I never thought I’d say this, but I am really impressed with Lindsay Lohan. At least for her. If you were to hold Lindsay up to a regular person, probably not so much. But considering she’s nearly on par with Paris Hilton, she’s made some pretty big changes in her life – for the better. Lindsay’s relationship with DJ Samantha Ronson has really seemed to mellow her. She’s been acting much more mature lately, focusing on her work, not getting into any car accidents, and seemingly not drinking to such a ridiculous extent that she ends up in rehab. All big steps for her.

And it seems pretty clear that Sam is just as in to Lindsay. For her 22nd birthday last week, Ronson bought her a $22,000 diamond ring from Cartier. Not too shabby.

Samantha — the sister of super-producer Mark Ronson — reportedly splashed out the hefty amount on a Cartier diamond ring for Lindsay’s 22nd birthday.

Lindsay was later seen sporting the band when she and Samantha were shopping in LA. A source says, “Sam took Lindsay shopping to celebrate her 22nd birthday.

“Although Lindsay is the major breadwinner, Sam has her own money and is very proud.

“It’s not an engagement ring - simply a token of her commitment. Lindsay is thrilled and she and Sam are very content.”

[From Showbiz Spy]

According to a good deal of internet gossip, Sam not only pays her own way, she generally pays for Lindsay too. Considering the rumors of money problems that have been hounding LiLo for well over a year, that’s not too surprising.

Lohan made a cryptic comment about her birthday wish to Ryan Seacrest - and everyone is saying it’s as good as if she actually admitted that she and Sam are together.

“I just wanna live a happy, healthy year, continue on the path that I’ve been on and be with the person that I care about. And my family.”

[From the Mirror]

Samantha also posted a picture of the two of them kissing on her MySpace page. I’m not sure what else the two of them can do to make it more obvious to us that they’re together. You know, except actually publicly acknowledging it.

Here’s Lindsay and Samantha on their way to eat with friends at La Scala in Beverly Hills on July 2nd, Lindsay’s birthday. They went to Cartier earlier that day. Images thanks to WENN

Kate and Owen last year
The currently on-again romance between Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson may be getting serious. The couple is reportedly apartment hunting in New York City and looking to move in together as soon as Owen is done filming “Marley and Me” with Jennifer Aniston. There’s even talk that Kate wants to have Owen’s child.

Kate Hudson is apartment- shopping in New York with an eye to living here part-time with her rekindled flame Owen Wilson, according to a pal.

“She is ready to nest and has even been talking about having more little ones,” a friend of the actress tells me.

The pal says she credits getting back together with Wilson for ending a wild period in her life, during which she was linked with Justin Timberlake and Dax Shepard.

“She is relieved to be more settled again,” says the friend. “She really felt as if she were testing her limits going out while she and Owen were separated.”

Hudson is in New York shooting “Bride Wars,” about best friends who fall out over setting the same wedding date, with Anne Hathaway.

But that doesn’t mean Hollywood’s most famous blond couple are ready to make Manhattan a full-time home.

“Kate is a great businesswoman,” says the friend. “If she bought an apartment, it would be to sell [later].”

[From NY Daily News]

So…which is it? Is Kate a good businesswoman, currently working in NYC and seizing the opportunity to buy an apartment while the market is in a lull, or is she all lovey dovey and nesting and looking for a place to lay another egg? These so-called “friends” and “insiders” never give away anything good. Personally, I’d like to see Kate Hudson go a few months between boyfriends. Girlfriend must have a revolving door on her bedroom. However, Owen does seem to be much more upbeat, post suicide attempt, since getting back with Kate- I just hope they don’t go rushing into the whole “let’s have a kid” thing.

Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal have really been messing with my emotions the last few months. Are they really together? Are they just super-supportive friends? If that’s the case, why did they appear to break up and stop speaking to each other? And if that’s the case, why were they photographed holding hands and kissing at LAX yesterday? Really, I’m not sure my heart can take much more of this topsy turvy romance. This is about more than just the two of you! Jerks.

Are they making it official? On today’s Ellen DeGeneres Show, Reese Witherspoon finally spoke out about her on-again beau (and Rendition co-star) Jake Gyllenhaal. When DeGeneres told Witherspoon, 31, Gyllenhaal, 26, was cute, the Oscar winner gushed, “He’s great!” The day before, new photos surfaced of Witherspoon and Gyllenhaal (dressed in matching black T-shirts and jeans) strolling hand-in-hand and smooching at Los Angeles International Airport October 22.

