One might expect that in the aftermath of the ruling handed down by LA County Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon in yesterday's custody hearing between Britney Spears and Kevin Federline, a ruling that stripped Britney of primary custody of her two sons Sean Preston and Jayden James and gave that custody to K-Fed, our dear Britney might've been left in tatters ... broken and despondent. In fact, quite the contrary is the case -- much to my surprise ... but I'll get to that in a sec. In the end, Britney has no one really to blame for the lost of her custodial rights. The judge handed out clear guidelines and specific instructions that she was to adhere to and comply with and she ended up not doing nor complying with any of them. It sounds as if there was no way the judge would've been able to rule in her favor. Here are a few photos from yesterday's court hearing ... Britney's new lawyer, Sorrell Trope, looked lost while K-Fed's lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, emerged victorious:


Photo credit: Splash News
Britney Spears temporarily lost custody of her two sons because she was accused of not taking a random drug and alcohol test and she couldn't provide a California driver's license, her lawyer tells PEOPLE. After a closed-door hearing Monday, a judge ordered that, starting Wednesday, Kevin Federline will get physical custody of Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1, "until further order of the court." L.A. Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon didn't outline his reasons in the written ruling, but Spears's attorney, Sorrell Trope, says, "We weren't able to prove compliance with what the judge ordered." "Specifically," Trope says, "the judge ordered that by 10 a.m. (Monday) morning, both parties show valid California driving licenses. I've been unable to produce evidence of that." Later Monday, after handing over her sons to a bodyguard of Federline's, Spears applied for a California driver's license in Van Nuys. I'm just astounded that it never occurred to Britney to get her driver's license BEFORE her children were taken away from her. Altho, sadly, it doesn't surprise me in the least that Britney chose to ignore the guidelines set forth by the court. She deliberately defied the court by choosing to not submit to drug testing as ordered, choosing to not meet with a drug counselor as ordered, choosing to not enroll in parenting classes as ordered. It seems as if this naive girl really believes that she doesn't have to answer to anyone for anything. [Source]

Honestly, I anticipated that Britney might retreat to her inner sanctum, hidden away from the world, in order to regroup and work up a plan of attack so that she might be able to win back primary custody. It turns out that I was at least partially right. Instead of retreating and hiding away from sight, Britney handed over the kids (happily, it seemed) into K-Fed's custody (by way of his bodyguards), went to the DMV to *finally* apply for a driver's license check the status of her license (??????) and then moved into a room in the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills ...


Photo credit: X17 & WENN
... oh yeah, there was a bit of shopping and fake sun tanning among her day's activities as well -- all on the day she had to hand over her children to her ex-husband. When I first heard the news, I was really worried for our dear Britney ... it turns out that I shouldn't have bothered since she didn't look all too put out by the whole incident. Ugh ... what else is there to say? Could it get any worse? Actually, I'm afraid to find out. [Source, Source]

ATTENTION: HEROES SPOILER ALERT WARNING

Okay ... so Heroes last night ... what did y'all think? I was very pleased with a few of the plot developments but, overall, I wasn't too wowed ... yet again. I really miss the OMG moment at the end of the eps. As far as OMG moments go, last night's wasn't all that OMGy. The official NBC Heroes site ususally has screencaps posted online right after an ep airs but didn't so so for this ep ... so, since I'm screencapless, here is a nice collage of caps from the scene where Peter Petrelli was tied up, half-nekkid and soaking wet:


So Peter still doesn't know who he is but he's figuring out that he's got special powers. I'm not too keen on the amnesia thing but if we get to see Milo Ventimilia mostly naked, I can hang with it. I love the development in the Hiro storyline ... by some sort of temporal paradox, Hiro has gone back in time to fill in, "become" and then aid the ancient warrior hero Takezo Sensei that he has worshipped his whole life (who appears to have special powers of his own). I was convinced that Hiro would become the hero himself but it looks like that won't be the case (bummer). We finally got a glimpse of Maya and Alejandro's twin powers ... she cries black tar and makes people die, unless her brother can come absorb the blackness in time to save any innocents. Eh. I'll need to see more before I make a judgment on whether or not I hate them or not. I just hope they don't turn out to be like the new couple that was added to Lost last season (remember Paulo and Nikki?) cuz they kinda ruined the show with their presence. Mama Petrelli almost got filleted by the attacker that's going after the parents, Daddy Bennett got reunited with his Haitian mind-wiper and Claire ended up cutting off and then regrowing her pinky toe only to gross out her new boyfriend who can fly. What won't girls do to get the attention of the boys these days? I'm still loving Heroes but I kinda want more ... there's a lot of story going on, when is the action gonna start? [Source]

ATTENTION: THE HILLS SPOILER ALERT WARNING

The Hills last night rocked balls! Altho, I have a hard time believing all of that Elodie biz was actually, you know, real ... it was still really fun to watch. The drama in Las Vegas looked a little tired but ... I kinda still loved every second of it. It's great seeing Lo get some action for once:


Okay ... as cool as it looked on TV, does anyone really believe that Brent Bolthouse wouldn't know that Elodie wouldn't be able to cover an Emmy party after she quit her job? The way the scenario worked out looked really staged but ... it was funny as hell. It'd be great if things really did work out that way, that Elodie really did get to screw Heidi bigtime before she quit her job but I just don't buy it. Honestly, I don't believe a single scene that Heidi or Spencer are in ... even if they're not acting and they're just being themselves, it still looks really fake. Over in Vegas, the drama was pretty chill ... the only thing going on was the beyotchfighting between the girls and Justin Bobby. It's kinda funny that the girls are mad that he's mad at them. They dubbed him Justin Bobby for Pete's sake. He will be Justin Bobby for the rest of his life. It will say, Peace the Spork Out Justin Bobby on his tombstone when the homeboy dies. I'd be mad, too. At least Lo got to mack on Frankie ... they've both been unattached for too long. I can't WAIT for the future episode where the sex tape drama gets drudged up again ... the he said/she said/they said drama is so amazingly high school -- I love it! [Source]

It is with extreme pleasure that I am happy to announce that my girl Melissa Howard, from The Real World: New Orleans, got herself hitched to Justin Beck over the weekend in NYC. Here is a great pic of the newlywed's first kiss and a shot of their amazing wedding invitation:


Melissa has to be one of the coolest chicks that I've had the pleasure of meeting and hanging out with in recent years and I was lucky enough to get to hang with both Princess Melissa and Justin on one of my trips to NYC. I knew that the couple was engaged and I'm just so thrilled for the both of them that they finally sealed the deal. Melissa looks absolutely stunning in her gorge dress, you can see more pics of the blushing bride and her new hubby HERE. It is with heartfelt love that I wish the happily married couple a long and prosperous life together ... and I'm looking forward to toasting the newlyweds in person very soon! XOXO [Source]

In other nuptials news, Canadian singer Bif Naked (who I looooove) also got married over the weekend to her beau (and sports writer) Ian Walker in Vancouver, British Columbia. Here are a few pics from their wedding ceremony:


So it turns out that the old adage "opposites attract" is more than just an excuse for people entrenched in mismatched relationships. Punk-pop songstress Bif Naked (also known as Beth Hopkins Torbert) wed her "complete opposite" at a surprisingly traditional service on Saturday in a downtown Vancouver church. The man who met her at the altar was Vancouver Sun sports columnist Ian Walker, a blonde-haired, clean-cut hip-hop fan. A barrage of flashes and blinking video camera lights from media entertainment outlets captured Hopkins sauntering down the aisle in a tiered mini-dress with a detachable skirt (which she coyly removed while standing on top of a chair at the reception) and a long pink veil. About 120 guests attended the 30-minute ceremony at St. Andrew's Wesley United Church. The reception was held at a local Indian restaurant in honour of Hopkins' Indian heritage. She was born in New Delhi and adopted by missionary parents who later moved to Canada. Walker's parents are both Salvation Army ministers from Smiths Falls, Ont. After greeting guests, Hopkins told ChartAttack that she and Walker are very different, but have the same basic values. "He's so funny and we have such a good time and the same morals," she said. She also revealed that Walker has never been to one of her concerts, and she doesn't think that will change any time soon. "I don't want him to see the show. I don't want him to see me spit on a guy in the front row. "If I say, 'Honey, it's like hockey,' maybe he'll understand." ... On top of exchanging vows, the couple also got inked together to celebrate their marriage. Hopkins added Walker's signature to her extensive tattoo collection, while Walker got a stylized B tattooed on his hip. Again, I'm really happy at this union (tho, extremely disturbed that Bif Naked's name is really Beth Torbert -- yikes!). I've been a fan of Bif Naked since she released her debut album in the US in the late 90s. She is also one of the select few musical acts to have performed on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I gotta say, Ian looks like a hottie so I can appreciate why she'd want to get hitched. I really hope they have an amazing life together ... it looks like they're already off to a great start. [Source]

Here are a few pictures of Cate Blanchett at the Hollywood premiere of her new movie Elizabeth: The Golden Age at the Gibson Amphitheater at Universal City here in LA last night:


Photo credit: Splash News
Cate looks smashing in this great color. I love how classy she always appears when she's out in public. She really is one of my favorite actresses and I always feel that she doesn't get the accolades that she deserves. I'm very excited for this new movie, the sequel to the amazing movie Elizabeth which was released in 1998, because I know it's gonna be a contender come Oscar time next year -- I can feel it in my bones. I really hope Cate is able to walk away with the Best Actress trophy this time around since she was robbed the last time around when the first Elizabeth movie was released and nominated. [Source]

The Wheel of Fortune has relocated to NYC this week to celebrate its 25th Anniversary in style ... at Radio City Music Hall. A few celebs showed up to take a spin at the wheel with Pat Sajak and Vanna White to play for charity ... here are a few pics:


Photo credit: Wireimage
Neil Patrick Harris, Jeff Probst and Sherri Shepherd were joined by my boo, Jossip editor, David Hauslaib and his beautiful ex-roomie Sashie for a taping of one of the shows. Let me tell you, David and Sashie are THE BIGGEST WHEEL FANS ever. When they lived together and I was visiting, we all had to take time out of our day to watch The Wheel. I'm more of a Jeopardy! man myself but I ain't gonna front ... I love The Wheel as well. I just wish the contestants were able to go shopping with their winnings in between games again like they used to in the 80s. That was the best part. [Source]

Pete Doherty had another court date this week where he was supposed to be held accountable for his crimes ... and, you guessed it, he got off ... AGAIN:


The district judge due to sentence controversial singer Pete Doherty adjourned his hearing today to give him a chance to kick his drug habit, his lawyer said. Doherty, 28, is facing a possible jail sentence for drug and motoring offences ... District Judge Davinder Lachhar accepted the application for adjournment on hearing that Doherty has tested negative for drugs throughout his six-week residential drugs treatment and wants to "give himself a chance" to recover, he said. The Babyshambles frontman will complete his residential care on Thursday and then take part in aftercare treatment until October 20, he explained. Mr Curran, whose practice is based in Stoke Newington, north London, said: "Pete's doing very, very well, extremely well and he wants to give himself a chance. "The court knows he's tested negative for drugs throughout his residential programme - that's six weeks now. The judge wants to see how he's keeping after the aftercare before he goes back for them to assess him." Actually, it sounds as if the court doesn't want to be bothered with dealing with him. I can identify. Just don't die, Pete.[Source]

In hawt news, Hugh Jackman took his kids to the beach down in Australia over the weekend ...


