m., when she boarded the limo and departed to Motorola's annual party benefiting Toys for Tots. The police and subpoena didn't warrant a mention once Hilton arrived. Instead she was all business. "Motorola always has the best party of the year," she said upon entering the bash. "So I'm really happy to be here."

Another O'Neal Kid

Shaunie O' Neal, 30, wife of basketball great Shaquille O'Neal, 33, is expecting her sixth child Us Weekly reports.

"We are thrilled," Shaunie tells Us. "I'm looking forward to a great pregnancy." The pair, married since 2002, each have one child from previous relationships and three children together.

A rep for the pair tells Us that the couple doesn't know the sex yet, but Shaunie is three months along. Shaquille should have a little extra time to devote to his pregnant wife--the Miami Heat forward is currently nursing a sprained ankle and is off the court for at least three weeks.

Colin Loves EVERYONE!

Colin Farrell and some soccer dude:

--Pic from Oh No They Didn't.

Alley Dances Off Pounds

Former Cheers star Kirsite Alley has danced off the pounds on her way to a new figure by hiring Madonna and Usher's choreographers.

The one-time heavyweight claims to have lost a whopping 55 pounds dancing with Hollywood teachers Rich & Fly, and she's urging other fatties to don their high heels and take to the dance floor. Alley, who once weighed 219 pounds says, "I really wanted to celebrate that I've gotten thinner and these guys are just brilliant. They choreograph Usher and J.Lo. I really love doing this. It just makes you feel like you're in a celebration."

Alley and her choreographers are now working on a high-energy dance work-out video - and she insists it will encourage fans to look good while they boogie. She explains, "You never see a stripper in flip-flops... and that's because flat-footed looks like ducks and flat-footed doesn't make people feel sexy." Meanwhile, the actress aims to lose another 25-35 pounds.

Wedding Bells for Elton

Sir Elton John is reportedly planning a Christmas wedding. He is due to marry partner David Furnish on the 21st of December.

When asked about his marriage plans Elton said: "It's going to be on the 21st of December. That's all I know at the moment." According to ITV.com the ceremony will take place at a charity party for his Aids Foundation in New York.

Diggin' For Gold

Mischa digs for gold.

Nicollette Sick of Rumor Mill

Desperate Housewives star Nicollette Sheridan is not a happy woman.

She's so fed up with the glut of naughty internet sites publishing fake porn pics of her that she's thinking of setting her lawyers onto them. According to men's mag Maxim, the 41-year-old actress is especially insulted by superimposed snapshots because the bodies used are much worse then hers.

She said: "You can't trust the internet. Someone told me there was this website with my head on other people's naked bodies doing lewd, crude, and totally unacceptable things. "I guess at one point I've got to get around to suing them. But the real drag of it was that my body is much better than their bodies... "My God, at least do me justice."

"Additionally, there was this thing written that I had gone into a candle store, and my hair went up in flames because of all the hair spray. "First of all, I never have hair spray in my hair, and I've never even heard of this store, and my hair has never been burned."

Prejudical Bond Casting?

Actor Nicolas Cage is angry that his American nationality hindered his chance to become James Bond because he thinks the prejudice is petty and stupid.

The star resents the unwritten rule which states the secret spy can only be played by British actors and is devastated he will probably never get another opportunity to try for the role.

He says, "You can cast a Brit to play Bond but you can never cast an American to play him. "I think that is totally unfair."

--Um, did you ever think you might have lost out not because you are American, but because you'd pretty much be the worst James Bond ever?

Let's Get Physical

Janet Jackson gets back on the workout wagon:

--Pics from Rosie.

Industry News

Penelope Cruz and Danny DeVito have joined the cast of The Good Night.

The romantic comedy stars Martin Freeman who played hapless Tim in The Office as a washed-up popstar reduced to writing ad jingles and suffering a midlife crisis.

Cruz will play the object of his romantic interests while DeVito will play a dream doctor who tries to get him back on track. Gwyneth Paltrow's brother, Jake, is directing the movie.

Other stars who previously joined the cast include Gwyneth Paltrow and Simon Pegg. Filming is due to begin in London next week reports Variety.

Where's Nick?

Jessica's Simpson's husband Nick Lachey has allegedly "vanished" while his wife is in Africa - further fueling rumors the pair's marriage is on the rocks.

The star, who shot to fame in popular MTV show 'Newlyweds', was last seen by friends two weeks ago at sister-in-law Ashlee Simpson's album launch party in Los Angeles.

Jessica is currently on safari in Kenya with her father Joe and personal assistant Cacee Cobb. The date of the Simpson's trip to Africa - which also involved a visit to Nairobi so Jessica could promote her charity Operation Smile, a fund set-up for children born with cleft lips - meant the pair spent their third wedding anniversary apart last month.

