Leave Britney(-related merchandise) alone! That’s the plea from friends and former employees of Britney Spears who’ve banded together to form Be Proactive to Help, a group seeking to send tough love to the fallen pop star by cutting the purse strings.
“Our message is simple,” one of the site’s organizers told E! Online. “Don't buy her stuff until she's better.”
“We've all hung out with Britney a lot,” the BPtH insider said. “We've seen her at her best and at her worst. And we aren't doing this to be mean. We're doing this out of concern, for herself and for her boys. They need a mother figure and right now, they don't have that.”
Why do the ex-pals, beleaguered bodyguards and disregarded dancers think a boycott will help the struggling star? It’s all about getting back at the fat-cat execs enabling Brit and cashing in along the way.
“Sitting around and talking about how bad of a person, singer, mother — whatever your thoughts are — these things won’t help change this very broken woman,” the group rants via its MySpace page. “Help Britney help herself by expressing your concern to those who are largely responsible for her success, and continue to capitalize on her every move.”
Of course the concerned colleagues didn’t explain how they expect Brit Brit to keep up the “Starbucks-n-pups” lifestyle she’s accustomed to sans records sales. Think ahead, y’all!
Too fat to act?Previously paunchy Peter Jackson sure has a nerve! The director recently dumped Ryan Gosling from his film “The Lovely Bones” due to unsightly weight the actor gained specifically for his role as a grieving father, reports the LA Times.
Unlike other method-eating actors such as Vincent D'Onofrio (“Full Metal Jacket”), Renée Zellweger (“Bridget Jones’s Diary”) and Robert De Niro (“Raging Bull”), Ryan’s apparent milkshake emersion wasn’t what this once-weighty director wanted.
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When Ryan reported to the set with his own lovely bones obscured by an unsightly layer of lard, Peter took the easy way out. Rather than referring the tubby thespian to Weight Watchers, calling Kirstie Alley or sharing whatever way he managed to slim down, Peter immediately replaced Ryan with Mark “Washboard Abs” Wahlberg.
Another ‘Sex and the City’ catfightThe latest scandal surrounding “Sex and the City” isn’t between Sarah Jessica Parker and Kim Cattrall. It didn’t even occur on the set for the movie version of the hot ‘n’ bothered HBO series. This tale of cold shoulders and competition takes place between the show’s creators, producer Darren Star and Candace Bushnell — the real-life Carrie Bradshaw on whose newspaper columns the program was based.
According to a recent New York Times article, the former BFFs are no longer speaking. It seems Darren’s new series, “Cashmere Mafia” (ABC), has a little too much in common with Candace’s upcoming program, “Lipstick Jungle” (NBC). Both shows follow Manhattan women who have it all, but still find time to whine about it. Candace’s came first — she even wrote a portion of the best-selling novel on which it’s based at Darren’s house in East Hampton, the NYT reports.
Apparently, Darren didn’t have the decency to give Candace the head’s up until she called to crow about her program. “His voice sounded weird on the phone,” Candace recalled. “He said, ‘I got a show picked up, too.’ I said, ‘What’s it about?’ He said ‘It’s a similarly themed show,’” to which Candace said she responded, “Ooo-kaaay.”
An ABC executive told the NYT that the idea for “Cashmere Mafia” came from a network producer who pitched a show based on her and her business-school girlfriends. Maybe so, but that’s not mending any bridges between Darren and Candace. The Times reports that Darren stopped by a “Lipstick Jungle” shoot, where he received an icy reception. Candace recounted, “I politely sent him away.”
Dish on the flyHow many limos does a diva need for one event? A rep for Spiegel Limousine Corp. told Page Six, in the case of presumably preggers Jennifer Lopez, $16,000 worth. Of course, getting payment from a diva is another matter all together. “Jennifer is being very difficult,” an SLC source said. “We've been calling for several months to collect on the bill. When I asked why they aren't paying, the account person claimed nobody had authorized the transactions.” But J.Lo’s peeps told the Post, "The bills were being reviewed because there were some inaccuracies. An amount has been decided on, and payments are being made.” … Paula Abdul may not list “soul destroyer” on her resume, but the “American Idol” judge says that’s just what the show does. ContactMusic reports that Paula can’t see herself making it as an “AI” contestant. “I don't know that I'd have it in me to put myself out there like that. It's excruciating, soul destroying.”
Tabloid Tidbits is compiled by Ree Hines and Helen A.S. Popkin.