Free Britney

After a long period of of estrangement, Britney Spears finally grabbed the phone and called the one person she needed most: the Domino's delivery guy her mom.

Lynne Spears immediately went into action, hopping on a flight on October 5 to L.A. from Kentwood, La., along with 16-year-old Jamie Lynne Spears.

Insiders say Britney Spears was "a bundle of hard drugs nerves" that night as she waited for the arrival of her mother and l'il sister.

"She was extremely excited," says a pal. "She was shaking."

T.H. GOSSIP NOTE: That might just be withdrawal from crystal meth.

Regardless, Britney Spears has been in better spirits with mom Lynne Spears and sister Jamie Lynn Spears in town. Kind of funny that the pic of them together on the People Magazine cover here is actually two separate photos, however.

The Britney Spears clan: back together at last. Minus Britney's Spears kids, who she can't see because she's a chronic user of alcohol and drugs, of course.

"It must have taken a lot for Britney to let down her guard," says Spears' friend Robert Baker, head of the Millennium Dance Complex.

"She felt betrayed by her mom when she first went to rehab. But there are times when you just need your family more than anything."

If anyone needs a mom right now, it's Britney, who can perhaps appreciate Lynne Spears' own pain at being separated from her own flesh and blood.

Spears, who was labeled "a habitual, frequent and continuous" user of drugs and alcohol, is estranged from children Sean Preston and Jayden James, who are living with their father, Kevin Federline, until further notice.

There was certainly no shortage of worthy candidates, but Esquire magazine has settled on Charlize Theron as its "sexiest woman alive" this year.

We're not sure if we'd go that far, but the Oscar-winning actress, 32, is certainly looking damn good in magazine's new issue, due out Tuesday.

Yeah. This sexy Charlize Theron photo might prove Esquire's point.

Charlize Theron won an Oscar for her role in Monster, and was nominated for another for North Country. She also has a funny side, delivering some great Arrested Development quotes in a recurring role on the offbeat Fox comedy.

Sexiest woman alive, though? That's a bit of a stretch. Charlize sure is in the running for this homor, but what about these other worthy candidates?

• Clytie Lane
• Lucy Pinder
• Kristin Davis
• Minka Kelly
• Kimberly Bell
• Hayden Panettiere (she's legal now!)
• Britney Spears (just kidding, y'all!)

Well, she did is more accurate. Like, a long time ago. Like 2000. Who the hell knew the moderately attractive Pussycat Dolls were rendering their rare brand of somewhat sexy dancing and terrible music so long ago?

In any case, long before you knew who Nicole Scherzinger was, Gwen Stefani performed with the original Pussycat Dolls lineup way back in the day.

The Hollaback Girl herself sang and danced in black lingerie and a headband in her performance of "Big Spender." Peep this video if you're curious.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icMR964Woqk[/youtube]

Say what you will about them, the Pussycat Dolls have serious longevity. This is a troupe that's been doing its thing for almost a decade! Riley Giles and then men in Lindsay Lohan's life may come and go... but PCD is here to stay, yo. Loosen up my buttons, babe! I must stick wit u, girls!

Multiple sources confirm that hell has frozen over Britney Spears has taken and passed a drug test! Ding-dang it! Yee-haw, y'all! I gone get ma kids back!

The quote-unquote singer, 25, had been ordered by a court to submit to drug testing twice weekly as part of her custody battle with K-Fed.

A friend of Britney Spears (who may or may not be Alli Sims or Sam Lutfi) tells Us Weekly, "Her family and friends told her how important it was so she did it. She's trying to do everything right finally."

Except for, you know, not doing drugs in the first place. Or putting on pants while running errands. Or spending time with the kids and not at clubs. Just saying.

In addition to the drug tests, the court has ordered that the troubled Britney Spears must continue to attend individual counseling and parenting classes.

Spears' mother, Lynne Spears, and sister, Jamie Lynn Spears, arrived in Los Angeles on October 5, after a difficult week for the pop-star.

Just a day earlier, a judge upheld his decision to grant Spears' ex, Kevin Federline, sole custody of sons Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1, until further order.

Though Spears had been estranged from her family, a source tells Us that their reunion is going "really well! Britney is happy to be with her mom again."

Aww. At least one of Britney Spears' families isn't broken.

Troubled actor David Hasselhoff has indeed been hospitalized, as first reported by the National Enquirer, his representative confirms.

Judy Katz says the Hoff, a struggling alcoholic, had a relapse and is in the hospital, but fine.

In an exclusive statement, Katz told celebrity news site TMZ that: "David Hasselhoff had a brief relapse, and immediately recognized the importance of addressing it with the assistance of his doctors. He is fine and will be back home in the morning."

By our calculations, this is the 14th time he's been hospitalized for alcohol abuse.

But at least David Hasselhoff has the joyous news of his former Baywatch co-star Pamela Anderson's marriage to Rick Salomon to comfort him at this time.

As for how this will affect his custody case, that remains to be seen. Sources say his children had been in ex-wife Pamela Bach's care for the last six weeks as he's been out of the country in Romania shooting "Anaconda 3" - an instant classic.

A mediation is scheduled for Thursday. David Hasselhoff was last seen in public Thursday night, outside of Koi with one of his daughters.

Let this be a lesson to all of those celebrities who get out of rehab. Do not immediately begin drinking again. Especially wearing no pants.

The police decided they won't press charges, but that hasn't stopped reality star Jonny Fairplay is suing another reality star - Danny Bonaduce - for battery and infliction of emotional distress for tossing him during an awards show last week.

The Jonny Fairplay lawsuit stems, of course, from the pair's confrontation on stage during the FOX Reality Really Channel awards.