However, Nick's representative insists the star is simply abroad working on his new record. The spokesperson told America's New York Daily News newspaper: "He is out of the country recording his album".

But Jessica's dad hit back at the claims, saying: "They're still together They just had an anniversary vacation. It doesn't sound like a divorce to me."

Shar Says...

In a new interview, Shar Jackson says she and Kevin Federline were still together when he and Britney Spears began dating last year.

Jackson, then pregnant with her second child with Federline, says the truth came out only after he flew abroad for a commercial � which became a monthslong trip with Spears. Federline and Spears were wed last year; their son was born in September.

"How do you call yourself a human being knowing that you put somebody else through that pain?" Jackson asks of Spears in the December issue of Sister 2 Sister magazine. "That's a vicious cycle right there, man. We gotta break that."

Jackson, 29, and Federline have a 3-year-old daughter, Kori, and a son, Kaleb, born in July 2004. Jackson, who co-starred in the TV series Moesha, has two older children from a previous relationship. She and Federline "are still really good friends," Jackson says, but she doesn't want child support.

"Hell no. I am a very, very independent woman, OK? If I wanted child support that's an easy procedure," she tells the magazine. Instead, "All I want from Kevin is his time with his children. That's it, bottom line."

Jackson is working on an album, her first.

CartLing

Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter is ready to marry Chinese actress Bai Ling - just one year after splitting from hotel heiress Paris Hilton.

Ling, who starred alongside Jodie Foster in Anna And The King, says the pair are deeply in love and seriously considering marriage in the near future. Despite being 10 years his senior, she insists they are both ready to commit to a lifelong relationship.

Ling, 35, says, "My boyfriend is a godsend. I didn't need any reasons to like him and I am willing to do anything for him." "We are very romantic. To meet someone like that, I have to give my love to him and I do really love him."

Madonna Continues to Cause a Stir

Madonna's husband Guy Ritchie was unhappy about the skimpy outfit that she wore for the MTV Europe Music Awards.

The film director asked his wife to choose another dress, but the Madonna ignored his request.

"He wasn't happy and told her in no uncertain terms," a source told The People. "He thinks she's too old to be wearing such skimpy things and that she should have toned it down a bit. Madonna listened to what Guy had to say but chose not to do anything about it.

"She went ahead and wore what she was planning to anyway. It made for a bit of an unpleasant atmosphere backstage."

Swingin'

Claire Danes and actor boyfriend Billy Crudup have a unique way to relax - they spend their weekends swinging.

The actress loves to have fun and insists upon having a trapeze, trampoline and swing in her New York City home. She says, "We had a trapeze and a trampoline in our house when I was growing up, and I stole the swing idea for my own home. "I love it. We don't go out much, Billy and I watch movies and I swing on my swing."

Nic Says Bye To Urban

Nicole Kidman said a fond farewell to country star Keith Urban in Washington DC last week when she took him out for a romantic meal on the eve of his 38th birthday.

The two Aussies have been romantically linked in recent months, but have refused to talk about their relationship. But that didn't stop Kidman from setting tongues wagging when she donned a sexy black evening gown to join Urban at the 1789 Restaurant in Washington DC.

It was a goodbye of sorts - Urban, who has been seeing quite a lot of Kidman recently, kicked off his latest tour last night.

Beatty Crashes Terminator Rally

Hollywood legend Warren Beatty and his Oscar-nominated wife Annette Bening caused a stir when they turned up at California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger campaign rally in San Diego, California, on Saturday.

The anti-Schwarzenegger pair pitched up at the airport hangar where hundreds of supporters had gathered to hear the former action star describe how he would "reform the broken system." Beatty and Bening were initially snubbed from the rally when an aide told them they didn't have the correct wristband to attend the talk. Bening stormed, "You have to have a wristband to listen to the Governor? He represents all of us, right?" The door was then slammed in their faces before being opened again as Schwarzenegger started to speak.

Beatty raged about Schwarzenegger's campaign, "This is an abuse of the initiative process." The governor previously said of Beatty's protestations, "There's the main event, then there is the sideshow. I don't care about the sideshow." Beatty currently appears in an anti-Republican radio commercial in California.

Estee's New Face

Gwyneth Paltrow is replacing British actress Elizabeth Hurley as the face of Estee Lauder perfumes.

Hurley, 40, has been the face of the luxury cosmetic brand since 1995 and will continue in her role as spokesmodel. But the lucrative fragrance contract has been passed to Paltrow in a bid to help the company "vamp up its image and make it more sexy." A spokesperson says, "Gwyneth is new and a bit more exciting." Celebrated photographer Mario Testino has shot a high profile advertising campaign starring the actress.

Randy Quaid's Sexy?

Former Beverly Hills 90210 star Shannen Doherty has fallen for her Category 7: The End of the World co-star Randy Quaid.

