Look! It’s Russell “Lonely” Brand roaming the streets of London again. As you can see, he’s wearing one of his oh-so-stylish scarves, but this one is different from the autoerotic-asphyxiation themed scarf that Kaiser so astutely pinpointed a few days ago. This one sends more of a somber, vanilla vibe. Perhaps Russell is just sad because TMZ is reporting that a couple of moving pods were spotted outside he and Katy Perry’s $6.5 million Hollywood Hills home, in which they probably only spent a handful of days together since purchasing it in June. So who’s moving out? I’d guess both of them are, but Katy’s probably the one on the scene right now. Russell is obviously cornering the “Lonely in London” market at present.

Of course, this isn’t really news. We’re really just seeing more of the same from this couple, who were never together for the last several months, and now it’s just official. So while Russell will likely continue to spread his skinny-trousered fashion through further solo walks, it has been announced that Katy will make her first post-divorce public appearance at the People’s Choice Awards on January 11. Surely, her outfit will be ridiculous too, and she’ll be spotted “canoodling” with a hot guy at an after party.

Meanwhile, this week’s tabloids must have been cursing themselves over Russell’s Dec. 30 divorce announcement, which was timed so that most of the dirt had already spilled before their next publication date. Naturally, we’ve heard from insiders on both sides and depending on who you believe, Russell either divorced Katy because she wouldn’t start a family or because she couldn’t satisfy his wheelchair fetishes. Now, the tabs are forced to make sh-t up just to have something to add to the story. This week’s In Touch has a story that frames Katy in a flattering light; that is, she’s the one who wanted to start popping out babies but couldn’t get over Russell’s friendships with other women:

When Katy Perry decided to marry Russell Brand after a whirlwind romance two years ago, many worried the self-professed drug and sex addict would eventually break her heart. “If you’re wild, like a wild animal, marriage won’t contain you,” Russell once even admitted. “I think that’s how a lot of people get into trouble.”

It appears obvious he’s a “wild animal,” unable to be tamed. And it seems the reason for the split was all too predictable: According to insiders, Russell’s infamous wandering eye doomed the relationship. “Katy was really upset with Russell’s behavior around certain women,” a pal says, adding that his close “friendship” with British songstress Jessie J “Left her in tears.” And In Touch can also reveal that Russell had a variety of other eyebrow-raising relationships. The actor, according to insiders, was getting very close to All Saints model Sophie Dickens, and as In Touch has previously reported, he was spending more and more time with comedian Sadie Turner. Regarding rumors that his brother-in-law was cheating, katy’s younger brother, David Hudson, tells In Touch, “Nobody’s perfect.”

Russell, 36, was far from perfect, but for a long time, Katy, 27, ignored the red flags about his questionable behavior. The singer — who spent much of 2011 on a grueling world tour — was even planning to put her career temporarily on hold to start a family. “She wanted to take a year off,” an insider says. “She was ready to be the perfect wife and mother.”

But with Russell filing for divorce, Katy’s baby dreams have officially come crashing down. Painful now, but in the long run, she’s better off starting a family with a man who only has eyes for her!

[From In Touch, print edition, January 16, 2012]

Right. So we’re supposed to believe that Miss Bait & Switch suddenly wanted to be Betty Draper? Not for a second, but I have no problem buying that Katy was jealous of Russell’s female BFF Sadie Turner (that blonde he was photographed hugging), and perhaps that caused a lot of friction within the marriage.

Meanwhile, Star is patting themselves on the back over calling the split in advance back in July. C’mon, everyone knew the divorce was coming even before the marriage happened, but sure, let’s humor this tabloid too because it contains the new angle of a “sexless” marriage:

Slightly more than a year after their Oct. 23, 2010 wedding in India, Russell filed for divorce from Katy on Dec. 30. And now Star can reveal how cheating accusations, parting, and sexless nights finally drove them apart.

The duo had already been living separate lives in recent months, as Star reported, and found it difficult to weather the stresses of a new marriage while separated for long stretches of time. “Neither of them thought about the crushing reality of their demanding careers and the effect it would have on their marriage,” one source says.

Katy, 27, has a party-hard attitude, while Russell, 36, struggles to stay sober, insiders explain — and Russell continued his womanizing habits, even after they wed following a whirlwind four-month courtship.

But still other sources insist that Katy was no angel either. “Katy was talking to her ex Travie McCoy the whole time she was married,” a source close to Katy tells Star. “Just like in her song, he was the one that got away. Russell couldn’t have been totally OK with that.”

