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Britney’s five-finger gas-station discount

If a hard-to-hear, sarcastic comment to paparazzi outside a Los Angeles-area Chevron gas station is correct, then Britney Spears stole a cigarette lighter on her way back to her car.

If a hard-to-hear, sarcastic comment to paparazzi outside a Los Angeles-area Chevron gas station is correct, then Britney Spears stole a cigarette lighter on her way back to her car. Spears seemed to say, “I stole something. Oh, I'm bad!” in video captured by paparazzi, and the owner of the gas station told People magazine that he doesn’t approve of Spears’ personal festival of light.

“Yes, Britney stole a blue lighter here last night. The lighter is $1.39. I'm hoping maybe the next time she comes back she will pay for it. I know she can afford to pay for it, but I'm not planning to file a police report. It's still not right for her to steal the lighter. I hope she will do the right thing the next time she comes here,” Chevron owner Jatinder Kaur said. Since Spears seems to frequent gas stations more than the average person, there’s hope she’ll arrive with some change next time around.

Sir Paul’s new love meets Bea
Just weeks after being spotted with Nancy Shevell in the Hamptons, Paul McCartney not only has been spotted out and about with actress Rosanna Arquette, he reportedly has introduced her to his daughter Beatrice as well.

British press reports that Arquette met his 4-year-old daughter during a visit to the Beatle's estate in East Sussex, England. No word as to how Beatrice’s mom, Heather Mills, reacted. Word is, however, that the volatile soon-to-be-ex actually proposed that she, Beatrice and Paul spend the Christmas holiday together. Paul politely (and wisely?) declined the offer and will have Beatrice to himself for the holiday.

Britney, Clay Aiken are most-searched celebs
Another day, another year-end list. This one comes from search engine Lycos, which says Britney Spears was its third most-searched term in 2007, and was the No. 1 most-searched woman on the site. Dubious as the honor might be, even more fascinating is that former “American Idol” winner Clay Aiken was the engine’s most-searched man in 2007. Aiken topped the likes of the late Tupac Shakur (No. 2) and pretty boy Zac Efron (No. 7).

Weekend box office: A win for “Golden Compass”
Things were looking bleak for “The Golden Compass” after a slow first 24 hours at the box office, but the controversial fantasy flick finished strong — strong  enough to earn top honors at the box office and make my predictions correct for a third week in a row. “Compass” brought in $26.1 million, which leaves it far short from recouping the $180 million it cost to make. “Enchanted” hit the second-place spot with $10.7 million. Keira Knightly and James McAvoy’s “Atonement” did fairly well, making nearly $817,000 on 32 screens. The $420,000 that “Juno” made on only seven screens was also quite impressive.