Last night, Britney Spears' new psychiatrist went to her home and felt she was a danger to herself and others -- partly because of her reckless driving and partly because of her "downhill behavior." As a result, the shrink launched a plan (days in the making) to have Britney committed to UCLA Medical Center by calling the cops.
Sources say the cops knew it was coming. In fact, the plan was for cops and paramedics to take Britney away the night before, but it was scrubbed. Last night, it all went down according to plan. Cops even used code to minimize craziness in transporting Britney to the hospital. Over the police radio, she was referred to as "The Package."
Before the cops arrived, the shrink told her she was going back to the hospital and she offered no resistance. She said, "Is something wrong?" She made hot chocolate and waited. Her mom, Lynne, got extremely agitated, accusing Sam of engineering the impending commitment. We're told Brit told her to "shut the hell up." She demanded silence, sat on the floor and wrote notes to people who were there as they waited. When emergency personnel arrived, Brit went on the gurney without resistance.
When everyone arrived at UCLA, things got heated. Jamie Spears began screaming at Sam Lutfi, accusing him of trying to control Britney. We're told as far as the doctors are concerned -- at least for now -- Lynne and Jamie Spears are not calling the shots. The point guy for the docs is Brit's friend, Sam Lutfi.
Sources say after Britney's commitment earlier this month, she was extremely upset at her dad for getting angry at Sam and the hospital staff. Britney had lawyers draft several documents, however, she did not sign a durable power of attorney giving Lutfi the power to make medical decisions on her behalf. Nevertheless, something was signed and doctors are going to Lutfi for guidance. Jamie went off on Lutfi in the hallway, accusing him of trying to control his daughter.
Britney has been calm in the hospital, even getting a "cigarette break."
During the initial 72-hour stay she cannot be forced to take medication against her will. If, however, she refuses to take the meds, the plan is for the psychiatrist to go to court and have Britney held for an additional 14 days, during which time he could administer proper medications.
Adnan Ghalib, the creepy paparazzo who weaseled his way into pop wreck Britney Spears' life, has not only tried to score extra money by selling videos and photos of Spears crying - he also participated in a test survey of male "enhancement" products. Ghalib is in a group of 12 men who tried out various products touted on the Internet at SexHealthReview.com.
On the site, Ghalib is identified by a photo and his name, "Adnan G," and lists his occupation as "filmmaker." Ghalib notes, "I work in 'the' industry in Los Angeles, and I know many of my friends use these products. Thought this would be an interesting opportunity to reveal the truth to many men worldwide."
Meanwhile, he's trying to maintain his tenuous grip on Spears . Monday night, he was denied entry to her LA home by her "manager," Sam Lutfi, who accused him in a series of text messages of being a "trigger" to her mania. Ghalib eventually got to Spears and drove her around after she had another fight with her mother, Lynne, and Lutfi, who are trying to get her to seek psychiatric help.
“Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey has been ruined many a time at karaoke nights around the country. Tony Romo belted out the old favorite and is pictured singing it to Jessica Simpson at Key Club in LA on Monday.
Eventually, the audience coaxed the Dallas Cowboys quarterback to the stage. Romo’s pick: Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing.” As he belted out the hit, Simpson alternated between kissing him on the cheek, wrapping her arms around him and staring dreamily into his eyes. “He was singing directly to her — and she was on cloud nine,” a witness said.
TMZ even has audio and video. Click here. Check out the chant to get him on stage. Ha! Of course, the ever-so-worthless and annoying Ken Paves is there clinging on to her. Oh, and watch long enough to listen to him butcher "Sweet Child O Mine."
Lindsay Lohan "took a swig of vodka from a bottle of Grey Goose" at the Box Friday night as she partied with Stavros Niarchos, her deejay pal Samantha Ronson, Brody Jenner, and "an entourage of blond 20-somethings," a witness says. Lohan was "trying to keep a low profile and covering her face." Lohan and Niarchos then stopped by West 17th Street spot 1 Oak, where "Lindsay wasn't drinking," say sources, before returning to the Four Seasons Hotel, where they spent the night. Lohan's rep had no comment.