The pair had been returning from Rome, where they were promoting their new film. On October 19, Witherspoon, 31, was spotted resting her head on Gyllenhaal’s shoulder while walking through the streets as they enjoyed some downtime. Looks like the couple may be comforting each other even more from now on: Their buzzed-about CIA thriller bombed at the bomb office, coming in at No. 9 with $4.2 million.

[From Us Magazine]

Well they must be making it a little official… I mean kissing at LAX isn’t exactly like kissing in the men’s room at the Tad’s Steaks in Time’s Square (not that I have ever done that, mind you). People are probably going to see. Especially if you’re famous and have been trying (but not really that hard) to have a secret relationship with your actor/actress boyfriend/girlfriend. I think Reese and Jake make a super cute couple and totally make sense together. I hope they go public so the speculation can stop and the paparazzi can begin. I kid, I kid. But I’d like a few more happy photos please.

Picture note by Jaybird: Here’s Reese and Jake with Gavin Hood at the 2nd Rome Film Festival Photocall for ‘Rendition.’ Header image of Reese and Jake trying to look like they’re not a couple. Or so I think.

So I’m feeling kind of dumb. Did everyone else know that Macaulay Culkin and Mila Kunis have been dating for six years? She was one of the stars of “That 70’s Show” and is currently great on “Family Guy.” And he’s of course the kid from “Home Alone” and nothing else really. Not that they’re super high-profile, but I thought I would have run into it while perusing People or something, but nothing. I can’t really explain it, but they seem like an odd couple. Culkin seems like he should be with someone more… weird. I don’t know. But apparently they’re a super laid-back, normal couple. So laid-back that they have interviews with prestigious “Parade” magazine. Yeah, the free one that comes with your Sunday paper.

“Put away your assumptions about Macaulay Culkin. The former child star’s girlfriend says he’s a homebody. Culkin, star of the 1990 comedy ‘Home Alone,’ has been dating actress Mila Kunis for nearly six years; Kunis, who co-starred on TV’s ‘That 70’s Show,’ says they make a low-key couple. ‘We enjoy each other’s company,’ the 24-year-old actress says in an interview on Parade.com. ‘We like to read books or play video games or watch TV or go to the movies. And he’s an amazing cook. He makes dinner every night.’

“‘He’s an amazing, simple guy, who is probably the most brilliant person I’ve ever met,’ Kunis gushes. ‘He’s so, so smart and so aware and so kind and so sweet. Unfortunately, that’s not what people want him to be, so they write stuff.’ Kunis says journalists misconstrue facts - or ‘just make stuff up’ - about their relationship. ‘At one point, they were like, `Seen shopping in Beverly Hills for engagement rings,’” she says. ‘We were in Japan working. What is wrong with these people?’”

[From the Associated Press]

Um, Mila Kunis, by “misconstrue” do you actually mean “completely ignore”? Because I would definitely agree with you there. I knew that thing a few years ago about Culkin getting busted for drug possession, but I assumed he’d died in jail or something by now. Maybe moved to North Dakota to just get away from it all. I did not think he was cooking dinners for a hot girl. And something tells me that even if everyone else really did know you two were dating, the paps still aren’t camping outside your home every evening. I’m guessing it’s just more that you wish they were. You two are going to have to do a lot more drugs for that day to come. I wish you the best of luck.

Macaulay Culkin and Mila Kunis are shown on 1/21/04 at the Motorola Lodge at Sundance in the header and on 8/25/06 at Culkin’s 26th birthday, below.

I really wish Celebitchy were like Myspace, and we could have annoying music blare out at you when you opened an article. Since we don’t work that way, if you all could start humming the first few chirpy bars of the “Who’s the Boss?” theme song right now, that’d be great. Just hum until Tony drives his van up to Angela’s house and hugs her. [“There’s a time for love and a time for living. You take a chance and face the wind…”] Alright, we’re there. Did that bring you back? Good, because Alyssa Milano says all you men have been stuck there for the last twenty years or so. Well probably not stuck on Tony and Angela, though I don’t know how your preferences go, so I won’t judge. Man I can never get that damn song out of my head. [”There were times when I lost a dream or two. Found the trail, and at the end was you…”] No, according to Alyssa Milano, you’re all stuck on her. Well, according to Alyssa’s friend, but Alyssa felt the need to share it with “Us Weekly,” which means she must think it’s true.

