Lindsay Lohan was announced by Variety yesterday as joining the cast of a granny caper comedy to star Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis, Rosario Dawson, and Channing Tatum. She was even supposed to begin shooting for the film on Thursday. Now MacLaine’s rep says that Lohan is in no way confirmed as signing on to the film, Poor Things, and it looks like her well-publicized DUI may have cost her the role:

According to MacLaine’s rep, there’s actually “no deal” in place for Lohan to act in “Poor Things,” produced by and starring MacLaine. The rep added that casting isn’t set, and shooting wasn’t scheduled to start for a couple weeks.

That’s not what we were hearing just this weekend, when several very reliable sources (and the trades) were saying that Lohan was set to begin shooting on Thursday for three weeks, and Still Rolling Productions — the company producing “Poor Things” — said that Lohan’s DUI arrest wouldn’t affect shooting.

We’re still waiting to hear back from Lohan’s rep, and there’s no word yet from the production company as to Lohan’s (and the production’s) official status.

It’s not surprising that Lohan’s DUI cost her the role, especially if they were going to begin filming this week and didn’t want to hold up production for her. After all, she delayed production on Georgia Rule just by being a brat and now she’s caught up in a DUI. It’s not like they’re going to wait for her. Her last two films weren’t exactly hits a the box office.

Lohan’s hard working rep has issued a statement about Lindsay checking into rehab. Her lawyer was said to have driven here there, and her rep says what they always say about how we should respect her privacy, even though Lohan doesn’t know the meaning of the word:

“Lindsay admitted herself to an intensive medical rehabilitation facility on Memorial Day. Because this is a medical matter, it is our hope that the press will appreciate the seriousness of the situation and respect the privacy of Lindsay as well as the other patients receiving treatment at the facility.”

Splash News has the first pic of Lindsay’s reluctant walk to rehab. She took her last stay in rehab so seriously. She’s surely going to be bucking the staff at Promises, but hopefully they’ll teach her some humility and discipline. Or not.

Brad Pitt was photographed yesterday filming scenes for his new film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button in Montreal, Canada. Pitt was filming outdoor scenes for the movie.

While some commentors doubted whether Pitt and his family were back in Prague post-Cannes for Shiloh’s birthday, there were pictures by INFGoff that showed Pitt visiting the Go-Kart Centrum in Prague on Sunday with “Wanted” cast member Common, and “Oceans 13″ cast member Scott Caan. The photos were far away or I would have published them here. He was also seen tooling around on his motorcycle in Prague on Friday. I think that I saw photos of Pitt’s brother, Doug, and his sister there too, but am having trouble finding them again.

The Jolie-Pitts sure jet around the world. I’m not sure if Angelina and the kids are there in Montreal with Pitt, we’ll have to wait and see.

There’s more of the same stories about Brad and Angelina this week. Angelina’s brother talked to some other magazine about how his sister never eats because she is used to going without in her fieldwork for the UN and feels guilty for eating, and there’s another rumor that the hot couple is engaged and is planning a secret wedding. Since I’ve heard that before multiple times, and the source is the notoriously wrong British Grazia Magazine, I’m kind of skeptical.

Thanks to Splash News for these photos.

According to a recent issue of OK!, Britney is pretty happy that Paris Hilton is going to jail now that they’re no longer friends, and blames Paris for ruining her reputation before she ended up in rehab. She is also said to be relieved that Paris is taking some of the gossip heat off by making her own very public mistakes:

Britney Spears wants the heiress to pay in prison.
Don’t expect Britney Spears to sign a “Free Paris” petition anytime soon, as the pop star is now gloating over former pal Paris Hilton’s jail sentence. And one insider tells OK! that Brit couldn’t be happier she ended her friendship with the Simple Life star. “Britney is relieved to have distanced herself from her ex-party buddy,” the source says. “Rest assured - you won’t see Britney speaking to Paris through the glass petition in the jail on visiting day…”

[Britney] “blames Paris for a lot of her image problems that she had before rehab,” the insider confides. “Britney is happy to be living clean and sober, far away from Paris’ mess. She’s also glad that the attention of making mistakes is now on somebody else.”