Kathy Griffin was re-banned from a show. "I was supposed to be on 'The View' [today]," said Griffin, who performs her final sold-out stand-up show tonight at Madison Square Garden. "But then I get a call from [producer] Bill Geddie, and he says, 'You were too mean to Barbara [Walters] on your last special, so you can't come on.' Can you believe it? I've been banned before but never re-banned!" Griffin does a spot-on impersonation of Walters, but she didn't insult the TV legend any more than usual on her last special for Bravo.
Babs needs to toughen up. Personally, I think Kathy is hilarious.
We finally had an award show last night, kiddies, as Hollywood got together to pat eachother on the back at the Screen Actor's Guild Awards. Winners included James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, The Office, No Country for Old Men, Cate Blanchett, Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, and Daniel Day Lewis.
Royalty checks and reality TV must not be paying the bills anymore, the New Kids on the Blockare making yet another comeback. The group, all of them, are going to make an official announcement on their website any time now.
Tori Spelling is pregnant again. Entertainment Tonight is confirming In Touch Weekly’s scoop that Tori Spelling is expecting her second baby. The actress and husband Dean McDermott already has one son, Liam, who turns one year old in March. And it looks like we’ll get to check out Tori’s baby bump on the tube; Tori & Dean: Still Inn Love will hit the Oxygen Network later this year.
And...
Angelina Jolie is reportedly pregnant with twins, according to Star. They claim that Angie has been eating for three over the past week and even canceled a trip to Europe because of the news of the pregnancy. Another source claims: “Brad and Angelina are absolutely ecstatic. But I still think there will be more adoptions to come.” Reports also indicate that Angie has been spotted making visits to the OB/GYN office who treated Nicole Richie during her pregnancy.
The stage version of the DreamWorks animated film will open in Seattle in August before moving to New York. The movie was a huge hit on its release in 2001 and went on to spawn two sequels, with a third scheduled for release in 2010.
Show director Jason Moore has been working on the project for three years and said it will reveal more about central characters Shrek, Donkey and Princess Fiona than the original film.
Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton won the $85,000 lawsuit brought against him by Lindsay Lohan pal and disc jockey, Samantha Ronson. Samantha sued Perez after he said she planted cocaine on Lindsay Lohan leading to her arrest. Lawyers for Perez argued he was protected by free speech, even if it was a lie. The suit was dropped, but Perez sued Samantha for repayment of legal fees…and won.
Samantha’s lawyers claim the fees were too excessive and should be more than $13,000 or $14,000 but the judge ordered Samantha to pay the fees anyway. And Perezzers intends to collect. Perez Hilton will take steps to make sure every dime is collected," said his lawyer, Bryan J. Freedman. "This should make one careful before filing a lawsuit against him."
Decked out in a full rugby outfit, Will Ferrell puts on his fiercest game face during a visit with the Literary and Historical Society of the University College Dublin on Wednesday, where the group presented him with the James Joyce Award for his contribution to comedy and entertainment.
Britney Spears' paparazzo boy toy, Adnan Ghalib, says he's been having sex with the whacked-out pop tart and believes she wants to have his baby. Acknowledging that Spears bought herself a pregnancy test, the lensman tells tonight's "Entertainment Tonight" and "The Insider": "She has a very maternal instinct. She was feeling a lot of things she said she felt when she was pregnant. I think she was hoping she was pregnant with my child." Ghalib insists Spears is not suicidal and that her on-again, off-again British accent is perfectly normal. "She just thinks it's cute," he said.
Ghalib denied Spears has taken out a restraining order against him. In fact, he'd be ready to marry Britney. "I'd be lying if I said no," he gushes, adding their relationship is "far from over."
Ghalib's wife, Azlynn, apparently agrees that's the case. She filed papers yesterday to formally separate from her husband of four years, citing "irreconcilable differences."
Get ready! The Oscar nominations will be announced later this morning. I'll post the list later.
I saw "No Country for Old Men" yesterday. Wow. If you're easily rattled, I wouldn't recommend it. However, I thought it was fabulous. All 3 leads--Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, and Tommy Lee Jones were acting perfection.