What’s more, “Her relationship with Kanye West raised a lot of eyebrows too,” the source reveals. “He made it clear to everyone around him that he was really into her from the start, so everyone always thought they were going to hook up.”

As Katy and Russell began to look outside their marriage for intimacy, their love life cooled behind closed doors. “They haven’t slept together for weeks,” one source claims. “No sex and no sleeping in the same bed.”

In the end, an insider explains, “They just didn’t like each other that much anymore. They fought all the time. They were in love with being in love with each other, but hte reality ended up being different than the fairy tale.”

[From Star, print edition, January 16, 2012]

Star also gloats over a letter from Katy’s (unnamed) lawyers, who previously sent the tabloid a letter denying that the marriage was in danger of imminent collapse. Maybe Star really is saying something with this story though. Perhaps the marriage was bad from the very beginning, but sex (when they were both actually in the same city) could have held things together for about a year. Both parties probably assumed that sex was enough until Katy’s world tour ended, but then all of the sudden opportunities for togetherness didn’t seem so appealing. In other words, they had nothing else in common, so the sex just faded in response. Stranger things have happened.

Photos courtesy of Fame

Is anyone else getting a little tired of the Katy Perry-Russell Brand news? Just me? Because people are acting like this is the most shocking split of the decade. Bitches, please. This was a disaster from the start. It was a disaster before they even got married! Anyway, Us Weekly has a big cover story this week about how Katy was “married to a crazy man.” Seriously? Us Weekly is going to take the position – in bold on their cover – that Katy is the victim and that Russell is “crazy”? Granted, he might be crazy (although I think he’s just surprisingly intelligent and rather eccentric). But Katy is no “victim” for the love of God. So here are some highlights from Us Weekly’s cover story:

*Russell “duped” Katy with the prenup. Katy wanted to sell the photos from their Indian wedding, and she wanted Russell to sign a prenup, but he refused on both counts. Allegedly, Brand wanted to keep their wedding “pure” – he’s quoted as saying, “I want to make our wedding … normal, So it ain’t selling the pictures.” Meanwhile, since they filed in California, a community property state, “it could mean their assets will be divided down the middle therefore putting her $70 million fortune at stake. Their estate also includes $15 million in lavish properties all over the world.”

*Katy wasn’t “kinky” enough to satisfy Russell. A source says: “Katy was kinky enough during their first times together and he was very attracted to her. When things got bad, if they got a roll in the hay, they were always better after.” But the source also says that “despite Katy’s attempts to keep the spark alive in the bedroom by scheduling monthly date nights at swanky hotels, it was ‘never enough.’” This source, who knows intimate details about Katy and Russell’s lovemaking, also said: “He likes dirty things. He really gets off on one particular p0rn0 with a guy in a wheelchair. He’s attracted to things he can’t imagine happening to him. And he has a closet full of sex toys.”

*Russell hated being alone: “Russell always needs someone there and that’s not Katy,” the source says. “She’s busier than he is.”

*Katy’s hard partying lifestyle and friends really bothered him: “Russell can’t be in clubs because of his recovery and Katy didn’t want to give up the partying. She didn’t want to even compromise. That infuriated Russell.”

*Russell wanted to start a family: “When he asked Katy about [having kids],” the source says. “Katy would just smile and says she was too busy.”

*Russell wasn’t supportive of Katy’s career: “She had so many things going on this year and there were so many times he wasn’t there,” the source says. “He told her she wasn’t funny [when she hosted SNL] and he was totally uninterested [when he sat front row at her last concert]. He seemed annoyed he was there. I don’t think he sat through one whole song.”

[Via Hollywood Life]

Okay, I’ll admit that the revelations about Russell’s sexual kinks was interesting, although I can’t really imagine ever wanting to watch a pr0n about a dude in a wheelchair (no disrespect to those in wheelchairs, but it’s just not my fetish). Personally, I think Russell looks like a spanker. Like, he loves to spank women and he likes to be spanked himself. Don’t you think? I just don’t see him as a whips-and-chains kind of guy though. Maybe feathers and massage oils? I could see a sex swing. I could definitely see role playing.

Incidentally, I wonder what Helen Mirren is up to? You know that Helen and Russell are soulmates, right? I bet she would be up for whatever Russell wanted.

Here’s the pervert yesterday in London. Ten bucks says he just moves back to London permanently now. Also, THAT SCARF. That scarf says “I’m into autoerotic asphyxiation.”

