Heather Mills’ blatant attempt for sympathy the other day has really sparked a nerve with the public – and with the press. Those were pretty much her two biggest foes, and striking out against the press hasn’t helped her image at all with the public. She pissed nearly everyone off by throwing out there (in a totally self-indulgent, pity me way) that the press has driven her to consider suicide. Though it didn’t seem possible, the British press now hates her more than ever – and she’s gotten a lot more negative press in America as a result. Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, gave some pretty good advice to Mills – and she might seriously consider taking it. The original Fergie got a lot of unflattering coverage in her heyday, but has really managed to turn her reputation around – and not by bellyaching about how hard it is to be wealthy and famous.

Sarah Ferguson, no stranger to unflattering coverage in the British press, can empathize with Heather Mills McCartney, but doesn’t have much sympathy for Paul McCartney’s estranged wife in her battle with the media. Mills McCartney, who is going through a bitter divorce with the ex-Beatle, went on a tirade this week against the British press on talk shows in London and the U.S.

Ferguson said she can understand Mills McCartney’s frustration. “It’s quite difficult when you’re in it - when it’s right in your face,” the Duchess of York told The Associated Press on Thursday night. “But there’s always a reason for it, so maybe you have to change something in yourself.”

“It’s give and take,” she said. “… If you are on the public stage, it’s your public stage. Otherwise, don’t be on the public stage. That’s what I really think. If you’re on it, accept it, if you don’t want to accept it, get off it.”

[From the Associated Press]

That’s perfect advice, and she essentially told Heather Mills that she is her own problem – but said it in a way that the dense Mills might be able to comprehend. Though who the hell knows with her. Though Mills has said and done a lot of “pity me” types of things over the years, I think this one is so grating because it’s just not something you throw out there. You only say things like that when you’re serious – and a famous person who was seriously suicidal wouldn’t tell the country about it as a way to get sympathy. I didn’t like Heather Mills before, but now it’s full-on war. I will use my Celebitchy platform to make the rest of the world hate you too. Oh look, already done.

Picture note by Jaybird: Here’s the original Fergie at Isabella Blow’s Memorial Service on September 18th. Images thanks to PR Photos.

Matthew McConaughey has given up his airstream trailer on the beach and has purchased a four-bedroom three-bathroom house in Malibu for $10 million. Super-fit Matthew didn’t opt for a new mansion without character, he fell in love with an older home from 1949 that wasn’t for sale. McConaughey knocked on the door, turned on the charm and talked the owner into selling it to him. The home is set on an acre of land and is moderately-sized by Malibu standards at 3,500 square feet.

McConaughey started looking at homes to buy and decided on one that wasn’t even on the market. After he personally knocked on the door, however, a deal was struck.

At 3,500 square feet, the house is not as large as many in Malibu. And it’s old — built in 1949. But its acre-plus lot has room to park a fleet of Airstreams. The home has four bedrooms and three bathrooms.

[From LATimes.com via TMZ]

And in case purchasing a home isn’t enough to signify that McConaughey, who turned 38 yesterday, is ready to give up the bachelor life, he is auctioning off one of his motorcycles for charity. He probably has a fleet of motorcycles, but he could be turning over a safer leaf for the sake of his maybe-fiance, Brazilian model Camila Alves.

[Matthew McConaughey] has ponied up his own motorcycle to promote children’s education, donating his Texas Longhorns National Championship tribute bike to benefit his j.k. livin foundation. The name stands for Just Keep Livin’, and the foundation is dedicated to providing enrichment programs for kids. Matt, 38, hopes fans around the world will see this auction as a special opportunity to raise money for underprivileged kids.

[From InTouch Weekly, print edition, November 12, 2007]

In July, 2006 McConaughey auctioned off his corvette stingray convertible on eBay to benefit Oprah’s Angel Network. This is the first I’ve heard about McConaughey’s jk livin’ foundation, it’s a great idea, although the title suggests he was smoking a lot of pot when he came up with the idea. Maybe he just talks like that though. He told In Touch, “Let the biddin’ begin, hook ‘em horns, and now and always, just keep livin’.”

