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Ellen Degeneres paid a touching tribute to tragic actor Heath Ledger at the end of her show on Wednesday. Degeneres called the Brokeback Mountain star “an amazing, amazing, talented young man,” before devoting the finale of her show to a clip of her and Ledger `riding’ on a bobsled in front of a green screen. I love that show, I Tivo it on a daily basis, and it actually brought a tear to my eye during that clip.

Troubled pop star Britney Spears has failed to regain visitation rights to her children after an emergency custody hearing in Los Angeles. The singer had been due to make a desperate plea to a judge at L.A. County Courthouse to allow her to see her sons but arrived at the building and then left before entering the courtroom. And her absence may have affected the outcome as it has been reported that the star’s current visitation rights will remain the same, according to TMZ.com. The star allegedly entered the building through the basement to avoid the waiting paparazzi but turned and fled soon afterwards, without going into the room where the hearing was taking place. A member of Spears’ legal team told a court official, “I don’t know whether she’ll be here or not. I don’t want to delay the hearing.” Guys this is a good thing. Britney is an unfit mother at this stage. Britney simple concept. Get the help you need, and then you get your kids back.

Speaking of Miss Britney, someone is coming to her defense. Paris Hilton has defended Britney Spears against accusations of bad parenting, insisting the troubled singer is a “great mother.” Spears is currently fighting to win back visitation rights to see her two sons with ex-husband Kevin Federline after she was stripped of all custody rights following a stand-off with police earlier this month. The dramatic events of January 3, 2008 were sparked after she refused to hand back her youngest son, Jayden James, to Federline’s minder following a scheduled visit. But Hilton sympathizes with her former partying pal, and has called on the media to stop harassing the star. Oh Paris, I don’t think Britney needs your help at this juncture of time. Stay far away, she does not need you in her life right now. She needs help.

Allhiphop.com reports that Lil’ Wayne, born Dwight Carter, was arrested near Yuma, Arizona last night for drug possession. He was taken into custody by law enforcement officials and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). The rapper is being charged with possession of cocaine, possession of ecstasy and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was in Arizona for a concert – he performed at the “Takeover Tucson” concert on Sunday, January 20. TMZ.com reports that police uncovered 105 grams of marijuana, 29 grams of cocaine and 41 grams of ecstasy pills on his tour bus, as well as a 40-caliber pistol. Wayne reportedly has a permit for a concealed weapon in Florida, however it is unclear if that carries over to Arizona. Ok, I could understand a small dime bag, but 105 grams of pot? Seriously that is insane.

OK, two more stories to report and than back to business. Tom Hanks’ actor son Colin is directing a documentary about the modern music industry. The King Kong star was inspired to scrutinize record sales and downloading after realizing kids were no longer growing up with the “thrill” of buying music from a store. He says, “I’ve bought music online but I’m still very big about going into a record store. “I’m very proud to say that I actually paid $14 for the Radiohead CD, and then actually went into the effort of converting it in pounds so I could buy it on the (British band’s) website. Is it just me or can you not only associate Colin Hanks with his role in Orange County.

And finally, some uplifting news, well somewhat uplifting. Apparently, Jaime Lynn Spears has agreed to turn over her baby to her mom Lynne Spears. Oh good for her. 16 is too young to be a mom. This is a good thing JLS.

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