• Jon Gosselin's (possibly ex) girlfriend Hailey Glassman says Jon lied when he said he was spending Thanksgiving at his grandma's, and was really snowboarding. [ONTD]

• Tobey Maguire assured his wife Jennifer Meyer she has nothing to worry about when it comes to his love scenes with Natalie Portman in Brothers. It's called "acting." [Page Six]
• Susan Boyle cried after singing on The Today Show, and some upstanding person got it on video. [UPI]
  
• Kathleen Turner and her daughter spent Thanksgiving feeding hungry seniors. [NYDN]
• Rashida Jones refuses to answer questions about her possible relationship with John Mayer. How many people can John Mayer be "possibly dating"? [Page Six]
• Tyler Perry is being sued for stealing song lyrics for a song in Madea Goes to Jail. [NYDN]
• A launch date has been set for the Spice Girls musical nobody asked for.[The Sun]
• Jermaine Jackson claims that the recent suicide of the father of the accuser in Michael Jackson's child molestation case proves that Michael was innocent. Many might say the opposite, since the accuser's father was widely criticized for "selling" his son to Jackson for millions of dollars. [TMZ]
• Tila Tequila will agree not to sue a porn site that she claims shows her stolen sex tape if they pay her $280k. [TMZ]
• MacKenzie Phillips claims she's been "uninvited" to her family's Thanksgiving this year, which would no doubt be extra-awkward. [Access Hollywood]
• Rihanna's former neighbors are arguing because one of them harassed Rihanna while she lived next door. [TMZ]
• Boy George claims to be off drugs for good. [Daily Express]
• Avril Lavigne was spotted making out with a "dead ringer" for her ex-husband Deryck Whibley the other night. [Page Six]
• Pete Doherty could face a murder probe in the death of a man who fell or was pushed off a balcony after an argument with Doherty and others. [The Sun]
• Gwyneth Paltrow has dedicated the latest edition of her Goop newsletter to the memory of her father, Bruce. [The Mirror]
• Eminem says he should be a judge on the British talent show The X Factor. [The Sun]
• Leonardo DiCaprio was spotted in the Bahamas with his ex, supermodel Bar Rafaeli. Those two just can't stay away from each other. [Daily Express]
• With Dubai in financial trouble, Brad Pitt might have to scuttle plans to build a hotel there. Aww. [Guardian]
• I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here's Jordan begs Peter Andre for a reunion. [The Sun]
• Zac Efron says Guardian interview went "to a weird place." [Guardian]
• Posh Spice learned her lesson and left a good tip at Medieval Times during her most recent outing to the theme restaurant/theater. Question: Why does Posh Spice have to go to Medieval Times? [TMZ}
• In addition to every other reason to hate him lately, Michael Lohan is over $15k behind in child support payments. [TMZ]
• Arnold Schwarzenegger owes nearly $80k in back taxes. But probably not for long. [TMZ]

Because, you know, what the world needs now is more lawsuits.

Schwarzenegger, himself a celebrity, has approved a measure which states that the rights of a free press "to report details of an individual's private life must be weighed against the rights of the individual to enjoy liberty and privacy." That sounds reasonable… or does it?

Magazines and blogs (like this one) buy pictures of stars everyday; how are we to know if the snapper was over Lindsay Lohan's property line or not? What if you were fined for clicking on an illegally obtained photo? What if you went to buy ice cream, and later found out that the ice cream you bought was stolen, and you were being sued by a rich person for eating it?

As Dionne Searcy writes for the Wall Street Journal:

Some legal experts… question whether the California law is enforceable. In general, it remains legal for individuals to take photographs of other people, as long as the photo is snapped in a public place. In many cases, they add, it can be difficult to determine where a photo was taken after the fact.

In addition, there's a concern that celebrities are getting special treatment. Your house is on Google Street View; journalists have the right to pursue a story by knocking on your door or photographing you on the sidewalk if you are, say, a dry-cleaner ripping off customers, a lottery winner or a suspected terrorist.

But a measure okaying lawsuits is really saying: Celebs! Go ahead and sue. You have money! The snappers and blogs and magazines will be sorry they fucked with you.

Look, I'm not saying it's right to jump a hedge to get exclusive picture of someone's backyard wedding. Laws should not be broken. But taking a magazine or blog to court and fining them as much as $50,000 for not knowing that shot is illegal doesn't seem right either.

A New California Law Places Paparazzi Under The Spotlight [WSJ]

• According to the LA Times Twitter is the new outlet for celebrity feuds. Everyone from Perez Hilton (natch) to Chris Brown are getting in on the action. Apparently, part of the appeal of Twitter is that the entries are written and posted so quickly that there is no time for a publicist to censor the sentiment. • Jezebel contributor Doree Shafrir takes on the growing trend of American couples outsourcing surrogacy to India. Although homosexuality was only recently decriminalized in India, many gay couples are finding that some Indian clinics are easier to deal with than American surrogates. • A LDS church in Utah has become the target of vandals, who threw rocks at the window with the attached message "Stop spreading your lies, pagans." Police do not have any suspects, but they are already discussing whether or not hate crime charges will be filed. • Speaking of hate crimes, there is a growing push to amend New York state hate crime laws so that they protect transgender individuals. • After escaping an abusive boyfriend in 1998, Kalyn Risker found the Detroit non-profit Sisters Acquiring Financial Empowerment, to help other domestic abuse survivors learn skills to reenter the workforce and break their financial dependence on their abuser. The program is in high demand, since Detroit only has one domestic violence shelter but has seen a 7% increase in domestic violence cases this year. • Have you ever wondered why there are no calorie counts on cat food? According to The New York Times, it's because many pet foods haven't been tested for digestibility and true content per can. A 10 pound cat needs roughly 200-400 calories, but the best way to tell if it's eating enough is just to see if maintains a normal weight. • Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill commemorating Harvey Milk for being the first openly gay politician elected to public office in California. Under the measure Milk's birthday, May 22, would be proclaimed a day of significance by the governor each year. "He really saw this signing as a way to honor the gay community in California," said a spokesman. •

• Lady Gaga, Gay Activist! She "was the highest-wattage celebrity to attend both the Human Rights Campaign dinner Saturday night and the National Equality March on Sunday." Reporter Dan Zak writes:

"Nearby rally-goers screeched her name. She had marched with the crowds from her hotel after shrugging off security concerns, and had just finished a short speech to an enraptured throng of tens of thousands on the West Lawn. Glittery signs reading 'Gay for Gaga' and 'Lady Gaga {heart} Equality, U Should 2' poked up from the rainbowed masses." "I will never turn my back on my friends," said Lady Gaga, before disappearing from the rally. "Today is not a one-off performance."She also said: "In the music industry there's still a tremendous amount of accommodation of homophobia," she said. "So I'm taking a stand… I'm not going to play one of my songs tonight because tonight is not about me. It's about you." She sang John Lennon's "Imagine," but changed some of the lyrics. [WaPo]

