February 2007 Archives

One died prematurely and one has gone bald prematurely - but the two female celebrities most often in the news these days had a lot in common.

Or so thought Anna Nicole Smith.

Six months before her tragic death, the pregnant model reached out via video to Britney Spears, Us Magzine reports.

In the video, an 8-months-pregnant Smith directly addressed Spears, who was also expecting her second child (their respective babies, Dannielynn and Jayden James, were born five days apart in September):

"If you see this for some oddball reason â€" because I look at your stuff, too [referring to Spears' website ... or maybe The Hollywood Gossip coverage of her] â€" and you want to be friends, I would love so much to hang out with you," she said. "I think you're totally cool, and I think we're about to have babies around the same time…I would just love to meet you."

Anna then mentions a man more dangerous than Brit's ex, Kevin Federline, at his most irresponsible.

"You can call my lawyer, my best friend, my confidant Howard K. Stern. I think everyone has his number."

"He'll give it out to you, Britney. Take cares [sic], and I hope that you do great on your second pregnancy. I'm sure you won't even see this, but if you do, I'd really love to talk to you. Bye."

Alas, Spears never saw the message. Probably because she was wasted.

Dancing with the Stars is only as entertaining as its cast.

So let's get right to executive producer Conrad Greene and his take on the contestants vying for Mario Lopez-like glory when the show kicks off with a two-hour season premiere on March 19:

• Heather Mills: "We thought it would be interesting to have someone with a disability on because we wanted to prove that dancing is something anyone can do," Greene told People magazine. "She really wants to prove to people that a disability doesn't hamper you in any way."

* The Hollywood Gossip note: She's already proven handicapped people can be gold-digging bags of ho.

• Billy Ray Cyrus: The 45-year-old country singer, who stars with his daughter Miley Cyrus on the Disney Channel's hit show Hanna Montana, hopes he doesn't follow in the controversial footsteps of fellow crooner, Sara Evans.

He was "terrified" about joining Dancing. "He said, 'You don't understand. I can hardly do the achy-breaky dance, let alone a whole routine.' (But) I think he's going to really apply himself," says Greene.

• Leeza Gibbons: "I think for her turning 50, she wants to be opening new chapters â€" not closing them," Greene says of the 49-year-old former Entertainment Tonight and Extra anchorwoman, who now hosts her own syndicated radio show. "I think there will be a lot of women around the country who will really associate with her and what she's doing."

• Joey Fatone: The former boy bander is no stranger to fancy footwork from his singing days. But ballroom dancing is something new for Fatone. "He says he hasn't got a clue how good he's going to be," says Greene. "He's never done anything like this."

• Laila Ali: A personal trainer and daughter of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, Laila, 29, has also entered the ring herself. "The challenge for her will be being light enough on your feet," says Greene. "She's had to bulk up, get muscular in order to box. So it's going to be getting the grace."

• Vincent Pastore: No stranger to reality shows, the former Sopranos star appeared on VH1's Celebrity Fit Club with porn king Dustin Diamond last season. "He just turned 60 and he had a heart condition last year," says Greene. "If Vincent can do it, anybody can do it. This is a show about real people taking it on. He embodies it more than anyone on the show."

• Apolo Anton Ohno: At 24, the Olympic speed-skating champion is the youngest competitor to strap on his Dancing shoes. "It's great to get someone in the middle of their career," says Greene. "(And) it doesn't hurt that he's a great-looking guy."

• Paulina Porizkova: Already a fan of the show, the 41-year-old Czech-born supermodel - who graced the cover of Sports Illustrated long before Beyonce - "just wanted to get out there and dance," says Greene.

• Clyde Drexler: The basketball Hall of Famer follows in the footsteps of fellow Dancing athletes Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice. "He's a legend," says Greene of Drexler, 44. "Along with people like Emmitt and Jerry, he's one of those people who's the very best at their sport."

• Ian Ziering: "I got the sense with Ian he's really going to throw himself into it," says Greene about Ziering, 42, who's best known for playing Steve Sanders on the hit show Beverly Hills 90210. Too bad they couldn't sign a pregnant Tori Spelling to join the cast as well.

• Shandi Finnessey: The 28-year-old beauty queen (pictured), who was crowned Miss USA in 2004, brings "poise" and a "vivacious personality" to Dancing, says Greene.

We're guessing he hopes she doesn't bring any Tara Conner-related drama, however.

Nicole Richie isn't letting her legal woes put a strain on her romance.

The anorexic waif's love affair with Good Charlotte frontman Joel Madden is heating up, Us Weekly reports. A source says they "have exchanged their ‘I love yous.'" OMG!

Moreover, the couple of three months are taking the next big step. No, they're not popping Vicodin and hitting the bong together. Well, they probably are. But here, we're talking about L.A. house hunting!

Nicole Richie lives in a West Hollywood condo. Joel has a house in suburban Glendale. They have talked about shacking up. Plans are in the works.