The actress accepts the star is not a typical hunk, but was smitten after they played unlikely lovers in the new TV disaster movie. She says, "There is something incredibly sexy about Randy and I think it's that, obviously, he's gruff and he's a character and I like a man with character.

"He's like a teddy bear. I had this kissing scene with him and he's so much bigger than me and he just grabbed me by the elbows and took me up and, like, planted one on me, and put me down and I'm like, 'OK.' We made out and he's a good kisser."

Meanwhile the actress has devastated her father by telling him reports she's dating college sports hero Matt Leinart aren't true. The star and her dad are huge fans of top-rated American football team the University of Southern California Trojans, and when he heard his daughter was dating quarterback Leinart, he was thrilled. Doherty says, "That would be the perfect son-in-law. My dad was like, 'Oh my God, is it true, is it true? Matt's going to be my new son-in-law.' He was so excited.

"Matt is handsome and he is talented and he is a great quarterback, but the truth of the matter is he was in the same club (as me) - and that was it."

• The LLama Butchers linked with Further signs of the end of the world
  
  

George's Scuffle

George Clooney, in London to promote his new movie Good Night, and Good Luck, apparently had a bad night and bad luck outside a London restaurant, where he got into a scuffle early Friday morning.

Witnesses saw Clooney, 44, leaving the after-party at the Floridita bar and restaurant through a side door just before 1 a.m. Meanwhile, Lisa Snowdon, Clooney's former girlfriend who attended the party with him, left through the front entrance.

A witness said that in the alley where Clooney had gone out, "I could see this brawl happening in front of me." The source says the tussle lasted less than a minute. London's Evening Standard reported that the scuffle was between Clooney and a security guard who refused to help the star get to his waiting car and avoid paparazzi, an assertion denied by the actor's rep, Stan Rosenfield.

"The reports published by the London Evening Standard regarding George Clooney are inaccurate," said Rosenfield in a statement Friday. "George did not get into a fight with a Security Guard.... However, he did get into argument with someone connected with the movie. � And while it had NOTHING to do with the paparazzi, it did have everything to with someone being unkind to a woman. While no punches were thrown, George told the person to knock it off."

Clooney also released a statement Friday saying, "I won�t stand by while someone is being insulted and maligned. No person I know would."

Glamour's Women of the Year Awards

Glamour Magazine hosted its 16th Annual Women of the Year Awards at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall. Among this year's honorees were Melissa Etheridge, Christiane Amanpour, Petra Nemcova and Diane Von Furstenberg. And while some may criticize the idea of an all women's awards ceremony as more homogenizing than recognizing, the evening was a truly memorable and heartfelt affair filled with laughter, tears and powerful stories of inspiration.

The night began like all other award ceremonies: eager fans, beautiful people and a boatload of reporters. Photographers swarmed around honorees Catherine Zeta Jones and Goldie Hawn as they exchanged hugs on the red carpet while other attendees such as Hilary Duff, Thandie Newton and Nia Long stopped to strike a pose before they sashayed into the theater.

Inside, monumental floral arrangements towered among guests as they sipped on champagne and made small talk before pouring into Avery Fisher Hall to hear Mary J. Blige and the New Orleans Children's Chorus give an amazing kick-off performance at the start of the show.

One of the evening's most memorable moments included Brooke Shields' introduction speech of honoree Mukhtar Mai. To punish her brother for a crime he never committed, Mai was brutally gang-raped by four men in her Pakistani village. Her community of friends and family expected her to commit suicide from the resulting shame, but Mai shocked her entire country when she reported the rape and faced her assaulters in a trial. Mai became an instant global icon to women worldwide and was recognized for her courage last night with Glamour's "Bravest Woman in the World" award.

Prenup for TomKat?

Will Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes have a prenup?

Sources say they will, and according to one report, that�s why Cruise and his preggers fianc�e are taking so long to get hitched. Holmes�s father, Martin, is a lawyer and is representing his daughter in the negotiations, reports the upcoming issue of The Star.

Martin Holmes �is playing hardball with the prenup negotiations,� according to the tab, which quotes a source as saying that Holmes wants to make sure that his daughter will receive �a lump sum payment in the millions if the marriage should dissolve before the five-year mark.�

Such terms are unusual for a prenup, which usually awards a spouse more money for a longer marriage, but, the source tells the mag: �The Holmes family would never tell Katie if they thought her marriage was doomed from the get-go, but they are pressuring her to hold out not only to protect her interests, but those of her child.�

Holmes and Cruise�s rep didn�t return calls for comment, but noted divorce attorney Raoul Felder told The Scoop, �Given Tom�s history, if they don�t have a prenup, forget a lawyer, they need psychiatrists.�

Big In '05

Laguna Beach's own Kristin Cavallari has been nominated for VH1's Big in '05 Awards under the Big It Girl category. She's up against Paris, Nicole, and Lohan. Click here to place your vote.

