Nicole Richie
Gossip

Blondes may have more fun, but according to Nicole Richie, brunettes have more I.Q. points. At least that's what she joked on Twitter this weekend.

Nicole debuted her new darker locks at Costa Mesa's Bloomingdale's, where she was promoting her House of Harlow 1960 holiday jewelry collection.

"OH! & P.S. I went brunette. I feel smarter already," she Twittered.

That she did. It seems like just yesterday she was wandering around like a mess. But now she looks great, in our opinion - regardless of hair color!

Which color do you think suits her locks best, though? Vote below!

Nicole Richie totally looks better as a ...

For no reason other than cute fun, Nicole Richie and Joel Madden posed adorably with their little ones in some snapshots for her official website.

Nicole may not be friends with Paris Hilton, but she's got all the love and support she needs from what one of the cutest celeb families around!

Aren't these pictures of Nicole, Joel, their 23-month-old daughter Harlow and their adorable three-month-old son Sparrow just the sweetest?

Family fun with the Richie-Maddens.

On a side note, Nicole is rocking a new hairstyle that we're a fan of. Harlow's curls and smile just make us melt, too. Sparrow? He was recently born, so he's allowed to look a little confused. Joel? You look tired, man! Get some coffee!

Nicole Richie, who just signed a deal for her own show on ABC, once starred on The Simple Life with Paris Hilton. They had a falling out at some point during it.

They have not been friends since.

Of her new series, Nicole wrote: "The story revolves around a young, modern and professional woman who must balance her business and family relationships."

Snooze. Sure, it sounds like quality television ... but this is Nicole Richie! We want to see her paired with Paris once again! Too bad that isn't gonna happen.

"No," a friend of hers flatly said when the idea was thrown out there by E! Looks like that major bad blood between these two L.A. socialites hasn't faded.

The ol' days: Paris and Nicole while they were still eating.

Still, why would Nicole rule out bringing back her former BFF for a ratings-boosting cameo? Paris can make fun of herself with the best of them, right?

Not to mention the fact that without Paris Hilton, no one would know / care who Nicole Richie is. It's a little puzzling why they do anyway. But hey.

We're not trying to cause trouble, or suggesting that you care. we're just sayin'.

Nicole Richie, who first became famous on The Simple Life with then-best friend Paris Hilton, has signed a deal with ABC to star in a half-hour comedy.

Yes, we're serious.

It's not easy to transition to scripted shows from reality TV (or The Hills, for that matter, as Kristin Cavallari can attest), but Nicole is ready to try to.

The pilot for the as-yet-untitled show is based on Richie's original idea and will be written by 30 Rock scribe Daisy Gardner. What's Nic have to say?

"I am so excited to announce that I am officially working on a television project," the mother of two wrote on her official blog. "I am creating a half hour scripted comedy developed for ABC in which I will be starring in, as well as producing."

Can Nicole Richie make it as a TV star and producer?

"The story revolves around a young, modern and professional woman who must balance her business and family relationships. She must deal with, and navigate the many ideas of what a woman's role is: modern vs. traditional."

"Lately, I have been surrounded by many different women of all ages and walks of life. It amazes me to watch and observe how many different ideas there are about what a woman's role should be in this changing era."

"I've taken these fascinating ideas, and compiled them into something that I think will be very special (and funny!)," Nicole Richie added. "We're still in the very early stages and I can't wait to share more with you soon!"

Richie's show will likely shoot a pilot this spring. If ABC likes it, the series would presumably be picked up to premiere as part of its Fall 2010 lineup.

She was kinda cute in that Chuck episode she did last year, but can Nicole really shoulder her own show? Does it even sound any good? Thoughts?

Nicole Richie has been hospitalized. Fortunately, it's nothing bad.

No car accident, no starvation-induced exhaustion, not even a touch of the swine. She's just got a case of pneumonia and is actually "doing well."

"Nicole has checked into Cedars-Sinai where she is being treated for pneumonia," her rep tells celebrity gossip site X17: "She is doing quite well."

Last week the star's rep shot down rumors on the 'nets that the mother of two was suffering from the swine flu. Apparently she's just got a cold.

On Sunday, she Tweeted about battling her pesky illness, writing "ok cold, it's been 6 days. Lets part ways graciously & keep it moving."

Get well soon, Nicole!

Earlier this week, we told you how Nicole Richie and Joel Madden were pronounced man and wife in court. This was just a mistake by her attorney. They're not married. He'll be by her side anyway, though, as will her kids. Cute family, they are.

Erroneously, that is.

Nicole Richie appeared Monday in court and was granted a permanent protective order against celebrity gossip photographers she had accused of harassing her.

She told the court about the car accident she blamed on the the paparazzi. But the news that caused the most buzz was her attorney, Mark Geragos, repeatedly referring to Joel Madden as "your husband" during questioning of Richie.

That was news to us.

But while Richie and Madden have been together for three years and have two young children, they have not, as far as we know, actually gotten married.

