Free Britney

After riding to victory over cancer and to seven consecutive Tour de France titles, Lance Armstrong has now moved on to Ashley Olsen.

The new couple was spotted at New York hotspot Rose Bar on October 29 by an eyewitness who tells Us Weekly, "they were being very flirtatious."

The next night, the odd duo took in play Young Frankenstein. Lance Armstrong and Ashley Olsen then enjoyed dinner and wine at the Waverly Inn.

And while Lance Armstrong was preparing to run in last Sunday's New York City Marathon, the lovebirds shacked up at luxe hotel Soho House, where they both had booked rooms. Sounds like a full house... of love!

Sources tell Us Weekly, however, that 21-year-old Ashley Olsen shouldn't let herself get swept away by the whirlwind Big Apple romance.

"Lance is a candidate for a midlife crisis," says an unnamed source, who the magazine says is close to the divorced father of three.

Why, because he's in his mid-life? Or because he recently broke up with fashion designer Tory Burch and singer Sheryl Crow, to whom he was engaged?

"Next week, he'll be on to someone else," another insider says.

Maybe Mary-Kate Olsen? That would make for some interesting drama... not just between the twins, but between Lance Armstrong and Sean Avery.

When Anne Heche left her husband Coley Laffoon for her Men in Trees co-star James Tupper in 2006, ending his marriage as well... no one batted an eye.

Come on. It's Anne Heche. The woman did the impossible and changed teams, to borrow a classic Seinfeld quote. What's a little infidelity and home-wrecking?

Lately, though, Heche is doing what she can to make her new life with James Tupper normal: "We're so much more comfortable now that our feelings are exposed and everybody knows about them," she told Extra.

Anne Heche says that being a couple makes working together easier.

"They're less challenging," she says of her love scenes with hunky James Tupper. "Usually when you're doing a love scene with somebody you're not in love with, it's like you kiss and you kiss and then you think, 'Oh, great.'"

But for Anne Heche and James Tupper, a love scene is downright fun: "When they yell, 'Cut,' we just lay there and wait for the next take to go," she says.

So cute. So will Heche, who has a son with Coley Laffoon, and Tupper start a family of their own? She says: "Gotta leave it open, ya know what I'm saying?"

If the past is any indication, when it comes to Anne Heche, anything goes.

Despite their very strange relationship, we wish this couple the best. These hot co-stars are like a Men in Trees version of Sabrina Bryan and Mark Ballas.

Twelve years after being acquitted on double-murder charges, OJ Simpson is back in court in Nevada on aggravated kidnapping charges and other felonies.

Simpson and several cohorts was arrested and charged with various criminal counts stemming from an alleged robbery in a Las Vegas casino-hotel.

OJ Simpson, 60, Clarence Stewart, 53, and Charles Ehrlich, 53, face charges of kidnapping, robbery, assault, conspiracy and coercion.

Admitted robbery accomplices Charles Cashmore, 40, Walter Alexander, 46, and Michael McClinton, 49, have taken plea bargains and are expected to testify for the prosecution that guns were brandished during the Simpson-led September 13 "sting operation" against two sports memorabilia dealers.

OJ Simpson: New decade, new felonies, new mug shots.

At today's preliminary hearing, Las Vegas Judge Joe M. Bonaventure is due to determine whether there is enough evidence to set the case for a trial.

The jurist should not lack for evidence, given that three of OJ Simpson's alleged co-conspirators have accepted plea bargains to testify against The Juice.

The preliminary hearing is expected to continue into Friday and possibly even Saturday. Simpson's attorneys claim they are prepared to face the challenges ahead and say they understand the perception of Simpson.

At a press conference in September, OJ Simpson's attorney, Yale Galanter, stated, "We know who our client is. We know what you guys think."

Should Bonaventure decide there is enough evidence for trial, it's likely that the new OJ Simpson trial wouldn't begin until 2008.

So far, Simpson is 0-1 vs. the Las Vegas justice system. Tuesday, his legal team argued unsuccessfully that prosecutors are using the media against OJ.

If 2006 was Carrie Underwood's coming-out party at the CMA Awards, 2007 solidified her place among the current greats of country music.

For the second year in a row, Underwood won two big awards in Nashville on Tuesday night, repeating as female vocalist of the year and nabbing single of the year for "Before He Cheats." Last year, she won the Horizon Award.

"God had blessed me with so many wonderful things in my life, and I will spend my entire life trying to figure out why," Carrie Underwood, 24, said after beating out Reba McEntire and other veterans for the vocalist award.

"If you had told me a few years ago I would have been nominated with the people that I have been nominated with, I would have called you insane."

 Carrie Underwood: A winner at American Idol, country music, and life.

