• Interesting: Chris Brown and Rihanna are "taking a break." They're not calling it a breakup, though.

Unfortunately, this report has sources close to Brown saying things like, "He's just putting ideas down for some songs he wrote," and "He needs to feel like he's moving forward." We're definitely interested in what he thinks he needs. [E!]

• Rihanna was spotted "flying solo" in New York over the weekend. [Page Six]
• Vanessa Redgrave was seen visiting the hospital where Natasha Richardson is reportedly on life support. [TMZ]
• Friends of Natasha Richardson are in mourning; Ted Casablanca says they have all been informed that she is "brain dead." [E!]
• A Natasha Richardson family friend says: "There is no chance. It is a fact that her heart is beating but she is brain dead." [People]
• Two of Nadya Suleman's octuplets have gone home. Six more to go! [The Insider]
• Apparently the police in Chicago are not amused that Lady Gaga does not wear pants; they stopped the singer, who says, "It was really funny because all you saw was this half-naked girl on the street yelling at some cop 'It's fashion! I'm an artist!' It was fun." [Perez]
• Lady Gaga hearts Prince Harry: "I spotted him last year in a club and couldn't take my eyes off him. British men are cool. I especially love the accent and Prince Harry sounds so posh." [The Sun]
• An artist named Ben Tegel has made an "American Gothic" type poster — called "American Sapphic," starring Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson. LL looks good, but Sam looks sinister. [E!]
• Coming soon to a bar near you: Justin Timberlake brand tequila. [Page Six]
• John Mayer's latest Twitter: "This heart didn't come with instructions." Naturally the papers think it's Aniston-related. [Mirror]
• Joy Behar has been with her man for 26-and-a-half years and may get married! She says: "Somebody that I know lost her partner. They were gay women. And the partner was in the hospital, and she had to pretend that she was her sister in order to really deal with stuff. I don't want that to happen to us … and I also just feel that I want to." [People]
• Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow had dinner with Valentino last night and talked goop all evening. [Daily Mail]
• Madonna will release a fourth greatest hits compilation, because she owes her current record label one more album. [Perez]
• Nicole Richie has launched NicoleRichie.com. You'll find posts about her jewelry line, her charities, her Brazilian blow dry — all while listening to Deep Purple. [Socialite Life]
• An ad for Angelina Jolie's film Wanted was banned in the UK for glamorizing violence. Here in the US, we encourage that sort of thing. [Telegraph]
• Two contestants on Paris Hilton's British Best Friend were screaming at each other and going so nuts a psychiatrist was called in. Apparently there is a shrink on hand "at all times," but shouldn't the doctor be questioning why the hell the ladies are on the show to begin with? [The Sun]
• Ellen DeGeneres will play Mother Nature in a comedy flick written by Sex And The City writer-producer Jenny Bicks. She does really really love animals… [Reuters]
• George Michael played a one-hour performance for a Russian nickel magnate and made £1,606,856. How much is that in rubles? [Daily Mail]
• Sleazy 'N Sync mastermind Lou Pearlman might be in jail, but he's plotting a reality show. Part Charlie's Angels and part Making The Band, "it essentially would feature Lou's disembodied voice on a speakerphone," a source says. Creepy! [Gatecrasher]
• Mena Suvari's image is being used to sell condoms in China without her knowledge. But she looks good. [SF Gate]
• Kimila Ann Basinger — more commonly known as Kim Basinger — is playing a the head of a large family whose perspective on life has been changed by breast cancer. A different kind of role for her, no? [Independent]
• Salma Hayek, Maya Rudolph and Colin Quinn have joined the cast of an untitled Adam Sandler comedy. Salma is Sandler's wife; Maya is the wife of Chris Rock. Yeah. The old goofy guy/hot chick cliché. [Variety]
• Simon Baker has been named the sexiest man on TV. Did anyone see him glisten in the sun in that movie Something New? That was hot. [Mirror]
• Actor Stacy Keach has been hospitalized for an undisclosed health problem. [Reuters]
• What the world needs now: A Goonies reunion. Seriously: Goonies never say die! [The Sun]
• Blind item: "Which hip-hop icon gets laughed at when he strips down at the gym? Guysin the locker room can't believe it's that small." [Gatecrasher]
• "It's hard to know what the rule book is for guy friends. Girls call their friends girlfriends. You'll never hear me say, 'My boyfriend Paul Rudd and I were working together.'" — Jason Segel, whose "bromance" flick, I Love You Man, is opening Friday. The back and forth between Rudd and Segel in this interview is pretty funny. [USA Today]
• "I went crazy for the script. I was going through a phase where I was turning everything down. This gem landed. I finished the last page and called my agent. It was a rare gem." — Clive Owen, on Duplicity. [USA Today]
• "I'm embarrassed on almost a daily basis. You sort of have to suck it up sometimes. [Fans] say stuff like, 'You're so much shorter in person Or 'Oh, my god, you look just like that girl, but you are a lot prettier than she is.' You have to grin and bear it. I might say in return, 'I know I looked skinnier in The House Bunny, but thanks to my diet of beer and doughnuts, I'm back to my fightin' weight!'" — Anna Faris, to Self. [People]