Alyssa has declared to “Us Weekly” that she will no longer be dating athletes. She’s had a baseball obsession for years (ahem, wasn’t Tony Danza a former baseball player on “Who’s the Boss?” Creeeeeeepy!) and has dated them almost exclusively. She even has a line of baseball-themed clothes. I actually kind of like that, because when every other useless starlet is putting out ridiculous designer crap with their name on it, Alyssa Milano is putting out athletic clothes. So points for being different and doing your own thing. [“There’s a path you take and a path untaken - The choice is up to you my friend…”] But apparently she’s decided she’s taken the baseball love a bit too far, and is done dating men that tote around bats.

“Alyssa Milano is single, and says she’s done living out the fantasy of being a baseball player’s girlfriend. ‘I’d love to just find a good plumber or doctor,’ the 34-year-old actress tells Details in its November issue. ‘I’ve gotten such s— about my dating choices,’ she says. (Her last three boyfriends – Carl Pavano, Barry Zito, and Brad Penny – have all been Major League pitchers.) ‘Like, every single article … is about how I’m ‘the chick that dates athletes,’ and there’s an insane double standard going on.’

“Milano, a lifelong Dodgers fan who recently scored a post-season reporting gig, laments the fact that New York Yankees star Derek Jeter gets away with dating starlet after starlet on her blog on MLB.com. But given a recent conversation she had, it shouldn’t be too hard for her to score the man – baseball player or not – of her dreams: ‘My friend tells me, “Every time I mention you in front of guys, they all go nuts.” So he asked one of them, “What is it about her? Can you define it?” And the guy said, “She’s the girl we never got over.’”

[From Us Weekly]

Man I wish I had unchecked self-esteem like that. Yes I realize Alyssa wasn’t actually saying it about herself, but to pass it on is still pretty ballsy. So to speak. I just made a sports pun! I didn’t know I could do that. I think that means I’m an athlete now. Anyway, it’s probably a good idea for Alyssa to open up her mind a little. I used to have a rule that I was only attracted to brunettes – I have no idea why – and I probably missed out on some pretty great guys because of that. Now imagine if you whittled down your options to one small subset of men that played a certain sport for a living? That’s got to hurt. I mean it must help that she’s famous and beautiful, but you could still be missing out on the best guy in the world [“Nights are long but you’re on your way - to a brand new life around the bend!”]

Note by Celebitchy: Alyssa Milano is shown at the San Sebastian International Film Festival on 9/24/07. Thanks to PRPhotos.

And here’s the Who’s the Boss intro that JayBird wants to get stuck in our heads.

Brad Pitt, who was raised as a Southern Baptist, has a pretty interesting interview in the upcoming issue of “Parade” magazine. He says that as he entered college, he began to doubt religion, and that doubt stays with him today. He says he believes in his family and the goodness of people, and that’s where he puts his faith. In a way, it helped him discover himself by really thinking about things. I know a lot of our commenters have said they don’t think Brad is very smart, and while I wouldn’t accuse him of secretly attending Mensa meetings, I think he’s got a lot more going on in his brain than most celebrities.

Now the head of Hollywood’s most famous family finds comfort in his partner Angelina Jolie and their four children, Maddox, 6, Pax, 3, Zahara, 2, and one-year-old Shiloh. “I still have faith in that,” he says. In the new issue of “Parade” magazine, Pitt discusses his evolution from college journalism student to actor to philanthropist. Is a run for office in his future? See interview excerpts below to find out…

On inequality:
“Whoever said all men are born equal never left his own backyard. I see people everywhere without opportunity. I want to help level the playing field.”

On whether his charity work is the result of his relationship with Jolie:
“That’s idiotic! I do it because I’m a member of the human race. In Africa you see people on the street dying from AIDS, children left without parents. We’re all cells of one body, with the same emotions and desires for our families–for a little dignity and a chance for a better life. Let’s focus on that! I believe in the founding principles of America. I want to fight for that. I know most Americans feel the same way.”

