Celebs Misbehaving

Britney Spears is battling her ex over a $1 million legal bill related to the custody fight over their two sons. The court held off yesterday on ruling on the fees, and instead ordered Spears to stick to a $1,500-a-week spending limit, reports Reuters. Spears' attorney argued that the fees for both sides charged to Britney—who has been ordered to pay former hubby Kevin Federline's legal expenses—should be slashed to no more than $175,000. More »

A Los Angeles court has pegged the price of being Britney Spears' dad at $2,500 a week, E! Online reports, plus car-rental expenses. Jamie Spears was given control of the pop princess' estate Feb. 1, while his 26-year-old daughter was hospitalized for mental issues. The court yesterday ordered that conservatorship, which was to expire earlier this week, extended through July. More »

In year-old video just now resurfacing, best-actress Oscar winner Marion Cotillard says she doesn't believe the "official story" of  the 9/11 attacks—and she's not sure the moon landing was real, either, the Telegraph reports. In a TV interview, the French star of La Vie en Rose speculates that the World Trade Center towers were so outdated that their destruction was engineered and passed off as a terrorist attack, since it would be cheaper than trying to renovate. More »

As Britney Spears' True Hollywood Story unfolds in real time, the latest dust-up centers on mother Lynne Spears' accusations that her daughter was drugged by former manager Sam Lutfi. The LAPD is working "to determine if laws have been violated" in response to Lynne's deposition claiming that Lutfi told her he had added ground-up pills to Britney's food, reports E! Online. More »

“Madonna’s leaving, Perez is coming.” Those words are straight from the mouth of the music industry's most unlikely new player, gossip blogger Perez Hilton. He has parlayed posts praising unknown and upcoming acts on his website into a possible deal doing the same for Warner Brothers Records, the New York Times reports. More »

Take that, Sarah. A star-studded—and very much tongue-in-cheek—ode to Jimmy Kimmel's lust for Ben Affleck has become an Internet sensation, Billboard reports. The late-night host's video is a rebuttal to girlfriend Sarah Silverman's "I'm F---ing Matt Damon." The latest salvo, with Kimmel and a host of guest stars, including Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt, is called "I'm F---ing Ben Affleck." More »

The LA police chief says proposed legislation regulating paparazzi would be unnecessary if celebrities stayed away from photographers rather than the other way around, the Huffington Post reports. “What we need is Britney Spears to stay home instead of traipsing all over town,” William Bratton said on KPCC radio. “That would solve the problem. We don't need additional laws.” More »

Even Britney Spears’ paparazzi can’t stay out of trouble, the Los Angeles Times reports. Late Tuesday and early yesterday, Los Angeles police arrested four shutterbugs for blocking sidewalks in their hunt for tabloid-worthy shots—part of a crackdown, using existing loitering and traffic laws, on increasingly aggressive photographers. All four men face up to a year in prison and $1,000 in fines. More »

Jessica Simpson wants to ban a workout video from being released, MSNBC reports, after the star apparently showed up to shoot it in less than top condition. “Jessica was a mess during that shoot," a source says. The owner of the video company charges Simpson would be "hurting millions of fat people in America," if she put the tape on hold. More »

Britney Spears will get no help from LA's family court in dodging the paparazzi, People reports. The commissioner overseeing her custody case today declined her lawyers' request for a gag order. Spears' legal team had requested a media blackout because the hordes of photographers were "dangerous" to the troubled singer "physically and emotionally." More »

Celebrity photographer Bert Stern has proved that he still prefers his blonds nude, snapping revealing pictures of Lindsay Lohan for New York magazine in a recreation of his famous 1962 Marilyn Monroe photo shoot. In the original, Monroe posed with only a few scarves and a glass of champagne. Blond wig notwithstanding, Lohan appears as bare as Monroe, AP reports. More »

Los Angeles animal cops have cited Paris Hilton over her multi-puppy home, but a rep for the celeb claims her doggies are no longer there. Hilton sparked animal lovers' ire last week by admitting on "Ellen DeGeneres" to owning 17 pups—an illegal act in a city where non-breeders are limited to three dogs. The pups "keep having babies, and I feel bad about giving them away," she said. More »

Paul McCartney and Heather Mills again failed to strike a divorce agreement today, and the judge hearing their case will announce a decision in a few weeks, opening up the possibility that the action will be heard in open court. If either side contests the judge's ruling, the case will move to the Court of Appeal, which Sir Paul wants to avoid but his ex says she is ready for. More »

Stick with the sex and rock 'n' roll, but skip the drugs, say the Rolling Stones to the next generation of musicians. In particular, the 64-year-old front men warn pal Amy Winehouse that she can't always get what she wants. "She should get her act together," says Keith Richards, and Sir Mick Jagger is "worried she might die," reports the Daily Telegraph . More »

There's a clear gender disparity in the obsessive media coverage of celebrity meltdowns, writes the New York Times. Just compare the relative restraint Entertainment Tonight exercised in holding back a video of Heath Ledger doing drugs with the news outlet gusto that greets the latest Amy Winehouse or Lindsay Lohan misbehavior. Or compare Kiefer Sutherland's jail stint to Paris Hilton's. More »

Britney Spears' former manager and pal Sam Lutfi is trying to liberate her from her family's control by getting her case moved from Los Angeles to federal court, E! reports.  He's arguing in a petition that Jamie Spears is unfit to oversee his daughter's life and that she's being unfairly denied the right to see friends, make phone calls, drive her car, receive mail, and have access to her money. "Sam is at war with Jamie. This is his first strike," a Spears insider told E! yesterday. More »

Actor Mel Gibson is free to serve out the rest of his drunk driving probation without returning to the courthouse, Reuters reports. "You're on your own now with the self-help groups, so this is the most difficult time for you," a judge told the Apocalypto director yesterday. "Good luck to you as you continue your rehabilitation." More »

You can take a Hilton out of jail, but apparently not for long. Paris Hilton's 18-year-old brother, Barron, was arrested in Malibu for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol. He was pulled over after he was spotted driving erratically on the Pacific Coast Highway and failed a sobriety test, police said. He spent nine hours behind bars before posting $20,000 bail, reports People magazine. More »

Former madam to the stars Heidi Fleiss was busted yesterday after a traffic stop and charged with driving without a license, driving under the influence, and possessing prescription medicine without a prescription, the Las Vegas Sun reports. Fleiss had "prescription narcotics on her person, not in a prescription bottle, and could produce no evidence that the prescription pain medication had been prescribed to her," said a statement from county officials. More »

Rumors are swirling that another Hollywood A-lister has entered rehab, reports E! This time it's Kirsten Dunst, who reportedly is being treated at the famed Cirque Lodge in Utah. A spokesman for the facility denies that Dunst is there (or ever has been). However, People magazine quotes an unnamed friend as saying the Spider-Man actress is indeed there and "not doing well." More »