Unfazed by rumors of her boyfriends (past and present) maybe dating others - Tony Romo and Sophia Bush, Chace Crawford and Katrina Bowden - Carrie continues to make her name in country music. We couldn't be happier.

Days after a judge ruled that Britney Spears could only spend three days a week with her children, she reacted by leaving her two kids in her parked car with a court-appointed monitor (whose job description apparently does not include babysitting) as she shopped for $18,200 worth of chandeliers.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Why does Britney Spears â€" even after having custody of her kids taken away â€" keep exhibiting such bizarre, highly questionable behavior when it comes to parenting? Simple: She's frickin' nuts, reports the newest Us Weekly!

Sources say the troubled pop "singer" does not seem to grasp the gravity of her custody case (there's a shock), and they blame her bizarre public behavior  - her swapping clothes with a stranger, frequent trips to the L.A. club scene wearing no underwear, etc. - on psychological issues, not drugs. 

"It's not substance abuse â€" it's mental!" a confidante says of Britney Spears.

Some suspect adult-onset ADD or depression, with one friend (Alli Sims? Sam Lutfi? Shannon Funk? Lucy Walsh?) saying, "Postpartum has always been a problem" after giving birth to Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1.

For more about Britney Spears' struggles, check out the latest issue of Us ... or just wait six hours until she gives us her next crotch shot.

In a twist that could only happen in the universe of The Hills, Spencer Pratt, long-accused of spreading rumors about a Lauren Conrad sex tape, now finds himself the subject of sex tape rumors ... involving himself.

A recent National Enquirer report claims Spencer Pratt is shopping footage of himself and some pals hooking up with a bevy of Brazilian women (before he met fiance Heidi Montag) and wants it released on the sly.

Specifically, under the guise that it had been "stolen." Hmm. That's quite the ruse... and the kind of thing we would certainly never put past Spencer Pratt.

Spencer and Heidi: A sex tape on the way?

Spencer tells Us: "I was never on camera. There is no sex tape. However, I did go to Brazil three years ago to film a jujitsu tournament for a documentary."

Yes, of course he did.

If a naked Spencer Pratt were to be found fornicating on film, this could be the next big scandal - perhaps even bigger than the Amy Fisher sex tape.

"Initial licensing could be upward of a million dollars," says an industry source who has bought and sold sex photos, pics of nude celebrities and video of stars doing the nasty. "He could easily turn it into a money-making machine."

More on the supposed Spencer sex tape if and when the story develops.

With Brody Jenner and Lauren Conrad considering rekindling a relationship on The Hills, LC is already getting the go-ahead - from Jenner's dad, Bruce.

At a recent celebrity golf event hosted by the Entertainment Industry Foundation, Bruce Jenner told People, "I wouldn't watch the show probably if it wasn't for Brody. But I try to get in as many episodes as I possibly can."

It's proven to be a way to keep a close eye on his son's love life. While Bruce Jenner says he has a "hard time trying to keep up with all the drama on that show," he admits he's tuned in enough to make a judgment call on whether Lauren Conrad would be a good person for his son to date.

"I have no problem with that," he said. "Brody's a good kid. He's dated a lot of girls and yeah, Lauren would be very good for him."

Bruce Jenner won an Olympic gold medal in the decathlon. He's also a good judge of character, having endorsed Lauren Conrad as a girlfriend for son Brody.

When asked how she felt about getting Mr. Jenner's approval at the launch party for the new video game "Assassin's Creed" Tuesday night, Lauren Conrad laughed - and revealed that he wasn't the only one she'd impressed.

"When I kissed him on his birthday, his mom [Linda Thompson] was there, and walked over and gave him the double thumbs," she said. "I almost died!"

It's no surprise to The Gossip that Bruce Jenner digs LC ... compared to what his step-daughter (Kim Kardashian) gets up to, The Hills is a walk in the park.

Forget about Tony Romo, Matt Leinart and Tom Brady for a second.

Lost in the NFL quarterbacks' quest to dominate celebrity gossip headlines are the efforts of more than a few past and present NHL stars to slip one between the pads (if you know what we mean!) of certain celebrities.

While few NHL players match Romo or Brady's notoriety - more people have already read this post than watched last year's Stanley Cup Finals - more than a few hockey stars have scored - and skated on thin ice - with Hollywood's finest. Below, we separate the bottom-feeders from the true players ...

HIT THE SHOWERS

José Theodore. The Colorado Avalanche netminder partied with Paris in 2006 while girlfriend Stéphanie Cloutier was pregnant. You'd think a goalie, of all people, would be able to fend off such a brutal attack. Here's hoping he at least used protection... and we don't mean his 30 pounds of hockey equipment.

A FULL HOUSE ... OF KIDS

Valeri Bure. Full House star Dave Coulier introduced Bure to his Canadian co-star cutie, Candace Cameron, in 1996. The rest (marriage, three kids) is history.