Glad They're Working It Out

So long, rocky marriage. "Things are really good" with wife Denise Richards, Charlie Sheen announced Thursday on national TV.

Speaking to CBS Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson, Sheen, 40, even flashed the wedding ring on his left hand. "That's a pretty good indication," said a beaming Sheen. On Sept. 21, People reported that Richards was spotted sporting a ring on her wedding finger again as well. At the time, a rep for Richards had no comment about the couple's status, but a source told People that the pair had been spending more time together and with their daughters Sam, 1, and Lola, 5 months.

After three years of marriage, Richards, 34, filed for divorce last March. Sheen, who appeared on The Late Show With David Letterman Sept. 15, said he had two theories about why his marriage hit an iceberg. One: "I was a gigantic ass," he told Letterman. Two: He watched too much sports on TV, neglecting parental duties.

But, he said, the couple were working on their marriage. "I had to take a step back and really take a look at myself and the situation," Sheen said. "I made a commitment to this woman that I love, this family that I love and I realized this can be fixed."

Made Into a Miniseries

By the time R. Kelly is done with his "Trapped in the Closet" saga, it may have more chapters than "Moby Dick."

Parts one through twelve of the dramatic, over-the-top cheating story were released on DVD this week. Kelly says he actually had 22 chapters completed � "and (it's) still going."

"Other characters are being introduced into the whole situation, and it's just this big whirlwind, a circle of just drama, of things that really do happen on the earth," he told The Associated Press. "It's gonna flip people out because some people are going to see themselves in these chapters, and that's what keeps the excitement going � I think that's what keeps people going, 'I've got the get the next one!'"

WTF?

An Internet site is offering controversial filmmaker Vincent Gallo's sperm for sale for $1 million.

VGmerchandise.com�which calls itself "the official website for Vincent Gallo merchandise"�includes a detailed agreement whereby wannabe mothers can pay for Gallo to inseminate them by in vitro fertilization (IVF) or even naturally for an extra $500,000, a fee it alleges he will waive if he deems the woman attractive enough.

The site details the actor/director's physical attributes: "Mr. Gallo is 5 feet 11 inches and has blue eyes. There are no known genetic deformities in his ancestry and no history of congenital diseases. If you have seen The Brown Bunny, you know the potential size of the genitals if it's a boy (eight inches if he's like his father)."

It also recommends his sharp features would "blend well with a softer, more subtly featured female."

At Least She Uses Something

Hey Paris, nice patch!

Ellen To Be On Baby Brigade

Ellen DeGenres and Portia DeRossi are considering cementing their romance by becoming first-time parents.

Comedienne DeGeneres refuses to go into details about whether the couple plans to adopt or go for a natural birth, but she admits she's beginning to think about motherhood - and she's aware she has to act fast.

She tells People magazine, "I think we should do it (have a child) soon... When I'm around babies, I just melt. It's a big responsibility."

Sucking Face

Um, that's not Becks!

--Pics courtesy of Hollywood Tuna

LoLeto

Lindsay Lohan and Jared Leto are reportedly about to go public with their romance.

The pair have tried to keep their relationship secret, but friends claim they are now ready to show the world how they feel about each other, according to New York Daily News newspaper. The couple were seen out together on Saturday at New York nightspot Bungalow 8, where they celebrated Lindsay's new album 'Confessions of a Broken Heart' getting to number one on MTV's 'TRL' show.

The pair first sparked rumours of romance in May, when they were spotted canoodling in another New York nightclub.

Foxx Wants To Do Tyson

Jamie Foxx says that he is keen to star as Mike Tyson in a film about the boxer.

He said: "I think the Mike Tyson story is the most interesting thing. I think that's the most interesting story that you don't know. Nobody knows the stuff that I know. The stuff that I found out? It would blow your mind."

Tate Donovan Engaged

The OC actor Tate Donovan, who plays Marissa's dad Jimmy Cooper on the FOX soap, is engaged to Corinne Kingsbury, 29, an L.A.-based entrepreneur.

The lifelong bachelor, 42, a onetime beau of Sandra Bullock's and Jennifer Aniston's, plans to run the New York City Marathon Nov. 6 and attend a six-hour preparatory marriage counseling session the next day.

"Hopefully I can do it in a hot tub," jokes the actor, who currently appears in George Clooney's Good Night, and Good Luck.

Romantic Roles No More

George Clooney says he will not appear in any more romantic films.

The former ER actor says at the age of 44 he wants to move always from playing the romantic hero. He said: "I don't want to be 60 and doing love scenes with 35-year-old actresses."

George has two new films due out early next year and is keen not to get typecast reports ITV.com. In Good Night and Good Luck he plays a chubby, bespectacled newsreader and he plays a CIA man in Syriana.