On whether he’ll ever run for office:
“Oh, my God! I never thought about it. I have no desire at this point. Maybe I serve better by not going through that door. George [Clooney] should do it! He’d be quite good. I think Ben Affleck should run.”

On being famous:
“When fame really hit me was when Legends of the Fall was released three years later. You get no warning about what celebrity is or how to deal with it. It’s sort of multitiered. The initial stage is feeling discombobulated and not up to the task. I didn’t understand the incessant attention when I went outside, the way people completely focused on me. It made me very uncomfortable.

On the paparazzi:
“I mean, yesterday Angie was taking Maddie off to school. There were 30 paparazzi outside. One guy sticks a video camera in Mad’s face, yelling, ‘Maddox! Maddox!’ He doesn’t get a response. He doesn’t know my boy. Mad is already savvy to this, unfortunately. But my 2-year-old dreads being anyplace there are cameras. It scares her. They’re all in her face. My kids are faced with this every day! It’s disgusting. So we’ve been run out of L.A., all the major cities. We just can’t live there. You don’t understand–this is the hunt, the hunt, the hunt! I thought it might be over a year ago. It’s gotten worse.”

On turning away from religion:
“I didn’t understand this idea of a God who says, ‘You have to acknowledge me. You have to say that I’m the best, and then I’ll give you eternal happiness. If you won’t, then you don’t get it!’ It seemed to be about ego. I can’t see God operating from ego, so it made no sense to me.

On the ways of the world:
“We’re basically all the same. There is so much focus on our differences. Again, this thing of ego—my high school is better than your high school! We forget that we all have the same feelings on any side of the world. Why can’t we find common ground instead of this obsession with our hatreds?”

[From Us Weekly]

While I may not agree with Brad on everything, it’s hard to deny that it sounds like he’s actually thought a lot of things through that many people never bother to wrestle with. I think Angelina has been a good influence on him in terms of charity, but he was a bit of a do-gooder before he met her, just a less public one. I think Brad’s still smarter and more caring than 9 out of 10 celebrities out there, and I hope he keeps up the good work.

Picture Note by Jaybird: Here’s Brangelina at the Assassination of Jesse James premiere on September 18th. Header image of Brad at the Clayton’ New York City Premiere on September 24th. Images thanks to PR Photos.

Proving that skankiness can transcend the generation gap, the mother of OJ Simpson’s creepily Nicole Brown lookalike girlfriend, Christie Prody, has resorted to informing the media that her daughter isn’t a big bag of herpes. And by that I mean she’s letting us all know that Prody is faithful in her love to the Juice. Supposedly, Prody slept with Simpson’s gardener, Janos Gonzalez, and OJ went apeshit. You know how some people just look smart? Prody isn’t one of them. But it’s a relatively small percentage of the female population that are so stupid that they’d be dumb enough to fuck with OJ under any circumstances, especially romantic.

“The mother of O.J. Simpson’s girlfriend Christie Prody said her daughter is not the type of girl who fools around with the household help. Defending her 32-year-old daughter against reports that Simpson went ballistic when he learned that Prody supposedly had slept with his gardener, Cathy Bellmore, 54, told the Daily News, ‘No, that isn’t her. That’s not in her character. She’s never cheated on a boyfriend before.’ The gardener’s wife, Marlene Gonzalez, disagrees. She has said Simpson showed up at their Miami home on July 29, raving about how Prody and her husband, Janos Gonzalez, had had sex earlier that day. She said she gave the football great the brushoff, but when Simpson saw her husband, Simpson went into a rage and threatened to kill him. Police came to the home, but no charges were filed, she said.”

[From the Daily News]

And how exactly did OJ meet this Nicole doppleganger? Apparently Prody was in L.A. And waved to Simpson. He walked up to the car and asked for her number. This was right after the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. Doesn’t that just give you goosebumps, butterflies, and heart palpitations all at once? According to Prody’s mother, Simpson is her second boyfriend. Ewww. Way to settle down with a winner.

