PICTURE-SHY  —  NICOLE Richie knows how rumors get started, so she's nipping in the bud any chance of wicked whispers about her and boyfriend Joel Madden being on the outs.  Wednesday night, Madden went to celebrate the first anniversary of the Village Pourhouse on...

Uncle Kracker's Wacker Lands Singer in Slammer  —  Kid Rock's former DJ, who also had a double platinum selling album of his own a few years back, was arrested and charged with a second-degree forcible sex offense outside Raleigh, North Carolina this morning.

SECOND EFFORT  —  HER first self-titled album bombed, but Carmen Electra still has music in her heart.  She's been secretly working on a new album in between modeling gigs, and it's just about ready.  On Sunday, Electra showed up to the Diesel BBQ party at the Polaroid...

Amy hubby: Not my fault  —  AMY HUSBAND EXCLUSIVE  —  Amy Winehouse's husband spoke out last night for the first time since her drugs collapse and insisted: "I'm no bad guy."  —  Blake Fielder-Civil, 25, said he wanted to help the troubled jazz singer beat her cocaine and heroin addiction.

Scarlett Johansson to star in Frank Miller's The Spirit  —  Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation) is in final negotiations to star as the femme fatale in Frank Miller's (Sin City, 300) big screen adaptation of Will Eisner's The Spirit.  Johansson has also signed on to star in Mary Queen of Scots and Into You, but who really cares?

Jenna gonna wed ex-Rove intern  —  WASHINGTON - Wild Jenna Bush is getting married - to a former Karl Rove intern!  —  The 25-year-old First Daughter was engaged Wednesday to Henry Hager, 29, a former White House and Commerce Department aide and son of Virginia's Republican Party chairman.

Heidi Montag 'Upset' Over Leaked Song  —  Heidi Montag talks about making music almost as much as she talks about the feud with her Hills costar Lauren Conrad.  But unlike her very public fights, Montag did not want a song she recorded to be played on the air.

Leonardo DiCaprio Gets Waxed!  —  Does Leonardo DiCaprio have a new lady in his life?  —  No, he just has a devoted fan who couldn't resist planting a smooch on his brand new wax figure!  —  And who can blame her, really?  The figure is so lifelike, it could fool anyone.

CONFIRMED!  - BRITNEY TO PERFORM AT VMA's!  —  X17 can confirm that Britney Spears WILL perform at the Video Music Awards in Las Vegas on September 9 with Criss Angel as her partner in the gig!  —  An X17 source told us Brit and Criss were meeting last night to work on their performance …

LIQUID SOLUTION  —  JACK Nicholson has been drinking a lot - and we mean a lot - of water lately due to a serious case of dry mouth.  A friend of the legendary actor told us, "Jack's saliva glands stopped working, so he has to continually drink water to swallow anything...

Bag lady: Friends carry camera-shy Lily Allen in giant bag to avoid paparazzi  —  Maybe it was just too long a night; maybe she didn't want to punch another photographer.  —  Whatever the reason - and there can be no easy explanation - Lily Allen left a London nightclub early today carried by her friends in a large plastic bag.

Caught in the Act!  —  • Following his concert in East Rutherford, N.J., Justin Timberlake was hankering for some soul food.  So, the singer stopped by his New York City restaurant Southern Hospitality, arriving with a back-up dancer early Tuesday morning.

R Kelly speaks at 'Trapped In The Closet' screening  —  Troubled star appears upbeat at New York cinema  —  A buoyant R Kelly. appeared at a screening of new chapters of his "hip-hopera" 'Trapped In The Closet' last night at a West Village cinema in New York.

Longoria, Desperate Housewives Evicted!  New home for Tonight Show without Leno?  —  ABC and Desperate Housewives unhappy they're being forced to re-locate, Conan deciding if he wants a new theater in Universal City, replacement of Jay Leno one step closer  —  HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) …

100 PERCENT MAN  —  CHRISTIE Brinkley's cheating ex has finally found someone who will date him.  Peter Cook , who stepped out on the supermodel with 19-year-old Diana Bianchi, was kryptonite to East End females for about a year.  But the cad is now dating "a young blonde," spies said.

RAPPERS RULE ON RED CARPET  —  MALE rappers have become even bigger divas than their notorious female counterparts these days.  At Monday night's Second Annual Ozone Awards at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, Fat Joe and Lil' Wayne insisted that the event's organizers meet their wacky demands - or they would leave.

Brad Pitt Leaves $300 Tip  —  Add Brad Pitt to the list of Hollywood's most generous tippers!  —  The Babel star made sure to show his appreciation to a security guard on August 11 at 5:45 p.m., when the whole Jolie-Pitt clan headed to Chicago's Field Museum and were treated to a one-hour VIP tour …

Kate & Ryder Take On Beantown  —  Kate Hudson spent some time in Boston (holla!) with her little man Ryder this week filming Bachelor No. 2 costarring Dane Cook.  Kate looked absolutely adorable in her shirt dress walking on Newbury Street with Ryder who was a lucky boy with his balloon.

Hip-Hop Cash Kings  —  While most of us look forward to retirement, Shawn Carter, better known to the planet as master rapper Jay-Z, couldn't stand the view from the sidelines following his 2003 farewell The Black Album.  Despite a frenetic schedule as president of Def Jam Recordings …

Slater still obsessed with Winona Ryder  —  Christian Slater has admitted that he is still in love with Winona Ryder 18 years after they first met.  —  The actor fell for Winona while filming black comedy Heathers in 1989.  —  He revealed that he is still obsessed with the Girl …