[From OK! Magazine print edition, May 28, 2007, via Sammie's Effluvia]

The article has a pretty interesting inset filled with quotes from celebrities saying Paris deserves jail. Sophia Bush said “Karma’s a bitch,” Jane Fonda is quoted as saying “I’m glad she’s being sentenced,” and Brittany Murphy says “If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime.” (Murphy is about to learn that the hard way now that her husband is due to be deported.)

Of course Britney is glad Paris is going to jail. These two didn’t just stop hanging out constantly because they were busy, they’re said to hate each other, with Paris calling Britney “the animal” because all she does is follow her instincts without thinking.

Meanwhile it’s questionable how “clean and sober” Britney is living, as the source is quoted mentioning in the article. She was said to be puking all over herself at Sky Bar on Sunday night, and had to be carried out. She was also said to have asked a photographer how Lindsay Lohan was doing. As if she cares.

Jennifer Garner split up from Scott Foley in March, 2003 after less than three years of marriage. She’s managed to move past any hurt feelings and along with her new husband, Ben Affleck, is open to friendship with her ex.

Scott Foley and his fiance were even invited to dinner at the Affleck’s house:

According to an insider, Jen and her husband, Ben Affleck, 34, recently invited Scott, 34, and his fiance, Polish-born actress Marika Domincyzk, 26, round for a cozy dinner to cement their budding friendship. “Ben thinks Scott is great,” says a friend. Jen, 35, who was married to Scott for nearly three years, is “absolutely thrilled” that he has found love. The pal says both Jen and Scott are happy with their current loves and are eager to renew their bond.

[From In Touch print edition, May 28, 2007 via Sammie's Effluvia]

From the way the article is worded, it’s unclear whether the two couples have actually met up for dinner or whether Ben and Jen just extended the invitation. They say that everyone ran into each other at the Pacific Palisades Farmers’ Market on May 6, and maybe that’s when they were invited to dinner.

Good for Garner and Affleck for being so friendly with Jen’s ex. I don’t think I’d be comfortable having an ex around to dinner at my place, but it depends on the circumstance I guess.

Garner and Affleck seem like the most drama-free Hollywood couple around, and after Affleck’s history that’s a real accomplishment.

Header photo from Splash News and used by permission.

Janet Charlton is reporting that K-Fed is ponying up his own money to fund a follow-up to his widely panned album, “Playing with Fire.” Federline is consulting with music business insiders and is working in his own studio to produce the album.

Kevin Federline is NOT giving up on his musical career. He is investing his OWN money to produce a second album. The fact that his first album Playing With Fire was received with little enthusiasm hasn’t deterred him. He’s consulting with friends he’s made in the music biz, like Scott Storch, but basically he’s doing everything himself in his home studio. Nowadays he says he only leaves home if he gets paid to do it. No more clubbing.

While K-Fed did gain some credibility by becoming a responsible father overnight and poking fun of himself in a commercial, it didn’t increase his rapping talent one iota. He should focus on his career attending parties and capitalizing on his tabloid persona and give up his misguided dreams of rap stardom.

The National Enquirer is reporting that K-Fed is trying for full custody of his two boys with Britney, and that he followed her to Miami during her recent non-concerts there to try and get enough evidence for a custody battle:

[Britney's] soon-to-be ex-hubby Kevin Federline tailed her to Miami - hoping to dig up dirt on her for a vicious new custody battle!…

“Kevin flew the boys and their nanny to Miami,” an insider revealed. “He plans to tap his spied in Florida to gather the evidence he needs to busy Britney doing drugs. He’s determined to get full custody of their sons.”

[From The National Enquirer print edition, June 4, 2007]

Despite K-Fed’s image makeover, he probably wants custody of those boys for all the child support that will come with it, not that he doesn’t love them. You don’t see him fighting for custody of his kids with Shar.

In Britney’s long-ass rant on her website, she made a reference to her kids, saying “I am sitting here at home and it is 6:25 and both of my sons are asleep. I am truly blessed to have them in my life.”

Britney seems to treat her boys as playthings and has been criticized for only watching them when it’s convenient for her. She would probably be devastated if K-Fed got full custody, but it’s not like she’s ready to take on the responsibility of watching them all the time anyway.

Picture below from Just Jared.

According to OK! Magazine, Katie Holmes and Nicole Kidman are fighting over Kidman’s two children with Katie’s husband, Tom Cruise. Nicole wants Katie to know she’s their real mother, and is said to be angered by the young bride’s role in her children’s life.