... but really, do we want to be bothered with pics of the kids when we can just take a gander at Hugh's ripped and sexy bod? I'd love to just pet him. I bet his fur feels nice ;) [Source]

Mariah Carey and her charming NYC abode is featured in the new issue of Glamour magazine ... here are a few pics:


Even *I* have to admit that she might be rockin' the pink a bit too much in that apartment. Hello Kitty is cute but it should be used very sparingly ... and only by girls who are under the age of 6 or currently enrolled in community college. Actually, I'm just glad that Mimi is back on the scene ... I've missed her. I can't wait for new music to emerge ... even if that means I'll have to endure her unnecessary M by Mariah Carey perfume ads on TV every 10 secs. [Source]

Ben Affleck is featured on the cover and in the pages of the new issue of Details magazine wherein he blames his pitiful career on his failed relationship with Jennifer Lopez:


Really Ben? You really think that dating J. Lo is what ruined your acting career? I'd say it was your acting that ruined your acting career. If you hadn't strayed so far from Matt Damon (who is still a big name in Hollywood) so soon after the both of you tasted success together, you'd be the Affleck in all those Ocean Eleven movies with Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Damon instead of your little brother Casey. Don't blame J. Lo, dude ... well, except for that Gigli part ... but, then again, that was mostly you, too. [Source]

Here is the new poster artwork for the new movie National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets starring Nicolas Cage:


Yeah, I don't know about you but I've already cleared 12.21.07 on my calendar :) [Source]

And finally, the pop culturally relevant TV makeover show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy begins its final season on Bravo TV tonight:


Queer Eye (as it's simply referred to these days) had such a huge impact on pop culture when it debuted on TV back in 2003 that I can hardly believe it's already basically run its course. Everybody was talking about this show when it debuted and it went a long way in getting dudes comfortable with their metrosexuality. Even tho David Beckham was a metro before the Queer Eye days, I'm sure even he would say that the show had a great impact on his sense of style. I just wanted to give the show a little shout out today as it starts its final run. Make sure y'all tune in and remember how fun the show really is. [Source]

Les News:

• Morrissey will release his 9th album, which is already written and "ready", next year.
• Friday the 13th rises from the dead.
• Today is Bruce Spingsteen Day in Connecticut.
• Apparently Faith Hill needs to keep an eye on Barbara Walters when she's around her hubby Tim McGraw.
• Those of you who are interested in learning a BIG PLOT SPOILER from the new Sex and the City movie might want to click HERE ... otherwise, you may want to pass.
• Daft Punk are the new Hip Hop darlings.
• Half-nekkid rugby dudes ... for a cause.
• That rumored Eva Longoria sex tape finally hits ... and it's a hoot.
• Brooke Burns hits the beach.
• Cameron Diaz finds a new playmate.
• Kate Hudson breaks up with Dax Shepard on the phone ... er, his friend's phone, that is.
• Tiffany is 36, Sting is 56 and Avery Brooks (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) is 59 years old today. Click HERE to see who else is celebrating a birthday today.
• Yikes! Anna Nicole Smith did not go prettily.
• Jamie Lynn Spears is lookin' to not turn out not like her big sis.
• Lookin' to buy a couple of Picassos?

Yesterday was a pretty chill day ... I ventured out to take care of a few things, stopping by The Grove for a late lunch before returning home to read. I have a stack of New Yorker magazines piled about 10 ft. high that I'm trying to get thru. I'm always so amazed at how interesting the articles are ... I always feel as if I'm robbing myself of wisdom by letting the issues pile up unread.

Tonight the plan was for The Gays^TM and me to attend the opening night of Lucky Devil at Forty Deuce so that we could be front and center for some hawt male burlesque action ...


... but slowly, one by one, Darion, Paul and Mike have all but bailed out. I am still very interested in checking out the show ... I think I can get Jim to go with. It's not very often that you get to see a bonafide male burlesque show (and no neither the Chippendales nor the Thunder From Down Under count) so ... we'll see if I actually make it out. I'll have the deets and hopefully some stories tomorrow if I do.

And that is all ... I'm out.

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