You Can Call Me Daddy

Kevin Federline is taking his licks from critics for his first single, "Y'All Ain't Ready," from his upcoming hip-hop CD, The Truth, due for release next year.

The track has been posted on the Web site of producer Disco D, and reactions have not been kind. "Kanye West he's not," opines the New York Post of former backup dancer Federline, 27, who also happens to be married to Britney Spears. "He's not even Vanilla Ice."

Against what the New York Daily News' Lowdown column calls "a crude beat," Federline � the father of three, including his son with Spears, Sean Preston Federline, born in September � says during the chorus of the song: "Back then they called me K-Fed/ But you can call me Daddy instead."

As the rap's refrain goes: "Go ahead and say whatcha wanna/I'm gonna sell about 2 mil, oh, then I'm a goner ... I know you all wish you was in my position/Cause I keep gettin' in situations that you wish you was in, cousin ... Steppin' in this game and y'all ain't got a clue ... Getting anxious? Go take a peep/ I'm starrin' in your magazines now every day and week ... But maybe baby you can wait and see/ Until then all these Pavarottis followin' me."

The Daily News suggests that Federline means to say "paparazzi" instead of "Pavarotti," who is a famed opera singer. (Other Web sites say it's not a mistake, but Federline's nickname for the ever-present photographers.)

--Oh man, this made me laugh. You're right KFeddy--I'm not ready.

UPDATE: Courtesy of Stereogum, click here to listen to the mother of all craposis.

Pathetic Loser

Money can't buy class:

Paris Hilton's newest plaything Stavros Niarchos III is some kind of class act. After he fueled up at L.A.'s Element club the other night, the Greek shipping heir and a posse of pals stopped at Burger King. "Stavros offered a homeless man outside $100 to dump a soda on himself," a source squealed to Us Weekly. The desperate bum took the payout "and everyone laughed," reports the source.

--This completely disgusts me. I hope he gets his someday.

Couple of the Second

Rumor of the day: Sienna Miller and Leonardo Dicaprio are an item.

We'll see...

Gag

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes may be expectant parents, but that doesn't yet translate to quiet nights home.

During a weekend charity dinner at Scientology�s English headquarters, St. Hill Manor in East Grinstead, "they were very sweet � holding hands and looking very cuddly," says one guest. "They looked like they were having a laugh."

At one point during the $350-a-plate dinner, singer Isaac Hayes, a fellow Scientologist, called Cruise, 43, and Holmes, 26, to the stage, where they belted out rock standards with the band. On their song list? "Mustang Sally" and "Old Time Rock and Roll," which Cruise famously sang in his underwear in 1983's Risky Business.

"They were laughing and smiling and talking to the crowd," said one of the 3,000 guests. "The crowd started dancing." Earlier at the event, Cruise accepted an award for service to Scientology to thunderous applause. The actor left with Holmes shortly after the festivities.

Fiddy Says...

Rap feuds aren't usually about differing opinions on President Bush. However, that appears to be the case between 50 Cent and Kanye West.

50 says he disagrees with West's infamous statement that " George Bush doesn't care about black people," proclaimed during a September telethon for Hurricane Katrina victims.

"I think people responded to it the best way they can," 50 told ContactMusic.com. "What Kanye West was saying, I don't know where that came from." Instead, 50 said, "The New Orleans disaster was meant to happen. It was an act of God."

It wouldn't be the first time 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, made comments that weren't flattering of West. In a September interview with MTV, 50 � while otherwise complimentary of the popular "Gold Digger" rapper � said: "I feel like Kanye West is successful because of me." "After 50 Cent, (hip-hop fans) was looking for something non-confrontational, and they went after first thing that came along. That was Kanye West, and his record took off."

Escape Clauses

Although Sen. Hillary Clinton never says she intends to run for president, there are clauses in the 2001 lease for Bill Clinton's offices in Harlem that are said to indicate her presidential ambitions.

According to real estate sources, Cogswell Realty, which owns 55 W. 125th St., is looking to refinance the building. In searching for investors, it must disclose tenants' lease terms. One insider said Clinton has two escape clauses � one, if Hillary runs for the Senate and loses, two, if she runs for president and wins.

"We are in the process of recapitalizing the building and looking at all different options," confirms Cogswell partner Ross Jacobs. "We will figure out some way for investors to get information, but we don't have to reveal information to the press." But Clinton rep Jay Carson maintains that there is no special "out clause." "This is a standard presidential lease put together by the GSA [General Services Administration]. It's a 10-year lease and there's ability to cancel it at three, six and eight years, or upon the death of the president."

• dustbury.com linked with Of course, they'll owe one month's rent
  
  

Buttafuoco's New Gig

Joey Buttafuoco is working on ABC's "Desperate Housewives" � at the show's concession stand, anyway.

