Britney Spears was welcomed by a throng of paparazzi when she arrived in New York City this week, but the singer didn't experience the usual fanfare when she stopped by NYC radio station Z-100 to promote her new single — because nobody knew she was coming. According to a station rep, the crew randomly "received a call from the Spears camp saying she was just two blocks away and wanted to come in" — and she was only accompanied by manager Larry Rudolph. Well, we're pleased to see that she needs just one person around to reign in the crazy.

The interview included a segment where Brit got nostalgic about the old days, before she lost her mind: "I wish I still had my apartment here … I love [New York City]." We agree that she would perhaps be less of a freak show in Manhattan, but we would prefer the madness to stay on the opposite side of the country. Besides, her poor kids have enough to worry about without having to move thousands of miles away from their not-so-stable environment.

Meanwhile, Brit hit up a Broadway show last night and looked as good as ever. You can't even tell she has a rat's nest on her head! Things are looking up.

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Oh, dear. Britney Spears, bless her heart, has gone back to her abusive ex-boyfriend, The Wig. She was spotted with him last night in LA after reportedly filming a music video all day. We're hoping it was just for the set, but why on earth would a stylist think it's a great idea to stick a wig on Britney Spears? That's just asking for a relapse.

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The Dark Knight finally hit theaters starting at 12:01 a.m., with theaters even selling out their 3 and 6 a.m. showtimes. My friends are lame and didn't want to go at midnight, so I chickened out because the joker masks scare me (it probably goes back to my fear of clowns) and I didn't want to be alone with the crazies (see above) late at night. So for those of you brave enough to face the masses: Was it worth it?

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Assuming that the average person has about 16 waking hours per day, researchers predict that in five years, almost a third of that time will be spent looking at video screens:

Consumption of video content is expected to rise 25% to five hours per day by 2013, compared with the four hours now watched in 2008, according to Forrester Research. The firm suggests the increase will be driven by consumers watching programming of all grades via computers, mobile phones, portable media players and even digital photo frames.

Yep, whereas we once had, "The revolution will not be televised," we're now stuck with, "The television will be revolutionized." What a great leap forward, huh? Excuse me for a second: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

CARTOON MOUSE TO MAKE MORE THAN ZIMBABWE'S GDP "Walt Disney Co. said on Tuesday it expects retail sales of licensed merchandise to top $30 billion worldwide in fiscal 2008, helped by its popular Disney Princess and High School Musical brands. Last year, the company said its sales of licensed Disney merchandise rose to $27 billion, more than doubling from five years earlier."

Since the release of the much ballyhooed Sex and the City movie, sad former cheerleaders who wish life was TV have been causing grief for more than just bartenders and shoe salesmen; they're now harassing kindly vintage book dealers with demands for things that aren't even real.

A consumer alert for the millions who have seen the "Sex and the City" movie: There is no such book as "Love Letters of Great Men," which Carrie Bradshaw reads while in bed with Mr. Big.
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Richard Davies, press manager for AbeBooks.com, an online seller that features used titles, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he has received hundreds of queries about the book's existence.

Leave Mr Davies alone, you scary Carrie wannabes! And try Getting a Life That's Yours for Dummies. We promise that one exists. E-mail Amazon about it all day long.

Our new favorite crazy, Lauren Hutton, gave a very eloquent and coherent speech at the Bravo A-List Awards, where she declared that she hadn't slept in 46 hours. We're sure it's not because of any substance abuse — she's just been really busy, what with her passionate Sex and the City rants and all.

Yesterday was Jason Castro Day in his hometown of Rockwall, Texas. One of the former American Idol contestant's fans gave an eyewitness account of the day's shenanigans, including this lovely sentence that sums up Jason's entire life from here on out: "There were literally THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of screaming, hysterical fans. It was insanity. I saw a girl burst into tears because she brushed his arm. … Jason looked mortified."

The best story from the day came at the end, when the Dread Heads were at their bravest: "[Jason] opens the [SUV] window to wave goodbye, at which point a woman tries to shove her puppy into his car (I dont know if she wanted him to have it?) which she has dressed in dreadlocks and a cap. Jason closes his window."

I can't believe some lady was crazy enough to put dreadlocks on her poor innocent puppy. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go remove the Rastafarian hat from my cat's head.

