Last week on again/off again BFFs Paris Hilton and Britney Spears walked into a Hollywood animal shelter and, after careful consideration, adopted two adorable and friendly adult pit bull mixes. Then, pushing through the paparazzi, the celebutante and pop star immediately signed up for the ASPCA’s basic dog training class … psyche!
Back in the real world, TMZ.com reports that the spontaneous spending habits of this dog-hoarding twosome haven’t gone unnoticed by animal protection groups. TMZ, which has long chronicled Paris and BritBrit’s impulse puppy purchases, reprinted a letter from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk writes in part: “Your impulse purchases of dogs encourage others to follow suit, no matter how ill-equipped they are to provide a decade or more of care for a little dog who has feelings and needs and who requires patience, veterinary care, and stimulation other than nightclub music and bar laughter.”
And that’s not the least of it. PETA protesters took their beef to the Hollywood mean streets. A TMZ video documents two of the angry animal activists in Paris and Britney masks and party girl threads, arms filled with tiny toy dogs (and in BritBrit’s case, two baby dolls) and still managing to hold up signs that read, “I BUY DOGS SO SHELTER DOGS DIE,” and “SHELTER DOGS ARE DYING AND I DON’T CARE.” PETA Director Daphna Nachminovitch said in a TMZ quote, “Forget jail or rehab, these selfish stars should do a stint in an animal shelter." Meeee-OW!
Like father, like son
Now that Van Halen has confirmed their , guitarist Eddie Van Halen can expect to see his ex-wife Valerie Bertinelli supporting the act. No, there’s no reunion in the works for the couple, but People Magazine reveals that the addition of their son, Wolfgang Van Halen, to the band’s lineup ensures Bertinelli’s enthusiasm.
“That’s my job now to be the proud momma, and I am,” the Jenny Craig shill told reporters outside the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, where the group made their big announcement.
Sixteen-year-old Wolfgang will fill the spot left by former bassist Michael Anthony on the band’s 25-date North American tour. But despite his full immersion in the rockstar trade, People reports Bertinelli isn’t concerned.
“His father will be with him the entire time,” she said. “I’ll be out there a lot. Ed is the best father Wolfie could have. It’s all going to be just fine.”
But will parental guidance be enough to overcome the effects of full-time exposure to David Lee Roth? Only time will tell.
Dish on the flyPaparazzi beware! Brad Garrett, the gentle n’ gigantic older brother on “Everyone Loves Raymond,” released his inner troll on a TMZ cameraman, the Web site reports. According to TMZ.com, their cameramen got on the wrong side of Garrett’s right hook after a reporter (from another publication) asked Garrett about a racially charged comment attributed to the actor. … From the “I Wish I Felt that Good about Myself” file, “American Idol” juggernaut Sanjaya Malakar continues to ignore the Howard Stern Effect on his extended stay in the AI competition. “I think that I was underestimated to a certain point,” the dubiously-talented crooner told Iowa’s Quad City Times. “Then, when I made the top 12, they realized I wasn’t just the one with the funny hair and pretty face.” … Kate Hudson and her new beaux, comic Dax Shepard, are hot and heavy, and her ex, Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson, thinks that’s aces, reports Page Six. “Chris is thrilled because now he can have (their 3-year-old son) Ryder whenever he wants,” a source told Page Six. “Kate gets a little more distracted when new men come into her life." No word on what Owen Wilson thinks.
Tabloid Tidbits is compiled by Helen A.S. Popkin and Ree Hines.