The custom-built bike is now on eBay, with the starting bid set at $25,000. The auction ends in one week. McConaughey’s official site is matthewmcconaughey.us (site has automatic music) but it’s all flash-based and it’s hard to figure out exactly what jk livin is about. McConaughey’s production company, which also produces some recording artists, is called jk livin’ productions, and his charity sounds like an offshoot of that.

Update: Thanks to readers Hilcat and Tia C for mentioning that Just Keep Living was one of McConaughey’s lines from Dazed and Confused.

Matthew McConaughey is shown at the screening of Planet in Peril in Hollywood on 10/17/07, thanks to WENN.

Lindsay Lohan, who hasn’t relapsed yet partially thanks to her strict handlers, has been hanging out with a 25 year-old snowboarder with a lengthy rap sheet named Riley Giles. Giles dumped his last girlfriend, Breanna Tierney, by SMS, texting her that he “needed a break” and eventually confessing to screwing Lohan in one of the stairwells at the rehab where they met. Tierney says that she was engaged to Giles, and that he gave her a cubic zirconia ring that she found out was fake after some of the stones fell out. Giles claims that he broke up with Tierney before hooking up with Lohan and that he was never engaged to her.

So Giles seems the type who is willing to get engaged, but is all too ready to pretend it never happened when it becomes inconvenient for him. This week’s Star Magazine is reporting that Lohan got all worried that she was pregnant when she was a few days late, and that Giles stepped up to pop the question:

Just when Lindsay Lohan thought she was back on track after finally getting sober, the actress got a major shock that could have threatened it all: According to a source, Lindsay was days “late” and feared she was pregnant with boyfriend Riley Giles’ baby.

“Lindsay was terrified,” the source tells Star. “She’s also gained weight, and she started worrying that it was from being pregnant.”

And while having a child with someone she loves is something that Lindsay has always dreamed about, it’s not the right time, says the source. “She just figured out how to get sober - she’s certainly not ready to be responsible for a child now!”

But when Lindsay, 21, broke down and told Riley she thought she might be pregnant, his reaction was not quite what she expected. “He was actually pretty excited,” says the source. “And he did was he thought was right and proposed on the spot.”

Lindsay’s response? “It literally took her breath away,” says the source. “She was touched, but she knew it was not the right thing to do and turned him down. She told him that she cares for him deeply, but they weren’t ready to get married. Riley totally understood.”

A few days later, Lindsay’s fears were put to rest when she finally got her period.

[From Star Magazine, print edition, November 12, 2007]

You know that Giles was just excited that he was closer than ever at his chance to get his grubby hands on Lohan’s dwindling fortune. Star reports that Lohan’s friends are warning her about Giles and calling him “creepy” and a “jerk, and an all-around bum.” He sounds just like her speed, and I hope they do get married as it will make their flame-out that much more significant. Lohan was probably hoping to be pregnant so that she could up her star factor like Nicole Richie. It would also significantly increase the amount she could charge the paparazzi for exclusive pictures.

Opportunistic Giles is said to have given paparazzi a talking-to as they were waiting for Lohan to emerge with new extensions from Ken Paves’ salon. TMZ is vague, but makes it sound like he told them to be respectful towards her, and that it worked.

Here’s Lohan with cupcakes yesterday and out with Giles the night before. The photo agency Splash has the entire breakdown of her Sunday, which predictably involved shopping and eating out, but I couldn’t give a shit.

Katie Holmes ran the NY City Marathon on Sunday, finishing in just under five and a half hours. She was greeted at the finish line by her husband, Tom Cruise, and their supposedly 18 month-old daughter, Suri. Holmes’ parents and Cruise’s mom were also there to cheer her on. She is quoted as saying she loves running and that it helped her lose weight after she had Suri.

“I have always loved to run,” Holmes told Harper’s Bazaar in March. “It has helped me lose the extra baby weight.”

[From the New Zealand Herald]

This was one rumor that I didn’t believe at first, assuming that Katie was just running for exercise and that some over-eager gossip magazine turned it into training for a marathon.