Amy Winehousewas taped in a harrowing ecstasy, cocaine and crack binge at a party just hours before she stumbled into a court to support her jailed husband, Britain's Sun newspaper reported last night . The 19-minute video shows the addled, stringy-haired star lurching around in a grubby vest at a party early Friday at her trendy pad. Within seconds of greeting guests, she snorts powdered ecstasy on the corner of a credit card, then inhales cocaine, according to The Sun. J
ust before 5 a.m., she heads up to her bedroom, where she squats on a leopard-skin print bedspread and primes a glass pipe with rocks of crack, fires up and inhales, the paper says. Pals ask her to go out with them, but she mutters: "I'd be useless to you because I've had about six Valium," according to the report. Hours later, unsteady on her feet, Winehouse was photographed outside court to support her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, awaiting trial on charges of assault and perverting justice.
Eddie Murphy and Tracey Edmondshave called it quits just two weeks after their intimate wedding.
"After much consideration and discussion, we have jointly decided that we will forego having a legal ceremony as it is not necessary to define our relationship further," Murphy and Edmonds said in an exclusive statement. "While the recent symbolic union in Bora Bora was representative of our deep love, friendship and respect that we have for one another on a spiritual level, we have decided to remain friends.”
Matthew McConaughey and girlfriend Camila Alves are expecting a child, the actor announced Tuesday on his Web site.
"My girlfriend Camila and I made a baby together," McConaughey writes. "It's 3 months growin in her womb and all looks healthy and lively so far. We are stoked and wowed by this miracle of creation and this gift from God, and so excited for the adventure that will come in raising this child, being mother and a father, and shepherding him or her through this life."
McConaughey adds: "Wish us the best, keep us in your prayers, and God bless evolution. Thanks for being fans of me and my work and now this new and miraculous chapter in my life, as me and Camila and our child do our best to just keep living."
McConaughey, 38, met Alves, 24, a Brazilian model whose family moved to L.A. when she was young, more than a year ago.
And in other baby making news...
I'm not sure how, but it seems that David Spade managed to get a Playboy playmate (Miss March) pregs.
Actor Brad Renfrohas died at age 25. Renfro died Tuesday at a Los Angeles apartment where he spent the night with friends, Craig Harvey, chief investigator for the Los Angeles county coroner, said.
Renfro was heard snoring overnight, but found not breathing later Tuesday morning, and the friends called 911. Paramedics declared him dead at the scene at about 9 a.m., Harvey says. A cause of death was not immediately determined, but Renfro had a history of drug problems. Drug overdose is a "possibility considering his history, but right now all we have is the history of his drinking the previous night," Harvey says. "All that we have is that he was last known to be alive during the morning hours and he was snoring."
The actor, who starred in The Client and Apt Pupil, had recently completed a movie with Winona Ryder and Billy Bob Thornton.
That's sad. I thought he was fantastic in The Client.
Legendary actor Harry Dean Stanton still parties so hard, he has trouble recognizing Chloe Sevigny , who plays his daughter on HBO's "Big Love." Sevigny told BlackBook magazine, "The funny thing is, I'll see Harry Dean at whatever Hollywood-event, red-carpet thing, and walk up to him wearing some crazy, sexy dress, and he'll be shaking my hand and going, 'Now, who are you again?' He never recognizes me. But, whatever, he's 86 years old. And he still likes to party . . . I think he comes to the set sometimes straight from the party."
The Smurfs -- led by Papa Smurf and Smurfette -- kicked off a year of 50th birthday celebrations Monday with Smurfberry cake and sasparilla juice.
The Smurfs were created in 1958 by the cartoonist Pierre Culliford, known as "Peyo." The late cartoonist Pierre Culliford -- best known by his pen name, "Peyo" -- first introduced the tiny blue figures in a comic strip in October 1958. He called them Schtroumpf; they became known worldwide as the Smurfs.