• Miley Cyrus and her sister Brandi ate $70 worth of meat and mac 'n cheese at the Outback Steakhouse in Burbank last week. Miley paid with a $100 bill… and kept the change. Her spokesperson explains: She didn't know she was supposed to tip unless she was eating inside." Pardon? When has that ever been the case? [Rush & Molloy]
• Christina Hendricks married Geoffrey Arend — he was hilarious in 500 Days Of Summer! — at Il Buco restaurant in New York on Sunday. Congrats! [People]
• Jon Gosselin says that he wasn't the only one who took cash out of the joint account; Jon filed papers claiming Kate withdrew over $60,000 from their joint account between July and September 2009. But a source says Kate's transactions were legal; Jon didn't have permission. [TMZ]
• Jon Gosselin believes that Kate has control of more than one million dollars and that if she doesn't have a job, it's not his fault. [MSNBC Scoop]
• Jon Gosselin will light a menorah this year, partly because of gf Hailey Glassman. "This is the first year I will celebrate Chanukah. Everyone in my life is Jewish now, my attorney. I love it. I'm now half Jewish and half Korean. The family values are great… They gave her a free tummy tuck, worth $20 grand." I'm sure I'm not alone here when I say: Oy. [Rush & Molloy]
• Dina Lohan says that Lindsay's brother Michael is on academic scholarship at Ithaca (college)… and "He's also is doing a movie!" This paper reacts with the headline, "Oh no! Not another one!" [The Sun]
• Katie Holmes wants to send Suri to Catholic School, and noted Scientologist Tom Cruise is okay with it. Suri is already enrolled in Catholic Charities Yawkey Centre For Early Education And Learning in Boston, where Tom is filming the movie Wichita. [Daily Mail]
• Angelina Jolie is in talks to replace Charlize Theron in the thriller The Tourist. [JustJared]
• Prince Harry and Chelsy Davy: So on. [People]
• Nick Cannon is married to Mariah Carey. He's also a stand-up comic, a rapper, an actor, a D.J., a screenwriter and a television host and the chairman Nickelodeon's TeenNick division. [NY Times]
• At the BET Hip-Hop awards on Saturday, T.I. won, though he is in prison; Jay-Z was honored as MVP of the year; the late DJ AM won "DJ of the Year." Kanye West did not attend. The show airs October 27. [AP]
• Unsolicited uterus update: Kourtney Kardashian is expecting a baby boy. [NY Daily News]
• Mad Men's John Slattery doesn't want a garbage trucks garage in his New York neighborhood. [AP]
• "Fergie is Condoleezza Rice - if Condi knew how to execute a booty shake…" claims this profile of the singer, in which she talks about ecstasy; crystal meth ("it ruins you"); dating Mexican gang members and being a child star. The reporter also writes: "There is some speculation that Fergie is older than she lets on (seems unlikely; she grew up on TV), as her unquestionably sexy features can look a touch - how can I put this? - ravaged." [Times Of London]
• Kelly Bensimon was doing man-on-the-street interviews for Gotham magazine yesterday… and her efforts were taped for Real Housewives. [NY Post]
• Debi Mazar helped Maksim Chmerkovskiy get over ex-fiancée Karina Smirnoff with home cooked meals. Heartache doesn't mean stomachache. [People]
• Remember when Michael Jackson played a character on The Simpsons? The folks of The Simpsons were freaked out by him. [NY Post]
• Speaking of Michael Jackson, a snippet of his song "This Is It" has hit the interwebs; listen at the link. [TMZ]
• By the by the illuminated white glove Michael Jackson wore on his 1984 Victory tour sold for almost $70, 000 at auction. [The Sun]
• Katherine Jackson will not inherit 40% of her son's estate. [Carey Hart are HOT in this photo shoot for his tattoo shop's clothing line. [Daily Mail]
• Amy Winehouse "looked frail and unsteady" singing backup for her goddaughter on the TV show Strictly Come Dancing. [Mirror]
• Couples Retreat raked in $35 million at the box office; this column suggests the film "offers a lesson in moviegoing: add one beautiful location to a comedy that is not very funny, add to it actors who aren't really very famous, and you can make a movie that opens to reviews that aren't very good, yet still make cash hand over fist." [MSNBC Scoop]
• Saturday Night Live's Bill Hader has a new baby and says of fatherhood: "I think it's going to be awesome." [Celebrity Baby Scoop]
• In a poll of 100 New Yorkers, 26 women and 27 men think David Letterman is a "hypocrite for making jokes about the affairs of Bill Clinton and other politicians." 22 women and 31 men have worked at a place where the boss was having an affair with an underling. [NY Mag]
• Singer Stephen Gately, of Irish group Boyzone died Saturday while vacationing on the Spanish island of Majorca. [CNN]
• Stephen Gately may have chocked on his own vomit after a "drinking session." [Daily Mail]
• "Matt Lucas will not return to his stage role following the death of his ex-partner, it has been announced." [The Star]
• Mickey Rourke talks about using the word "faggot." Sorta. [TMZ]
• Dannii Minogue was judging X Factor when this guy Danyl Johnson sang "And I'm Telling You" from Dreamgirls. Danni insinuated that he was gay by telling him he didn't need to change the gender references in the song. Simon Cowell was pissed about that. [Daily Mail]
• Arnold Schwarzenegger is on Twitter now, posting pictures of the happy face in his morning oatmeal and so on. [NY Post]
• Sigourney Weaver is trying to promote a Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education, (GRACE) in the Congo, which will rescue and rehabilitate orphaned gorillas, saying: "These little gorillas just steal your heart. They're very sensitive creatures. So it's no surprise that this is a very demanding and ambitious project, the GRACE Center, but we need it. We have to have it." [AP]
• "Pierce Brosnan almost turned down the chance to star in his upcoming flick, The Greatest, about two parents struggling to move on after their son dies in a car accident — because his own son Sean survived a similar crash in 2000. "When I first got the script, I looked it over and put it under my bed for a week," he says. "I eventually decided to do it because I liked it, but it was hard to go to those deeper places in my heart." [Gatecrasher]
• Director Mike Nichols has been selected to receive the American Film Institute's 38th AFI Life Achievement Award. Nichols won an Oscar for directing The Graduate; was nominated for a best picture award as a producer for The Remains of the Day and his credits include Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Catch-22, Carnal Knowledge, Silkwood, Working Girl, Primary Colors, Angels in America, Closer and Charlie Wilson's War. [The Hollywood Reporter]
• Horn Lake, Mississippi's Circle G Ranch — also known as the Elvis Ranch, is up for sale, if you have $6.5 million. [UPI]
• High-brow PBS soap opera Upstairs Downstairs is being remade. [NY Post]
• Blind item! "What Oscar-winning actress and her Oscar-winning husband are said to be close to splitting? She's telling friends, 'We've grown apart.'" [Rush & Molloy]
• "I get why chicks dig him. He's extremely kind, incredibly intelligent, thoughtful, creative and respectful. I don't discuss my love life because it's always misinterpreted or put under the microscope. It's especially annoying when you're dating someone else who's well-known, which is why I normally would never go out with a famous guy. Let's put it this way… I'd be flattered if someone hit on me tonight, but I really can't say if I'm available or not." — Emmy Rossum on Adam Duritz. She also says: "I used to be an artsy, quiet, kind of chubby kid — which no one believes. But now I'm really comfortable with my body and my sexuality. I can be naked with the lights on." [People]00
• "My hair has never been that great. I had a Jheri curl at one point in my life. I had to go to rehab and confess, 'I'm Chris, I have a curl.' But, I don't think men are into their hair that much. Guys are concentrating on other things. When I was younger, I had a complex, and probably still do, about just not being buff and big. I think that's what guys are into. There are some right here in Hollywood, men on television right now, with fake pecs and stuff." — Chris Rock made Good Hair, but he doesn't think about his own that much. [Parade]
• "I think if she were playing something that was going to be really hard for her psychologically or damaging, I'd be more concerned, but she had a really good time with the sex thing, She plays a woman who, as far as I can tell, is really in charge of her life and is not a victim. So it sounded to me like it would be a blast. I've already seen little bits and pieces of some of the nudity and she looks beautiful. If you have it, why not?" — Susan Sarandon, on her daughter playing a student by day and a stripper by night in Californication. [Gatecrasher]
• "I've been corresponding with Anya Camilleri [the director] and we've been looking at historical paintings where the concept 'cougar' was depicted to try and see where it came from. I think 'cougar' is a way to make it appear as women are looking at their men as prey, and gaining something from it. Like when men are enhancing their own virility by going out with younger women. Why is there not a term for older men with younger women? I don't think Mrs. Robinson was a cougar — I think she was a woman having a breakdown, and it was played wonderfully." — Sharon Stone, who will play a woman who hires a much-younger gigolo in upcoming flick Satisfaction. [Gatecrasher]
• "I had dairy a few weeks ago by accident and I knew because the next day I was all phlegmy. And I was farting and it was gross. And then I knew. It was dairy. Plus it makes you fat. Instantly. [There] was a time in my life where I was not interested in health at all; health was a dirty word. And when I look at pictures now, I see that I looked tired and puffy and stressed." — Alicia Silverstone, whom this paper calls "the most non-annoying vegan on the planet." [NY Post]
• "I guess everyone has their wild side, and mine was halfway between being really shy and kind of a goofy spazoid. I never bit anyone, like Max, but I slapped a lot of butts. I don't know if you've seen kids do that-butt-slapping. Like, slapping the butts of my grandparents and babysitters. When I wasn't shy, I overcompensated." — Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who did the soundtrack for Where the Wild Things Are. [NY Mag]
• "In an interview, Lars said he thought he reminded me of my father… and now, of course, I could make that link. He's very sincere with his questions and fears. He's a real artist in that way. He never censors himself... It was a weird relationship. The moments when it was just the two of us were pretty awkward… [Still] I had the feeling that he was inside me. He understood every blink, every detail. I felt as if I were portraying him, even though we were dealing with female sexuality. The anxiety and fear in my character was pretty much him." — Charlotte Gainsbourg, on Antichrist director Lars von Trier, whom this article notes has been called "Misanthrope. Misogynist. Pornographer. Xenophobe. Enfant terrible. Child." [BlackBook]
• "President Obama seems very authentic… I wonder if there's a white man inside of him." — Lars von Trier. [BlackBook]