There is no marriage license on file in L.A. County for the duo. Afterward, Geragos explained the husband reference, calling it his mistake, nothing more.

Nicole Richie married? No. Mother of a cute daughter? Yes!

He told E! News that Richie and Madden have a "common-law" marriage, and Richie and Madden, who were standing next to him, didn't say otherwise.

However, California doesn't recognize common-law marriage, and a source close to the couple insisted that Geragos just misspoke, plain and simple.

That settles that.

As for the hearing, Richie and Madden both took the stand to discuss Nicole's recent car accident that they blamed on the pesky pair of paparazzi peeps.

Joel said of his non-wife and two-time baby mama: "She's with the kids 24-7. She takes them to work. She's constantly terrified" of what will happen.

Judge Carol Goodson acknowledged that the photographers do have a right to earn a living, but granted a protective order because "the court is extremely concerned about the possibility of a future accident" involving Nicole and her kids.

The photogs, who were also present in court, apologized to Richie and "promised" to leave her alone. The paps must now stay at least 50 feet away.

Proud parents Nicole Richie and Joel Madden have debuted their little boy, Sparrow, to the world this week. Still a mystery? Why he's named Sparrow.

Posing with the cuddly 6-week-old in this week's People, Nicole and her longtime partner, Joel Madden, sort of address that subject in the magazine.

"We have different tastes in names," Nicole tells the celebrity news staple. "Sparrow was one we both liked. I liked the way it sounded with Harlow.

"There's also the Captain Jack Sparrow connection."

Joel adds, "It reminded me of the Johnny Cash song 'A Boy Named Sue.' My worry raising a son in Hollywood is what will he have to struggle for?"

"I wanted to give him a name that he's going to have to stand up for. I love it; I think it's a beautiful name."

Joel Madden and Nicole Richie are proud parents of two extremely cute kids with two interesting names! Their explanations for said names? Equally puzzling.

So basically, Joel Madden wanted to name his son Sparrow not only aware he will be mocked for it, but in part BECAUSE of that fact. Awesome.

As for rumors going around the Internet that Joel and Nicole are actually secretly married, that doesn't seem to be true. At least not right now.

"One day I would love to get married," Nicole says. "It's not something we're talking about. If my kids ask me to get married, I'd get married."

This concludes today's celebrity baby name article. We now returned to regularly scheduled Balloon Boy / Jon Gosselin / Steve Phillips gossip.

We admire celebrity gossip photographers' relentless pursuit of the latest Hollywood news, but they should at least follow the rules of the road. Those jerks.

Nicole Richie is seeking medical treatment following a car accident, police say, after sh rear-ended in her Land Rover by a paparazzo in Beverly Hills.

The run-in took place just before 2 p.m. on Monday, Lt. Tony Lee said.

"She complained of pain," he said, adding that Nicole Richie refused medical care at the scene but is "going to seek her own medical treatment."

According to a witness, the 28-year-old mother of two went to L.A.'s Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with her mother to be treated for minor injuries.

Nicole Richie is okay but seeking treatment.

The driver who rear-ended Richie was arrested and charged with driving without a license, and is in the process of being "physically booked," Lee said.

Police are still trying to verify his identity.

A police spokesperson could not confirm if anyone was speeding at the time of the collision but said that they weren't at a traffic light or intersection.

An unnamed adult was a passenger in Richie's car, but her two children - Harlow, 20 months, and Sparrow, born Sept. 9 - were not in the vehicle.

Get well soon Nicole!

Nicole Richie's bio on her Wikipedia page describes her as a "socialite, actress, author, singer and TV personality," active from 2003-present. We aren't sure how true any of that is, but she turns 28 today. Happy birthday, Nicole!

These days, Lionel Richie's daughter is perhaps best known as a mother herself - she and Joel Madden are parents to Harlow, 1, and Sparrow, two weeks.

Hey, it could be worse than being known as the mom of two of the cutest celebrity babies around, right? Here's a little photo tribute to the birthday girl:

It is only fitting that Nicole Richie, who just became a mom for the second time, took to Twitter to tweet for joy about her new baby bird ... er, boy, Sparrow.

After the birth of their son yesterday Nicole and fiance Joel Madden each went online to express their love for themselves publicity Twitter itself their child.

"What a great day to come back on Twitter," Nicole wrote, somehow without sarcasm. "Thank you everyone for your well wishes. I love my family!!"

That's good. We wouldn't have believed it, and it probably wouldn't even be true if she hadn't written about it online for 639,351 of her closest friends.

Joel also lamely Twittered props to his son: "1st day of his life & my son is already a trending topic on twitter. That's right son, ur just like your old man."

We're happy the baby is healthy and all, guys, but get a life. Go hang out with Sparrow. Occasional updates are great, but so is the idea of moderation.

Is the nanny busy caring for the baby while you Twitter about it?

Harlow has yet to welcome Sparrow to the world on Twitter. Get on it, girl!