The Smurfs, forest dwellers who live in little white-capped mushroom homes, developed their own "Smurf" language in which nouns and verbs were interchanged. Their debut on U.S. television in 1981 launched their global rise to stardom and made the Smurfs a household name. A Smurf is a Pitufo in Spanish, a Schlumpf in German, Nam Ching Ling to the Chinese, a Sumafa in Japan and Dardassim in Hebrew.
Christina Aguilera and Jordan Bratman welcomed a baby boy on Saturday at 10:05 p.m.
This is the first child for the 27-year-old singer and her music executive husband. "Christina and Jordan are proud to announce the birth of their son Max Liron Bratman. He is a beautiful, healthy baby boy!" a rep said. "Mom is resting and doing well!" Despite various media reports that Aguilera had her baby on Friday, Max – 6 lbs. 2 oz. and 20.5 inches long – arrived late Saturday night in L.A.
And...
Nicole Richie and her rocker boyfriend Joel Madden are the parents of a daughter, the couple's rep said.
Harlow Winter Kate Madden was born Friday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and weighed 6 lbs. 7 oz. "The beautiful healthy baby girl left the hospital with her ecstatic parents," says the rep.
And...
Courtney Thorne-Smith has given birth to a baby boy, the actress' publicist said Sunday.
"The parents are thrilled, and the baby is healthy, well and beautiful," publicist Karen Samfilippo said. Thorne-Smith delivered the baby - her first - at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Friday, Samfilippo said. The father is Thorne-Smith's husband Roger Fishman, a media consultant. The couple named the boy Jacob Emerson Fishman.
Kimberley Locke is dating someone new — just don’t call him her boyfriend.
“He’s not officially my boyfriend,” Locke says of Celebrity Fit Club’s notoriously tough trainer Harvey E. Walden IV, who is currently in the midst of a divorce. “[His divorce] is why we’re not a couple yet. That is my rule. Whether you’re separated or married — whatever — I would like it to be cleared up. Until then we can hang out together and have fun together.”
For Locke, romance developed after the Fit Club cameras stopped rolling. “We worked out on the show together for four months and never even said anything to each other,” says the “Band of Gold” singer, 30. “I thought he was mean. I didn’t want him to be mean to me, but then after the show was over and I saw him outside of work, he was really nice.”
Except in the gym. “We do work out together sometimes. We go running and everything, but the whole working out in the gym thing didn’t go so well,” says the American Idol alum, who lost 40 lbs. last year during her stint on Fit Club and later, as a Jenny Craig spokeswoman. “Two bossy people? He wants me to do things his way. I want to do it my way — I’m going to do it my way. It didn’t work out.”
Another day, another scandal: Rumors are swirling that a Britney Spears sex tape has been leaked online. A thirty minute sex video, which may have been stolen from the singer’s home last year, was reportedly posted to the web yesterday. Here are just a few supposed highlights: it's when she shaved her head, it invovles 2 women and a male, and they're drinking and doing drugs. Lovely!
Rumor has it that Pamela Anderson is pregnant and soon-to-be ex-hubby Rick Salomon believes her hormones are the reason she is acting all crazy and wanting a divorce.
According to TMZ, Rick is hoping Pam will “settle back into the marriage.” Anderson filed for divorce from Salomon last month, after two months of wedded bliss, changing her mind just as the news started making the rounds on the Net, posting a message on her website which said, simply, “p.s. We’re working things out…” Then, she filed for divorce again a few weeks ago.
Christina Aguilera and Katie Holmeshave signed to star together in a new movie. The pair will team up in family drama Humboldt Park, which will begin shooting in February - just weeks after Aguilera is due to give birth to her first child.
A source says, "(Holmes) is trying to prove she can do more than fluffy popcorn movies", and starring alongside Aguilera "shows she's willing to take risks."
