Celebrity news and gossip tend to be cyclical.

The good periods involve massive amounts of celebrity fashion train wrecks, DUI arrests, babies, pregnancies, engagements and general news of note.

It's a happy time for all. But the slow news days, weeks or months? Well, they cause people in the celeb gossip industry to get desperate.

Some cope with the void by digging deep for stories about Peter Sarsgaard and the like. Others simply make news up, no matter how absurd.

Take the Britney Spears story below. In the past, Star Magazine has run very similar articles, even going so far as to run old Britney Spears photos with new headlines, misleading the public into thinking there is actually something worth reading.

We can't help but notice how much Britney Spears' "new bikini body" looks like her old bikini body ... and losing 20 pounds in 30 days? Come on, Star.

Since cleaning up her act a bit, Britney Spears has become less of a train wreck. Which is good, as we really didn't wish to see her die. Yet she makes far less interesting copy nowadays. You may want to just give it up at some point, Star.

You have to hand it to this celebrity gossip magazine on the Suri Cruise birthday / Katie Holmes crying photo and headline, though. Quality pic!