Buttafuoco, who made national headlines in the early 1990s when his teenage girlfriend shot his wife in the face, is working in craft services on the Hollywood sets of TV shows, according to a story in the latest issue of Inside TV.

The 49-year-old Buttafuoco runs a concession that doles out protein shakes and ice cream to the stars of "Desperate Housewives" and "Crossing Jordan," the magazine reports.

Because Driving Is Overrated

Nicole Richie has bought a new condominium in the heart of Beverly Hills, California, so she won't have to drive anywhere to go shopping.

She admits she hates driving anywhere in Los Angeles and now she feels she can avoid getting behind the wheel of a car at all costs. She says, "It's a nice location because it's in the middle of everything, so I'll never have to drive."

"It's not even about me, I'm scared of other people. My friends, they talk on the phone and drive, and it makes me nervous."

Strathairn Puffs Away

Puffing away was part of the job for David Strathairn, who smoked up to 50 cigarettes a day for his role as Edward R. Murrow in George Clooney's "Good Night, and Good Luck."

In the film, the legendary TV journalist is often shown smoking � even while on the air � during his battle with Sen. Joseph McCarthy. (Murrow developed lung cancer and died in 1965 at age 57.)

"I tried all different kinds of tobacco to see which would be the least crippling and I ended up with pipe tobacco," Strathairn, a nonsmoker, told AP Radio in a recent interview. "I found that that burned less harshly. It also smelled better."

--I'm glad he's landed a lead role. He's an excellent, highly-underrated actor. I'm excited to see this movie.

Mayer Phonestalked Kanye

Do not give John Mayer your number. The Grammy-winning songster ventured into "phone-stalking" territory recently when he left up to 10 messages a day on what he thought was Kanye West's cellphone, trying to talk the rapper into working with him.

But the number, West's former digits, belongs to a publicist on the Left Coast. Mayer's desperation led him to create a rap for West about how great Kanye is and how much Mayer wanted to work with him. "It was hilariously bad," said a source.

New Role For SJP

Sarah Jessica Parker has revealed that the character she plays in her new film is very different from her Sex And The City character. In The Family Stone she plays a subservient wife.

According to Teen Hollywood she said: "The character I play is intractable and inflexible, and when she finds herself out of her element she turns into a wreck. "She doesn't realize when she should stop talking. When she tries to dig herself out of awkward moments she makes matters worse."

The film is due out early next year.

Laguna Linky Love

Did you catch this week's Laguna Beach? Major drama with Jason and LC. If you missed it, check out TvGasm's geniusly hysterical recap. Can someone explain to me how Jason gets any play? Cute? Not really. Sparking personality? Negative. Brains? You must be joking.

And, for you die-hard fans, take a gander at The Laguna Beach Hook Up Blog. It keeps track of what's going on with the Laguna gang now that the show isn't currently taping.

--Pic courtesy of Popsugar

Simpson Sisters Open Up

Jessica Simpson says the relentless gossip about her marriage to Nick Lachey drove her to visit a therapist.

"Yes I have," the singer-actress tells Teen People in its December-January issue, on newsstands Friday. "I respect knowledge of the psyche. I would be a therapist if I weren't an entertainer."

Jessica, 25, posed for the cover of the magazine with her sister, Ashlee. Both talk about the difficult challenges of the past year. Jessica, who had a starring role in "The Dukes of Hazzard" movie this summer, has been the queen of the tabloids this year � much of the coverage dissecting the marriage of the "Newlyweds" couple. The pair have denied persistent rumors of a split. "Hopefully mine and Nick's story will continue for the rest of our lives, like what we vowed, through sickness and in health."

Ashlee, 21, recently released her second album, "I Am Me," and it debuted at the top of the charts. But she has still had to live down her embarrassing lip-synch disaster on "Saturday Night Live" last year. "Yeah I messed up in front of everybody," she says. (Last month, Ashlee revisited the scene of her musical flub, performing on "SNL" � really live, this time.)

However, she adds: "I love to sing. It's a joy to me. I don't do it for anyone else � I do it for me. "I've had to learn that my voice is the most important one. Otherwise, I'll drown in what everyone wants me to be."

--Personally, I think Papa Joe should attempt some session with the shrink as well.

Art Out of Drama

Lil� Kim is reportedly writing songs like crazy during her time behind bars.

Currently serving a 366-day bid in Philadelphia for perjury, the rapper is said to be penning lyrics constantly, according to the New York Post. "She's writing a lot of music in there," said Maricela Cuvlye, a prisoner who was released last week after serving six years. "She spends lots of time in her cell by herself, just to write."

--I mean, what else does she have to do?

Sing Away Little Lark

Miss Paris diligently works on her new album. I bet it will be the worst thing since William Hung's.