Another year, another Worst-Dressed List from the infamous Mr. Blackwell, who singles out his “Ten Titans of Taste-Free Terrors” from 2007 for his 48th Annual List. Topping his list is Victoria Beckham, whom he calls out for her “skinny-mini monstrosities”. Next up is Amy Winehouse, whom he calls a “part 50’s car-hop horror,” and Mary-Kate Olsen, whom Blackwell says “she resembles a tattered toothpick-trapped in a hurricane.” Ouch! Also making the list: Fergie, Kelly Clarkson, Eva Green, Avril Lavigne, Jessica Simpson, Lindsay Lohan and Alison Arngrim. But the fashion critic does offer this salve to the style-challenged, explaining “Let it be said, however, that my criticisms are based purely on their fashion flaws — I’m sure they’re all wonderful people beneath the deluge of dreck they drape themselves in.”
Mr. Blackwell also singles out the women he finds truly fashionable. Reese Witherspoon, Jemima Khan, Beyonce, Angelina Jolie, Helen Mirren, Nicole Kidman, Katie Holmes, Kate Middleton, Katherine Heigl and Cate Blanchett all make the cut. And for those of you who might be surprised that Britney Spears didn’t make a repeat performance, Mr. Blackwell explains “I felt that it was inappropriate at this time to make comment, when her personal life is in such upheaval. I hope 2008 is a better year for her.”
Alison Arngrim? Um, she played Nellie Olsen on Little House of the Prairie? Sure, she pretty much only wears suits that are 4 sizes too big for her, but there are plenty of other style-challenged real stars he could have chosen from.
Brangelina at the Critics' Choice Awards: Hard to believe she's in black. I mean, she's always such a beacon of color. I do love her Christian Louboutin shoes, though. I'm not opposed to the print of his suit, but the drabby scarf needs to go.
I saw two movies this weekend. I watched "We Are Marshall" (if you have Comcast, it's On Demand right now). It was what I expected, but was entertaining. Definitely an inspriational flick (even though I kept thinking I was watching "Remember the Titans"--coach no one believed in, same damn soundtrack, underdog victory story). Writing is sub-par; acting, other than McConaughey and David Strathairn, and Ian McShane, is mediocre at best. But, if you're in the mood for a feel-good movie, it's definitely worth the watch. WE ARE. MARSHALL!
Yesterday, I went to see "Juno." Loved it! Script is hilarious! Acting is great. I expected to be entertained a la "Napoleon Dynamite," and I was. But, it had a lot more depth and heart than "Napoleon." Sort of more like "Garden State." You'll love it--and you'll want to go buy Tic Tacs and a cheeseburger phone afterward! Oh, and the soundtrack is really good--I got home and downloaded a few of songs from iTunes (go listen to "Anyone Else But You" by the The Moldy Peaches).
And speaking of soundtracks...I haven't seen the movie, but there are several fabulous songs on the "P.S. I Love You" soundtrack. Try "More Time" by Needtobreathe, "Last Train Home" by Ryan Star, and "Same Mistake" by James Blunt.
Divorce-bound Shaquille O'Neal isn't letting the grass grow under his sizable feet. An in-the-know female cabby from South Beach who's driven the $20 million-a-year Miami Heat center tells Steppin' Out's Chaunce Hayden: "Every time Shaq is in town, I get the call, and let me tell you: He's got more women leaving his hotel room then any celebrity I've ever seen. Every time he stayed at the Marriott in South Beach, he had a blonde or a brunette with him." Not all that surprising following Shaq's decision in September to split from his wife of five years and mother of four, Shaunie O'Neal.
VH1 knows good television and bringing Lacey, Heather and Rodeo to Rock of Love 2 is sure to be good TV. So far it's unclear when or why any of these three women will appear on the show, as they’re not contestants, but they will definitely make appearances.
Lacey and Heather appear to have made amends because the pair showed up together at Bret Michaels’ New Year’s Eve concert in Minneapolis.
Britney Spears has been taken to a Los Angeles hospital for "an evaluation" after police were called to her Studio City home for a "custodial dispute" Thursday.
At around 8 p.m. police responded to a call "about a custodial dispute regarding Britney Spears's children," said LAPD officer Jason Lee. Nearly three hours later, police determined that a court order stated that the singer's children, who were with Spears at the time, were supposed to be with Kevin Federline, and a transfer was arranged, according to Lee.
