Celebrity Gossip

Britney Spears was taken from her home by ambulance early Thursday and escorted to the hospital by more than a dozen police officers in cars, on motorcycles and in helicopters. A Los Angeles police officer said Spears was being taken to the hospital to “get help.” Unidentified authorities said Spears was being placed on a “mental evaluation hold.” There were reports that her psychiatrist felt Spears, who is followed night and day by paparazzi, was a danger to herself because of reckless driving and a recent deterioration in her behavior. Spears was taken to UCLA Medical Center, where her mother, Lynne, was seen leaving its psychiatric hospital at about 5:30 a.m. The source close to Spears said she went willingly to the hospital and is “comfortable” about receiving medical care. “She’ll be in there for at least 72 hours getting evaluated. She might even stay longer,” the source claimed. “She’s more comfortable this time. She came into the waiting area, had a cigarette, made a joke about being there again. But who knows what will happen. All we can hope for is that she gets better.” A plan was reportedly in place in the event Spears needed medical attention.”Something like this has been in the works since the (last trip to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center). She has been seeing her psychiatrist every day,” the source said. “No one thought this would happen this soon, but it was clear if she stayed up for more than three days she’d have to get sent for help, since that could cause real damage. The last time she slept was Saturday.” The source also said that the arrangement to get Spears help worked out just as planned. “The motorcade and everything was planned, it was already in the works to have them block off the road and airspace. It worked out perfectly.”

Hugh Hefner’s Playboy lifestyle is set to hit the big screen. The film, to carry the title of his magazine, will be directed by Brett Ratner. The film will be produced for Universal Pictures by Brian Grazer, who won the best picture Oscar in 2002 for ‘A Beautiful Mind.’ Hefner sold the rights to his story to Grazer several years ago. He approved the film project last week.”Hef came from a puritanical upbringing and reinvented himself to be the godfather of the sexual revolution,” Ratner told Daily Variety, which reported the deal.”He also used his magazine to advocate civil rights and free speech, and put James Brown on his show ‘Playboy After Dark’ when they didn’t put black performers on national television,” Ratner said.”He broke all kinds of taboos, especially in sexuality. I want to show it all, from the First Amendment struggles to his first orgy to the stroke in the 1980s that almost killed him.”

Stevie Nicks has dismissed reports Lindsay Lohan is set to play her in a new movie, because there’s no such project. Lohan has been speaking about the role, which has left Nicks bemused, because she knows nothing about it. She says, “Lindsay Lohan thinks she is going to play me but what the hell movie does she think she’s talking about?”"There is no book, there is no screenplay, there is no movie. There is never going to be a movie made without me, because it’s never going to be the story of me.”"Even though a lot has been written about me, the fact is nobody actually has a clue to what my life was really like. So good luck, Lindsay.”

If Britney Spears didn’t already have her hands full , she certainly does now. A raunchy sex tape starring the pop singer was leaked on the web. The 30 minute video shows the shaven headed pop star performing sex acts with 2 unidentified females and a male companion. During the video, the dazed Britney consumes alcohol and what appears to be cocaine and marijuana.The tape will undoubtedly cause more problems for her already troubled custody battle with ex-hubby Kevin Federline.Spears had to temporarily surrender custody of her sons to Federline because she defied a court order.After-hour calls to attorneys representing Spears and Federline were not immediately returned.

Suzanne Pleshette, the husky-voiced star best known for her role as Bob Newhart’s sardonic wife on television’s long-running “The Bob Newhart Show,” has died at age 70. Pleshette, whose career included roles in such films as Hitchcock’s “The Birds” and in Broadway plays including “The Miracle Worker,” died of respiratory failure at her Los Angeles home, said her attorney Robert Finkelstein. Pleshette underwent chemotherapy for lung cancer in 2006. “The Bob Newhart Show,” a hit throughout its six-year run, starred comedian Newhart as a Chicago psychiatrist surrounded by eccentric patients. Pleshette provided the voice of reason. Born Jan. 31, 1937, in New York City, Pleshette began her career as a stage actress after attending the city’s High School of the Performing Arts and studying at its Neighborhood Playhouse. She was often picked for roles because of her beauty and her throaty voice. She met her future husband, Tom Poston, when they appeared together in the 1959 Broadway comedy “The Golden Fleecing,” but didn’t marry him until more than 40 years later. Although the two had a brief romance, they went on to marry others. By 2000 both were widowed and they got back together, marrying the following year. Among her other Broadway roles was replacing Anne Bancroft in “The Miracle Worker,” the 1959 drama about Helen Keller, in New York and on the road. She had launched her film career with Jerry Lewis in 1958 in “The Geisha Boy.” She went on to appear in numerous television shows, including “Have Gun, Will Travel,” “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” “Playhouse 90″ and “Naked City.” By the early 1960s, Pleshette attracted a teenage following with her youthful roles. She married fellow teen favorite Troy Donahue, her co-star in “Rome Adventure,” in 1964 but the marriage lasted less than a year. She was married to Texas oilman Tim Gallagher from 1968 until his death in 2000. Pleshette appeared in such films as Hitchcock’s “The Birds” and comedies “The Ugly Dachshund,” ”Blackbeard’s Ghost.” Over the years, she also had a busy career in TV movies, including playing the title role in 1990’s “Leona Helmsley, the Queen of Mean.” She also appeared in several episodes of the TV sitcoms “Will & Grace.” In a 1999 interview, Pleshette observed that being an actress was more important than being a star. “I’m an actress, and that’s why I’m still here,” she said. “Anybody who has the illusion that you can have a career as long as I have and be a star is kidding themselves.”

Academy Award nominee for “Brokeback Mountain” Heath Ledger has died in New York.A New York Police Department spokesman, Paul Browne says Ledger has been found dead at a downtown Manhattan residence, in a possible drug-related death.”We are investigating the possibility of an overdose,” Browne said. “There were pills within the vicinity of the bed.”Browne said Ledger had an appointment for a massage at the Soho apartment. The housekeeper who went to let Ledger know the masseuse was there and found him unconscious at approximately 3:30 PM ET today. After receiving no response after shaking him, they called they called 911.When paramedics responded, Ledger was in full cardiac arrest. They attempted to perform CPR on him, but were unsuccessful. He was pronounced dead at the scene.The 28-year-old actor has a two year old daughter with former fiancee Michelle Williams, they separated in September, 2007. He was appearing as the ‘Joker’ in the upcoming Batman film “The Dark Knight,” a sequel to 2005’s “Batman Begins.” He had starring roles in “A Knight’s Tale” and “The Patriot,” as well as the ground breaking ” Brokeback Mountain.” Ledger grew up in Perth, and began doing amateur theater at age 10. At 16, he moved to Sydney to pursue an acting career, quickly landing TV movie roles and guest spots on Australian television.

If Britney Spears didn’t already have her hands full , she certainly does now. A raunchy sex tape starring the pop singer was leaked on the web today. The 30 minute video shows the shaven headed pop star performing sex acts with 2 unidentified females and a male companion. During the video , the dazed britney consumes alcohol and what appears to be cocaine and marijuana.The tape will undoubtedly cause more problems for her already troubled custody battle with ex-hubby Kevin FederlineSpears had to temporarily surrender custody of her sons to Federline because she defied a court order.After-hour calls to attorneys representing Spears and Federline were not immediately return