• Ashton Kutcher punked the paparazzi, and all of us: That shaman Paris Hilton was hanging out with — who turned out to be an actor — was part of a stunt for Kutcher's new show, Pop Ficton. The prank show targets paparazzi and gullible media outlets. Now lots of crazy stories (like the one about hepatitis at the restaurant where he had his birthday party) seem like they may not be true. Who knows what's real anymore??? [USA Today]
  
• Justin Timberlake: Bringing a hit Peruvian comedy to US TV? Executive producing? Who knew? [Reuters]
  
• Here's a picture of Amy Winehouse buying her own biography after she spotted it from a car window late Wednesday night. Amy, Amy, Amy! [TMZ]
  
• Amy's party trick is snorting vodka. Ow. [Mirror]
  
• Did John Mayer write a message to Jessica Simpson on his blog that reads, "Dear Ex Lover, Perhaps you didn't understand the last time I told you to stop contacting me, so I'll do my best to spell it out for you. I do not wish to have you in my life anymore" ??? Cold! [The Sun]

• Jessica Simpson and the Pussycat Dolls leave for Kuwait today, where they will entertain the troops. A source says there's no special treatment and that Jess will be "roughing it" and sleeping on bunk beds during the trip. Maybe she can use her Vuitton luggage as a pillow? [Page Six]
• Lisa Marie Presley: Pregnant! The daddy is Presley's husband Michael Lockwood, whom she married in Japan in January 2006. The 40-year-old daughter of Elvis already has two children: Riley 18, and Benjamin, 15, with ex-husband Danny Keough. Congrats! [People]
• Rihanna issued a plea for help and now a woman with leukemia has found a bone marrow donor! It's so weird when stars use their power for good and not evil. [People]
• Rihanna has banned umbrellas from her concerts, by the by. [The Sun]
• Ashlee Simpson denies being drunk during a radio appearance, saying, "I giggle when people ask me uncomfortable questions not knowing what to say or what else to do." [People]
• Britney has received a number of disturbing letters and packages, which her "camp" have handed over to local law enforcement and the FBI. [E!]
• The court has ruled that Britney's dad can pay himself a salary to be the conservator of her affairs, so he's taking $2,500 a week from her account. Honestly? There is no doubt that: A) Managing that girl's life is a full-time job and B) Jamie's level-headedness is worth every penny. Good luck, Daddy Spears. [TMZ]
• Lou Pearlman, known for launching the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, pleaded guilty yesterday to fraud which used fake bank accounts and a dead man's signature in a $300 million swindle. "I'm accepting full responsibility," Pearlman told the judge. He'll be sentenced May 21 and could get the maximum of 25 years in prison. (If he cooperates and tries to recover the money, he'll get reduced time.) [Reuters]
• Annie Lennox: "No more marriage for me. I don't see the point of it. It's not that I'm such a cynic. To share one's life with someone is a beautiful thing. But for the moment, I'm a single person." [Telegraph]
• Lil' Romeo, son of Master P., got a full basketball scholarship to USC. "We may have more 11- to 17-year-old girls in the stands than we've had in the past," says the coach. [Wall Street Journal]
• NYPD Blue star Esai Morales has been cleared of accusations by his ex-girlfriend that he raped her two years ago; the woman continued to live with Morales for 15 months following the alleged assault. [Page Six]
• Colin Farrell to "gorgeous" model at a swanky bar: "Who is this guy?" The lady replied, "He's my boyfriend." Farrell then told the dude, "You've got the most beautiful girl in the place, and you can't blame a guy for trying." To which the boyfriend said: "You tried. Now get out of here." [Page Six]