Splash News reports that Holmes walked at about 17 miles in, but as someone who hasn’t run more than five miles at a stretch in my life, I have to say that’s hardly comment-worthy. Kudos to Katie for going through with it. It’s ironic that Holmes ran the NY City Marathon, considering that people have been urging her to “run” since she got involved with cult-loving Cruise back when she was pregnant. I mean, right before she got pregnant.

Holmes’ next movie, her first since 2005’s Thank You For Smoking, is the female crime caper, Mad Money. The film also stars Diane Keaton and Queen Latifah and is due out on January 18, 2008. It’s a shame they’ll miss Oscar season. Check out the trailer below.

Katie Holmes is next set to star in The Other Side with fellow Scientologist, Jason Lee. Production is set to start sometime this month.

Good job, Katie! Maybe your career will pick up now after the Mad Money bump. Considering that your next film is with the guy who is going to be in the Alvin and The Chipmunks movie, I doubt it.

After the premier of the XBOX 360 game Halo 3 led to one of the worst box office weekends in recent memory this fall, Hollywood bigwigs will be anxiously watching attendance this upcoming holiday season, and hoping video games do not continue to monopolize consumer’s wallets.

Halo 3 sales for its first week topped over 300 million dollars, making it the biggest selling first weekend for a videogame ever. But that’s not all. Halo 3’s first weekend gross was about double that of the first weekend for the Transformers movie- the summer’s biggest blockbuster, an ominous sign.

Also, industry analysts are blaming the Halo release on poor ticket sales for the newest Ben Stiller Movie, The Heartbreak Kid, which was released the same weekend as the Halo 3 premiere. The Heartbreak Kid, a Farrelly Brothers movie in the mold of There’s Something About Mary, did around 20% less business than expected its opening weekend. Having a targeted demographic roughly the same as Halo’s, The Heartbreak Kid didn’t have a chance with most of its potential audience at home battling the covenant, according to industry insiders.

The Christmas season has always been the second most profitable time for Hollywood, but this year executives should be nervous about a slew of games anticipated to be hugely successful with a high potential to keep teens and young adults out of the cineplex. Among them are Rock Band and the newest installment of the hugely popular Guitar Hero series, games that let players pretend to be the stars, rather than just watching them.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Halo 3 and Guitar Hero screenshots via Clubskill.com, How Stuff Works, and Kotaku.com.

If all I heard was that a celebrity was arrested for being drunk at a drug store, my money would have been on Britney at CVS. In my imagination she’s not combative despite her umbrella-wielding history, and is apprehended for opening up makeup and trying it on, discarding packages as she stumbles down the aisle.

Transformers star Shia LaBeouf was arrested at a Walgreens in Chicago over the weekend after security asked him to leave and he refused. It was 2:30 in the morning when the cops came, so maybe he’d just had a marathon drinking session and really wanted one of those little packages of ice cream they sell there. I love those, because they get you into a lot less trouble than a full pint of Ben and Jerry’s.

It doesn’t sound like LaBeouf was disruptive so much as stubborn and holding his ground. He was said to be cooperative with police and to have posted bail a few hours later, at 7 a.m.:

Chicago police say actor Shia LaBeouf was arrested at the Walgreens at 757 N. Michigan Av. around 2:30 a.m. Sunday after repeatedly refusing to leave the store.

A security guard repeatedly told LaBeouf that he wasn’t welcome and had to leave because he appeared to be drunk, police said.

When the actor refused to leave, the security guard detained him and called police.

After he was arrested, LaBeouf was “very courteous and polite,” and he posted bond before 7 a.m., police said.

LaBeouf, 21, of Glendale, Calif., was charged with misdemeanor criminal trespassing. He is scheduled to appear in court in Branch 29 on Nov. 28 at 9 a.m.

[From CBS2Chicago via WeSmirch]

There was an article in last week’s Star Magazine titled “Does Shia LaBeouf feel like a LOSER?” in a big all-caps font like that. They said he was upset because he never gets recognized, and that he was pissed because he was initially denied entry to the T-Mobile Sidekick LX launch party in L.A:

The 21-year-old Transformers star was denied entry because even the doormen didn’t know who he was! When the party promoters realized their mistake, they ran after Shia, and convinced him to come back - but he wasn’t happy. “Shia came back, but not before he ripped off his wristband and chucked it at one of the promoters,” says an eyewitness. “He threw a bit of a fit - it definitely bothered him.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition, November 5, 2007]

Poor Shia. He will probably get recognized a lot more after this profile-raising drunken stand down. He is also set to star in the new Indiana Jones movie, which is due for release in the US on May 22, 2008.