• Alexsandra Wright, who is 6-months pregnant, has filed a paternity case alleging that Beyonce's dad, Mathew Knowles, is the father of her child. He has been married to Tina Knowles since 1980. [TMZ]

• Madonna told Ryan Seacrest on his radio show that she didn't notice him in the front row at one of her concerts because, "I was getting super-sharp looks from J.Lo. Her ponytail distracted me... Whenever artists come to see my show, they're studying me." [Us]
• California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger rejected the suggestion that he could pardon Roman Polanski if he's returned to the United States, saying, "It doesn't matter if you are a big-time movie actor or a big-time movie director or producer... I think that he is a very respected person, and I am a big admirer of his work. But nevertheless, I think he should be treated like everyone else." [People]
• Christoph Blocher, a former Swiss justice minister, says it would have been more fair and legal if authorities had warned Roman Polanski that he would be arrested if he entered the country. "You don't invite someone when you know he's going to be arrested," he said. "You simply don't do that." [AP]
• Last night Larry King asked Jon Gosselin how much money he was paid by TLC last year and he said "no" before explaining that the "Gosselin family" made about $1 million, half went to taxes, and the rest was divided 10 ways. Video here: [TMZ]
• A judge has increased the powers of the two men administering Michael Jackson's estate, attorney John Branca and music executive John McClain, so they can deal with the numerous creditors claims against the estate. [AP]
• Angelina Jolie met with Iraqi refugees in Syria today as part of her duties as a U.N. goodwill ambassador. "Most Iraqi refugees cannot return to Iraq in view of the severe trauma they experienced there, the uncertainty linked to the coming Iraqi elections, the security issues and the lack of basic services," said Jolie. "They will, therefore, be in need of continued support from the international community." [AP]
• Lady Gaga's choreographer Laurieann Gibson Tweeted that GaGa's tour with Kanye West was called off due to "creative differences." She didn't elaborate, but confirmed that Lady GaGa will go on her own tour. [Perez Hilton]
• Disappointing women everywhere, Russell Brand and Katy Perry hit it off at the VMAs and they spent the past week on vacation together in Thailand. [Perez Hilton]
• News sources say the package Robert Halderman gave David Letterman reportedly contained copies of parts of Letterman's former assistant's diary and personal correspondence. [People]
• Halderman has two ex wives and pays one of them about $6,000 a month in child and spousal support and $13,500 of their credit card debt. He also pays his children's medical bills and could be ordered to pay for their college education. The kids are 11 and 18. [TMZ]
• At his arraignment today Halderman pled not guilty to the felony charge of attempted grand larceny in the first degree. The D.A. said his bail should be set at $500,000 because his actions were ones of "desperation" and are "alarming and dangerous" but the judge set his bail at $200,000. [TMZ]
• Halderman's friends and co-workers at CBS were shocked by the news that he was behind the extortion plot. "Joe's a friendly, boisterous, slap-you-on-the-back kind of guy," said a former colleague. "Sort of a Vince Vaughn type, but more serious and not goofy. A guy's guy. Someone you want to have a beer with." [N.Y. Observer]
• People are angry that the audience kept laughing as David Letterman discussed the sex/extortion scandal last night, but they may have just thought it was a comedy routine. Sources on the show say no one but the producers knew what Dave was going to do so the audience got the same warm up as usual, which emphasizes laughing and applauding often and loudly. [Yahoo]
• Kim Kardashian, who was on the show after David Letterman's revelation, said, "Letterman was great. I always love doing his show – and I always have a good time with him, it was great!" [People]
• Apple and Eminem's music publisher have settled a lawsuit over the digital download rights to his songs. The terms of the deal weren't made public. [AP]
• Clark Gable's granddaughter, Kayley Gable, was taken to the hospital on Wednesday night after she was found unconscious in her home. She left after a few hours and said she just had a panic attack. [TMZ]
• Comedian Paul Rodriguez is in ICU right now with severe abdominal pains but doctors don't know what's wrong with him. [TMZ]
• Consumer Product Safety Commission is recalling Paula Deen's cast iron cookware due to burn and laceration hazards. The pans were imported from China and sold on QVC. There have been 79 reports of the cookware cracking and shattering when heated. [UPI]
• Snoop Dogg had a necklace with a bullet-shaped pendant confiscated while going through airport security in Beirut. The bullet actually had an anti-war message: the diamond-studded bullet is from the charity Bullets 4 Peace, which turns bullet casings into jewelry. Snoop has already ordered a replacement. [Ok]
• Warner Bros. is developing a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory musical. Sam Mendes may direct. [Entertainment Weekly]
• "Paris Ditches Doug for the Night" ... or just managed to attend a party hosted by her sister Nicky Hilton to benefit the Step Up Women's network without her boyfriend glued to her side. [E!]
• In the new issue of Cosmopolitan Kim Kardashian says that some people think she's "famous for all the wrong reasons" but "I'm an entrepreneur...'ambitious' is my middle name." [People]

• It's believed that Hitler took a cyanide pill and shot himself in his Berlin bunker in April 1945. The Russians said they dug up his burnt and buried corpse, with a bullet in the head, and finally cremated it in 1970, saving the jawbone and a fragment from the skull. American archaeologist Nick Bellantoni, who was allowed to examine the fragments in Moscow, says, "The bone seemed very thin - male bone tends to be more robust. It corresponds to a woman between the ages of 20 and 40... There is no report of [Hitler's wife Eva Braun] having shot herself or having been shot afterwards. It could be anyone's." • Several California domestic violence shelters have closed in recent months because Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger eliminated financing for the state's Domestic Violence Program due to a budget gap. "The governor understands how difficult these cuts are," said Schwarzegnegger's spokesman. "But he can't promise money we don't have." Many shelters have had to cut back on staff, counseling services, safe visitation centers, and legal services like help obtaining restraining orders. • A 14-year-old British girl died today after receiving the Cervarix vaccine as part of a national immunization program in the U.K. Doctors say no link can be made between her death and the vaccination before the post-mortem is performed, but the batch of vaccine used has been quarantined. • Couples in Chonqing, China's biggest provincial municipality, will not be allowed to divorce during an eight day holiday beginning on Thursday celebrating 60 years of communist rule. Officers at marriage registration centers said they can't cope with the high demand for weddings during the holiday and issue divorces. • University of Washington researchers found that depression, obesity, and alcohol abuse or dependency are interrelated conditions among young women but not men. Carolyn McCarty, the study's lead author, says, "Body image is particularly important for women. There seems to be a transfer that when women feel bad they eat more. That can have devastating effects emotionally and physically. But for men experiencing obesity, the reverse is true, and obesity seems to be protective against depression. It's the so-called 'jolly fat man' theory, which suggests that overweight people are actually happier." • Scottish researchers found the transmission of HIV among heterosexuals is slower than among homosexual men, "The slower dynamics of the heterosexual epidemic thus offer more opportunity for successful intervention, but it is essential that diagnosis is achieved as early as possible," said study leader Andrew Leigh Brown. • A Malaysian religious court appeals panel upheld the sentence of Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno, who will receive six cane strokes for drinking beer. The 32-year-old mother of two had refused to appeal her sentence, saying she wanted to serve as an example to other Muslims. Her father said, "She is ready to face her punishment and all she hopes for now is that it be done professionally and according to procedures set out in Islam." • Author Annette Gordon-Reed won the $25,000 Frederick Douglas Book Prize for her history book The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family. The prize is awarded every year by Yale University's Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition for "the best book written in English on slavery or abolition." • 92-year-old Jane Bockstruck of New Hampshire completed a "flawless" skydive earlier this month. "I must have read it someplace and all of a sudden, 'I'm going to go skydiving.' So I did," Bockstruck said. "I've done so many things in life, I figured I'd just try something different for a change."