"Nicole hasn't moved in with him yet… but they are looking at places," says the insider.

Of course, the only house Nicole might be moving into soon is the Big House. We're talking about her going to prison. Richie faces up to a year in jail if convicted of a second DUI.

Her most recent legal problems stem from her arrest last year for driving the wrong way down an L.A. highway. Check out her hottt mug shot!

Prior to dating Madden, Nicole was engaged to DJ AM and briefly dated Brody Jenner, though apparently he was just doing that to get famous.

Joel was the longtime boyfriend of sexy virgin Hilary Duff.

T.H. Gossip has learned that Britney Spears is back in rehab. Sources say Spears checked into an in-patient facility in Los Angeles after her family members pressed her to check in. Britney Spears reportedly entered the facility late this morning.

Her fall from grace makes us long for the days when Britney Spears was so hot, she could make an entire sports bar full of guys gaze in astonishment at a TV screen that happened to be showing her "performance" (read: striptease) at the VMAs.

That was 2001. It's a been a slow, steady decline since then, and while there have been some brief returns to glory in the down years since Brit married Kevin Federline, for the most part she's gone from smoking hot to smoking cigarettes... and looking pretty gross.

To illustrate, here's a brief Hollywood Gossip photo comparison of hot Britney Spears vs. wish-to-God-it-was-not Britney Spears...

ROW 1: In her heyday, Britney was the ultimate paradox: a sex symbol, yet virginal tease. Small-town girl with a big heart, unafraid to bare almost all. It was sensational. Later, after she was deflowered, twice married and always pregnant, Britney more closely resembled a trucker high on crystal meth.

ROW 2: Britney (left) in one of her music videos. Britney (right) tries her damndest to become the poster child for teen smoking and bad fashion.

ROW 3: Here we have the live, open-mouthed kiss between Britney and Madonna that inspired more adolescent fantasies than any moment in basic cable history. Adjacent is a candid shot of a lagoon creature masquerading as Britney Spears in late 2006.

ROW 4: At left, a sexy shot taken from a Britney Spears pin-up calendar of yesteryear. By that we mean 2003 (though it looks as if she's wearing no pants - foreshadowing). At right, a shot of Britney bombed out of her mind on New Year's Eve 2007. Partying is all well and good, but when images like this become commonplace, you might want to seek help.

ROW 5: The granddaddy of all comparisons. Britney's photo shoot for Esquire four years ago produced what may be the hottest pictures of any celebrity in recent memory. But it's just that - a memory. Last week, as you know, Brit shaved her head. Nice work.

The list of unusual occurrences at the trial currently taking place to determine the burial grounds of Anna Nicole Smith is too long to delve into now.

But we can start with this: the dream of Judge Larry Seidlin is apparently to become the next Judge Judy. He yearns to be on TV so badly that Seidlin has even made a demo tape of cases that were recorded in his courtroom.

If that doesn't work out, he plans to make a sex tape with Kim Kardashian. Just kidding.

Anyway, back to the case: Scummy murderer Howard K. Stern testified that Anna wanted him to look into how secure cemetery ground plots were in the Bahamas because she and son Daniel were "afraid of bugs."

He also said Smith wanted to be buried near Marilyn Monroe in Los Angeles, but it was too expensive. Anna also talked about death often, fearing that she's pass away while giving birth to Dannielynn Hope.

Larry Birkhead is also inside the courtroom. Before entering, he said:

"I just look at a picture of my daughter and that's all I really need to see, to keep me strong."

Someone please give this man the child. He'll make a much better father than Dr. Sandeep Kapoor.

Meredith Grey is alive.

The Grey's Anatomy gossip circles have been worried all week that the title character met a watery death when she fell into Puget Sound and forgot how to swim two weeks ago - but The Hollywood Gossip has proof that Meredith is alive and well.

Here is Ellen Pompeo, Meredith's thin portrayer, appearing quite alive and happy with her fiance.

Chris Ivery doesn't look too concerned about his love's fate, so we think it's safe to relax about it now.

The sun can go back to shining. Kenny Chesney can go back to not being gay. And Patrick Dempsey can go back to being McDreamy.

We're all gonna be okay.

A day after the shocking news of Britney Spears shaving her head, everyone started weighing in.

It's only natural, then, that the media would seek comment from the studly pop superstar who took Britney's V-card, Justin Timberlake.

But unlike last week, when he jokingly remarked that his ex seek help - and that OK! Magazine was going to start saying bad things about her - the man who's bringing SexyBack looked sad and maybe even a little depressed when asked about Britney's shaved head.

As he was walking away from the paparazzi, there was only silence. But after about two minutes of being hounded, he spoke up.

"It was a smart choice, she is starting over, cleaning herself up. It was the kind of thing you wouldn't expect most people to do. So she is taking a chance," he said of his bald former babe.