• The ex-wife of Nicolas Sarkozy will marry her lover this month as "revenge" after Sarkozy wed Carla Bruni so quickly after getting divorced. [Page Six]
• Robert Downey Jr appears in blackface in his new movie, but only because his character has his skin dyed black. Hmmm. [Page Six]
• Kelly Rowan, aka The O.C.'s Kirsten Cohen, is in the final weeks of pregnancy but her billionaire boyfriend keeps her out of the spotlight because he is "horrified of any publicity." Uh, sounds healthy. Then again, money trumps mere fame any day. [Page Six]
• "I really romanticized being pregnant. Then I realized, This is awful! I was so nauseated in the beginning" —Marcia Cross of Desperate Housewives. [Page Six]
• "People ask, 'Why do you like getting around on a bike so much?' I don't do it to be green. I do it because it's so [bleep]ing fun" — Eric Bana [Page Six]
• Kate Hudson: Hangs with her son and friends by day; with Owen Wilson at night. Secret lovers, yeah, that's what they are. [Gatecrasher]
• Michelle Williams says that after her breakup with Heath Ledger, she "didn't know where to go. I couldn't imagine any place in the world that was gonna feel good to me." [Gatecrasher]
• Blind item! "Which mournful solo artist is obsessed with his own level of fame? After convincing himself on a recent flight to Australia that he would be mobbed in the streets, the scrawny singer was nonplussed that most Aussies didn't recognize him." [Gatecrasher]
• Blind item! Translated from Ted Casablanca: A female star who has had cosmetic surgery and has a "sexually mysterious partner in crime" type celeb boyfriend (who may get cosmetic surgery himself in 2009) is hooked on coke; often the two of them show up high in front of paparazzi. [E!]
• Pubic blind item! "Which female A-lister's Sapphic relationship with a top editrix came to a crashing halt when the wordsmith saw her 'wildly' unkempt nether regions?" [Rush & Molloy]
• Two former concierges of the Four Seasons Hotel in Chicago are spilling about celebrity guests in a new book: Read mini-tales about Nicole Kidman, Diana Ross, Madonna and Elton John by clicking the link. [Rush & Molloy]
• Melissa Joan Hart looks painfully pregnant, ouch. [TMZ]
• Brooke Burke has given birth to a boy, her fourth child and first son. [People]
• American Idol alum Nikki McKibbin is in the psych ward for having a breakdown; she told her friend she wanted to kill herself and when the cops arrived at her home she had a bunch of pills in her hand. Poor thing. [Perez Hilton]
• The Office's Jenna Fischer: "I haven't had my teeth whitened. I don't get Mystic Tan treatments or any of that stuff. [Pam should] always look like a believable girl, not all plastic-y like a movie star." [Rush & Molloy]

• Rose McGowan and her Planet Terror director Robert Rodriguez: Engaged! She was previously engaged to Marilyn Manson; he was previously married to the mother of his 5 kids. (Did we ever tell you our theory? That Rob likes Rose partly because her name starts with an R? His kids are named Rocket, Racer, Rebel, Rogue and Rhiannon.) [People]
  
• Word on Britney Spears is that she will get one monitored overnight visit with her kids per week. Apparently her behavior in the courtroom was "appalling." She interrupted the L.A. County Commissioner, was "sarcastic," "contentious, argumentative and condescending." [TMZ]
  
• Hmm, or did she address the judge in a "soft and respectful voice" ? [People]
  
• In any case, after court, Britney went shopping at Neiman-Marcus. [ET]