• Yesterday, President Obama announced the 16 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor. Along with Sidney Poitier and Harvey Milk, six women will be honored, including Billie Jean King, Chita Rivera, and Sandra Day O'Connor. • Here's some good news for the younger generation: The income gap has closed significantly for working women in their twenties. Women in most age groups have come closer to making the same as their male counterparts, with the exception of women ages 65 and older, who have gained no ground since 1979. • A Florida judge has ordered The Tampa Tribune to remove a story about four teens accused of sexually assaulting a classmate with a hockey stick. Judge Battles also requested that the newspaper refrain from printing any court statements until after the case has been tried. • Zoe Williams is just as annoyed with the "debonair non-parenthood" trend as we are. She takes her friend, named only as "X," and her birth partner, "C," to task for treating the birth process like a needless inconvenience. • According to a recent study, many college age dudes know little to nothing about HPV and the health risks associated with it. One participant even referred to HPV as "more of a joke" than other STDs. • Bad news, ladies: It looks like a world without men may be farther away than we hoped. The journal that reported on the human sperm created from embryonic stem cells was found to have contained several plagiarized paragraphs. Experts said that they plagiarism does not necessarily undermine the conclusions of the rest of the paper, but questions have been raised about the study's credibility. • New research has found that redheads are more sensitive to pain than the rest of the population, which may be the reason why gingers are twice as likely to avoid the dentist than people with dark hair. • A recent study indicates that cows are more dangerous than we ever imagined. In the U.S., about 20 people a year die from injuries inflicted upon them by charging cattle. • Cats are evil geniuses, according to new research. • Gerald H.F. Gardner, a physicist and mathematician who worked to eliminate sex bias in newspaper want ads, has passed away at the age of 83 from leukemia. • Police have arrested a 37-year-old woman for padding her bra, under charges of false advertising. Just kidding, she was really smuggling meth. • NPR reports on the Promise Keepers, a men's evangelical group, which has decided to allow women into their services for the first time in 20 years. •

• Michael Jackson's autopsy will be performed today. [TMZ]

• Michael Jackson's brother Jermaine said that a team of doctors tried to resuscitate Michael for an hour. [TMZ]
• This report claims that Michael Jackson had been given an injection of Demerol before he collapsed. "Shortly after taking the Demerol, he started to experience slow, shallow breathing. His breathing gradually got slower and slower until it stopped," a source says. [NY Post]
• Michael Jackson died $500 million in debt. [NY Post]
• Michael Jackson's kids are "very upset" but "fine," whatever that means. [The Sun]
• Michael Jackson has reportedly left The Beatles catalog to Paul McCartney. [Spinner]
• Elton John was in the middle of his annual White Tie and Tiara Ball when he found out about Michael Jackson's death, and dedicated "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" to him. [TMZ]
• Lou Ferrigno had been working as Michael Jackson's trainer for the upcoming tour, and Ferrigno's wife says: "he's in total shock ... he thought he was going to be training Michael tomorrow." [TMZ]
• Liz Taylor is "too devastated" to comment. [E!]
• "The saddest aspect to this tragedy is that so many watched it happen and few did anything to stop it. I pray that Michael's death will not be in vain and that we see a return, even among Hollywood celebrities to the spiritual and family values that are life sustaining."  Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, who worked with Michael Jackson on a charity called Heal The Kids. [Extra]
• Madonna had planned to make surprise appearances at Michael Jackson's 50-date shows in London. [Daily Express]
• "I can't stop crying over the sad news. I have always admired Michael Jackson. The world has lost one of the greats, but his music will live on forever! My heart goes out to his three children and other members of his family. God bless."  Madonna. [People]
• "I am absolutely devastated at this tragic and unexpected news. For Michael to be taken away from us so suddenly at such a young age, I just don't have the words. Divinity brought our souls together on The Wiz and allowed us to do what we were able to throughout the '80s. To this day, the music we created together on Off The Wall, Thriller and Bad is played in every corner of the world and the reason for that is because he had it all…talent, grace, professionalism and dedication. He was the consummate entertainer and his contributions and legacy will be felt upon the world forever. I've lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him."  Quincy Jones. [ET]
• "We have lost a genius and a true ambassador of not only Pop music but of all music. He has been an inspiration to multiple generations, and I will always cherish the moments I shared with him on stage and all of the things I learned about music from him and the time we spent together. My heart goes out to his family and loved ones."  Justin Timberlake. [People, TMZ]
• "I am so very sad and confused with every emotion possible. I am heartbroken for his children, who I know were everything to him, and for his family. This is such a massive loss on so many levels, words fail me."  Lisa Marie Presley. [People, Extra]
• Priscilla Presley says: "I'm in shock, as I know everyone must be." [Extra]
• "When we worked together on 'Bad,' I was in awe of his absolute mastery of movement on the one hand, and of the music on the other. Every step he took was absolutely precise and fluid at the same time. It was like watching quicksilver in motion."  director Martin Scorcese. "Dazed in the studio. A major strand of our cultural DNA has left us. RIP MJ."  John Mayer. Many more quotes from stars at the link. [AP]
• Twitter tributes here, including quotes from Lindsay Lohan, Samantha Ronson, Mariah Carey and Kim Kardashian, who had her 14th birthday party at Neverland Ranch and had known Michael Jackson her entire life. [Mirror]
• More quotes from stars here, including Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jaime Foxx and Dionne Warwick. [NY Post]
• "Just as there will never be another Fred Astaire or Chuck Berry or Elvis Presley, there will never be anyone comparable to Michael Jackson. His talent, his wonderment and his mystery make him legend."  Steven Spielberg. [EW]
• "I was so excited to see his show in London. We were going to be on tour in Europe at the same time and I was going to fly in to see him. He has been an inspiration throughout my entire life and I'm devastated he's gone!"  Britney Spears. [E!]
• Will Justin Timberlake step in and do concerts in London to replace some of MJ's O2 gigs? [The Sun]
• Yesterday, a bus full of tourists were driving by Michael Jackson's house to see his front gate  instead they saw paramedics rushing away from the scene. [TMZ]
• Heavy volume  caused by people searching for information about Michael Jackson's death  caused the internet to slow down yesterday. [BBC News]
• Tippi Hedren will take Michael Jackson's tigers. [Extra]
• Somehow this paper has a shot of the paramedics' monitor, which reads: "50 year old male  not breathing at all." Michael Jackson's mom Katherine and his close friend Elizabeth Taylor were among those who rushed to the hospital. [The Sun]
• Flavor Flav showed up to the Jackson family estate and sent regards to Katherine Jackson via intercom, because he was not let in. [TMZ]
• Bands at the Glastonbury Festival this weekend will pay tribute to Michael Jackson  playing covers and talking about the star in their sets. [BBC News]
• Sacha Baron Cohen makes lots of jokes about Michael Jackson (and LaToya) in Brüno. Will the scenes be cut? [The Daily Beast]
• The LaToya/Michael scene was cut for a screening of Brüno last night  but will it be deleted in the film when it hits theaters nationwide? [PopCrunch]
• Online sales of Michael Jackson's hits are soaring. [CBS News]
• Farrah Fawcett died yesterday with longtime love Ryan O'Neal at her side. [NY Daily News, NY Post]
• Rihanna and Chris Brown think "it's ridiculous" that they have to stay 50 yards away from each other, since they are "becoming friends." [Gatecrasher]
• Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick have checked out of an Ohio hospital with their new twins. Though security at the hospital was tight, a source said "even the nurses" were trying to get a glimpse of the babies. [People]
• Contrary to rumors, Jeff Goldblum and Harrison Ford are not dead. [NY Daily News]
• Despite the divorce developments, Christian publisher Zondervan is still planning on releasing a book by Kate Gosselin titled Love is in the Mix: Making Meals into Memories. [USA Today]
• "Kate Gosselin Of Jon & Kate Singing The Blues - In Hot Blue Bikini; Jon Gone, She Shows Off Bod." [NY Daily News]
• Um, Woody Harrelson and Zoe Kravitz hang out? [Page Six]
• Chloe Sevigny wore that "Free The Beatrice" shirt in part because her brother owned the club. [Page Six]
• Rod Stewart was seen rubbing Penny Lancaster's tummy, so clearly she could be expecting a child. [Daily Express]
• Was Men At Work's '80s hit "Down Under" plagiarized from a 1934 children's song? [Mirror]
• Blind item! "Which rocker is back on drugs? Although she claims to be clean, when she checked out of a Manhattan hotel recently, the maid found the room littered with dirty needles. [Page Six]
• "I was raised in a very grounded family that came from the South, and I was never much of a party girl. I'm a very low-key person so I like to stay at home and bake, or just walk around the city. I'm addicted to cooking. So I haven't felt tempted [to be a party girl] but if I were to I would think of the obligation I have to the young girls that look up to our show. I feel like there isn't too many great young role models in our business."  Blake Lively. [Independent]
• "Thank you to everyone who reads my blog, and in particular, thank you for giving your aggressive, emotional comments. A blog is meant to get people worked up, and obviously mine is working. Let me clear up a few things..."  Bethenny Frankel is still blogging. [E!]
• "I think it's normal for people to ask my views on motherhood, especially someone my age, because it seems the obvious thing: 'Why haven't you done it yet?' Those questions don't bother me. I force things into shape. I feel fulfilled and loved, and I get to nurture the people in my life. If having children is something that's going to happen in my life, I welcome it. If it doesn't happen, then it wasn't meant to be. I don't declare either way that I will or I won't."  Cameron Diaz. [Daily Mail]
• "Jack Kennedy was one of the handsomest men I have ever laid eyes on. No picture does him justice. I totally regret not having had an affair with him. Who wouldn't? It wasn't up to me, of course."  Oscar-nominated writer-director Nora Ephron, to More. [Page Six]
• "I didn't set out to shock people. I set out to do something different from Potter. If I had wanted to shock people I would have played, you know, a gay drug dealer"  Daniel Radcliffe in Parade on his nude scene in Equus. [Page Six]
• "We thought we'd see him moonwalk one more time."  Reverend Al Sharpton [NY Daily News]