Fairplay, 33, was being jeered by the audience when Bonaduce, 48, came out and said into the mic, "They're booing because they hate you."

A moment later, Jonny Fairplay (real name Jon Dalton) jumped into the arms of Danny Bonaduce, who tossed him over his head. It kind of hurt.

Jonny Fairplay landed on his face, losing several teeth.

Police investigated but declined to press charges, calling the actions of Danny Bonaduce complicit with "self-defense."

But on Tuesday, Fairplay filed suit against the former Partridge Family star, as well as FOX reality channel, the show's producers and the club venue.

Jonny Fairplay claims that the incident has caused him "great mental, physical and nervous pain and suffering." He is suing for an undisclosed amount of "general damages" from Danny Bonaduce.

Michael Vick has taken another blind side hit - and an expensive one, at that.

Already facing prison time, the disgraced quarterback lost the first round in his financial battle with the Atlanta Falcons when an arbitrator ruled Tuesday that Michael Vick must repay $20 million in bonuses he got from the team while secretly bankrolling a gruesome dogfighting ring.

The case is far from over. The NFL players' union said it will appeal the ruling by Stephen B. Burbank, a University of Pennsylvania law professor.

The Falcons argued that Vick, who pleaded guilty to federal charges for his role in the long-running dogfighting operation, knew he was in violation of the contract when he signed a 10-year, $130 million deal in December 2004.

The team said Michael Vick used money from that contract to fund his illicit ring and sought the repayment of $19,970,000 he was paid over three years.

"We are certainly pleased with today's ruling," the Falcons said in a statement. "It is the first step in a process that our club has undertaken in an attempt to recoup significant salary cap space that will allow us to continue to build our team."

In a very technical ruling, Burbank said the Falcons are entitled to $3.75 million of the $7.5 million bonus that Michael Vick was paid after signing the contract in 2004, $13.5 million of the $22.5 million roster, reporting and playing bonuses he was paid in 2005 and 2006, and $2.72 million of the $7 million roster, reporting and playing bonus that he received this year.

Continue Reading...

Not even Jack Bauer could get out of this one.

The actor who plays him, Kiefer Sutherland, pleaded no contest Tuesday to a charge of driving with a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit and will serve 30 days in county jail under terms of a plea agreement.

Attorney Blair Berk entered the plea on behalf of Kiefer Sutherland, who was not present. As part of the arrangement, Sutherland must also enroll in an 18-month alcohol-education class and attend weekly alcohol-therapy sessions.

The charge of driving with a blood-alcohol level of .08 percent or higher stemmed from a traffic stop in Los Angeles last month.

A second misdemeanor charge, driving under the influence, was dropped.

Kiefer Sutherland is on probation for a 2004 drunk driving arrest. Superior Court Judge Stuart M. Rice revoked the actor's probation in that case.

Sutherland, star of Fox's 24, could face six months in jail for violating probation. Sentencing is set for December 21, the same day the show begins its winter break.

And the list of celebrities arrested for DUI - and even serving time behind bars, albeit briefly - continues to swell. Who's next?

Please, Britney, give us less.

We've already seen Britney Spears topless, wearing no pants, goin' clubbing with no underwear, and pretty much nude. What is an uncut version of "Gimme More" gonna do for us, really? Besides give us an excuse to talk about her?

Not much. But nonetheless, here's Britney Spears topless except for very carefully placed "pasties" in this raw version of the "Gimme More" music video...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zdo3-zmjKXw[/youtube]

As you can see, an almost naked Britney Spears is seen taking off a leather vest while dancing around a stripper pole as she moans "Gimme More." The "singer" then thrusts her body to the beat while holding up her breasts with her bare hands, and sometimes with her vest as well. Oooh yeah, this is HOT stuff.

Sort of. Or not really. Who hasn't seen Britney Spears nude or darn close to it at this point? Take a seat, J.R. Rotem. It was a rhetorical question.

Lily Allen has something to "smile" about.

Claiming she's as big of a bad-ass lush as Amy Winehouse is a losing battle (one that she shouldn't mind losing, really), she's also losing something else: weight!

The songstress has been flaunting a newly svelte body all over Paris this week during fashion week. So how did she drop from a size 12 to an 8?

Surprisingly, not hard drugs, bulimia or starvation. Hypnosis.

Allen slimmed down with the help of Susan Hepburn, a known quack psychotherapist who (for $600 an hour) implants messages into clients' minds, reminding them to stop eating if full.

She's good at what she does, too. Take a look at Keira Knightley, Kate Bosworth, Mischa Barton and Nicole Richie (before she got knocked up, that is).

According to the Daily Mail, Hepburn also teaches clients to associate healthy activities, such as working out in the gym, with happiness. We would love to see this doctor join the Grey's Anatomy cast.

"After the hypnotism, I want to go to the gym every day, otherwise I feel really bad," Allen, 22, said. "I just want to get more toned and healthy. I'm really good about everything at the moment. I've never been happier."

Lily Allen's self-confidence certainly has increased since last spring. In May, the "Smile" singer posted a melancholy blog post on her MySpace page in which she blogged about her body image issues.

"I used to pride myself on being strong minded and not being just some stupid girl obsessed with the way I look," Lily Allen wrote. "I felt like it didn't matter if I was a bit chubby cause I'm not a model, I'm a singer."

"I'm afraid I am not strong and have fallen victim to the evil machine. I write to you in a sea of tears from my hotel bed in Seattle, I have spent the past hour researching gastric bypass surgery, and liposuction."

Maybe someone should try to hypnotize that wreck Britney Spears into caring about her kids and laying off the booze once in awhile. Just an idea.