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Here are some new photos of a “lonely” (according to Fame Pictures) Russell Brand popping around London all by himself earlier today. Of course, I don’t necessarily buy that he’s lonesome in the conventional sense because all he’d have to do is snap his fingers, and (at least) a couple of girls would instantly flank his sides. He’s probably just enjoying (or enduring) some requisite solitude as much as possible in the wake of a major, traumatic split. Like anyone else in a divorce, Russell’s just trying to get his bearings back after filing for divorce after fourteen months of being married to Katy Perry. Yes, he’s probably a bit shell-shocked after a massive fight that ruined Christmas after things already were going terribly. No doubt, Russell will bounce back in due time after a suitable (or maybe in his case, not-so-suitable) waiting period.

Naturally, the rumors are still swirling over which party is most to blame for the split. Certainly, both bear some responsibility, but I don’t buy that Russell only filed because Katy didn’t want to offend her parents for religious reasons. C’mon, this is a girl whose parents already told her that she’s going to hell after her breakout single about kissing a girl volleyed her to stardom. If she wasn’t that worried about upsetting them then, a divorce certainly wouldn’t change matters from a logical standpoint. Not that logic has anything to do with this at all.

Russell Brand’s marriage to Katy Perry collapsed as he became exasperated over her refusal to put her career on hold to start a family, it was revealed yesterday.

Last night sources close to Brand, who has carved out a successful Hollywood career starring in films such as the 2011 remake of Arthur, blamed the marriage breakdown on the fact his 27-year-old wife was not prepared to put motherhood ahead of fame.

One said: “I don’t think Katy really understood what marriage was about. I don’t think she was prepared to give up her career. This wasn’t one of those occasions when Russell was mucking about, he wanted to settle down and have a family.

“I don’t think that’s what Katy wants. I think she’s very confused. They’ve been speaking a lot. There have been a lot of phone calls this week. Katy is 27. That’s not too young to get married. But professionally she is in a very powerful position.

She’s just done a year-long tour, she’s incredibly successful and she wasn’t ready to give up her career. I don’t think she was prepared to give that up and give time to the marriage.

“It was reported she was taking a year off, but I don’t think she’s doing that. It’s very sad. Russell is very cut up about it all. It’s not great news. It is very raw and very recent. I don’t know what will come from this.”

So far Miss Perry, who is understood to be in Hawaii, has not commented on the end of the marriage.

Yesterday, Brand was seen leaving the Savoy Hotel in Central London where he is believed to be staying.

On Friday, Katy’s father, Keith Hudson, 64, a born-again evangelical Christian who tours American churches with his wife Mary, was visibly upset as he spoke outside his home in Irvine, California.

He said: “I can’t talk, I’m sorry about that. I’ve had 1,500 people calling me today. I’m really sorry.”

[From Daily Mail]

Surely, both Katy and Russell were both at least partially to blame for their failed marriage. However, I do honestly get the picture that Russell has matured quite a bit in recent years, and he probably thought that he and Katy were on the same page for starting a family. Turns out he was wrong, and that doesn’t make him any more “correct” than she, but it does forecast serious incompatibility. Meanwhile, Hollywood Life seems to believe that Katy is absolutely torn up over Russell’s decision to file:

Katy Perry can’t believe that her marriage to Russell Brand is over! A source close to the singer tells HollywoodLife.com that Katy, 27, is “absolutely devastated” that her marriage didn’t work out and she still loves Russell.

“Katy still can’t believe that it’s over,” a source tells us. “She knew things were bad but she figured they’d work through it. Katy has been going through a bunch of emotions and she’s really leaning on her friends right now. She’s not herself. Katy never thought in a million years that she would get divorced, she really planned to spend her life with Russell,” our source continues. “She is grieving her marriage and is at a point in her life where she doesn’t know what’s next.”

[From Hollywood Life]

There are also reports that Katy is leaning on Rihanna for support and might soon jump on a plane for an impromptu girls’ vacation in Barbados. These rumors arrive after Rihanna didn’t even bother to attend her supposed BFF’s wedding, which resulted in tabloid talk that Russell and Katy were alternately fighting over the friendship and urging Rihanna to get some therapy. So who knows? I wouldn’t be surprised if Katy decided to actually catch up with her old friend by way of some beach time and a hundred bottles of beer though.

On the opposite end of the alcohol spectrum, Russell was also spotted “alone” on 12/31 as he departed an AA meeting in London. At least we know he’s very committed to his sobriety, but I find it rather bizarre that paps realize that an AA meeting is taking place. While Russell’s made no secret about attending such gatherings, it still creeps me out a bit that the press will analyze meeting times and locations in order to place a celebrity. So much for the anonymity of other members, right?