• Lily Allen is suing The Sun over an article in which the British newspaper quoted her as calling Victoria Beckham a "monster" and insulting several other celebrities. Allen says she never made the comments. [The Guardian]

• Christine Prody is shopping a tell-all book about her 13-year relationship with O.J. Simpson called Spellbound: My Life With O.J. Simpson. She claims that he forced her to have two abortions, threatened to kill her, and compared her to his murdered ex-wife Nicole. [Newser]
• Michael Jackson has filed legal papers asking a judge to throw out a judgment against him. Jackson's former publicist Raymone Bain got a default judgment in her lawsuit against Jackson for allegedly failing to pay her because he never responded to the suit. MJ says he was never served with the papers. Bain counters that she tried to serve him, but a security guard at his home told the process server "Get the fuck out of here!" [TMZ]
• A Massachusetts teacher saved Tom Brady's life after he fell into Boston's Charles River while kayaking with Gisele Bundchen. Robin Leeds was on the river in a motorboat when she saw that Brady was in the water. "I actually asked him why he fell in. He said he was racing one of his friends," said Leeds, who found Brady "really friendly, really appreciative that we fished him out of the Charles." [People]
• Sources claim Gisele Bunchen is pregnant, and that she's "ecstatic." The source adds, "Gisele will be an excellent mother." [People]
• Jennifer Aniston had dinner last night with Bradley Cooper, her He's Just Not That Into You costar. Cooper says they're not dating, but TMZ has decided that they are. [TMZ]
• An anonymous source insists, "It was a date. She is taking it slow. She is obviously looking for love, but is not about to rush into anything." [People]
• TLC has released a new clip from Monday's episode of Jon and Kate Plus 8, which makes it pretty clear that they'll announce they are divorcing. Kate Gosselin says, "We haven't really known where we were going but we've been dealing with this a long time." In a separate interview, Jon Gosselin says, "It just got worse and worse and worse. And with all the tabloids and all that, it just made it even worse." [People]
• Jon Gosselin was hunting for an apartment in New York City and checked out Trump Place. "[Jon] has been going back and forth to New York a lot" says a source. [People]
• A source says that Katie Lee Joel, 27, is divorcing Billy Joel, 60, because of their age difference. "It really was just an age thing," said a friend. "She loves the city, she loves to go out and have fun and he prefers to stay at home. The age difference didn't seem to be a big deal seven years ago [when they met], but it has become one as they got older... They just grew apart." [N.Y. Post]
• California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger sent Senate President Pro Tem Darrel Steinberg a metal sculpture of bull testicles as a joke after saying that lawmakers needed to make bold decisions during budget negotiations. Steinberg returned the sculpture with a note about the seriousness of the negotiations. [MSNBC]
• At the Tribeca Barnes & Noble last night, a staffer said 1,000 people showed up for Lauren Conrad's book signing. She did not actually read from L.A. Candy and would only sign her name, not a personalized message. [N.Y. Magazine]
• T.R. Knight released a statement confirming that he's leaving Grey's Anatomy. He said, "Leaving Grey's Anatomy was not an easy decision for me to make. I am extremely grateful to have had the opportunity to play this character and will miss my fellow cast and crew very much. I continue to wish them the very best, and wholeheartedly thank all of the fans who have supported me and the show with such passion and enthusiasm." [Entertainment Weekly]
• Camilla Belle says even though they were seen out on what the tabloids called a date, she and Robert Pattinson are just friends. "We have a big group of friends and we saw each other last night," she said.. "[Pattinson] is very cool – a very nice guy." [People]
• Stephen Baldwin has quit I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! for unknown reasons. [Perez Hilton]
• A federal judge has set July 15 as the deadline by which Morgan Freeman and the woman suing him for the car crash they were in must submit settlement proposals. [Yahoo]
• Susan Boyle has skipped two performances of the Britain's Got Talent tour this week. Her publicist said, "She would love to be able to perform every single evening but she is aware of what she can and can't do. I feel sorry for her because she doesn't want to let people down but also she needs to have a rest." He stressed that the reason she cancelled was not because she missed her cat Pebbles, as the tabloids reported. [E!]
• Susan Boyle pulled out of another show today and reportedly had a screaming fit and needed to be calmed down by the show's organizers. [The Daily Mail]
• Joe Jonas announced that Nick Jonas and Miley Cyrus are back together on Larry King Live last night. When Larry asked if Joe's girlfriend is as famous as Nick's, Joe said, "I don't think anybody is as famous as Miley Cyrus." Nick seems a little upset and says, "It's nice to have reconnected with her. For a little while there, we had not been as reconnected as we are now." [People]
• Kelly Rutherford and her estranged husband Daniel Giersch have agreed that he will give her lawyer his visa and visa application within the next week. It seems she is worried that he may try to leave the country with their two children, Hermes and Helena. [TMZ]
• Oprah Winfrey is taking her entire staff and their families on a Mediterranean cruise. The cruise ship will stop in Spain, Italy, Turkey, Greece and Malta and Oprah is paying for their transportation, food, drinks and activities at port stops. [The Chicago Sun-Times]
• After watching the girls at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy in South Africa put on a show for the school's annual arts festival, Oprah said she was overwhelmed by the girls' talent and that they are "living the vision" she had for them. [USA Today]
• Usher shot a new ad for the Body By Milk campaign and said he now feels he's arrived. He said in order to be a Hollywood icon, "You've got to do things like win Oscars and Grammys, but you're nothing if you don't have a milk ad!" [People]
• The Rachel Zoe Project returns to Bravo on August 25. [The L.A. Times]
• Louisiana movie investor Jay Dykes Jr. has agreed to dismiss Madonna from a lawsuit that accuses the film production company she founded, Maverick Films, of failing to repay investor's loans. [AP]
• Julianne Hough will star opposite Chace Crawford in the remake of Footloose. [Variety]
• Heather Locklear's publicist says Heather and Jack Wagner are not engaged. [UPI]
• Michael Bay says if there is another Transformers movie he won't direct it, because he's sick of getting bad reviews. "I need to do something totally divergent, something without any explosions," he said. "It's easy to go shoot an art movie in a winery in the South of France. But people have no idea how hard it is to create something like Transformers. They (the critics) review me before they've even seen the movie." [IMDB]
• Paul McCartney's book about the adventures of a squirrel, High in the Clouds will be made into an animated film. McCartney will write new music for the film. [The Star]
• PETA sent a letter to Phish asking the band to change their name to "Sea Kittens" for a June concert in Wisconsin. "If Phish became Sea Kittens and the band's legions of fans started calling fish 'sea kittens,' fewer of these gentle animals would be violently killed for food, painfully hooked for 'sport,' or cruelly confined to aquariums," says Ashley Byrne, PETA's Sea Kittens campaign coordinator. "Whether they are catfish or cats, bass or basset hounds, all animals deserve lives free from needless pain." [PETA.org]
• Peter Andre broke down and cried as he greeted his mother at the airport in Cyprus. Meanwhile his estranged wife Katie Price was seen out at a nightclub with Anthony Lowther for the third night in a row. [The Daily Mail]
• NYU alum Todd Phillips did a Q&A a the school and showed his film The Hangover but the University was annoyed by a story he told about claiming university equipment was stolen and ripping off an insurance company. The school has issued a statement saying, "we were appalled by a story in which he made light of committing insurance fraud as a student. Whether or not this story is true, we assure you we never have, and never will, condone behavior that does not respect people, property, and legal documents." [N.Y. Magazine]
• Holly Madison was turned away from Body English at Las Vegas' Hard Rock Hotel & Casino because she showed up with a group of Playmates and one of the women wasn't 21. [People]
• Though Megan Fox says she is "what you would call single," she was spotted having dinner with ex-fiance Brian Austin Green. [The Sun]
• So You Think You Can Dance judge Mary Murphy said she doesn't know if the rumors that Katie Holmes will appear ont he show are true or not, but "If it is true, I'm going to be one of the happiest campers around, let me tell ya! I just wish I knew!" [People]
• New York Jets safety Kerry Rhodes plays a police officer in Lady Gaga's video for "Paparazzi." "The shoot was ridiculous!" he says. "Everywhere you turned there was a dead body – not real! – a really big horse-looking dog, and a half-naked model, which was cool." [People]
• While performing his song "Only Women Bleed" onstage, Alice Cooper pretends to beat his 27-year-old daughter, Calico. "Obviously people have talked [about it being weird] that 'she's prancing around half naked on the stage,'" Calico said. "I'm like 'there's a point to that, it's like Shakespeare, it's painting a picture of stuff that's reality in a lot of people's lives." She added that she's looked into the audience and seen, "everybody from little housewives down there crying their eyes out, to big biker guys wiping big tears away. [Domestic abuse is] a heavy subject and I think it takes a brave guy to not just write about it, but write a scene and write a sketch that's uncomfortable." [CBS News]
• Bethenny Frankel of The Real Housewives of New York wrote a lengthy blog post once again about The Real Housewives of New Jersey. She wrote: "And lastly, as for Dina blogging that TV isn't just for money and that I should apologize by donating "some of that Skinnygirl money" to her charity, here is my response: Dina, I happily donate my time and money to the Children's Tumor Foundation, Camp Confidence and the Step Up Women's Network, just to name a few. Dina, for you to insinuate that you did this reality show for charity, I will quote my friend Kathy Griffin and say, "That's a bag of bullst." [E!]
• Evan Rachel Wood says she's going to be on True Blood as a lesbian vampire. She said, "I actually put in a phone call to [series creator] Alan Ball and said, 'I love the show, I'm obsessed with it, seen every episode; if there's ever a part, keep me in mind.' It looks like I'm going to be in the last two episodes as the Vampire Queen of Louisiana. I've been watching The Lost Boys and my favorite vampire movies. It's a lot harder than I imagined. I'm working pretty hard on the script. But I don't think I'll really be able to find the character until I'm in wardrobe and I'm in fangs." She said she'll be in a sex scene, "But it's with a girl. That's all I'm going to say... I don't think vampires are really gay or straight. I think she just prefers women." [Newsweek]