Source: Oh No They Didn't

Hollywood Halloween

Hollywood Halloween:

Justin Timberlake and girlfriend Cameron Diaz heat up the dance floor at Timberlake's Halloween bash on Monday at Manhattan nightclub Marquee. The couple and their entourage of about eight pals � who partied until the club closed at 4 a.m. � wore Eyes Wide Shut-themed outfits: formalwear plus elaborate masks.

Liv Tyler and son Mylo

Lindsay Lohan as an NYC Firefighter

Heidi Klum and Seal

Jason Biggs

--Source: People

Razzie Catfight

Next year's Golden Raspberry Awards is set to be a catfight between Hollywood's top party girls, with Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie the front runners to land Worst Actress dishonors.

Insiders claim the foursome are the favorites to fight it out to be named the Worst Actress of The Year. Movie awards expert Tom O'Neill, who runs website TheEnvelope.com, says, "Expect to see Jessica Simpson and Paris Hilton clawing it out at the next Razzies to 'win' Worst Actress of 2005."

"Simpson's a shoe-in to be nominated for the Dukes Of Hazzard, but it's unclear which of Hilton's films she'll compete against: Pledge This or House Of Wax. Hilton could actually be nominated for both, if she's placed in the supporting race for Wax. "Nicole's also up for Kids In America and Ashlee should get nominated for Undiscovered."

Hurricanes Make New Show Difficult

Jennifer Lopez's upcoming drama South Beach has been hounded with problems, thanks to this year's extremely active hurricane season.

The Miami, Florida-based series, which stars Vanessa L Williams, has shut down production three times since launching in August, because of threats posed by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. Lopez serves as executive producer on the upcoming project, which revolves around a group of young Florida professionals.

Kid Rock To Act With Pam

Kid Rock will make a guest appearance on ex-fiancee Pamela Anderson's comedy series, "Stacked."

Rock, whose real name is Bob Ritchie, will guest star as a delivery man on the Nov. 9 season premiere of the Fox show, according to a statement posted on the rap-rock star's Web site. Anderson and Ritchie became engaged in the Las Vegas desert in April 2002, but never set a wedding date. Their romance ended in 2003.

Walters' List

Tom Cruise, Teri Hatcher and Kanye West are among the names on Barbara Walters' list of the 10 most fascinating people of 2005.

The list of the year's most prominent names in entertainment, politics and sports also includes Lance Armstrong, Michael Jackson's lawyer Tom Mesereau and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, ABC announced Monday.

"Barbara Walters Presents: The 10 Most Fascinating People of 2005" will air Nov. 29 (10 p.m. EST). The No. 1 most fascinating person of the year will be revealed on the special, now in its 12th year.

Stella Sides With Seals

Gucci is being blasted by the Humane Society of the United States for using baby seal fur in a coat in its men's collection � and designer Stella McCartney, one of the fashion house's star talents, is siding with the seals.

HSUS senior VP John W. Grandy sent a letter yesterday to John Ray, Gucci's creative director for men's fashions, protesting the "ebony seal skin fur coat" being sold on Gucci's Web site. "The seals are clubbed or shot to death for their fur, almost all of which is shipped to Europe, where it is sold in fashion markets," Grandy writes. "The seal carcasses are usually left to rot on the ice, because there are few markets for the meat. The Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibits the sale of all seal products in the United States, and very little sealskin is sold in Canada. Thus, European fashion designers such as Gucci are largely responsible for the continuation of this barbaric and needless slaughter."

A spokeswoman for Gucci declined to comment, but McCartney is donating a portion of the proceeds from one of her new H&M T-shirts to the Humane Society's Protect Seals campaign.

Bateman Has Throat Surgery

Jason Bateman of Fox's "Arrested Development" underwent surgery Tuesday to remove a benign polyp in his throat, his publicist said.

Cara Tripicchio, a spokesman for Bateman, said the operation went smoothly and the 36-year-old actor was doing well. Production on "Arrested Development" will be on hiatus for a few weeks while Bateman recovers, executive producer Mitch Hurwitz told TVGuide.com.

Crow To Perform on Turkey Day

Sheryl Crow will perform at halftime of the Thanksgiving game between Denver and Dallas in support of The Salvation Army's Red Kettle Christmas campaign.

"Sheryl Crow is one of the most popular entertainment artists today and we are excited about the opportunity to have her with us on Thanksgiving Day to kick off one of the most important fund-raising drives in America � the Red Kettle campaign," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday.

The Red Kettle campaign, started in San Francisco in 1891, has traditionally been The Salvation Army's most prominent fund-raiser. In 2004, the campaign raised over $100 million in communities nationwide, with the nickels, dimes, quarters and dollars all remaining in the towns where the money was deposited into the kettles.

Tattin' Herself Up For TP

That Eva Longoria is a bit of a tease. The Desperate Housewives star has revealed that she has a tattoo of her basketball-playing boyfriend Tony Parker's initials... somewhere quite intimate.

