· Neverland Defense Mounted: Jackson Strikes Back. Rubba... I am your father. [Fox News]
· Gwyneth Paltrow is waiting for a proposal from boyfriend Chris Martin of Coldplay. The little multi-tasker is also waiting for a success in the film industry. [BBC News]
· Elizabeth Taylor suddenly snaps to attention. "I thought the law was 'innocent until proven guilty.' I know he is innocent and I hope they all eat crow," she howls about her friend Michael. [NY Daily News]
· Britney Spears on scoring Madonna: "Honestly, there s like some sort of energy thing between us. She s like my godmother. I had this idea, like, I really like my new single and I said like, you know what, do you think Madonna would join me? And my people, they were, like, come on, Britney, you know. So I just said to her, maybe this is crazy, but would it be OK, like, and she said: 'Yes.' And I thought: 'Ohmigod, Madonna s on my song, right!'" [The Scoop (last item)]
· Actress Kellie Waymire meets Jonathan Brandis, which is our new euphemism for "sadly passes away out of the public eye." Waymire was a guest star on Ally McBeal, Friends, and... Six Feet Under. [AP/CNN]
· "I felt like I wasn't fitting in at my own magazine," said Atoosa Rubenstein, new editor of Seventeen. "The old hair said, 'Hi, I'm a quirky, wacky girl, and I don't care what anybody thinks.' The new hair said, 'I have work to do.'" Luckily, the Times provides before and after pictures. [NY Times]
· A dark moment of media self-love: Lloyd Grove reports on Liz Smith's naughty lip-lock with Andrea Marcovici. Are there any women in America who haven't made out yet for a PR stunt? Yes, I'm looking at you, Joyce DeWitt. [NY Daily News]