Shia is shown at the premiere of Hot Rod Movie on 7/26/07 and at the Transformers premiere on 6/27/07. Thanks to PRPhotos.

Everyone is talking about the new romance between Jessica Simpson and Owen Wilson. Both In Touch and Star are reporting that Wilson and Simpson had dinner together on October 28 at a restaurant called The Penthouse at the Huntley Hotel in Santa Monica. They were seen getting cosy, with Jessica’s hand on Owen’s knee and Owen playing with Jessica’s hair and touching her shoulders and hands. Star reports that Jessica went to Owen’s house afterwards. That means that an earlier report that his ex-girlfriend was going to move in with him was probably not true or their cohabitation was short-lived.

Simpson and Wilson got re-acquainted while filming a music video for Willie Nelson. They took part in a lawn mower race near Austin, Texas on november 17 for the video, and Star reports that the phone calls and text messages between the blonde stars started soon afterwards. Woody Harrelson was also on the set of Nelson’s music video, and is said to have tried to put the moves on Simpson and to have been shot down. Harrelson is married with three children, but that didn’t seem to deter him:

Accompanied by his best pal, Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson was “flirting up a storm with Jessica. He told her that she looked incredible,” says a source. “He followed her around like a puppy dog and even chased her with his big tractor.” After their lunch break, Woody told Jess that they should get together in L.A. But unfortunately for Woody, Jessica wasn’t into it. “She handled it with grace and told him she’s going to be busy these next few weeks,” adds the source. “Woody got the hint, and he handled it like a gentlemen.”

[From Star Magazine, print edition, November 12, 2007]

I’m surprised Harrelson didn’t throw a fit when Simpson let him down easy, but maybe he wasn’t too invested in the flirtation or stepped aside once he learned that Wilson was interested. Owen and Jessica don’t strike me as a likely to have a long-term relationship, but maybe they’ll last and we’ll have another couple to speculate about for a few months.

Here’s Jessica Simpson in unfortunate dark makeup and a dress that makes her boobs look saggy promoting her clothing collection at Macys on 11/3/07, thanks to PRPhotos.

The announcement of the writer’s strike today will have some immediate repercussions for movie and TV fans alike, as well as some long-term effects on movies in pre-production.

With emerging markets and new ways to deliver content, the writers justifiably don’t want to be screwed out of royalties. The movie companies counter by saying that since internet delivery, for example, is still a developing trend, negotiating profits for new media is premature. A prolonged strike could have big consequences for the entertainment industry.

The daily talk shows such as, well- The Daily Show for one, will likely go into re-runs. Unconfirmed rumors say that The Tonight show will continue production, but consist of only Hometown News and Kevin Eubanks doing guitar solos. With all the major fiction writers on strike, the continued operation of Fox News is also in question.

Among the wonderful movies in pre-production that might suffer in quality are the sequels Saw 6, Rush Hour 5, and Chuck and Larry get a Divorce. Experts predict that because of the writer’s strike, these movies will rely on nonsensical plots, stereotypical cliché, scatological humor, and graphic but implausible action and violence in the place of quality scriptwriting.

Also without the creative minds of Hollywood writers, entertainment executives will not know which toys from the 80’s, video games, or 70’s movies to rip off for next summer’s blockbusters. Rumors are floating that among the projects being shelved are My Little Pony- The Movie, a film based on Madden 08, and a Farrelly brothers adaptation of The Goodbye Girl.

Tina Fey is shown picketing outside of NBC Headquarters in the header image.

When the raging fire in Malibu was encroaching on her home on the beach, Aniston chose some special items to save in case she lost all her other worldly possessions. She took paperwork and, curiously, a silver cake knife she received as a wedding present six years ago.