Photos courtesy of Fame

Late Friday afternoon (here on the East Coast), People Magazine broke the news that Russell Brand had filed for divorce from his wife of 14 months, Katy Perry. This news was not shocking to most of us. Personally, the only shocking thing was that they made it past a year. They were rarely together – Katy was always on tour, Russell was always…? Hanging out with his sober friends, I suppose, and working on movies. Russell and Katy spent the last months of their marriage claiming that they were fine, that they were fully committed to each other, that everything was rosy. Katy even said she was taking a year off, and some thought she was going to try to have a “band-aid baby” to fix the marriage. In the end though, it played out just as expected. And now comes the post-game analysis, the “WHY” of the breakup, as explained by various sources.

Sources close to Katy Perry and Russell Brand tell TMZ … the couple was infatuated with each other when they tied the knot, but the honeymoon ended very quickly. According to our sources, Katy and Russell were initially head over heels for each other – each fascinated to be with someone who was an extreme opposite.

But we’re told the two began a regime of constant bickering after they got married — often in front of people at clubs and awards shows. They’re both very stubborn and neither would easily back down.

Our sources tell us … because of the friction and their schedules …they never spent long periods of time with each other.

One big bone of contention … Russell was much more of a homebody than Katy. Katy loved going out and partying, while Russell (who is sober) didn’t enjoy the scene at all. We’re told he would often insist on leaving places early and asking her to come with … which would trigger an argument.

But we’re told … as the dust settles, neither hates the other — far from it. There’s no bad blood between them, and neither of them believes the other cheated.

As one person put it, “It was just a bad pairing.”

[From TMZ]

I believe that Russell’s sobriety and more low-key lifestyle definitely played a part, especially compared to Katy’s rock star lifestyle. But I think I’d also attribute some of that to Katy’s youth too – she’s 27 years old… 27 going on 14, it seems. And Russell is nearly a decade older, but he’s already lived a full life of addiction and sexual escapades, and he’s done with it… sort of. But I really do wonder if he was screwing around on Katy. I think he probably was. Old dogs, etc.

Anyway, TMZ had another story about why Russell was the one to file for divorce – something about Katy’s parents and religion… blah:

Katy Perry WANTED Russell Brand to file the court papers in their divorce … because she didn’t want to upset her religious parents … sources connected to the former couple tell TMZ.

We’re told … Katy and Russell knew the relationship was on the rocks a couple of months ago — but didn’t want to give up on the marriage without making a concerted effort to work things out. But the effort fell flat … with both sides feeling “it just wasn’t there.”

We’re told both Katy and Russell were on board with the divorce a few weeks ago — but they didn’t want to be in town when the papers were filed … so he went back to England and she booked it to Hawaii.

Since Katy’s parents are evangelical Christians, we’re told she didn’t want to be the one to “officially” end the marriage by filing the docs … since she was raised to believe divorce is wrong.

After he filed the docs, Russell released a statement Friday insisting the two will “remain friends.”

[From TMZ]

So, Katy was raised to believe that “divorce is wrong,” but her super-religious parents won’t mind because their daughter wasn’t the one to file? What kind of BS technicality is that?

Oh, and Russell could make tens of millions of dollars off of the divorce too – half of Katy’s earnings, because there was no prenup. Sigh… I hope they don’t fight about money. I doubt they will.

Photos courtesy of Fame.

Opposite of shocking, party of two. After a lot of reports about their crumbling marriage, it looks like Katy Perry and Russell Brand are over. Who would have thought? Oh, right. Everyone. The only thing that is somewhat shocking is that it looks like Rusty is the one who is pulling the plug.

A year after their fairy-tale wedding in India, it seems Katy Perry and Russell Brand won’t be living happily ever after.

Brand, 36, filed for divorce in Los Angeles on Friday, citing irreconcilable differences.

“Sadly, Katy and I are ending our marriage,” he said in a statement to PEOPLE. “I’ll always adore her and I know we’ll remain friends.”

The Superior Court filing, which lists Perry by her given name of Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson, does not list a date of separation.

The pair have been spotted without their wedding rings in recent days amid reports they spent the holidays apart, with Perry in Hawaii and Brand in the U.K.

The California-born pop star, 27, and the British comedian-turned-actor began dating in 2009. Brand popped the question four months later, and they were married in October 2010 in a lavish ceremony – that included two elephants as well as acrobats and jugglers – at a luxury resort in northern India.

In the early months of their marriage, the two were giddy in their compliments to each other.