"While officers were on the scene, they observed Ms. Spears under the influence of an unknown substance," Lee added. "She is now being taken in for an evaluation, more than likely to a hospital. There were no reported injuries to anyone involved including the children."
Click here to watch her being wheeled out on a gurney.
UPDATE: Britney Spears was placed on lockdown for a mental evaluation Friday after the pop star locked herself in a room with one of her children at her L.A. home and refused to hand him over to ex-husband Kevin Federline. A source said it was the pop star's court-appointed child monitor who called police. "She had already put Preston in the car when Britney locked herself in a room with Jayden," says the source. "The cops came and got through the door and tied her down to a gurney."
Life and Style is reporting that her tests came back negative and that this was entirely a mental episode.
The reason Jay-Z is stepping down as president/CEO of Def Jam records is that it just didn't pay enough. Sources said the hip-hop maverick (real name: Shawn Corey Carter), who just came out with the "American Gangster" soundtrack and part-owns the Spotted Pig, makes more money as an artist and entrepreneur than he does as a record executive. "Jay is focusing on opening five more 40/40 clubs," a source said about Jay's sports club which originated in New York. "He opened Las Vegas on New Year's and up next are LA, Miami, Chicago, London and Houston. He's also looking for hotel space in New York. He wants to open a chic, boutique hotel called The Jay. He just didn't have time to be president of Def Jam." A rep said, "Mr. Carter is still considering several opportunities."
Amy Fisheris going all out to hawk her hard-core sex video. The Long Island Lolita will deejay at a party at Retox in NYC tonight to promote "Amy Fisher Caught on Tape." And she's being interviewed with hubby and co-star Lou Bellera on "Good Morning America," "Inside Edition" and "Larry King Live." A spokesman for porn-video outfit Red Light District tells avn.com: "Amy's embracing it . . . and [is] getting offers for centerfolds and magazine spreads."
She should give the money to Mary Jo for continued reconstructive facial surgery.
Are you guys ready for the new Indiana Jones movie?
George Lucas on how the movie will be received: “I know the critics are going to hate it. They already hate it. So there’s nothing we can do about that. They hate the idea that we’re making another one. They’ve already made up their minds.”
Britney Spears's latest lawyer, Sorrell Trope, filed a request Wednesday to withdraw from the singer's custody case, court documents show.
"There has been a breakdown in communications between (Spears) and Trope & Trope (law firm) making further representation of her interests impossible," says the document. Trope gave no further details. "A lawyer cannot simply withdraw from a case," he says. "We will ask the court to relieve us." A hearing is set for Feb. 4.
Her first attorney, Laura Wasser, resigned from her case in September shortly after Spears's divorce from Federline was finalized.
Can you blame them????
Meanwhile...Brit's been shacking up with a new beau...
Kim Kardashian has accepted a marriage proposal from her boyfriend, NFL footballer Reggie Bush, OK! Magazine reports.
The couple began dating publicly in May 2007 and reportedly met through Kardashian's then friend Paris Hilton and her pigskin pal Matt Leinart. While the mag notes Kim had no ring on her finger over the weekend when she and Bush showed to South Beach hotspot Mansion's New Year's party, she did admit the two are very close.
You know...taking his last name will only help her adult film career. ;)
Eddie Murphy and Tracey Edmonds were married on New Year's Day on a private island off Bora Bora in French Polynesia in front of 25 friends and family, their reps said.
In a sunset ceremony on the beach Tuesday, Edmonds walked barefoot down the aisle to Gladys Knight's "Makings of You." The bride wore a custom-designed form-fitting dress by stylist and designer Sugia Nazel and Jill Baracci, designer and owner of Baracci boutique. Murphy wore a cream suit and vest with an off-white handkerchief.
Among the guests were best man Johnny Gill, maid of honor Nicole Avant, matron of honor Julie Lev, as well as Edmonds's parents Jacqueline and George McQuarn, her brother Michael, Murphy's mother Lillian Lynch and his brother Vernon. Edmonds, 40, gave her bridesmaids gold and diamond earrings from XIV Karats in Beverly Hills, and Murphy, 46, gave his groomsmen D.Atlantis watches.
