Originally posted Tuesday March 11, 2008 04:30 PM EDT

Janet Jackson is taking it easy following her bout with the flu. The pop star, 41, who paid a visit to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A. Monday night after falling ill, has decided to cancel an upcoming Saturday Night Live appearance originally scheduled for Saturday, her rep confirms.

"The main prescription to get over this flu is rest – and that's what she has to do," her rep says. No replacement has been announced yet.

Benji Madden 'Rocks' a Ring Dedicated to Paris

Originally posted Tuesday March 11, 2008 09:45 AM EDT

After his new girl-about-town Paris Hilton rocked a glittery B-is-for-Benji Madden pendant and "BM" ring over the weekend, Madden stepped out Monday with his own love-dedicated bling: a "PH" ring on his ring finger. The couple that shines together also parties together, with Hilton, 27, throwing her beau a birthday celebration (Madden turned 29 Tuesday) at club LAX in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Fans Flock as Kid Rock Appears at Waffle House

Originally posted Tuesday March 11, 2008 05:30 PM EDT

Kid Rock got the chance to turn his now-legendary waffle house fight into a positive experience on Tuesday, as hundreds of fans lined up to see the rocker near the scene of the waffle crime – a Duluth, Ga., waffle house – all for good cause.

The singer's appearance was for a charity event to raise money for the Nicholas House Foundation, a transitional housing shelter that helps homeless families in the Metro Atlanta area. (The restaurant was near the original waffle house where Kid Rock was arrested in October after getting into a fight.)

Rock said Tuesday that the benefit was the perfect opportunity put a positive spin on the waffle house experience. "The first situation was silly. Atlanta has always been a great market for us and we have made a lot of money here," he said between taking pictures and signing tour memorabilia for fans. "We got so much press from the last incident that we decided to not let it lay where was and turn it into something good."

The rocker, who pleaded not guilty to battery in the Waffle House incident, said that between donations from fans, the Waffle House and money made from auctioning off items such as backstage passes to one of his shows, he hoped to raise between $15,000 and $20,000.

"I like to take opportunities that might not be so positive and turn it around," he said. "To me, the glass is always half full." Or in this case, the waffle.

Hugh Laurie Experimented with Vicodin For His House Role

March 11, 2008

Not that he’s been labeled a realistic Method actor before, but Hugh Laurie admits he attempted to get closer to the character he portrays on House — by experimenting with Vicodin, the strong painkiller to which Dr. Gregory House is addicted.

“I wouldn’t recommend it — we have to be careful,” Laurie, 48, tells Britain’s Radio Times magazine, “But then again … if you’re not in pain it gives a floaty, pleasurable feeling.”

Laurie, renown as a perfectionist, says he’s unhappy with his Golden Globe-winning performance of the grumpy medic — especially his American accent — and isn’t sure how much longer the series will continue.

“I’m hugely surprised House survives. The odds are against you in this competitive business; wolves snap at your heels. It’s hard to say if I’m pleased with the show,” he says.

“I don’t watch regularly. I avert my eyes when my children have it on. I hate seeing myself, but it’s even worse hearing my American accent … I had no idea I sound so retarded, a dull monotone, full of clunking mistakes.”

Laurie says he hasn’t brought his family, who continue to live in London, to be with him in Los Angeles because of fears that this might hex the show’s run.

“I have this vague feeling that the moment I’m comfortable with my place in the world there’ll be retribution,” he says. “That’s one reason I didn’t want my family to live here. The moment we put down roots the whole thing will be called off.”

Laurie also says the pressures of filming House mean he’s “off the market” for cameos on other shows. And its success hasn’t lead to any offers from his native land either.

“There’s a notion that I’ve sold out,” he says. “Sold out what exactly? There’s a peculiar British attitude that I took an oath I wouldn’t be successful, and reneged on it.”

Justin Recalls Dropping Pants for Madonna

Originally posted Tuesday March 11, 2008 07:30 AM EDT

When Madonna orders you to drop trou, you drop trou, Justin Timberlake admitted while inducting the pop diva into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Monday night in New York.