Perry called Brand her great man of God, while Brand said his spiritual and emotional connection to his bride made him “love everyone.”

In Redbook’s April issue, Brand said he had been more than happy to give up his partying ways to settle down.

“I think I was ready for it,” he said. “If you’re wild, like a wild animal, marriage won’t contain you. I think that’s how a lot of people get into trouble.”

But in recent weeks, they faced a drumbeat of rumors of trouble in their marriage. Both laughed off the reports, with Brand telling Ellen DeGeneres earlier this month, “I am really happily married.”

[From People Magazine]

Look, I’m not one of the people who is going to pretend to get all sad about this. This union had “disaster” written all over it. The single biggest signal for me was that Rusty & Katy got married on literally their only free week in a year full of competing schedules. Just after their wedding, Katy was promoting her album and on tour, and Russell was promoting and shooting films. And when they were together, it was constant fighting and bickering, despite the denials and photo ops. The writing was on the wall during the VMAs in September, when Katy was wasted (and talking about how wasted she was) and Russell was only there to discuss Amy Winehouse and sobriety. Disaster. Oh, and I totally think Russell was screwing around too. He and that blonde were looking very friendly.

Oh, and they can both eat a bag of dicks for announcing this late on a Friday before a holiday.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Yesterday, we discussed Katy Perry and Russell Brand’s respective solo Christmas celebrations 7000 miles apart from each other. It seemed like a bizarre move since Katy is no longer on tour and also quite suspicious from a couple who has invested so much energy running their mouths to talk show hosts and People about how their union is both so marvelous and enlightened that we couldn’t possibly understand. Yet the couple spent one of the most important (from either a secular or religious standpoint) days of the year with one of them in Hawaii and the other in Cornwall. So what gives?

As a side note, some of you took slight offense yesterday at my description of Katy as “too selfish” to have a baby, so I’d like to stress that I don’t believe that all childless women are inherently “selfish.” It’s just that Katy herself has pulled such a huge bait and switch through her own admissions, and I think that Russell was really looking forward to settling down. When they married, she acted like she was game for starting a family, but now she’s all about loving alcohol instead. She’s not ready for kids and would rather please herself, and that’s her prerogative, but no one can blame Russell (a recovering addict) if he’s disappointed as a result. Also, I will gladly point out that I’m a mother and still consider myself to be a pretty “selfish” human being, and I continually struggle to beat that aspect of my own personality into submission. Being a mother is a huge adjustment is all I’m saying, and that doesn’t make it any more lofty than a childless state. It’s just a huge undertaking and signals the virtual end of “me time,” and Katy obviously isn’t into going there at this point and possibly never.

At any rate, Us Weekly has dug a bit deeper into the Christmas mystery and has unearthed an exclusive on Katy and Russell’s “massive fight” that resulted in very separate holidays for the couple:

It was Christmastime fireworks for Katy Perry and Russell Brand this year — but not the good kind!

After planning to whisk her family via private jet to husband Brand’s London hometown for the holidays, Perry, 27, changed course, opting to fly to Hawaii with friends.

“They had a massive fight,” an insider tells Us Weekly. “She was like, ‘F–k you. I’m going to do my own thing.’ Russell replied, ‘Fine, f–k you too.’”

Which explains why, come Dec. 25, the multi-platinum singer was snapped splashing in the Pacific Ocean off Kauai — sans wedding ring. Meanwhile, British comic Brand, 36, was catching up with a pal in a pub in chilly Coverack, Cornwall.

Though the pair denied divorce rumors in November, sources say trouble is brewing. “They haven’t split up just yet, but things are not good,” says the first source. “The fighting is getting worse.”

At issue? Among other things, explains another source: “Katy doesn’t think Russell respects her parents’ Christian beliefs or her friends.”

So will the couple — who wed in October 2010 after a whirlwind courtship — make it through 2012? Says the first source, “The split may come soon, but they are both so dramatic and volatile, the relationship could become great again.”

Honestly? It sounds like Russell woke up one day and figured out that Katy wasn’t nearly as “endlessly fascinating” as he’d believed. Of course, everyone else knew it all along. Poor guy. I’m not sure whether Russell and Katy would actually fight over her parents’ religion, since they have famously declared that Katy herself is destined to go to hell. Besides, Russell hangs with Katy’s dad in public and probably has grown quite accustomed to brushing off all offers of being saved. However and as to the notion of Russell disliking Katy’s friends, if they’re as immature as she portrays herself to be, then I can see why Russell wouldn’t be crazy about spending Christmas with the lot of them.

