• After months of denials by spokespeople, Madonna and husband Guy Ritchie made it official–they announced Wednesday that they are divorcing after 8 years of marriage.  There are financial details to work out, since Madge is worth about a half-billion dollars and Ritchie, well, isn’t….
• Billboard magazine reports that Britney Spears is definitely hitting the road next spring after cutting a tour deal with AEG Live, that it will be international, and visit midsize venues rather than theatres or stadiums.  It sounds like another carefully-planned step made by her father, which proves that all celebrity parents aren’t publicity-seeking boobs that are painfully unaware of their childrens’ problems–but enough about Brit’s mom…
• Tina Fey still doesn’t know if she’ll return to Saturday Night Live this weekend to do her spot-on Sarah Palin impression–but CNN says that Palin herself will be a guest on the show.  Wow–maybe Palin will do her Tina Fey impression…
• MTV’s Total Request Live, or TRL, says a final farewell November 16 and Beyonce will be there to mark the moment, telling the show Monday during an appearance that she owes a lot of success to them–both for her and Destiny’s Child.  Maybe she’ll get husband Jay-Z to buy it and start his own channel–you know, Jigga TV…
• The mystery is over surrounding whatever was ailing Janet Jackson to force her to postpone 9 dates on her Rock Witchu tour–her reps announced Tuesday that she was diagnosed with a rare type of migraine-induced vertigo, but she’s receiving treatment and returned to performing Wednesday night in Washington DC. It must be great for her to resume her tour, and to realize that her only big headache isn’t brother Michael…
•  ohn McCain tried to make peace with David Letterman Thursday night, telling the late-night host that "I screwed up" by canceling an earlier appearance on the show, then endured some pretty sharp questioning by Letterman about his campaign and Sarah Palin.  I think afterwards, he probably would have preferred a debate with Hillary Clinton…

• Britney Spears isn’t suprised that so many of us were asking, "What was she thinking?" when she exhibited all that bizarre behavior a year ago–she told MTV in an interview for an upcoming documentary that she was actually thinking the same thing at the same time.  This totall explains how she married Kevin Federline…
• Reps for Janet Jackson say she’s well enough now to return to her Rock Witchu tour Saturday, after scrapping shows in 6 cities due to a mystery illness that kept her under a doctor’s care.  I’m still not convinced she didn’t get sick from her hairdo…
• Rapper T.I. knows his musical success has given him a lot of influence over teens, and he takes it seriously–he says, "When I’m speaking to young people and they say, Who you voting for?,’ I say, Cut your PlayStation off and turn to CNN and listen…to each of the candidates’ platforms. Whoever you think is speaking passionately and intelligently and will do the things you think need changed, that’s who you vote for"…
• British singer Estelle has a huge hit with Kanye West called American Boy, and to hear it you’d think he’s that dude–but she says otherwise, telling the Houston Chronicle it would be more like, "Will Smith. Just a general, all-around sexy guy. I’m not too fussy."  Apparently, too fussy for Kanye…
• Gossip columnist Cindy Adams of the New York Post reports that Saturday Night Live is set to welcome Sarah Palin as a guest on its October 25th show.  This could turn out to be a huge opportunity for Palin–if things don’t work out next month, she could join the cast as a Tina Fey impersonator …
• Look for Angelina Jolie to grace the November cover of W Magazine–breastfeeding one of  her twins– Knox Leon or Vivienne Marcheline.  Why do I guess that this issue will be snapped up by millions of Lara Croft fans?

Britney Spears will once again open MTV’s Video Music Awards on Sunday, but network bosses say she won’t perform–it will instead be something "fun and unexpected" for the 25th anniversary of the show.  Fun and unexpected–you mean not looking or acting like the picture at left?