OK! tells the story of how Isabella Cruise, 14, immediately visited a salon in Sydney when she was in Australia visiting her mom Nicole, and had blue streaks put in her hair. Tom and Katie would have been livid, they claim, and would never have allowed Isabella to dye her hair blue under their watch.

“In a million years, I can’t imagine Bella doing that while at home,” a friend of Tom and Katie tells OK!. “As the so-called weekend parent, it seems Nicole may be letting Bella get away with things that wouldn’t fly at home in Beverly Hills.” The reason? According to an insider, Nicole isn’t happy about how close her kids are to Katie….

Close TomKat friend Jada Pinkett Smith recently referred to Katie as Isabella and Connor’s mom in a magazine interview. “She’s a great mother,” Jada, 35, said. “Her kids - Connor, Bella, Suri - are some dynamic children and are extremely happy.”

While Nicole’s spokeswoman Catherine Olim tells OK!, “I doubt Nicole even saw the Jada Pinkett stuff,” other sources insist she not only knows of it but was hurt by it. “It was a pretty thoughtless thing for Jada to say,” a top studio executive tells OK!. “Bella and Connor only have one mother, and Nicole’s it!”

[From OK! Magazine print edition, May 28, 2007 via Sammie's Effluvia]

There was a story in February that Katie Holmes was overheard telling friends that she didn’t approve of a dress that Bella was going to wear to a party, calling it “too grown up” for her, but that Isabella told her that Nicole said it was OK for her to wear the dress.

Katie was said to have mentioned to friends that she needed to call Nicole to make sure she approved the outfit. She put in a phone call, and Kidman told her that she agreed and that Bella shouldn’t wear the dress.

At the time, UrbanDK said it meant that Kidman and Holmes were raising the kids together, but in retrospect it sounds like they have at least some drama in their dual-mommy roles.

I’m not sure if OK! has an insider information here, or if they’re just jumping to conclusions based on the known fact that Bella dyed her hair right after arriving in Sydney. Still, it’s not much of a leap to think that Kidman might resent Katie’s role in her children’s lives. They live with Tom and Katie and she hardly gets to see them.

- Screengrabs of a video of Calum Best doing lines of coke off a hooker. Lindsay sure knows how to pick ‘em [DListed]
- I’m not the only one calling Nicole Richie pregnant, check out the new National Enquirer [popbytes]
- Paris Hilton got dumped from a coffee table book of heiresses for not being a real heiress [Mollygood]
- Petra Nemcova wears the shortest skirt ever [Egotastic]
- Liv Tyler and Milo [Celebrity Baby Scoop]
- Matthew McConaughey performing his favorite three times daily ritual [Socialite's Life]
- The many faces of George Clooney [Agent Bedhead]
- Britney’s classy ring [CelebWarship]
- Angelina drops the kids off at school [Gabsmash]
- Danielle Lloyd in a bikini [The Grumpiest]
- Jaslene of America’s Next Top Model talks about her abusive relationship [Evil Beet]
- Beth Ditto blames gay men for the size zero trend [Hollywood Rag]
- Reps for Jessica Biel and Cameron Diaz are trying to make sure they don’t run into each other at the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday. [Celebslam]
- Alyson Hannigan’s new hair [PopSugar]
- Celebrity Lookalike Convention [I'm Not Obsessed]
- The Police then and now [Seriously? OMG! WTF?]
- There will be a new animated show on Comedy Central featuring Larry the Cable Guy. Hey he was great as Towmater in Cars [Pajiba]
- Rose McGowan before and after [CityRag]
- Ozzy Osbourne refused to perform on American Idol because he hates Sanjaya [ICYDK]
- Kirsten Bell in a bikini [The Blemish]
- Cate Blanchet to play the villian in the new Indiana Jones movie [The Shallow End]

Brittany Murphy may have gotten more than she bargained for when she married Simon Monjack in April. Like something straight out of one of the con stories on Oprah, it seems that Monjack might actually be a two-bit conman using poor Murphy for his own ends.

Poor Brittany. She thought marrying this guy was going to turn out like that cheesy Gerard Depardieu movie Green Card, but it is in fact turning into like something akin the Steve Martin movie Dirty Rotten Scoundrels.