"You can see of my tatts, they're all on public display, but the one that has Tony's initials is only seen by him," she reveals. "I'm not saying where it is - but let's just say he gets to view it on a very regular basis."

"We're heading for our first anniversary now, he's such a doll," she gushes.

--That's idiotic. Did she not learn from Johnny Depp and Angelina (among many others)? On another note, what the HELL is she wearing in her hair?

WTF?

Christian Slater apparently fell off the roof of Paris Hilton's neighbor's house during a weekend party at the West Hollywood home of the hotel heiress.

Slater, 36, purportedly made his climb to inspect some folks who complained about the noise. He then landed in the bushes and was "not injured, not hurt, not arrested," Los Angeles Police Department Sgt. Karen Leong tells the New York Post. She denied reports that officers used a Taser gun on the actor. "Not true," she told the paper.

This Ought To Be Good

Britney Spears has been asked to write a Kabbalah children's book.

Spears - who became a follower of the mystical Jewish faith after being introduced to it by Madonna - is set to follow in the pop superstar's footsteps after reportedly being approached by representatives of the church to pen a story inspired by the religion's teachings.

Madonna has already written five children's books, including 'The English Roses' and 'Yakov and the Seven Thieves', inspired by her Kabbalah beliefs and Britney, who recently gave birth to son Sean Preston, is said to be keen on the idea.

Nice Costume

Hope they didn't come knocking on your door last night:

Martha's Haunted House

It will be Halloween every day for Martha Stewart � the house she recently bought is haunted.

The rundown property, on Flax Hill Road in Norwalk, Conn., is set to be used in a new reality show in which the domestic diva will teach a group of troubled women the skills they need to renovate it. But The Stamford Advocate reports that Martha and company will be sharing the place with a cast of ghosts, including a soldier in a Civil War uniform and an old man.

Arrival

Actors Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams welcomed a daughter in New York City on Friday night around 5 pm. Matilda Rose Ledger weighed in 6 lbs, 5 oz, and was 19 inches long, according to a friend of Heath's sister.

Source: Celebrity Baby Blog

So Long, Farewell

France's best known cinematic export, Gerard Depardieu, is saying au revoir to showbiz.

The Oscar-nominated thespian told the French newspaper Le Parisien Dimanche that he plans on putting an end to his prolific film career, which totals nearly 200 credits.

"I'm in the process of stopping filming," he said in Sunday's edition. "I'm a guy who's leaving! A guy who's not drunk. For once." The seemingly sober Depardieu spoke with the weekly paper from the set of his next--and apparently, last--film, Michou d'Auber. "I have nothing to lose," the 56-year-old actor said. "I have done 170 films. I have nothing left to prove. I am not going to hang on like a jerk."

New Garner Flick

Jennifer Garner has signed up to star in an erotic thriller.

Sabbatical follows a couple that after seven years together agree to two weeks apart. They decide during the two weeks they can do whatever they want reports The Hollywood Reporter.

When the wife returns to the agreed-upon meeting place two weeks later, however, she discovers that her husband has disappeared.

Movie Poll

British movie fans have voted Mickey Rourke "man of the year" for his portrayal of the swaggering down-on-his-luck Marv in "Sin City."

"Batman Begins," the most recent adventure of the comic superhero starring Christian Bale in the title role, was voted top film of 2005. The movie fought off competition from "Star Wars: Episode III � Revenge of the Sith" to land the No. 1 spot in the poll of 15,000 film fans by Total Film magazine. The poll was released Sunday.

Scottish actor Ian McDiarmid, who played Supreme Chancellor Palpatine in "Revenge of the Sith," was named best movie villain; 11-year-old Dakota Fanning was named best child actor for her role in Steven Spielberg's "War of the Worlds"; and the nut-eating squirrels in Tim Burton's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" were named best movie animal.

Pitt Narrates Documentary

Brad Pitt's voice is usually identified with movies such as "Troy," "Ocean's Eleven" and "Twelve Monkeys" � not a six-hour documentary on global health.

Starting Tuesday night on PBS and ending Thursday (check local listings), Pitt will narrate six hour-long episodes of "RX for Survival: A Global Health Challenge," which follows health care workers and researchers struggling to contain disease among the world's poor.

"I've been involved with the issue of poverty � I've been studying it for about a year and half now," Pitt told The Associated Press in a phone interview Monday from Calgary, Alberta. "I think one of the major causes of that is health, global health."

Pitt has made several trips to Africa in the past two years, including one in July to Ethiopia, where his "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" co-star Angelina Jolie adopted her daughter, Zahara. While tabloid coverage of Pitt and Jolie has been extensive, the 41-year-old actor told Diane Sawyer on ABC's "Primetime Live" in June that he wanted to redirect some of that attention to poverty in Africa.