• New dad Clay Aiken tells People magazine that he hopes his devoted fans will stick by him now that he’s admitted what many of them long suspected.  I’m sure it was a tough decision–I mean the one where he sold out his kid, the mother and any hope of privacy for his only chance at a cover story…
• Natasha Bedingfield’s mom Molly plans to make news of her own–she’s in Nepal, preparing to skydive over 29,300 feet over Mount Everest in a charity effort to raise money for orphans and street children.  What does Natasha think of her mom’s stunt? "It’s crazy…She’s someone who’s doing crazy things to help kids."
• Utah farmer Brett Herbst creates a corn maze every year, but this time it’s a bit different–he did it in the image of Idol runner-up David Archuleta covering 12 acres.  Wow–if I was him, I don’t know whether I’d feel honored or a little creeped-out…
• Mariah Carey is teaming up with fast food giant Yum Brands in a hunger relief campaign–customers who make a donation at Taco Bell, KFC, Pizza Hut, Long John Silver’s and A&W restaurant locations will receive a free download of a song from Mariah’s latest CD E=MC2.  It’s a great deal–you get a cool song for free, and millions of hungry kids get Volcano Tacos, Famous Bowls, P’Zones, Lobster Bites, and Mama Burgers…
• A statement by Lindsay Lohan earlier this week that she’s been dating DJ Samantha Ronson "a very long time" was spun Wednesday by Lohan’s publicist, who claims LiLo was only stating that she’s close friends with Ronson and that, "there was no confession".  Her dad chimed in with his doubts as well, which went over about as big with LiLo as a Parent Trap sequel…
• Speaking of sequels, how about the return of The Partridge Family, as showbiz trade Variety reports that a modern-day spin on the seventies sitcom is in development but no network is attached to the project as yet.  That’s because they can’t figure out how to make Danny Bonaduce appear human…

• A "Who’s Who" of top female singers, including Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Sheryl Crow, Rihanna, Melissa Etheridge and nine others will join to record a single to benefit the Stand Up To Cancer initiative, which will air on ABC, NBC and CBS on September 5.  This bunch, including a pair of cancer suvivors in Etheridge and Crow, won’t just stand up to cancer–they’ll obliterate it with the sheer force of their collective wills…
• Avril Lavigne is having difficulty performing a concert in Malaysia, where officials say her show would be, "unsuitable to Malaysian culture" and its scheduled date of August 29 is too close to the nation’s independence celebration.  Avril needs to follow the lead of Beyonce, who was in a similar situation recently–she made sure her costumes were inoffensive, her songs weren’t controversial, and her multi-zillion dollar husband was standing by just in case to write them a big check…
• The Olympics have been good to Michael Phelps, and Michael Phelps has been very good to NBC–its coverage of the summer games grabbed the top 7 spots in TV ratings last week, pulling in an average audience of 28.7 million.  Al Roker had better hope Phelps has no major weatherman aspirations…
• The people of Milwaukee honored one of their own–on TV at least–when they unveiled a bronze statue of Arthur Fonzerelli, better known as "The Fonz" from 70’s sitcom icon Happy Days.  Most of the cast of the show was on hand, except for the guy who played Potsie–he spent the day on the show’s Hollywood set, wondering where everybody else was…
• Roger Moore, who played James Bond in 7 films in the 1970’s and 80’s, writes about his experiences in a memoir out November 4 and reveals that many of the stunts left him in less than ideal conditon–including one boat-chase scene that catapulted him into a wall, cracking teeth and twisting his knee.  Apparently, the villan for the rest of the movie was the stunt coordinator…
• Bobby Brown is in more legal trouble–only this time it’s from his own attorneys, who say he owes them $90,000 in fees stemming from his divorce from Whitney Houston.  At least this time it isn’t any of those drug dealers he stiffed…

Christina Aguilera is posing for commemorative photos to help mark the 150th anniversary of department store giant Macy’s in October–others include Donald Trump, Martha Stewart, Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein.  What a beautiful picture–and she didn’t even have to leave off her underwear…

Another edition of Fashion Rocks will be airing on CBS September 9, and they’ve added music from the Pussycat Dolls plus Timbaland with special guests Lynyrd Skynyrd. The lineup for the 5th annual fashion/music event already includes Justin Timberlake, Mariah Carey, Rihanna and more. 