There has been talk that Britney has been pining for Justin from the moment she and Kevin Federline separated - and that Timberlake is not interested.

That may be, but regardless, Justin wasn't about to give the press any good sound bites. In fact, he was quick to heap praise upon Britney's (dubious) hot new look.

"She looks amazing, very GI Jane. She can pull off anything."

Demi Moore? Rolling in her grave.

Britney can take comfort in Justin's kidness. But we're guessing Timberlake would concur that his (possible) current flame, Scarlett Johansson, gets the edge in hotness these days.

No offense to America Ferrera or anything.

She's a very lovely actress.

And her boyfriend/possible fiance, Ryan Piers Williams, can certainly vouch for that.

But there are few women anywhere on the planet better looking than Rebecca Romijn, as evidenced by this shot of her talking on the phone during a scene in Ugly Betty.

The actress, of course, used to be married to Full House star John Stamos, dropping the hyphenated portion of her last name after the couple divorced.

We're not here to speculate on the reason behind that break-up - but it's safe to assume Romijn wanted to distance herself from Mary-Kate Olsen as much as possible.

Bob Saget certainly understands.

We're like, totally over Spencer.

So is Lauren Conrad, whether or not he bought her a dozen roses.

Speaking of those flowers, whose intended recipient was in such question, which is sketchier: that Spencer would randomly bring them for Heidi on a lunch date, or that he would bring them for her to give to Lauren to make peace? Entertainment Weekly poses this very valid question.

So while the rift between Lauren and Heidi widened on last night's all-new episode of The Hills, Lauren was hanging with recent Heidi nemesis Audrina Patridge, dissecting the Spencer sitch and eating leftovers.

"Are we eating at the table?" Lauren mused. "Look at us adults."

She then analyzed the relationship between Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag for the 800th time, and predicted (shockingly) that it won't end well.

"I just have the feeling that it's going to be really bad," LC said.

For our part, we seriously can't wait until we can stop talking about that jackass Spencer. Seriously. I mean, even poor, innocent Whitney Port could speak of nothing else during our obligatory Teen Vogue office scene.

The only thing worse? Actually listening to Spencer himself talk. This is a guy who we just learned concocted a scheme in which Brody Jenner would rise to fame by making Nicole Richie eat. We're serious.

Nevertheless, the cameras are fixated on Spencer as he's macking on some more girls. That is, before Lauren Conrad stepped in and had it out with him.

"Heidi gets me and she knows who I am," Spencer shot back.

Take that, LC! Who knows why Heidi comes back for more of his crap, really. But this is The Hills. And incidentally, Lauren - America's Sweetheart - really came into her own sticking up for her friend like that, even if Heidi didn't ask for any sticking up for. Or something.

We're oddly proud of Brody Jenner as well, and not just because he's made it his life's goal to date every reality show star in California. The way he was able to stop trying to get Lauren into bed long enough to defend his friend, creep though he may be, was admirable.

"Of course he was a little bit wrong" Hollywood's most eligible bachelor said of Spencer, "But maybe he feels a little threatened by you."

Then it was back to those pretty, confusion-inducing roses for a few final plot twists. To recap, Spencer shows up with the roses at lunch; then Heidi tosses them to Lauren at home and implies he'd bought them to make amends. Now Spencer blabs to Brody, "Lauren thinks I got her a dozen roses, but it's like, 'Yeah, right, I'm not spending a dollar on you.'"

Then, during the climactic blow-up between Lauren and Heidi at home, Lauren was wondering, "Why would he buy me flowers?" Heidi finally cleared it all up: "I said it like a joke." Ooooh, good one. Apparenly Lauren wasn't so amused either, as this (weirdly) seemed to be the final straw that sent her stomping into her room and slamming the door.

What's to become of the LC-Heidi rift? Is Spencer out of the picture for good? We doubt we'll be that lucky. But here's hoping. Loser.

Britney Spears is getting rid of everything:

• Her husband.
• Her underwear.
• Her self-respect.
• Her beautiful hair.
• Her Beverly Hills mansion.

Yes, the troubled pop star with the shaved head just bought the mansion in question two months ago, and now she's looking to sell it, according to OK! Magazine.

Sources tell the mag that 16-month-old Sean Preston liked living at their old Malibu house better, so Brit may be moving back. She bought the six-bedroom spread for $7.2 million, and is offering it up for $7.5 million.

Meanwhile, the New York Daily News reports that Britney Spears' wigged out look is so radically different, that when she turned up at The Roxy on Sunday night, waiters ignored her as she sat alone in a booth.

Or maybe it's just a reflection of her fall from grace.

Before that, Cue Ball spent some "intense discussion" time with her dad, Jamie, over cups of gumbo at a Cajun joint in Encino, Calif.

Good to see that Jayden James' grandfather is still in the picture. It's more than we can say for his absentee dad. Then again, there's a little custody battle going on there - and K-Fed might do a much better job of parenting than his estranged spouse.