Madonna, 49, offered the "SexyBack" singer, 27, a B-12 shot – and, apparently, not in the arm – last year while they were working on her new album, Hard Candy, he explained to the audience inside the Waldorf-Astoria ballroom.

He thought she was going to call a doctor for the injection, but instead, "She proceeds to pull a Ziploc bag of B-12 syringes out [of her purse] and says, 'Drop 'em.'

"I don't know what you say to that, so I immediately dropped my pants. She gave me a shot in my a-- and looks at me and says, 'Nice top shelf.' That was one of the greatest days of my life."

Correcting him when she took the stage, Madonna said, "Everything he said is basically true, but I didn't say 'drop 'em,' I said, 'pull your pants down.' I like to be accurate because you know I am a control freak."

Sexually Charged Speech

Timberlake's sexually charged speech praised Madonna for her "shapely body of work" and how she's "always been a woman on top" who "fully enjoys that position."

Madonna, naturally, wasn't one to curb her tongue herself – revealing that she and legendary A&R exec Michael Rosenblatt "did a tab of ecstasy and danced the night away" when she met him back in her days as a rising star.

Madonna blamed Timberlake for the innuendos in her speech, saying, "He's rubbing off on me. He's bringing sexy back." Turning to him, she said, "I'll get you, f-----!"

Timberlake took a few shots at past love Britney Spears, saying that in between changing the face of music and becoming a music icon, Madonna "found time to publicly kiss someone I may or may not have kissed myself – while I was in the audience. Of course, you all know who I'm talking about: Sean Penn."

Referring to the number of "Madonna wannabes" out there, he said, "I might have even dated a couple of them. But there is truly only one Madonna."

Other Inductees

Other honorees included John Mellencamp, who was inducted by Billy Joel, and the Dave Clark Five, who were inducted by Tom Hanks.

In one of the most memorable Hall of Fame performances, Iggy Pop performed his own versions of her hits, "Burnin' Up" and "Ray of Light," gyrating shirtless on stage before jumping into Madonna's lap in the audience.

"It was a lot of fun," she told him in the kitchen after the performance. "Well done."

Judge Rules: Britney Gets $1,500 Allowance

Originally posted Monday March 10, 2008 06:25 PM EDT

Britney Spears is getting an allowance.

The pop star, who is worth an estimated $100 million, has been approved for a $1,500-a-week allowance on a debit card, Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Reva Goetz ruled Monday.

In addition, Goetz approved the hiring of two specialist attorneys to help the singer and her lawyers sort out her affairs while Spears is under a temporary co-conservatorship.

One, Jorge Hernandez, will get a $25,000 retainer to be an around-the-clock consultant on all questions pertaining to the co-conservatorship. The other, lawyer Tom Hansen, will receive $15,000 a month for his services as an entertainment lawyer consulting on Spears's entertainment deals and contracts.

The ruling comes the same day as a separate hearing in which lawyers for Spears said that her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, should take responsibility for some of his legal bills in the former couple's ongoing custody battle.

The question of who will pay the legal fees "is under submission," according to court spokesman Allan Parachini. "When the judge will rule, I don't know."

Britney's Lawyer Questions K-Fed's Spending

Originally posted Monday March 10, 2008 02:35 PM EDT

Kevin Federline can afford to "take responsibility" for some of his own legal fees, an attorney for Britney Spears said in court Monday.

The pop star's lawyer, Stacy Phillips, asked Federline to contribute to his own legal bills in the former couple's ongoing custody case. Citing Federline's tip of $2,000 on a recent $365 dining tab, Phillips contended that Federline can afford to help pay "for the diligent work being done on his behalf."

Currently Spears is responsible for paying her ex-husband's legal fees, including $405,000 owed to Federline's attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan.

Phillips further argued that it was inappropriate for Kaplan and his partner to have increased their hourly rate to $600 an hour. Kaplan countered that Phillips charges $700 an hour.

"Mr. Federline is doing things that will substantially increase the revenue he can have," Kaplan said in court. "Everything done by our side was done by Mr. Federline to protect his children from a very dangerous and very fluid situation."

The question of who will pay the legal fees "is under submission," according to court spokesman Allan Parachini. "When the judge will rule I don't know."

