Ex-bodyguard says Spears used drugs

LOS ANGELES - A former bodyguard for Britney Spears offered on Monday to testify at a custody hearing about nudity and drug use at her home and his fears for the safety of her two young sons.

Gloria Allred, the lawyer for bodyguard Tony Barretto, said outside the courthouse that she was shocked that her client was not questioned by the attorneys in the case and that, instead, Barretto's comments were filed with the court as what she described as evidence.

The pop star and her ex-husband Kevin Federline are battling over custody of their sons.

Barretto, 28, said in a court filing that he worked for Spears from the time she left a rehabilitation clinic in March until May 17, 2007, and that he watched her behaviour in and out of the house.

"Our client was prepared to testify on issues of nudity by Ms. Spears, drug use, and safety issues involving the children post-rehab," Allred said.

Federline's attorney, Mark V. Kaplan, said it was not unusual for lawyers to decline questioning a surprise witness. "Sometimes lawyers don't like cross-examining when they don't know what the extent of the answers will be," said Kaplan.

Kaplan did not discuss what went on inside the hearing, but told reporters his client was not seeking more money from Spears. Kaplan said a new custody hearing would likely come in mid-November. An exact date was not yet available.

Meanwhile, Spears' attorney Laura Wasser was replaced by Mel Goldman of Los Angeles law firm Freid and Goldman. Goldman gave no reason for the change, and Wasser did not talk to reporters after leaving court.

In yet another development, the Web site for celebrity TV show Entertainment Tonight posted a story citing unnamed sources as saying the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation was looking into death threats against Federline
A spokeswoman for the FBI said that the agency had received "non-specific and uncorroborated" information about such a threat and had passed the information to local police. She said the agency investigates such matters routinely.

Los Angeles police confirmed that in June they investigated a claim that someone tried to arrange a contract killing on Federline, but the report was never proven. The case was closed.

Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay Creates New Dish: Seared Bollock

I am sure all you guys will cringe after reading this story. It seems Gordon Ramsay “played with fire, ” and lost:

Celebrity chef had to take trip to hospital after getting too close to cooker

Gordon Ramsay burnt his testicle when he got too close to a hot oven.

The celeb chef, 40, had to be rushed to London’s private Cromwell Hospital - and he’s not too proud to tell the tale.

The other day I was standing too close to the hob when I was cooking,’ he told the Daily Mirror at the GQ Awards.

I was wearing cotton trousers and underneath I was going commando.

Then suddenly I felt this searing heat - my balls were burning.

I burnt my right bollock (ball/testicle) and I’m in absolute agony. You wouldn’t believe how much this hurts.

I wonder what kind of garnish he served with his new dish?

Audiotape of alleged O.J. Simpson robbery emerges

LOS ANGELES — An apparent audio-tape of the alleged armed robbery involving O.J. Simpson emerged on Monday as the disgraced American football star languished behind bars in a Las Vegas jail.

Simpson, an iconic athlete who was famously acquitted of the 1994 murders of his ex-wife and her friend, was arrested by police in the gambling haven on Sunday in connection with an incident last Thursday.

The 60-year-old was charged with two counts each of robbery with a deadly weapon and assault with a deadly weapon as well as burglary charges. If convicted he could face years in prison.

On a tape that surfaced in US media reports on Monday, a man identified as Simpson could be heard angrily confronting two dealers of sports memorabilia, who claim they were robbed at gunpoint by Simpson and a gang of associates.

"Think you can steal my shit and sell it?" the man purported to be Simpson is heard to say after telling his associates: "Don't let nobody out of here!"

Several unidentified voices are heard barking aggressive, expletive-laden demands at the victims of the heist, Alfred Beardsley and Bruce Fromong.

In interviews with US media, Simpson has insisted he is innocent, saying he was merely collecting personal possessions that had been stolen from him.

Fromong meanwhile told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Monday how Simpson and his associates had stormed into his hotel room.

"The door burst open and they came in commando style, O.J. Simpson and some of his people, I guess you would call it, with guns drawn," Fromong said.

"The thing in my mind as soon as I saw him, I'm thinking, 'O.J., how can you be this dumb?'"

Simpson spent the night in jail in Las Vegas on Sunday and was due to remain behind bars until a court hearing on Wednesday, Clark County Court judge Nancy Oesterle told reporters Monday.

Police are also searching for four other men believed to be with Simpson during the incident.

Simpson, one of the best known American football players of his generation during the 1970s before going on to appear in several movies and television shows, was the prime suspect in the horrific 1994 murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown-Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman.

Simpson, who has always vehemently denied the killings, was acquitted after a racially charged Los Angeles trial in 1995, a verdict that was greeted with widespread outrage across America.

Simpson was later found liable for the deaths in a 1997 civil suit and was ordered to pay damages to the victims' families totaling 33.5 million dollars.

The father of Ron Goldman, Fred Goldman, who has campaigned relentlessly to prevent Simpson from profiting from his alleged crimes, said he had been struck by the former sports star's "arrogant swagger" following his arrest.

"I guess the first reaction I had to seeing him in handcuffs and walking was he still had that arrogant swagger about him, 'I'm still in charge of the world,'" Goldman told CBS's "The Early Show."

"Which is what I think this whole thing is all about. He thinks he can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants, the world is his stage and he's the master puppeteer."

Last year the Goldman family led a storm of protest against Simpson's book "If I Did It," a hypothetical account of the murders.

Publication of the book was later cancelled following a nationwide outcry, and the rights to it were subsequently awarded to the victim's families.

It was finally published last week and is second on Amazon.com's best-seller list, with all proceeds going to the victim's families.

Go Habs Go!

The Montreal Canadians start their pre-season tomorrow with two nights of games opposite the Pittsburgh Penguins. Get your jerseys out and let's hope for a chance to make it to the playoffs this year, or at least lots of free chicken wings.

Metric in Montreal

Metric were in Montreal for the anti-violence vigil with Dawson, marking the first anniversary since the shooting that killed Anastasia DeSousa and injured 20 others.

Metric performed on Mackay Street next to Concordia University's Hall Building on 1455 de Maisonneuve West. The free event was organized by Concordia's Student Union.



Metric is a Canadian New Wave/indie rock band. Originally formed in 1998 in New York City, they are currently based in Toronto, Ontario.

The band consists of vocalist Emily Haines (who also plays the Synthesizer), guitarist James Shaw, bassist Josh Winstead and drummer Joules Scott-Key. Their first full-length album, Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?, was released in 2003. Their newest album, Live It Out, was released on October 4, 2005 and was nominated for the 2006 Polaris Music Prize for the Canadian Album of The Year as well as earning the Juno Award nomination for Best Alternative Album.

Haines and Shaw also perform with Broken Social Scene, and Haines has been a guest on albums by Stars, KC Accidental, Delerium, The Stills, and Jason Collett. Scott-Key and Winstead have their own side project, Bang Lime, and Haines has released a solo album under the name Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton.

Their songs "Monster Hospital" and "Police and the Private" have been used on the television show Grey's Anatomy. "Monster Hospital" has also been used in CSI: Miami.

Pittsburgh Penguins Witness Hit and Run in Montreal

The NHL Pittsburgh Penguins were dining at DaVinci's on Bishop street late Sunday night when they witnessed a drunk driver crash into a parked car. The car was empty except for a lonely golden retriever. Left Wing Ryan Malone exited their tour bus to get the license plate of the driver who took off, and gave it to another witness. Their bus driver made the call to police. Their quick response helped put the driver away to jail. The driver was actually caught a few minutes later on another offense, driving the opposite direction on a one way. The driver had a lengthly criminal record.