She had to evacuate on October 20, and she may have revealed some sentimental feelings toward her ex in her choice of items to spare:

Among the things [Aniston] grabbed was a gift that she and Brad received at their July 2000 Malibu wedding, says a source. “Jen grabbed a bunch of important paperwork and the silver cake knife she and Brad got as a gift on their wedding day,” says the source.

[From Star Magazine, print edition, November 12, 2007]

Maybe the silver knife has a specific meaning for her, and she sees it as a symbol of her doomed marriage, or maybe it’s just a valuable piece of silver party-ware and she didn’t want to lose it.

In related news, Jennifer Aniston’s rep has said that he’s annoyed that W Magazine chose to run Aniston and Angelina Jolie’s face in competition on different covers of the magazine. Nine celebrities were shown on different covers of the November “Art Issue.” They probably did it to generate buzz, but at least there were seven other famous faces thrown in there for good measure. Aniston’s rep says that , “We were not happy about it…. We were shocked and disappointed that W ran that cover.” [quote from US Weekly via National Ledger]

It’s not like W had to do much more than include Aniston and Jolie among the celebrities on the cover. Even if you don’t think about the ongoing feud that only exists in fans’ minds and is fueled by tabloid sales, they’re natural choices. Both are famous enough, and sell enough magazines, to put them on the magazine-cover radar. It’s not like they edged out another celebrity that moves more supermarket glossies.

Aniston is shown on 8/29/07 outside of a business meeting. Thanks to WENN for these pictures.

Josh Hartnett gave an interview to InTouch Magazine, in which he seems to suggest that long distance and jealousy were at work in his breakup with gorgeous fellow star Scarlett Johansson. He was pretty candid about the reasons the relationship didn’t work and he pinned it on the other person without mentioning Scarlett by name. Josh also called himself “a normal guy from Minnesota” and says he doesn’t deserve his sex-symbol status. He labels his earlier attitude “arrogant,” and says that now he’s just focusing on his work.

You’ve dated a lot of famous women - do you regret ending any of those relationships?
I try to be careful about walking away for good, but I’ve been in situations where dealing with the long-distance aspect of the relationship has destroyed the other person.

How was it destroyed?
Seeing their significant other in the arms of a beautiful actress is difficult. It’s hard to be life, “Oh, that’s just work.” It is, but you’re on location with this other person for months, so there’s jealousy.

You’ve been acting for a decade. How have you changed?
In the beginning I was arrogant, but now I’m focused on trying to find the most unique material.

Did you enjoy making the vampire movie 30 Days of Night?
We had a great time. You have to have a light mood when you’re shooting such an intense movie.

What was it like shooting the film so far away from home in New Zealand?
New Zealand is beautiful. I actually wanted to buy a plot of land there, but I got outbid!

Why would you rather live abroad or in your home state of Minnesota than in LA?
Because it’s constantly about business in L.A. and I don’t have just Hollywood friends. They’re writers, painters, musicians and teachers, so we talk about different things.

How does it feel to be considered a sex symbol?
I’m just a normal guy from Minnesota who happens to have a pretty cool job. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad I have fans, but I’ve met other people who deserve to be sex symbols more than I do - or ever will!

[From InTouch, print edition, November 12, 2007]

He’s not overtly harsh about the breakup he’s talking about, but it sounds like he’s saying it had everything to do with the other person’s jealousy instead of a mutual issue they had. Note that he said “dealing with the long-distance aspect of the relationship… destroyed the other person” and he went on to say that “there’s jealousy” and that “Seeing their significant other in the arms of a beautiful actress is difficult.”

If that was my ex I would be annoyed that he was talking so much obvious smack about me, even if he didn’t use my name. At least Hartnett is making progress in saying that he’s not a sex symbol and that he was arrogant when he first started out, but he doesn’t need to take so many digs at Scarlett - or whomever he’s talking about here. Surely he had something to do with the demise of the relationship too.

Hartnett is rumored to be dating singer Rihanna after the two were seen out together, but they seem to be keeping it under wraps as much as possible, or it was just a fling.

Hartnett is shown on 10/23/07 at the 30 Days of Night screening in London, thanks to PRPhotos.