Overall, I think the most telling aspect of this current round of rumors is the Twitter silence of both Katy and Russell, who have both taken time out to tweet about other things, in regard to their relationship. Neither one of them has run to the media with a denial either. Maybe they’re both finally tired of faking it.

Photos courtesy of Pacific Coast News, Fame, and WENN

Yes, I know — it’s yet another story about the allegedly precarious state of Katy Perry and Russell Brand’s marriage. Beyond the text of this post, however, I’d like to point out a rather telling sign about the couple that always loved to be papped together, which is that they’re so rarely seen together these days. Consequently, I’ve had to pull up some “old” photos just to avoid merely recycling the same ones that we’ve been using for the past six months. Seriously, what gives? Between running to their publicists, talk show hosts, and People, they’ve been working overtime to assure the public that their marriage is absolutely wonderful. Yet Katy’s no longer on tour … so why are she and Russell still living separate lives?

Katy and Russell didn’t even spend Christmas together although someone (ahem) informed People that they were together in Kauai over the holidays despite a lack of photo evidence that they were both in attendance in the same geographical location. Instead, People has one photo of Katy in a bikini and has now changed its headline from “Katy Perry Vacations in Hawaii with Hubby Russell Brand” to just “Katy Perry Vacations in Hawaii.” For two people who really want the world to believe they’re still together, they are certainly sending a clear signal that everything between them is anything but okay:

It was no white Christmas for Katy Perry.

The newly blonde “Teenage Dream” singer, 27, soaked up some tropical sun on Sunday, flaunting her body in an itty-bitty bikini while frolicking through the ocean in Hawaii.

The pop star was vacationing on Kauai in a private rented luxury villa.

As for the two, an onlooker tells us, “Katy and Russell looked very happy when they stepped off their private plane in Kauai before Christmas weekend.”

During her time at the beach, Perry was joined by BFF Markus Molinari, among other friends. (Russell was not pictured in the photos at the beach.) And she appeared to enjoy the water, while also taking time to relax on the sand.

[From People]

In sharp contrast (and possibly the reason that Russell’s name disappeared from the aforementioned story title) to People’s story, the Mail reports that Katy and Russell were indeed both sighted on Christmas Day, but they were approximately 7000 miles apart from each other. How utterly romantic, right?

They’ve vehemently denied that their marriage is in trouble, but Russell Brand and Katy Perry have been spotted celebrating Christmas Day on opposite sides of the globe, according to reports.

Superstar Perry, 27, was photographed enjoying the tropical waters in Hawaii on the big day, and was not wearing her wedding ring as she enjoyed the surf with a group of friends according to an eye-witness.

Meanwhile, Britain’s Sun newspaper is reporting that Russell, 36 , was over 7000 miles away in a Cornwall pub, before heading along to his friend David Baddiel’s charity swim, where he was pictured.

Both The Sun and People magazine report that Katy and Russell have rented properties in the respective beauty spots to spend the festivities together.

And while People quote a source that places Russell in Kauai, they point out that he was never pictured on the beach with his wife.

So they appear to have gone their separate ways to celebrate the time of togetherness in very different fashions, if these sightings are accurate.

Russell was also spotted at Winter Wonderland in London’s Hyde Park on Tuesday without Katy.

[From Daily Mail

Well, one thing is certain -- that story about Russell and Katy planning a holiday vacation to save their marriage was total nonsense. Or maybe the planning actually happened on the part of Russell, but Katy just wanted to go surfing in Hawaii instead instead of hanging around London with her, uh, husband because that would make too much sense, right? Perhaps I was more correct than I ever wanted to be about the "sink or swim" theory in regard to this couple, but at this point, work is no longer an excuse for not spending time together. What an ominous sign.

At any rate, I think the latest round of pregnancy rumors can also be put to rest by Katy's bikini beach bod from a few days ago. Kaiser was right about Katy looking kind of pregnant a few weeks ago while promoting her latest perfume, but she's also got a bit of a swayback posture too, which sometimes makes her tummy seem larger than it really is. Also, I really do think that Katy is much too selfish (at this point and possibly forever) to give up her life (or, at least, the alcohol) for a baby.

Photos courtesy of Fame

Katy Perry keeps denying it, but I think this is for real – she’s got a gut full of Russell Brand baby. These are pics of Katy yesterday in Hollywood, where she was promoting her new perfume, “Meow!” It’s not even that Katy has “gained weight” – look at her figure. If anything, she’s gotten smaller in her arms and legs. She only seems to be putting on weight in her lower abdomen, otherwise known as “the baby area.” In the profile pics, you can really see it.