• Elizabeth Taylor, who is Jewish, donated $100,000 to the Alliance for Christian Education. She says she gave to the charity "because our new president challenged us to break down barriers that divide us." [AP]

• Holly Madison is joining the cast of Dancing With the Stars. She may be replacing Jewel, who has a knee injury. [Us]
• Holly also says of her newly single status: "I'm never dating anybody again. I don't need a man. I'm really happy with myself and being with my friends." [People]
• The new issue of People features a Rihanna Cover Girl ad that seems a bit insensitive. The text says "light up your eyes." [Guanabee]
• Arnold Schwarzenegger has returned to Austria, but just for a visit. He's going to his mother's grave and meeting with friends. [Yahoo]
• Phish will reunite for the first time since 2004 on Friday, but first the band is asking a judge to block the sale of bootleg T-shirts, posters and other merchandise at their upcoming concerts. [AP]
• French first lady Carla Bruni, who is 41, says she would like to have another child, "but I don't know if it will be possible at my age," she said. "If it's not possible biologically, I will adopt one. I'm not obsessed by blood ties. I think you can form strong bonds without that." [Yahoo]
• Which feature of Brad and Angie's new Long Island home is the weirdest? Two helipads, a barbershop, or a fallout shelter? [NY Magazine]
• A 22-year-old man has been found guilty of fatally stabbing Rob Knox, 18, who played Marcus Belby in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, outside a bar last spring. [The Guardian]
• George Clooney wrote a column today for The Daily Beast saying the world should bring Sudan's president to justice for his crimes against humanity. [The Daily Beast]
• In this interview Bryan Cranston, the dad from Malcolm in the Middle talks about playing a terminally ill chemistry teacher who cooks meth to leave some cash behind for his pregnant wife and child on AMC's Breaking Bad. [Esquire]
• Former Spice Girl Mel B says: "I've never met anybody with a higher sex drive than me ever in my entire life." [The Sun]
• Amy Winehouse's ex, Blake [Formerly] Incarcerated may be headed back to jail soon. He is reportedly dating a 16-year-old girl. [Newser]
• Mariska Hargitay was taken to the hospital last night with chest pains. She was hospitalized twice before in recent months for a collapsed lung. [TMZ]
• Are Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green actually broken up? She slept over at their home last week even though she'd checked into a hotel and the two went shopping together. [E!]
• More than 50 photos of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones hanging out during the years 1964-66 were found recently in the duffel bag of the bands' former tour manager. They are on display in a New York gallery. [The Telegraph]
• Emma Watson has not accepted a spot at Yale. She says on her official site that she does not have a Twitter page and is still deciding whether to attend school in the US or the UK. Also, Michelle Fairley has been cast as Hermione's mother in the final Harry Potter film. [ONTD]
• Amanda Seyfried will star in a film adaptation of the book Sucker Punch. Her character's stepfather sends her to a mental institution to be lobotomized. While there, she imagines a fantasy world author Zack Snyder describes as "Alice in Wonderland with machine guns." [Entertainment Weekly]
• Miley Cyrus, 16, says she's releasing her autobiography so fans realize, "that I'm a real person just like them." She adds: "Most of the time you see me smiling – I mean that's how I got my name! – but that's not what it's all about. Everyone goes through hardships and heartbreaks." So expect some Nick Jonas chatter. [People]
• Chris Harrison, host of The Bachelor says that Jason Mesnick should have stuck with Melissa Mesnick, the first girl he proposed to, rather than switching to runner up Melissa Rycroft. He added, "When the rumors went from how this ends to this is completely contrived and scripted, questioning not only the show's integrity but my integrity and honesty that's where I got a little upset." [People]
• The drama will continue next season on The Bachelorette with Jillian Harris, one of the last three women Jason rejected. [People]
• On part two of The Bachelor: After the Final Rose, which was filmed six weeks after Jason dumped Melissa, Jason and Molly appeared together on the show and were constantly kissing and nuzzling. He says of dumping Melissa: "It was nothing I planned on. It was not the classiest thing in the world, but I had to follow my heart. I don't regret where I'm at; I'm really happy. Everybody is entitled to feel however they want but that's what was going on with me. I don't feel like my feelings were wrong either." [People]

• Amy Winehouse is househunting in St. Lucia!

She will be a Caribbean Queen. A source says: "Amy loves it over there and being away from it all has helped her hugely in her fight against drugs. She has been drinking and smoking cannabis but is still a million times better than she was in Camden." [The Sun]

