Gwen & Kingston  —  Gwen Attending VMAs?  —  Gwen Stefani's publicist Dave Tomberlin confirmed that Gwen is not snubbing the VMAs and plans to bypass this year's ceremony because she's "too busy with Fashion Week to attend."  Please!  Sounds like a publicity stunt to me.  You make time to attend the VMAs.

MAD FOR MARIAH  —  MARIAH Carey got a sparkling surprise before her New York concert last week when $4 million worth of diamonds appeared backstage for her.  She was doubly stunned when she found out the rocks were a gift, not a loaner.  Prince Azim, son of the Sultan of Brunei …

Nicole Richie & Brody Jenner: Heating Up  —  Nicole Richie and Brody Jenner's relationship may look like a typical quickie Hollywood romance, but don't be fooled: The pair go way back - he even predates Paris Hilton.  —  "I was there when (Brody) was born!"

MORE ON KATIE'S ESCAPE - BY HELICOPTER?!?  —  oh i really love all the tomkat drama - for sure this is one of the more interesting dramas (real or imagined - who really knows what's going on...) well in this week's STAR magazine katie's big 'secret plan' (now uncovered and not so secret anymore) …

Is 'Vixen' fixin' Whitney's woes?  —  Whitney Houston appears to have rid herself of hubby Bobby Brown.  Whether he gets back into the house may depend on hip-hop temptress Karrine Steffans.  —  Houston's friends have long blamed Brown for her woefully heavy eyelids.

CLOONEY MAD FOR BARKIN  —  EXCLUSIVE GEORGE SMITTEN WITH OLDER CO-STAR  —  GORGEOUS George Clooney has a new lady in his life - and he's crazy about the twice-married 52-year-old mother-of-two.  —  The eternal bachelor usually dates much younger women - including TV presenter Lisa Snowdon …

Madonna and Guy row over schooling  —  For most mothers the start of the new school year is a welcome relief from the hurly-burly of the school holidays.  —  But Madonna has enjoyed seeing her children so much that she wants them to stay on her Confessions world tour with her.

'Psycho' scriptwriter and 'The Outer Limits' co-creator Joseph Stefano dies at 84  —  THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) — Joseph Stefano, who wrote the screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and was co-creator of television's science fiction anthology series The Outer Limits, has died.  He was 84.

Brit's Kev to play sponger  —  KEVIN Federline is to appear on TV — as the deadbeat husband of a celebrity.  —  Britney Spears' hubby will be seen in three episodes of ITV4's Entourage.  —  The HBO series focuses on a hot young Hollywood actor and his freeloading mates.

Travolta's Lip Lock  —  WTF?!?!  John Travolta has been dodging the gay rumors for years like fellow Scientologist, Tom Cruise.  Poor Kelly.  Well, we bet she had an idea of all this anyway.  So is this why he has his own plane?  —  Source

Take, take, take... take your booty  —  Attention IRS!  Celebrities big, small and not at all continued to rake in freebies yesterday in gift lounges set up all over town for tonight's MTV Video Music Awards - and this year the swag is taxable.  —  R&B stunner Rihanna picked up thousands …

John Mayer: Jessica Simpson's New Love?  —  It's the hot headline making waves, as Us Weekly magazine reports that Jessica Simpson and John Mayer have been privately dating.  —  The upcoming issue, due out Friday, claims the pair first met at a pre-Grammy bash last year.  But things only recently heated up.

MY PAL PARIS  —  COULD it be that Lance Armstrong has taken a break from incessantly working out with his new best friend, Matthew McConaughey - to spend time with Paris Hilton?  The two showed up to the Key Club in L.A. Tuesday night to catch the band the Vacation.

off the rack  —  When Britney Spears was pregnant with first child Sean Preston last year, most of the time, she looked like she got dressed on a dare or had forgotten that she was no longer blessed with 500-situps-a-day abs.  But now, Britney's dropped the Red Bull can and seriously cleaned up her style (and her hair troubles)!

BRIT HINTS AT BABY'S SEX  —  For those of you wondering what to buy Britney Spears' unborn baby... never fear.  —  You'll find a modest gift list at a baby boutique in LA.  —  OK, modest it isn't.  —  The Toxic singer has registered for thousands of dollars worth of presents at posh baby shop Petit Tresor.

Vida Brings 'Dat Ass to Your Cell Phone  —  The very bootylicious Vida Guerra is about to turn the world of reality programming right on its...well, you know.  The curvy Cuban model is revealing the secrets to unbridled sex appeal on the first-ever reality show made especially for mobile phones …

Rosie to Watch Her Mouth on The View  —  As Rosie O'Donnell's first day on The View nears - she and a new set, complete with proscenium arch, will debut Sept. 5 - ABC's standards and practices department has met with the erstwhile Queen of Nice to remind her to watch her language on the air.

Rosario Dawson Double Feature  —  Rosario Dawson is my type of girl!  No, not just because she's hot and has an incredibly long tongue which is close to licking a thong (all good reasons); I like Rosario because she's smart.  You see, she chose to be in BOTH parts of Grind House.

Rod makes Penny's dream come true with £3m gift  —  With seven children by five women, Rod Stewart is rarely regarded as the last of the great romantics.  —  But time has clearly softened the husky-voiced crooner.  —  Because, at the age of 61, the husky-voiced star …

Lindsay Lohan Bikini Video (and More Pictures)  —  You know, as awesome as Lindsay Lohan bikini pictures are (and that last set were great), there is something better.  Namely, Lindsay Lohan bikini videos.  —  There's nothing quite like full motion video to really give you that genuine feeling …