Jessica & Nick Together Again?  —  PHOTO BY: JACOB ANDRZEJCZAK / SHOOTING STAR  —  Jessica Simpson has been tapped as cohost of the Teen Choice Awards, and she may have her work cut out for her at the Aug. 20 event.  Not only is she a nominee, but so is her ex-husband, Nick Lachey, and his new squeeze, Vanessa Minnillo.

Awkward PR, to put it conservatively  —  The Wall Street Journal battened down yesterday as an awkward civil case began in Manhattan Supreme Court centered on its OpinionJournal.com columnist John Fund.  —  Fund, a former WSJ editorial writer who also appears as a conservative commentator on Fox News …

Real World Key West's Paula arrested  —  CROMWELL - A participant in the newest edition of MTV's "Real World," who was described by producers as "damaged," was arrested early Sunday morning following an altercation with her boyfriend.  —  Paula Ann Meronek, 25, of 38 River Road …

Kathy Griffin: My Ex Stole $72,000 From Me  —  Griffin on Larry King Live  —  Comedian Kathy Griffin told CNN's Larry King that her marriage to Matthew Moline fell apart after she discovered he'd stolen $72,000 from her.  —  In a Larry King Live interview that aired Monday night, Griffin …

Avril Lavigne Gets Dramatic in Butch Walker's New Video  —  Have you ever wondered what Avril Lavigne would look like with dark raven hair?  (Answer: Fabulous!)  Or ever ponder what she'd look like in a scene mimicing Girl, Interrupted?  (Answer: Fabulous!)

Lohan tries to get 'a head' in the movie business  —  I don't know if Lindsay Lohan is a method actor or not so I can't really speculate if she is drawing on her emotions and past experiences to get into character for this role but she seems to be doing a great job.  Linda Lovelace would be proud.

Holy Crap, Is That Eva?  —  In other news, HOORAY for whoever decided giant, awful belts were in this year; there is, after all, nothing sexier than the sight of a fine woman getting the Heimlich maneuver as performed by an Oompa-Loompa.  —  See also : Hair & Makeup, Please, Eva Longoria

Disney 'Pirated' film - suit  —  A Brooklyn-born screenwriter claims Disney plundered his buccaneer screenplay to make the first "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie.  —  Royce Mathew of Altamonte Springs, Fla., says the characters of Will Turner and the cursed crew of the Black Pearl were all stolen …

Theater and TV actor Barnard Hughes dies  —  NEW YORK - Barnard Hughes, who won a Tony for his portrayal of the curmudgeonly title character in Hugh Leonard's "Da," has died after a brief illness.  He was 90.  —  Hughes died Tuesday at New York Presbyterian Hospital, said Chris Boneau, a spokesman for Hughes' family.

Wow, Katie really looks awful.  —  Katie was snapped by the weekly during a vacation in Telluride, Colo., strolling down the street with a friend and a cappuccino.  Neither fiancé Tom Cruise — nor, significantly, baby Suri — were anywhere to be found.

Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes Set to Marry: Katie's Folks May Skip It  —  The celeb watching world was a bit taken aback when the fabulous Katie Holmes' parents left Los Angeles right before baby Suri was born to head to Florida.  Her fiancé Tom Cruise was silently by her side, but her folks skipped the silent birth.

Liz's Sexy Bikini Tips  —  With the sun shining and summer holidays on our minds, there's only one thing that can spoil our mood.  —  And that's facing the prospect of stepping out onto the beach (or even into our back gardens) in a bikini.  —  But help is on hand from someone who always looks fab in her two-piece: Elizabeth Hurley.

EXCLUSIVE: Cruise/Shields' Births — New Twist  —  UPDATE: St. John's Hospital still has not called back, but we may have figured out what is going on here.  It seems as if the nurses entered the license number of the doctors who delivered the children.  Doctors are registered with the Medical Board, not the Nursing Board.

Reynolds tries to determine her TV future  —  NEW YORK - Now that the smoke is clearing from her abrupt departure from "The View," Star Jones Reynolds is trying to see if she has a future in television.  —  She's appearing this week as a guest host on HGTV's top-rated show, "House Hunters," a booking made before she left "The View."

Cereal slimmer Beyoncé Knowles  —  LIFE STYLE EXTRA (UK) - Beyoncé Knowles has revealed the secret to her sexy curves - cereal.  —  The singer-turned-actress says she eat the breakfast treat through the day to stay in shape and to curb hunger pains.  —  She said: "My big fitness trick is cereal.

Pink Floyd Co-Founder Barrett Dies at 60  —  Syd Barrett (left) with a '60s-era Pink Floyd  —  Pink Floyd co-founder Syd Barrett has died, a spokeswoman for the band said Tuesday.  He was 60.  —  The London-based rep declined to give specifics about when or how the brilliant yet reclusive …

Jon's message to Brangelina  —  MegaStar says: 'There's a void in Voight's life.'  —  Angelina Jolie's estranged dad, legendary actor Jon Voight, is 'deeply happy' about Brangelina's new baby and wants to get back on good terms with her.  —  To say the least, their father-daughter relationship …

Natalie Portman Will Unwrap Christmas/Chanukah Present for Fans  —  As if the rumor that she may appear in the long-delayed fourth Indiana Jones film as the famous archaeologist's daughter weren't titillating enough, now comes news that everyone's favorite brainiac Oscar-nominated actress, Natalie Portman, has finally done a nude scene.

A low-water mark for broadcast TV viewing  —  NEW YORK - TV viewers must have taken to the beach: It was the least-watched week in recorded history for the four biggest broadcast networks.  —  CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox averaged 20.8 million viewers during the average prime-time minute last week, according to Nielsen Media Research.