• Brad Pitt took the boys  Maddox and Pax  to Las Vegas! They were spotted at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino last night. Meanwhile, Angelina and the girls (Shiloh and Zahara) are in New York. Donde esta los twins?? [People]
• Liev Schreiber might star opposite Angelina Jolie in the spy thriller Salt. Sounds like a good combo, no? [Variety]
• Rihanna is "torn" about helping the police charge Chris Brown with assault. [NY Daily News]
• Madonna may not be in the Twilight sequel after all. Sadness! She would make a very convincing bloodsucker. [ONTD via EW]
• The "intimate" details of Madonna and Guy Ritchie's divorce will be made public? Haven't we already heard everything? [Daily Mail]
• Studios are "lining up" to court Tom Cruise? Because Valkyrie did better than expected around the world, and because he promotes his flix so hard? [Variety]
• When Nadya Suleman, mother of octuplets, was on the cover of Life & Style, sales went "through the roof." Us is expected to have a good week, too, since it has exclusive photos of Suleman. The question is: Who is getting the money from the sale of these exclusive pix? [MSNBC Scoop]
• Kanye West's hair is evolving. "His ducktail seems to be growing nicely into the mullet-nub stage. Bravo." [NY Mag]
• Did you know that Kate Winslet was the fourth choice for her role in The Reader? It was first offered to Nicole Kidman, then Marion Cotillard was considered, then Naomi Watts. [Daily Mail]
• When Dita Von Teese said she went celibate for awhile after breaking up with Marilyn Manson, she was only joking. "I just thought it was funny to say at the time," she says. "I'm pretty sure it's safe for you to report that I've had sex by now." But there's no one dude in her life: "I'm just really enjoying being single, and having fun, global affairs. I'm enjoying being free, and enjoying different men...I'm enjoying being in the moment and enjoying everyone for what they have to offer." [E!]
• Dita is working on a second book: "It's a step-by-step guide to beauty for girls who don't want to look like every other girl." [E!]
• LOL at "Orlando Zoom." [The Sun]
• At the Brit awards, Bono joked that he wanted to be in Girls Aloud. Bass player Adam Clayton quipped, "Which one?" [The Sun]
• Duffy won three Brit awards and joked, "I don't mean to be greedy." [Daily Mail]
• Coldplay won zero, repeat, zero Brit awards. [Mirror]
• Amy Poehler's new show, Parks and Recreation, started filming today. Amy says: "I'm excited about settling in and doing a really specific character, respectfully written, and I think it's really funny and really small and low-stakes. And I enjoy small, specific, low-stakes humor." [E!]
• A drunk Josh Hartnett knocked over a bunch of glasses of Champagne at a Fashion Week after party and explained, "Sorry, I'm half-lit." [Perez]
• Mickey Rourke's agent, David Unger, says financiers preferred Nicolas Cage for the role in The Wrestler. But Unger explains how he helped Rourke make a comeback. And! When Unger's parents' dog died, he says, Rourke got them another. "He did it without telling me; my mother had tears in her eyes," he says. "Of course, they named the dog Mickey." [USA Today]
• Tupac is dead, but his legal battles live on: A production company is suing the company run by his mother, alleging they're "refus(ing) to honor and perform a contract of a production of the film based on the life of Tupac Shakur." Dear Mama: Keep ya head up! [Hollywood Reporter]
• Anna Wintour wants Katy Perry and Justin Timberlake in Vogue. Whatever Anna wants  Anna gets! [Page Six]
• Recessionista alert: Real Housewife Bethenny Frankel used a coupon when getting her hair done. [Page Six]
• Everything you need to know about Conan O'Brien's last shows is here. [NY Daily News]
• Eric Bana is working on a film called Love The Beast, about his obsession with cars and racing. But he's teamed up with an environmental group to offset the pollution caused during filming: "We love cars but love the planet more," a producer explains. [Reuters]
• Arnold Schwarzenegger was supposed to shoot a scene for a Sylvester Stallone flick, but he has a pesky budget crisis to deal with. [TMZ]
• American Idol runner-up Katharine McPhee will make her TV acting debut in an April episode of CSI: NY. [Reuters]
• Sandra Bullock will star in a flick called The Blindside, in which a homeless black teen from a broken home is taken in by a well-to-d- family abd becomes one of the first players selected at the NFL draft. (It's based on a true story.) Bullock plays the rich mom. [Hollywood Reporter]
• E! host Debbie Matenopoulos is seeking $12,558 in temporary monthly support from her estranged husband. That's still a lot of money in this economy, right? [People]
• On that new show Confessions Of A Teen Idol, Eric Nies of The Real World and The Grind says he was almost going to be Batman instead of Val Kilmer. Stop laughing! [Videogum]
• Charlie Sheen's pregnant wife was hospitalized for premature contractions but she is already out. [E!]
• Charlie Sheen blabs about the nursery he and wife Brooke have set up for their twin boys, due in April. Yawn. [People]
• Slumdog Millionaire's Anil Kapoor says he identifies with the movie: "I also started from a very simple background. Bare feet. Running in the slums with my friends. Going through the rubbish." He grew up in "what they call a 'chawl,' a step up [from] a slum. You have these small cubicles, 100 or 200 sq ft, like holes, but they are made of concrete, and the ceilings are slightly different. For all of us there was a communal bathroom, so you have to stand in line. It's like two baths for about 10 families and two toilets for about 10, 15 families." [Guardian]
• What the world needs now: Little Fockers, the next flick coming down the line from the people who brought you Meet The Parents and Meet The Fockers. Ben Stiller will return; Robert De Niro and Owen Wilson are in negotiations. [Reuters]
• Calm down: The Rock is not returning to wrestling. He is, however, pushing his new flick, Race To Witch Mountain. Yay? [IHT]
• "I don't want to be known as just a pretty face. I loved Charlize Theron in Monster. I want to play parts that are challenging and inspiring."  Slumdog Millionaire's Freida Pinto. [Telegraph]
• "I thought, well maybe I'd like to get involved, but I was nervous about it and I thought, you know, I don't want to be a dilettante. People would say this guy's just an airhead celebrity and he doesn't know anything, and at the time of course, I didn't. So I thought: well I should learn about this and I travelled there."  Ben Affleck, on getting involved with humanitarian work in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [Mirror]
• "I can tell you that the guys have some standouts. That kid Danny Gokey is one of my favorites. Adam Lambert is pretty darn amazing. So are the guys who play the dueling pianos (Matt Giraud and Ricky Braddy). And Scott (MacIntyre) the blind kid, is fantastic. I love Megan (Corkrey). Oh, and Jackie Tohn - she's great."  Paula Abdul, on her American Idol faves. [MSNBC]
• "The difference now is for new bands. They are under so much pressure to release their material for free. It's different for us, we have a loyal fan base who buy our records. We can also make money from touring, thanks again to our fans, who go out and buy tickets. The danger in giving music away free is for writers. Where would Cole Porter be now? If you have to give away your work for free and you can't play live, where do you earn the money? It's an interesting time for music."  Bono. [The Sun]
• "I'm always looking for a man. But please, only princes should talk to me."  Nicollette Sheridan don't want no frogs. [People]
• "I think I won't [get naked in a movie] again. I can't keep getting away with it, and I don't want to become 'that actress who always gets her kit off.'"  Kate Winslet. [Page Six]
• "I hope Rhianna is getting counseling from a professional counselor who will tell her that there is no way for her to ever win, and that she will have to curtail her own penchant for escalating conflict by screaming at or hitting or humiliating her abuser. I hope he gets real counseling too, that is not from a minister or his mom or any other shame based bullshit method that will never work, and that is designed to avoid dealing directly with self-control issues. I hope that they both leave each other alone and get over their faults."  from a longish rant by Roseanne Barr. [DListed, MSNBC]
• "I can't pass judgment, but aren't fake breasts already looking really 1995?"  Jeanne Tripplehorn to More. [Page Six]

• Did a knock down, drag out fight with Lilo land Samantha Ronson in the hospital for "exhaustion"?

• According to TMZ: "Neighbors tell us [Lindsay and Sam] were going at it for a long time, but it reached a crescendo at around 4:00 AM after one of them screamed at the other, 'You never say you love me.'" [TMZ
• Gwyneth Paltrow, Madonna and Stella McCartney had a girls night out in London after Madge handed over her kids to ex-husband Guy Ritchie for the evening. Madge obviously knows that the best break up medicine (besides an affair with A-Rod) is a night out with the ladies. [Daily Mail]
• Lance Armstrong is expecting another child with girlfriend Anna Hansen. He has three children from his first marriage to ex-wife Kristin. [People]
• Girl Next Door Kendra Wilkinson is engaged to NFL player Hank Baskett. The wedding is slated for June 27 at, where else? The Playboy mansion. Initially she wanted ex-sugar daddy Hugh Hefner to give her away, but now Kendra is having second thoughts. [People]
• DJ AM, aka Adam Goldstein, is taking a page from fellow plane crash survivor Travis Barker and suing a bunch of people. "DJ AM is suing the estates of the two pilots who died in the crash as well as Clay Lacy Aviation, Global Exec Aviation, Inter Travel & Services Inc, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co, and Learjet." He claims the pilots knew that the tires were shot and attempted to take off anyway. "Damn," says Michael K. of Dlisted. "I can understand suing companies and shit, but suing the estates of the pilots? I wonder if the pilots left behind any kids that need food, clothes and a roof over their heads. It seems a little extreme to try to fuck with the families, but I don't know the details and shit, so I will leave it at that." Word to that entire sentiment. [Dlisted]
• Marisa Tomei, 44, was conspicuously canoodling with Logan Marshall-Green, 32 (otherwise known as "Trey" from the O.C.) at the LA premiere of the Wrestler. You go Marisa! [Page Six]
• Apparently Suri Cruise gets 100 pieces of fan mail a day from all around the world. She is egregiously adorable. [Star]
• Slow gossip day, guys: Page Six reports that Bridget Moynahan uses the same dentist as her estranged baby daddy, Tom Brady. Riveting! [Page Six]
• Scar Jo's snot-filled Kleenex eventually went for $5,300 on eBay. Merry Christmas…sorta. [NYDN]
• Jennifer Hudson will perform a gospel song for her departed mom at the 2009 Grammys. [NYDN]
• Long dead drug kingpin Pablo Escobar loved Elvis, and even played his records when he was in the clink. Jailhouse rock indeed! [Page Six]
• Spencer Pratt keeps running his mouth about Heidi Montag's momma. "I just had visions of her mom trying to kill me in my sleep so I saw that as a possibility," he said at the Hills season finale party. Dear Momma Montag: we hope you have a Spencer-free Christmas and a happy New Year. [ASL]
• Ricky Martin: living la vida loca for 37 years as of today. [Dlisted]
• Though he's making a government salary now, from his Christmas shopping spree at Hermès, it's obvious that Arnold Schwarzenegger used to make the big movie star buckies. [ASL]
• Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon are in Aspen for Christmas, and Mariah says she always gets holiday-themed lingerie. “Honestly, I always get Santa lingerie. Even if nobody’s going to see it! I mean, why not? But this year I’m definitely excited because it’ll be appreciated!” Mimi says. Cant'…won't…make this lame joke…sigh. Ho ho ho, Mariah! There. I said it. [Just Jared]
• Poor Ben Stiller has to spend Christmas in a cast. He broke his hand snowboarding over the weekend. [E! Online]