From US Weekly:

Brittany Murphy and Factory Girl executive producer and writer Simon Monjack shocked friends and family in April by marrying after only four months of dating. The couple skipped the proposal and honeymoon, exchanging Neil Lane rings in a private L.A. home with only their families present.

But now Murphy’s inner circle is growing concerned about her new man’s history before he swept Murphy, 29, off her feet.

Among his troubles: two warrants for his arrest in Virginia for alleged credit-card theft and fraud; an unpaid $6,087 legal bill, and a $502,910 judgment against him by a British investment firm.

And Us Weekly reports in its new issue that Monjack gave his former fiancée, British film producer Taira Rafiq, an engagement ring he had told her was a diamond but was, in fact, cubic zirconia. “Taira tried to get in touch with Brittany to warn her,” a Rafiq pal tells Us.

He also was jailed earlier this year for overstaying his tourist visa, and Murphy, 29, had to bail him out. “Simon began pushing for marriage, since he was going to be deported,” says a source, adding that Murphy paid for her own engagement ring.

Monjack tells Us, “It is a real tragedy that success, greed, envy and celebrity are the motivation for attacking my family and character.”

I just have to get this out of the way before I proceed: What kind of woman can’t tell the difference between Cubic Zirconia and a real diamond when it’s handed it to her? My mom taught me how to do check for authenticity when she started her Home Shopping Network habit in ‘93! Am I the only one who checked the cut on my engagement ring when I first got it, or am I a tad bit cynical for doing that?

I feel bad for Brittany, I really do, especially if she had to pay for her own ring. That’s the first sign a marriage is going to to turn out as you planned, when the bride pays for her own engagement ring (Britney and K-Fed, anyone?). She should have cut her losses right then and there when she found out that little fact. Since her new man is now being deported to the UK, I hope she kept the receipt.

Fred Dalton Thompson is an actor, lawyer and former Republican Senator from the state of Tennessee. He served Al Gore’s last two years and was reelected, to serve from 1994 to 2003. He decided not to run again in 2002, which is thought to be because his daughter, Elizabeth, died from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs earlier that year.

He also had a burgeoning television career at that point, having joined the cast of “Law & Order” as Arthur Branch in the last few months of his last Senate term. He also played the same character in “Law & Order: Trial by Jury.” Thompson got his start acting when he played himself in the 1983 film Marie, which was based on a book about a 1977 Tennessee Parole Board scandal. He went on to roles in television and movies such as The Hunt for Red October, Days of Thunder, and Cape Fear.

Thompson has started fundraising for a Presidential run, and is expected to announce his candidacy over the Fourth of July holiday.

He will join Rudolph Giuliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney in their quest for the Republican ticket. Polls have Thompson in third and just aboutt tied with Romney, with former NY City Mayor Rudy Giuliani in a slim lead.

While I liked his character, I’m a Democrat and am not likely to vote for him based on what I’ve read about his politics, although none of the Democratic hopefuls really stick out for me either. Hillary is not my favorite person, and while I would support Obama I don’t know if he has a chance in the race. We’ll have to see who else throws their hat in the ring on the other side. Now if George Clooney, Matt Damon or Brad Pitt would run, you know who the next President would be.

In a move that just doesn’t make sense, Katharine Mcphee was denied an invite to American Idol’s season finale, even though she called the execs herself to let them know she wanted to attend.

Her fans are very disappointed by the snub, and in response, have launched Project Kit Kat in an effort to show their support for Katharine. The project even has the approval of Katharine’s mom, Peisha McPhee. All the Idol execs who dissed Katharine are going to get Kit Kat bars, along with a note expressing the fans’ disappointment with the show.

Says one of her fans: “This is a fun and non-confrontational way to get our point across to the decision makers at Idol. The Kit Kat Project [is] to let Idol know how much Kat was missed this season.”

What “McPhans” want in the least, is to see an effort by Idol execs to invite Katharine on the show next season.

I’ve gotta say, I didn’t even watch American Idol regularly this season. It used to be a show that showcased talented singers (like McPhee and Kelly Clarkson), but lately it’s become a freak show that gives more attention to tone deaf singers with outrageous hairstyles.

Here’s to hoping that windfall of Kit Kats that’s gonna fall on the desks of Fox studio execs will help get the point across, that American Idol needs to shape up or ship out.

A big thanks to Jim for the heads up on this story!

KP photo at top via