Wayne Gretzky. How can we leave off the legend who wed and has four kids with actress/model Janet Jones. Wayne revealed to Howard Stern that he and Janet Jones "consummated their relationship" the night they met at an L.A. Lakers game in 1987. Stern's reply: "That's why they call you The Great One."

GAME MISCONDUCTS

Jordin Tootoo. Nicknamed The TooToo Train, the first native of Canada's Nunavut territory to make it to the NHL was an inspiring story. When the Nashville Predators enforcer hooked up with American Idol alum and country singer Kellie Pickler this spring, it was a match made in... an alternate universe. But a happy one just the same. That is, until he messed around on Kellie, who later told a sold-out crowd that her new theme song is Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats" and said she hoped Jordin Tootoo's teeth would be knocked out in a game. [*whistle*] You can take that TooToo Train straight to the penalty box, Jordin.

Sean Avery. The 27-year-old New York Rangers winger already has 913 career penalty minutes, and his off-ice exploits have certainly landed him in the sin bin of love more than once. Sean Avery is supposedly dating Mary-Kate Olsen and has been linked to Rachel Hunter and Elisha Cuthbert. He is also rumored to be the subject of Justin Timberlake's "What Goes Around... / ...Comes Around."

CUP CONTENDERS

Mike Comrie. Hilary Duff is known for being a good girl among raunchy celebs, but Mike Comrie is melting her ice! The two have been dating since July, and recent reports have Hilary gettin' freaky with the Islanders center - in public no less! The 2000 Hobey Baker Award finalist is now on his fifth NHL team, but it looks like he might be on Team Duff for quite some time.

Mike Modano. In December 2006, Mike Modano signed a lifetime deal with singer, Playboy centerfold and Dancing with the Stars alum Willa Ford. The former #1 overall pick has always known how to light the lamp (507 times career), and he's certainly lit a fire with Willa Ford. Modano hoisted the Stanley Cup in 1999, but snaring a trophy (wife) like this might be his best career goal.

One day.

That's how long since The Hollywood Gossip published a story about "rocker" Pete Doherty staying clean and turning over a new leaf with Irina Lazareanu - today, we learn that new photos of Doherty using heroin have surfaced.

Record company reps for Pete Doherty apologized and issued a statement in an attempt to shame the Babyshambles singer into sobriety. It was just Tuesday that the troubled star spoke out about missing drugs, but said he was clean.

The letter reads:

"Pete Doherty would like to apologize to the medical staff, fans and well-wishers who have helped and encouraged him in fighting his addiction to heroin. His ongoing rehabilitation was a source of such pride to him that Peter and those closest to him thought that he was close to winning his personal battle with drugs. However, Peter sadly relapsed last week and is now looking to check himself back into a rehab clinic so that he can try to continue the hitherto excellent attempts he had made to break free of heroin. He realizes that he has not only let himself down but has let down those who trusted and encouraged his efforts and he is filled with remorse for what he describes today as, 'a stupid, stupid action for which I feel only shame.'"

It is indeed sad. Here's hoping that those close to Pete - including ex Kate Moss and her new boyfriend Jamie Hince - stick by him in this time of need.

A court has ordered that Britney Spears must pay $120,000 in legal fees to her upstanding ex-husband, Kevin Federline, in their ongoing custody battle.

In documents released Tuesday, L.A. County Commissioner Scott Gordon told Spears to pay all but $40,000 of K-Fed's stated $160,000 in legal fees.

The decision was made based on the former couple's income - as a "recording artist," Britney Spears claims average earnings of over $737,000 a month, but "self employed" FedEx has stated he has no net income after expenses.

Kevin Federline currently receives from Spears $15,000 in child support, and $20,000 a month in spousal support, which expires on November 15.

Not a good day for Britney Spears, who in addition to getting socked with Kevin's legal bills, parked her Mercedes illegally in a handicapped spot.

Apparently in a huge rush to get her $29 fake tan session underway at her home away from home - Tanning Plus in Studio City, Calif. - Britney Spears just couldn't muster the strength to park legally a few feet away.

Inside, a tanning manager named Annette told Us Weekly, "[Britney] said she was a little tired, but she was happy. She said she sure loves the sun!"

Enough to face a $500 fine? Maybe that's why she hustled out of the store with her "cousin" Alli Sims, 26, quickly after a 20-minute fake n' bake job.

Oh, and despite previous reports this morning by The Hollywood Gossip, it looks like Britney's new album, Blackout, didn't top the charts after all.

Blackout sold roughly 290,000 copies in its first week, coming in at No. 2 on the charts behind The Eagles' Long Road Out of Eden, which sold 711,000.

By comparison, Carrie Underwood, who owes her fame to a 2005 American Idol win, sold 527,000 copies of Carnival Ride in the week of its release.