• ...Just like Lance Armstrong, Hitler, Arnold Schwarzenegger and the other dudes with a single testicle.
• But as far as we know, those dudes have bellybuttons, unlike Karolina Kurkova, the no-navel icon.
• She may have a navel, but Lori Drew has no soul.
• Michelle Obama has a soul and, according to an obsessed Salon scribe, a big butt.

• Do vampires like big butts? Maybe we'll find out as Twilight mania takes over the nation.
• Vampires seem rather chivalrous, unlike many modern men, so at least they'd let your big butt in the cab first.
• Speaking of nether regions, one time Carrie Fisher's mom got her a vibrator for Christmas.
• A wrap dress will cover up your business (usually), but is it ever flattering?
• Victoria's Secret fashion show: covering your business in maribou since 1977.
• You guys. Thank effing Gawd it's Friday! So eat, read celebrity gossip on the internet and nap the day away. You deserve it!

Tupac: The rumor is that the ill-fated rapper lost one of his dudes during a 1994 shooting when he took two bullets to the groin. After that, he was called "One-Pac" by many giggly fans, and even with only one ball, Madonna still wanted to have his baby.


Lance Armstrong: In the words of The Cancer Blog, "Now it's having only one testicle that separates the winners from the losers." Lance Armstrong's unparalleled athletic prowess (not to mention his way with certain blonde celebrities) shows that monorchic men can be champions.


Tom Green: Like Lance Armstrong, Tom Green survived about of testicular cancer. And also like Armstrong, Tom Green was not afraid to be servicey about it. After his diagnosis in 2000, Green hosted an MTV show called The Tom Green Cancer Special, in which "a camera crew followed Green into the operating room in March and looked on as surgeons cut into Green's insides, removed a testicle and some lymph nodes, and put his intestines on the table during surgery." How…graphic of him!


Arnold Schwarzenegger: The California Gov allegedly only has one berry next to his twig, according to the internet. Is the alleged missing testicle from his alleged steroid use during Ahnold's body building days? Maybe one day Maria Shriver will tell us the true testicle story on Oprah.


Nazi Leader Hitler Really Did Have Only One Ball [Telegraph]

• Though Barack obama told Americans nothing about forthcoming nominations, that doesn't mean there's nothing to speculate about! John Kerry, Chris Dodd and Bill Richardson are lead speculative Secretary of State candidates, Robert Gates might stay at the Defense Department, Janet Napolitano could be headed to Justice and former eBay executive Steve Westly, the Governator or Kathleen Sebelius could end up at DOE. Discuss at your leisure  Obama certainly is. [CNN, Politico]
• The President-Elect has included sexual orientation and gender identity in his non-discrimination pledge on hiring, which is awesome. [ACLU]
• Harry Reid is a little pissed about Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman's Obama-bashing during his balls-out support of John McCain this election season  to say nothing of his current flirtation with Mitch McConnell and the GOP caucus. He is thinking of allowing the Democratic caucus to strip Lieberman of his committee chair, which Lieberman calls "unacceptable" and everyone else calls "no less than he deserves." [CNN, Huffington Post]
• Unlike the obstreperous Lieberman, Appropriations Committee Chairman Robert Byrd is stepping aside as chairman because he's confident of the new Democratic majority and, likely, because of his continuing ill health. Sadly, this means no more "barbaric" speeches. [The Hill, YouTube]

• In what may be the most disturbing charitable donation of all time, some of the clothing items the Palins need to return to the RNC include Todd's silk boxers. And you thought her plane left skid marks when it left Phoenix! [Washington Post]
• To counter that image, Sarah Palin's going to do an interview with Greta Van Susteren. Nope, don't think that image is getting out of my head regardless, sorry. [LA Times]
• Right-wing South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint is pissed that McConnell isn't going to expel Senate Ted "McBribe-y" Stevens from the Senate during the lame duck session. Yes, Virginia, some Republicans do have principles. [Politico]
• The best quote that ever has been said or ever will be said about Rahm Emanuel: "Emanuel, on the other hand, is a drama queen; seething, foaming Mamet production; a big mouth; and a calculating mensch who loves nothing more than to stoke the feed bag for press-corps noshers." Oh, this is going to be an epic White House. [Politico]
• Obama's aunt  who the right-wingers discovered far too late has overstayed her deportation order  has decided to fight in court for the right to remain in the U.S. She's not in great health, reportedly, which would seem like humanitarian grounds to let her stay but our immigration system isn't exactly known for being humanitarian in nature. [MSNBC]
• Neither are Americans, two of whom in New Jersey set a cross ablaze on the lawn of an Obama supporter. Racism: officially no longer confined to The South. Please make a note of it. [Editor & Publisher]
• In slightly better news, there is talk about automatically registering every eligible citizen to vote and expanding early voting so that this ACORN-caging-voter challenges nonsense can finally just end. God, how awesome would that be? [NY Times]

[Malibu, October 19. Image via Flynet]

[Malibu, May 4. Image via x17]

• "Either give them the basic tools for protecting the population and themselves, or have the decency to just bring them all home. Because you can't do it halfway. Bring them home and shut off your TV and your radio and your phones and the Internet and go back into the offices and wait until it's all over." That's George Clooney, on Darfur. Also, the UN rescinded its invitation to speak so he was stuck telling reporters what he wished he could have said. [LA Times]
  
• Just what is so wrong with a former president going to lick the ass of a nefarious dictator under the guise of helping ppl with AIDS when really he was helping a friend land an insanely lucrative long-shot uranium deal so said friend would donate $131 million to his charity that helps ppl with AIDS?
  
• Well see, while Bill Clinton was in Kazakhstan telling them he hoped they would land the leadership of some regional security thing, the wife back home was writing letters to the State Department aout how they should prevent Kazakhstan from achieving that, so...it just kind of looks like they don't talk enough? [NYT]
  
• Esp since the same thing sort of happened the year earlier w. Dubai? [WSJ]
  
• Obama is the most liberal senator according to the National Journal, which ranks Hillary #16. You'd think this might lead to that "substantive discussion of the issues you all have so been longing for," but I think you have to pay them lots of money for them to tell you how they calculate this shit. [National Journal]

• "We've learned that a good or a bad president can make the difference between war and peace." [NY Times]
• And the difference between a $2 trillion budget and a $3 trillion one! [WSJ]
• A second opposition leader in Kenya has been killed. Government leaders say it was a crime of passion that had to do with some sort of love triangle, but...uh...[NYT]
• McCain, Rudy and the Governator triangulate Hillary's "green collar" thing; Obama raised $32 million. [Wash Post]
• Money means nothing. [Talking Points Memo
• Did Bill Clinton just speak a painful and politically unpopular truth about how money means nothing if we can't do what's best for the country over the long term? [ABC News]
• And don't forget tonight's debate in Hell-Ay! [WSJ]

The Good:
Jennifer Flavin Stallone and daughter Rose Scarlett both look pretty and pulled together.
Julie Benz keeps it classy.
Oddly enough, so does Jenna Jameson.
But the best look of the evening has got to be Jenny Mollen in her adorable dress with her adorable date, Jason Biggs.


The Bad:
The Governator looks overdressed compared to sons Patrick and Christopher.
Christa Campbell looks a little trashy.
As does Katie Chonacas.
I actually love Sarah Ann Schultz's look. I'm just not sure I love it for a red carpet. But then again, this is Rambo after all...


The Ugly:
Michael Godard. Yeah, that's all.

[All images via Getty.]