We'll be the first to admit that Britney Spears has shown great strides in progress since her father kicked Sam Lutfi and Adnan Ghalib out of her life, but would it kill Jamie to hire a full-time stylist for his daughter? It's hard not to feel the urge to shower after looking at pictures of her. Also, someone needs to tell Brit that sucking in her cheeks does not make her look any skinnier or saner.

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Tonight ends my months-long relationship with American Idol, and for the grand 2-hour finale, I will be liveblogging the entire event from my couch. The finales are usually littered with filler, but occasionally there is an awesome moment, like this one from season five in which Clay Aiken surprises his biggest train wreck of a fan. Enjoy, and I'll see you tonight.

Start buying your tickets now: Katie Holmes is coming to Broadway. The wife of Mr. Crazy himself, Tom Cruise, will escape the LA Scientology Center to join the revival of Arthur Miller's All My Sons, which debuts this fall. It's unsure whether Tom and Suri will be joining her here in the city, and for our sake, we sure hope not. Besides, Katie needs no distractions as she learns to reprogram new vocabulary into her system.

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Paula Abdul unleashed more of her crazy last night at Lupus LA's Orange Ball while presenting an award to physician Daniel Wallace, who she claims helped save her business and professional life. While making her speech, she admitted, "No one understands me. By the way, are you singing two songs tonight?" Um, awkward.

Offstage, she went into one of her famous rants, going from one end of the happy scale to the other:

I have fun poking fun at a situation that’s so ridiculous. I’m the queen of taking the seriousness out of [it] … I loved that people laughed, it was funny. Honestly, it was a silly thing [that happened on Idol]. We were all confused … I did exactly what the producers told me to do … It’s all good.

Pain is very daunting — it creates isolation. For me, the smile on my face oftentimes is not met with how I feel inside.

It's safe to say we are all quite lucky that Paula doesn't let us know how she feels on the inside, because no one could ever come back from that.

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A Seattle woman was stabbed Wednesday night for talking too loudly during America's Next Top Model. Yes, you read that correctly.

The victim, 42, was reportedly talking too much throughout the episode, and one of the other viewers became so angry — because what Tyra Banks has to say is deep, people — that she stabbed the woman in the chest. Police arrived to find the victim lying on a couch with blood everywhere and clumps of hair missing. The suspect is still at large.

Hey, Seattle PD: Just check Tyra's weave.

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In Touch picked up on sister mag Life & Style's Suri Cruise obsession this week with stalker photos and insider details surrounding the tot's birthday party.

Tom Cruise reportedly spent $100,000 on the extravaganza, which is so ridiculous we don't even need to say anything about it. The cost included $17,000 for fresh flowers, $45,000 on catering and $5,000 for cakes. But these weren't just any pastries: Each guest received a personalized cake and Suri was treated to a four-tier cake covered in buttercream frosting, bumblebees and butterflies. Oh, and Katie received $230 worth of Sprinkles cupcakes. Who knew she ate?

The celebration continued into the evening when Tom and Katie invited their own friends — including Eva Longoria Parker, David and Victoria Beckham, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, and Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy — to a private bash. Because we're sure that was on Suri's wishlist.

It's a good thing they pulled out all the stops for this milestone birthday, seeing as how Suri likely had already forgotten about it by breakfast.

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Sure, Britney Spears seems to be getting her life back on track. But would it kill Jamie to burn that tacky green tank top she's been sporting every day as of late? We're convinced she wears that more than those awful cowboy boots.

Also of note: She's wearing a bra! Hooray!

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Less than two weeks after she was arrested at Heathrow airport for throwing a fit and reportedly spitting in a policeman's face, Naomi Campbell has countered back:

The famously short-tempered supermodel revealed today that she will no longer use the airline because of its 'complete disrespect for the passengers' of Terminal Five.

Ms. Campbell also claimed that BA … was now desperate for her custom. In an interview in a Brazilian newspaper today, she said that the airline had pleaded with her to use their planes again and that she was refusing to do so in a stand against the catastrophic failings of the terminal.

Yeah, that would make sense that they are asking for your business, Naomi. Except for the fact that you spit on an employee and made the passengers feel threatened. Oh yeah, and they banned you.

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Jodie Foster, on her cleaning habits:

I squeegee out my shower every single time I take it. And I’m just a dictator about my cappuccino maker nobody else is allowed to touch it because they don’t clean it up properly. I also like my towels folded in thirds and when the kids don’t [do that], I’m like, "Well, use your own towels. Don’t use my towels!"