Sarkozy Denies Desperate Text to Ex-Wife

First lady compared website editors to collaborationists

(NEWSER) - France's first lady of less than 2 weeks has already had her first run-in with the media, after incautiously comparing a gossip website with Nazi collaborators, reports the Independent. Carla Bruni-Sarkozy yesterday apologized for an interview in which she denounced a website that printed a dubious item about her new husband by saying, "If these types of websites had existed during the war, how many denunciations of Jews would there have been?" More»

Plus, Winehouse hospitalized yet again, and more

(NEWSER) - Britney Spears’ legal battles continue—but this time it’s the pop princess who’s getting sued, by her former bodyguard, Us reports. Kerry Vine, who says he was hurt while working at Spears’ former home, is suing her for personal injury, battery, and negligence. Elsewhere:

• Amy Winehouse was hospitalized—for the third time in three months—after binging on alcohol in St. Lucia, the Sun reports.

Bag maker must pay $58K

(NEWSER) - A company has been fined more than $58,000 for using the naked image of France's first lady without her permission, the BBC reports. A court on Reunion, a French island in the Indian Ocean, says canvas bags made by Pardon! violated Carla Bruni's rights to her own image. The bags feature a 1993 image of Bruni and the words: "My boyfriend should have bought me Pardon." Damages will go to charity. More»

From model to wife of French president Sarkozy, VF profiles multi-faceted Carla

(NEWSER) - Who could have imagined that Italian supermodel-singer Carla Bruni would find love with a right-wing French president? Maureen Orth takes a look at France’s First Lady in Vanity Fair: her education in art and architecture, admiration of women's-libbers Simone de Beauvoir and Françoise Sagan, and her husband's reaction to nude pictures online. ("Oh, I like this one! Can I have a print of it?") More»

Ex-supermodel's B&W image expected to fetch at least $3K

(NEWSER) - A black-and-white photograph of Carla Bruni will go up for sale at an auction next month, Reuters reports. Christie’s expects the portrait of Nicolas Sarkozy's bride to attract a final bid of $3,000 to $4,000, and the auction house's announcement of the sale on the eve of a state visit to the UK isn't sitting well with the subject, the Daily Mail reports. More»