While Britney Spears’ career seems to finally be heading in the right direction, her legal problems continue, as an LA judge denied a request by her attorney to dismiss a charge of driving without a license, which likely means her case may be headed to trial next week.  I assume she won’t be driving…

U2’s new CD, originally scheduled for a fall release, has been pushed back to sometime in early 2009, as Bono says, "I thought a while back we might have the album wrapped up by now, but why come up above now if there’s more priceless stuff to be found?"  In other words, the rest of the boys are still teed off with that recent stereo-blasting experience…

Akon may be headed for a trial in downstate New York over charges he tossed a teenager off the stage during a concert last year, after asking in a brief court appearance for a jury to hear his case beginning December 1.  I’m pretty sure the only place he wants to be Konvicted is on the album charts…

Tuesday’s 2-hour premiere of 90210 set a record as the highest-rated scripted series in the short history of the CW Network.  It’s a great start, but the show’s producers should really should consider some network "synergy"–you know, like putting star Shannen Doherty in the ring on WWE Friday Night Smackdown…

An attorney for X Files star David Duchovny says his client’s claim of suffering from a sex addiction is not a publicity stunt for his new cable series Californication–where he plays a sex-obsessed writer.  This is a case of life imitating art imitating life irritating the living crap out of most of the normal people in the universe…

• One of America’s enduring teen Idols–Donny Osmond–is pointing to fellow Utah native and Idol contestant David Archuleta as someone who could follow in his footsteps, saying, "I just think he’s got a lot of potential. He’s got a lot of humility, which is a factor that has made people fall in love with the kid."  And what about that resemblance?
• It looks as though Britney Spears and MTV have really made up–she’s been nominated for three VMA Awards, with nods for Best Female Video, Best Pop Video and Video Of The Year.  Either she’s really turned a corner in her life, or MTV is stuck in a 1999 time warp…
• Daughtry has hooked up with CNN in a campaign to encourage first-time voters to go to the polls this fall and is supporting the effort by releasing a cover of the classic Foreigner hit Feels Like The First Time–another way Chris says the band can be political yet remain non-partisan.  It’s the difference between acting like Bruce Springsteen and Barbra Streisand…
• Now that same-sex marriages are legal in California, the long-awaited wedding of Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi was finally, er, consummated Saturday night, when the Emmy-winning talk show host and her long-time actress girlfriend were married in front of a small group of family and friends in the couple’s Beverly Hills home.  Would it be wrong of me to say that everyone had a gay time?
• A U2 fan walking by Bono’s home in the south of France heard the singer’s voice blasting from a stereo, and decided to whip out a video camera to record the audio and post in on YouTube–which turned out to be tracks from a new album from the band that’s scheduled for a November release.  Sadly, the audio is no longer available–those darned copyright rules are just no fun…
• AdAge.com reports that GEICO’s trademark caveman, who has proven so popular that he even had his own short-lived sitcom, will be used by ESPN to promote their fantasy football feature and its SportsCenter shows on various ad mediums.  Apparently the deal was done so easily, even a caveman could have managed it…

• Now that Britney Spears has helped MTV to promote their Video Music Awards, she’s in negotiations to appear on the show.  I don’t think it’s a question of if she’ll be on–it’s whether or not she’ll have to dance with the elephant…
• Daughtry is set to perform at both Democratic and Republican National Convention events in support of the ONE campaign, an organization who works to raise public awareness of global poverty, hunger and disease.  When it comes to human rights, Chris obviously believes in being an equal opportunity nag…
• New dad Clay Aiken will return to his role in Broadway’s Spamalot next month, now that close friend and producer Jaymes Foster–who became pregnant by in-vitro fertilization–gave birth to their son Parker.  I think it’s just wonderful that two people like this can decide to start a family together without romantic entanglements that neither of them want–and it would be even nicer if one of them would just admit that he’s gay…
• The distributors of the straight-to-DVD movie National Lampoon’s Pledge This! have sued producer and star Paris Hilton for not adequately promoting the film.  Frankly, I don’t see her hanging out and signing autographs at a few thousand Blockbuster Video stores…
• Music magazine Blender asked both John McCain and Barack Obama to list their top 10 favorite songs, and their choices provide a little insight to each of them–among Obama’s faves were songs from The Fugees, Bruce Springsteen, Kanye West, U2 and Aretha Franklin; McCain’s tops included ABBA, The Beach Boys, Neil Diamond, plus jazz great Louis Armstrong and  country legend Merle Haggard.  They both listed Frank Sinatra on their Top Tens–which means they have about as much in common musically as they do politically …
• Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Warren Sapp says he’s going to compete in the upcoming season of Dancing With The Stars.  Considering Sapp went 6′2" and 300 pounds during his playing days, which consisted of crushing whoever had the ball, he’ll make an ideal partner–with anyone willing to wear armor…