I have mixed feelings IF Katy is really pregnant. I think she’s probably doing it to “fix” her marriage to Russell Brand, and that band-aid babies don’t really “fix” anything in the long run. Which makes me feel bad for her, really. Poor kid.

By the way, Katy was named on Barbara Walters’ “Most Fascinating People of 2011” list. Katy’s not the worst inclusion – she had five number-one hits this year, and her album sold like crazy. (Sidenote: Steve Jobs was number one on the list.) In the interview with Barbara, Katy was asked about her marriage (“I think that it’s lovely so far…”), Russell’s past addiction to heroin (“I think that there’s a capacity for change in anyone”) and the baby rumors – “That’s just Taco Bell right here.” So, another denial. Here’s the interview:

Photos courtesy of WENN.

Before we get to the main part of this story, I wanted to quickly cover Russell Brand’s appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” His spot hasn’t been televised yet (and should air at some point today, depending on your time zone), but we got a heads up on his interview. Again, the timing here is suspect because Russell doesn’t have any films coming out until next June (Rock of Ages), nor is he promoting another Booky Wook or whatever he calls his tomes. The only thing that he could possibly be pushing on “Ellen” would be his marriage, and from the excerpts that we’ve been given, that’s exactly what’s happening:

Ellen: There is a rumor that you and Katy split up.

Russell: What? She should’ve told me. Yeah, there are always rumors aren’t there. In the end you have to just not engage with Internet technology, which is difficult because a lot of the nude women websites I quite enjoy (laughing.) But they’ve had to go. I’ve treated the whole Internet now like it’s a wicked little liar. Yeah. I am really happily married.

Ellen: Did you hear that rumor?

Russell: Yeah, I heard that rumor because you know if your job is to be on Telly and show off somebody will go there’s a rumor. Like someone that works with you. It’s called publicity or PR.There is a rumor. What is it? You’ve split up. Oh, no. Am I enjoying? Yes. Where am I now? You’re here. Good, good. Well, just keep me informed. Being famous is like a little bit of you is taken away and goes off and lives on it’s own and does what it wants. I wish it would do more interesting things….

Ellen: So, it’s not true?

Russell: Well, I don’t know what he’s doing. The other me but I’m married to Katy. Perpetually, until death do us part was the pledge. I’m still alive.

[From The Ellen DeGeneres Show]

Honestly, is this talk show appearance necessary? Russell seems to think himself clever by remarking on PR when he himself (in his terms, both Russells) are a very willing part of the recent publicity blitz aimed at convincing everyone that he and Katy are so happy. Do they really need tattoos, tweets, and a People article to convince themselves that they are in love? That’s what it feels like.

Now onto a story in this week’s issue of Star, which professes that Katy Perry is very worried about her BFF, Rihanna, who has reportedly been drowning her Chris Brown-related sorrows in 100 bottles of beer. Naturally, Star uses a few photos from Rihanna’s liquor-soaked vacation to Barbados in August, during which time she starred as the drunken stripper queen for Kadooment Day:

I agree with Kaiser’s previous assessment that RiRi was probably just kicking back and enjoying herself like a typical single twentysomething on vacation, who just happened to be letting loose before an international tour. Then in October, Rihanna was hospitalized with the flu in October and forced to cancel a show, and Star makes it sound like the illness was entirely alcohol-related:

Following Rihanna’s recent hospital visit, “Katy told her she has to slow down,” a source says, adding that Katy even suggested her BFF come stay at her home.

Katy Perry’s desperate to get gal pal Rihanna into treatment following the “We Found Love” singer’s dramatic hospitalization in Malmo, Sweden on Oct. 31. “Katy begged Rihanna to take some time off and get therapy,” a source says. “Rihanna’s been running on empty. And rather than resting, she’s drinking and clubbing until the early hours of the morning.”

While the Bajan-born pop star may seem like she’s flying high, Katy knows all too well how down her BFF really is — and worries that Rihanna’s still struggling with her failed raltionship with Chris Brown.

“Rihanna’s been self-medicating with booze ever since their split, and it’s not getting better,” the source says. “She calls Katy in tears, saying how down she is and that her life’s controlled by her label. She just wants a loving boyfriend. ”

Katy, 27, can certainly understand the pressure RiRi is under — constant jet-lag, strenuous shows and nonstop photo ops. But Rihanna seems to be sinking under the stress, and even Katy’s husband Russell Brand, a recovering addict himself, has expressed concern. “He told Katy that she had to step in because Rihanna is on a very slippery slope,” continues the source. So far, Rihann, 23, seems receptive to her friends’ intervention. “She’s touched that they want to help, and she agrees that she must stop,” says the source. “She doesn’t want to be the next Amy Winehouse.”