• Is Michael Lohan a two-timer? A Long Island woman claims she had an "intimate, loving" relationship with Lindsay's dad for the past four months, only to find out this week he had another girlfriend. Michael denies her allegations, saying, "This woman is a liar. She's neurotic." We're trying to figure out why anyone would lie about having sex with Michael Lohan. [Page Six]
• Wednesday, Gene Simmons from Kiss slipped a flight attendant a note that read "Would you like to get together???" She declined. [Page Six]
• Jessica Simpson may not have a hot CD or TV show, but she's raking in the cash from Proactiv — she re-signed for another year of infomercials, a roughly $3 million deal. [Page Six]
• Kid Rock's CD release party was filled with Kid Rock look-alikes, ew. [Page Six]
• But uh, women like his look? Because Kid Rock has two women fighting over him. One's a model, the other a Penthouse Pet. [Rush & Molloy]
• Apparently new movie We Own The Night opens with a sexy scene that involves Joaquin Phoenix "proving his manual dexterity" with co-star Eva Mendes. We have no idea what that means but we want to see it. [Page Six]
• Leonardo DiCaprio's model girlfriend, Bar Refaeli, is suing an Israeli newspaper for libel after claiming she said, "I am not sorry for not serving in the army ... Why is it good to die for our country? Isn't it better to live in New York?" Refaeli's lawyer Dror Arad Alon said the statements are false and that she was "wickedly manipulated." [Rush & Molloy, 4th item]
• Pete Doherty plans to celebrate being sober by going on a "Dry Tour" in booze-free venues. Great for Pete, maybe not so great for the people who have to listen to his music without a cocktail? [The Sun]
• Divorce talks between Heather Mills and Sir Paul McCartney have completely collapsed, and the couple is heading for a "full-blown public divorce hearing." The date is set for February — anything could happen before then! [Daily Mail]

• Britney Spears is supposedly nonplussed about Kevin Federline getting custody of the kids. According to OK!, when the subject of her boys' custody came up, a friend told Britney, "Don't worry, you'll get your kids back." Britney replied: "I don't give a s— anymore. I never wanted them in the first place." She allegedly partied until 3 a.m. the night before she had a 10 a.m. visitation, which she missed. And what's with all the hotels? Is it because it's easier to meet her drug dealer? [Rush & Molloy]
  
• Britney's lawyer says she's been passing random drug tests, though. [People]
  
• Meanwhile, the judge in Britney's hit-and-run case has ordered her to be booked: fingerprinted and photographed before October 25. [Yahoo News]

• Oh, and Britney's father thinks she needs an intervention. [The Sun]
  
• Lou Pearlman, the man who created *NSync and the Backstreet Boys, is denying the allegations in the Vanity Fair story that painted him as a pervy pedophile. The incident in which he was wrestling boys and his towel fell off? "I've never owned a towel that could wrap all the way around me anyway," he says. Ugh. [Page Six]
  
• Steve Carrell's daughter Elisabeth is only 6, but the funnyman is already thinking about dudes who'll want to date her. "A dealbreaker, straight out of the gate, is a guy who pulls to the front of the house and honks," he says. [Page Six]
  
• Usher's not releasing his new CD because his new (pregnant) wife doesn't want him to right now? This is what happens when your mom is your manager and then you marry an older woman. [Page Six]
  
• David and Victoria Beckham sued two photographers for trying to take pictures of their pool, but a French court acquitted the paparazzi. [Page Six]
  
• Lindsay Lohan on rehab: "It was hard surrendering and having people tell me what to do." She's been bonding with her dad and his "Lindsay-look-alike" girlfriend, Erin. Also, Lindsay's new man is Riley Giles, a snowboarder from California. [Gatecrasher]
  
• Blind item! "What TV funny guy and his wife are unpopular for being mean to the deliverymen who bring the endless train of swag and luxury goods to their apartment?" [Gatecrasher, last item]
  
• Kiefer Sutherland: sentenced to 48 days in custody for his DUI. Ouch! [TMZ]
  
• The hospital where George Clooney was treated after his motorcycle accident has suspended doctors and employees for leaking information to the press. [TMZ]
  
• Clooney says, "I would hope that this could be settled without suspending medical workers." [People]
  
• David Hasselhoff relapsed and was hospitalized, in case you care. [TMZ]
  
• The Black Eyed Peas stopped a concert in El Salvador in the middle of the show — Fergie said she had food poisoning. Yeah, you don't want to be on stage with that. [Sydney Morning Herald]