Federline and his former father-in-law, Jamie Spears, who is serving as Britney's temporary co-conservator, both answered questions during the hearing. Despite the dispute between the two sides, the pair – who played golf together over the weekend – appeared to be on friendly terms, chatting in court while waiting for the judge to arrive.

N.Y. Governor Apologizes After Link to Prostitution Ring

Originally posted Monday March 10, 2008 03:30 PM EDT

New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer spoke out Monday afternoon after a shocking New York Times story reported that he's been linked to a prostitution ring.

Neither admitting guilt nor saying he would resign – or remain in office – Spitzer said: "I have acted in a way that violates my obligation to my family ... I apologize first, most importantly, to my family, I apologize to the public," said Spitzer, with his wife, Silda, standing at his side.

"I must now dedicate some time to regain the trust of my family," he also said, adding he would not be taking any questions.

He did not state whether he would step down as governor, but said he would be "reporting back in short order" on what he intended to do.

The Times, citing an administration official, reported that Spitzer informed his most senior administration officials that he had been involved in a prostitution ring, as was determined by a wiretap recording in a Washington, D.C., hotel room. The governor, in turn, had been told of his implication last Friday.

CNN, citing the Associated Press, said that in court papers Spitzer was identified as a client of the ring, which is being described as upscale and expensive. CNN quoted a price of $3,000 an hour.

Spitzer, 48, has been married since 1987 to Silda Wall. They have three children: Alyssa, 18, Sarabeth, 15, and Jenna, 13.

Spitzer graduated Princeton University and Harvard Law School, became a federal law clerk and an assistant district attorney in Manhattan before entering private practice. He was elected attorney general in 1998 after a campaign financed by his family's real-estate fortune.

Elected Democratic governor in 2006, he entered office as New York's 58th chief executive, promising sweeping ethics reforms.

Jessica's 'Scaled Back' Visit to U.S. Troops

Originally posted Monday March 10, 2008 06:40 PM EDT

Jessica Simpson may be a high-wattage celebrity used to the finer things in life – private jets, first-class accommodations, and large entourages – but her rep is slamming reports that the singer-actress is enjoying such amenities while visiting U.S. troops in Kuwait.

Reports claim Simpson, 27, flew to Kuwait – where she's performing for troops as part of Operation MySpace – via a private jet with hairstylist-to-the-stars Ken Paves and a large entourage, and had no intentions of spending the night in the army barracks.

Not so, says Simpson rep Cindi Berger. "She flew commercially, she is staying in the barracks," Berger tells PEOPLE. “She's been with the troops all day. She's had her meals with them."

Paves is not with Simpson either, Berger says, adding that a hair stylist and make-up artist are with Simpson, but no assistant. "She's not with Ken Paves. She has significantly scaled back her entourage."

Berger adds that performing for the troops is something near and dear to Texas-born star. "This was done purely to support the troops and entertain them."

Runway Winner Reacts With ‘F’ Word to SNL Skit

March 10, 2008

Christian Siriano caught Amy Poehler’s impression of him on Saturday Night Live over the weekend and the Project Runway winner has just one word — an ‘F’ word — for the skit. And, no, it wasn’t “fierce.”

“I thought it was SO FUNNY,” the 22-year-old designer wrote in an e-mail to PEOPLE. “Amy [Poehler] looked exactly like me which is kinda scary, but fabulous.”

Known for his catty commentary and catchphrase, “That’s fierce,” the pint-sized designer wasn’t the only Project Runway personality to be parodied in the three-minute sketch about a hypothetical Runway spinoff, which features Siriano giving someone an apartment makeover. While Poehler played Siriano, the skit also featured guest host Amy Adams playing Runway host Heidi Klum and SNL castmember Bill Hader imitating Tim Gunn.

“The fact that they are even talking about me is so fierce, fabulous and flawless and is such an honor,” Siriano told PEOPLE. “[Poehler] was hilarious and little. It was so crazy that she looked just like me!”

And Poehler didn’t just nail Siriano’s sassy tone — she perfectly approximated his flat-ironed hair. “The hair was absolutely perfect,” Siriano wrote. “I don’t think I could have done it better myself. It was fierce!”