Amy Winehouse’s father Mitch claims her recent visit to the hospital was caused by a friend or hanger-on who spiked her drink with Ecstacy.  I gotta believe the entire rehab-happy celebrity community are so grateful for her–she is totally carrying the mail for them…

Attorneys for Britney Spears were back in court Thursday, this time to revisit the conservatorship established to put her father Jamie in charge of her affairs.  As expected, he will remain in charge through the end of the year–which should give ex-manager Sam Lufti enough time to find another helpless celebrity to try and control…

Convicted boy-band impressario Lou Pearlman has ratted out a fellow federal prison inmate accused of murder, after Pearlman overheard him admit to the crime. Pearlman is likely hoping to have his sentence reduced–which likely will happen once the prison population hears the news…

A new TV ad by John McCain tries to compare Barack Obama to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, flashing pictures of them while the ad refers to Obama as "the biggest celebrity in the world".  Now that’s just silly–everybody knows it’s that guy on Lost…

• Nicole Kidman’s father Antony is offering an explanation for why she and husband Keith Urban named their new daughter Sunday, saying he suggested the name to them after learning about a prominent Australian arts patron with the same name.  That’s cool–I was afraid it had to do with the feng shui of their kitchen or something…
• Uh-oh–Kayne West is teed off again, upset about a Chicago Sun-Times report that his people were pressuring him to take anger management classes, writing in his blog that, "If anything, I need anger enhancement!"  Right–that Kayne is just too mellow for his own good…
• Jordin Sparks will team up with Jesse McCartney for a summer tour launching August 5th in Sacramento, CA.  Check out Jordin’s official website for the complete tour itinerary…
• Those oh-so-cute Jonas Brothers have come clean about who they secretly admire, with Nick admitting it was "a great day" when he heard that Kim Kardashian thinks he’s hot–despite their 10-year age difference–and is hoping for someone to arrange a hookup. Sounds like Nick is tired of being oh-so-cute…
• Mariah Carey has come out in support of Barack Obama, saying she feels a "personal" connection to the Democratic nominee because they’re both biracial.  Will this mean she’ll be willing to do a benefit show for him–perhaps, as long as she doesn’t dedicate Touch My Body to him…
• Mark Burnett, the brains behind the breakthrough reality show Survivor, is being sued by former business partner Conrad Riggs for $70 million,  claiming Burnett broke a long-standing agreement to to pay Riggs 10% of the profits from Burnett’s production company.  Just a warning to Riggs–if Burnett shows up in court wearing a loincloth and carrying a spear, you could be in trouble…

• Mariah Carey will introduce a second signature fragrance called Luscious Pink, which she calls, "feminine, flirtatious and fun," and says it, "truly reflects where I am in my life now, after an incredible year."  A new album, another #1 hit song, a new husband–I wasn’t aware that most of that had a smell…
• People magazine says John Mayer and Jennifer Aniston made their mostly-whispered romance public when they attended a charity banquet last week, reporting that the pair discreetly held hands under their table.  I  suppose that in some circles, it’s the equivalent of wild sex in the middle of the dance floor… 
• Jesse McCartney, who teamed wih Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic to write the Leona Lewis smash Bleeding Love, says the song was originally creqated for his album but the pair decided it would fit a woman better.  Sort of like letting a plumber wear a pair of capri pants..
• Talk of Michael Jackson performing in Las Vegas is heating up, with the investment firm that helped him hold on to his Neverland ranch considering at least one way that Jacko can repay them–by working one of the hotel-casinos they own there.  I would urge caution, especially if they’re planning any "kid-friendly" improvements…
• Lindsay Lohan has asked to be removed from consideration for an Emmy Award nominaton for best guest actress in a comedy series, with a spokesperson saying, "her appearance was brief" in ABC’s Ugly Betty.  It’s probably because the rebah facility she expects to be in by then has a very strict off-campus policy…
• I read that Lance Armstrong, who’s currently seeing Kate Hudson, took her to a New York restaurant with a reputation for a long waiting list and tried to get seated without a reservation–but to no avail.  All I can say is that I wouldn’t want to be that maitre d’, taking a casual bike ride thru Central Park anytime soon…