[From Star, print edition, December 12, 2011]

This story seems like a real stretch based upon the cancellation of one concert. I am inclined to believe that, at times, Rihanna might feel too controlled by her label and feel the pressures therein, but the Esquire journalist who attended backstage at several of RiRi’s shows stated that Rihanna was very well adjusted and entirely gung-ho about her tour. And by her own admission, Rihanna gets off on playing her role as a sexed-up tart who angers Northern Irish farmers while stripping in their fields. However, the part about Katy (who loves her own liquor) fretting over Rihanna’s boozing sounds ridiculous, and I certainly don’t understand why Russell (who reportedly doesn’t like RiRi hanging with his wife) has suddenly become involved as a concerned party too. Unless this is just more PR (a.k.a., “a united front”) for the happy marriage blitz.

As for Rihanna, she’s still on tour as scheduled and showed off a new hairdo/wig in London last night. I’m calling this photo “RiRi does Anna Wintour with a robot gimp”:

Photos courtesy of Fame and Ellen

I smell a publicist-approved rat in the curious case of Katy Perry and Russell Brand’s marriage, which is sort of strange because this should be a very calm period for the couple. Katy just concluded her world tour, and presumably, the couple should be enjoying some togetherness (and perhaps plan for that crisis vacation) without feeling the need to run and tell the public about their alleged happiness at every moment. Yet all of a sudden, they’re striking out with a barrage of PR-friendly moves. First, TMZ just released photos of Katy and Russell hitting a tattoo shop last week after her last concert in Los Angeles:

With BS divorce rumors swirling … Katy Perry and Russell Brand permanently marked their happily married love last week by both getting tattoos after her concert in L.A.

Katy got a smiling peppermint on her ankle, while Russell marked his arm with the badge of his favorite soccer team, West Ham United.

Katy even proceeded to try her hand at the needle by inking brave legendary tattoo artist Bang Bang with the same peppermint symbol.

Katy & Russ are Mr. & Mrs. Branded.

[From TMZ]

Note that they didn’t get matching tattoos, not that it would matter anyway. Tattoos, matching or not, will never hold a marriage toether. Just ask Angelina Jolie (in regard to Billy Bob Thornton) on that one. At any rate, right before TMZ received the tattoo photos and published a week-old story, Katy started tweeting about rumors related to her marriage:

Katy ought to be careful about drawing humor-based, soap-opera allusions to the state of her marriage. She’s starting to sound like Guy Ritchie after the fact, but Katy’s never been known for her creativity. Anyway and after Katy started her tweet-denials, People magazine published a very obviously publicist-sanctioned report that speaks in glowing terms of Katy and Russell’s enduring love:

Katy Perry’s life is becoming a soap opera.

At least, that’s how the pop star sees it, given all the rumors surrounding her in recent days.

First, there was speculation that she was expecting, which she colorfully denied. Now, there have been rumors that her marriage is on the rocks – something Perry also denied Wednesday night with a joke on Twitter.

“First I’m pregnant & then I’m divorced. What am I All My Children?!” she quipped.

Earlier Wednesday night, Perry helped announce the Grammy nominations at a live concert in Los Angeles, where she sported her wedding ring. (Perry also snagged two nominations herself.)

Perry, 27, and Brand, 36, were married in October 2010 in a lavish ceremony – that included two elephants as well as acrobats and jugglers – at a luxury resort in northern India.

Since then, they’ve had nothing but fawning words for one another in interviews, with Perry calling Brand her great man of God, and he gushing about his spiritual and emotional connection to his bride.

[From People]

I’m inclined to feel sorry for Katy at this moment because, let’s face it, it’s hard enough to hold an ailing marriage together without feeling the need to shout things from a pink-tinted rooftop. Still, the timing here is really odd, and they’d be much better off ignoring split rumors rather than dismissing them and getting the PR teams involved yet again.

At this point, Katy and Russell just need to lay low and enjoy each other if they can manage to do so. They’ve been separated for most of the first year of their marriage, and it’s time to sink or swim together as a couple. Not to run around and issue statements to the press about babies and alcohol and being cool. They just need to shut up and be together, which would probably do a lot more good for their marriage than running to the press every five minutes.

Photos courtesy of PCN, Fame, and WENN