“‘Christie was always a very shy, quiet girl. She gave me absolutely no trouble whatever,’ Bellmore said. Mom said it’s heartbreaking to see her daughter caught up in the latest Simpson melodrama. ‘She’s a great person who’s involved in a messy situation,’ said Bellmore. Asked why her daughter doesn’t split from Simpson, Bellmore said, ‘There’s reasons. I just can’t get into it.’ Asked if it was love that kept Prody tied to him, Bellmore said, ‘I don’t know what it is anymore.’”

[From the Daily News]

Boy those last two quotes really inspire confidence. Her own mother sounds like she’s slightly afraid for her daughter, but is still willing to hint that her daughter may not love Simpson. She doesn’t know what it is that keeps Prody tied to Simpson? Fear of a knife wedged into a major artery could be one.

Picture note by Celebitchy Christie Prody is shown in Vegas the night before OJ was arrested. Thanks to Splash News.

Stuart Townsend, Charlize Theron’s longtime boyfriend, is publicly calling her his wife, and the two both have rings on their left ring fingers. Townsend tells People that the two are married, even though they haven’t gone through a religious or civil service.

“‘I’m married,’ Townsend told People this week. ‘I didn’t do a church wedding or anything, but we’re married. We’re husband and wife. We love each other and we want to spend our lives together,’ the 34-year-old actor said about his nearly seven-year relationship with Theron, 32, who he calls ‘the greatest woman I’ve ever met.’

“‘We didn’t have a ceremony,’ he added. ‘I don’t need a certificate or the state or the church to say otherwise. So no there’s no big official story on a wedding, but we are married. … I consider her my wife and she considers me her husband.’

[From People]

So I guess all those breakup rumors were crap. If it’s true, that’s great, though without confirmation of some sort from Charlize, there’s the possibility that Townsend is delusional. It’s sorta weird that he said “I’m married” instead of “We’re married” but whatever. The two have been working on Townsend’s film “Battle in Seattle” about the World Trade Organization riots in Seattle in 1999. Townsend wrote and directed the film, and Theron has a starring role.

“During a dinner party at The Supper Club, the couple even showed off their rings – Theron fidgeted with hers as she shared a story about it and then grabbed Townsend’s hand to display a silver cross-shaped band on his ring finger.

“‘It was really amazing tonight to premiere the film with her,’ Townsend said. ‘She’s proud and she was crying, so it’s as important to her as it’s important to me. We’re a team and we’re in this together. That’s what you do. You look out for each other.’”

[From People]

It sounds legitimately true. Charlize doesn’t seem like someone who just randomly wears rings on her left ring finger to get gossip buzzing (ahem, Britney Spears). They’ve been dating long enough that one could assume they’ve made some kind of commitment to one another. There’s a lot of famous couples that have made life-long commitments to each other without formalizing the agreement. Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins come to mind, though I don’t believe they refer to each other as husband and wife. There’s certainly countless non-celebrities that do it. I guess Stuart Townsend is saying he and Charlize are married in their hearts, so congratulations. I’d send you something, but I’m guessing you didn’t formalize things by registering, either.

Picture note by JayBird: Here’s Charlize and Stuart (with a ring visible, if you squint hard enough) at the “In the Valley of Elah” premiere on September 13th. Images thanks to PR Photos.

Jennifer Lopez has confirmed all the speculation that she wants to have a baby with husband Marc Anthony, but seems to be taking a more natural and laid-back approach to fertility than a lot of people. She said, “‘I love kids. I can’t wait to have a baby, believe me. I’m ready and so is Marc. We’re waiting for it to happen, but I guess it’ll happen when God wants it.’” That’s great that she’s not too worried about it or letting it get her down. A lot of people have speculated that the couple is having fertility problems, apparently based on the fact that they’ve been married three years, and Jennifer is 38 years old. A lot of people wait longer than that to have kids, and it’s not weird for women to have their first in the forties anymore. J-Lo also says she finds happiness in her three step-children, so it’s nice to know they haven’t been thrown by the wayside.

“Jennifer Lopez believes she will have a baby when God wants her to have one. The singer-and-actress admits she and husband Marc Anthony are desperate for children but doesn’t think they have any influence over when it will happen. Jennifer - who was raised a Catholic - told Grazia magazine, ‘I love kids. I can’t wait to have a baby, believe me. I’m ready and so is Marc. We’re waiting for it to happen, but I guess it’ll happen when God wants it.’”

“Although she doesn’t have children of her own, the 38-year-old star is enjoying being a stepmother to Marc’s three children from two previous relationships - Ariana, 14, Cristian, six and four-year-old Ryan. She revealed, ‘It’s a blessing having them as part of my family. I call them my three little angels.’ Jennifer has also credited Marc for making her a more rounded and mature individual.

“The ‘I’m Real’ singer who has been married twice before, and said, ‘These past years I’ve gained maturity and stability, which have bought new perspectives into my life. My priorities have taken a different lead - I mean, Marc is the most important thing in my life. He’s my partner, he’s the love of my life. He makes me a better person and I think I do the same for him. He gives me a balance which is hard to describe.’”

[From AZ Central]

I think the tabloids have made up a lot of those “Jennifer Lopez is devastated she can’t conceive” just like most of the “Jennifer Aniston is lonely and miserable without Brad Pitt” stories. They kind of assume they would feel that way in that position, so it’s probably safe that Jennifer Lopez is dying for babies and can’t think of anything else, and Jennifer Aniston is dying of sadness. They’re both successful career women…of varying talent, depending on your opinion. I know most people don’t like J-Lo… I’ve never been able to explain why, but I really like her. Marc Anthony scares the bejezus out of me, and makes me concerned that they’d have babies with shrunken heads, but other than that, it’s all good.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez are shown at the El Cantante LA Premiere on 7/31/07. Thanks to PRPhotos.

Oh holy grossness. Kate Moss is dating Pete Doherty again. We thought we’d heard that last week, but then found out the next day that he was seeing model Irina Lazareanu. Well now they’re together again. Supposedly. You know how everyone knows some couple that’s forever breaking up and getting back together? Normally by the time they hit their mid-twenties to early thirties, they’ve matured enough to stay together or stay apart. This isn’t the case for these two, who are far too crazy and unbalanced to ever make a decision and stick with it. The two have reconciled and been holed up in a London hotel together for over a week. Will someone please tell me what is so irresistible about this guy? I could pick apart his physicality, but that isn’t really the issue. It’s the poor hygiene, drug-addict-beyond-all-belief coupled with the terrible he’ll-squirt-vials-of-his-own- blood-on-people-because-he-thinks-it’s-funny personality. Those things make him look more repulsive. I’m sure if he wasn’t an unrepentant drug addict with jerky tendencies, we’d be all “Oh, how cute, he’s a sweet dork,” or whatever. I mean he’d never win a modeling competition, but no one would lay in bed at night, unable to sleep because they were so confused by Pet Doherty’s appeal. I’m pretty sure he has bugs. Okay I’m done now.

“English supermodel Kate Moss has run back into the needle-scarred arms of Pete Doherty. Our man in London spotted the co-dependent couple at Claridge’s hotel last week, having a weepy reunion. Since then, against the wishes of her family and handlers, Moss has been holed up with the Babyshambles rocker in a $4,000-a-night suite at the Mayfair hotel for five days.

“Apparently, Kate has forgotten that Doherty told the Mirror - which reportedly paid him $80,000 - that she was “jealous and suspicious” and “a nasty old rag.”

“Now they’re said to be talking about a wedding and children. This, after Doherty’s umpteenth arrest last week for suspected drug possession. Not to mention those British reports that a vet discovered a sickly kitty - born to Pete’s cat Dinger (slang for syringe) - had cocaine in its system. Surely, he’ll make a great dad.”

[From Rush & Malloy]

Remember back in the day when Tom Cruise said he was going to eat the placenta after Katie Holmes gave birth? I could totally see Pete Doherty doing that. He really would make a great dad to Kate Moss’s kids. “Hey kids, who wants to play pin the tail on the donkey with these hypodermic needles?” And then somehow all the needles would end up in the kid. “Who wants to drink their own blood?” And “Let’s play find Daddy’s heroin implant and rip it out of his stomach with a carving knife we’ve sterilized by licking!” Speaking of sterilized, can enough drugs do that to your system? Because if there’s any justice in this world, if nothing else Pete Doherty should be sterile by now.

Picture note by JayBird: Here’s some random, sexy Pete Doherty. Images thanks to PR Photos. Header image of of Pete leaving court in London on August 7th. Images thanks to Splash Photos.