Paris Hilton: Britney's a `great mother'

Paris Hilton is rooting for Britney Spears."I wish the best for her and I just wish everyone would leave her alone so she could live her life," the 26-year-old hotel heiress-actress tells E! News. "She's a great mother and a great girl and I really care about her."

In an interview that was to air Tuesday night, Hilton says: "She's a very sweet girl and I love her to death."

Hilton and Spears were nearly inseparable following the pop star's split from ex-husband Kevin Federline.

The tabloid magnets were photographed partying, shopping and driving in a car with Lindsay Lohan in the weeks after Spears filed for divorce from Federline in November 2006. But their whirlwind public friendship seemed to fizzle out after Spears' fans complained that Hilton was a negative influence.

Hilton served a 23-day jail sentence in Los Angeles last June for violating probation in an alcohol-related reckless-driving case. She vowed to focus on philanthropy afterward.

Meanwhile, Spears, 26, continued to unravel in the public eye after a rough year in which she shaved her head, checked in and out of rehab and attacked a car with an umbrella.

She was taken to a Los Angeles hospital by paramedics earlier this month after police were called to her home because of a dispute involving her two sons. A court commissioner decided to keep in effect an order suspending Spears' right to visit Jayden James, 1, and Sean Preston, 2.

Paris Hilton back to Philadelphia

When Paris Hilton strutted into Franklin Mills about 6:30 p.m., fans erupted at the sight of the woman who has risen from obscenely wealthy heiress to B-movie actress.

Surrounded by an entourage of police, security guards and assistants, Hilton sauntered into the mall through a side entrance near the AMC movie theater and onto a stage.

“I love Philadelphia,” she said to the crowd of more than 1,000 who had gathered to watch her peddle her latest grasp at publicity. “You're all hotties (pause) so (pause) it's hot.”

Hilton appears in the film “The Hottie & the Nottie,” the story of a man who follows his love interest —the “hottie” Hilton — to L.A. only to develop feelings for her best friend, the “nottie,” according to the Internet Movie Database.

“I wanted to meet Paris because she's a big figure in today's society,” said Brian Dowers of Philadelphia's Mayfair section. While acknowledging Hilton can't solve the world's problems, Dowers said she influences a lot of “fashion and nightlife.”

Lauren Greco of Richboro and Taylor Quirk of Huntington Valley said Paris is “very nice” after getting her autograph.

“It kinda proves that the media skews who somebody is,” Greco said. “They make her out to be bad, but I don't think she's bad. Good things happen to good people.”

Not everyone was at the mall to see Hilton though. Some were delayed getting to their cars by security guards blocking sections of the concourse and entrances so Hilton could walk in unimpeded by other human beings. Others didn't even know she was there.

Jay Rivera of North Philadelphia was waiting for his wife to finish shopping so they could watch “Cloverfield” or one of the other movies playing at the theater.

But still it was cool with some mall goers.

“It's pretty cool she's here,” Anthony Franzzo of Northeast Philadelphia said. He and a friend had stopped by the mall for something to eat after going to a nearby gym.

“It's kinda funny, you don't expect this sorta thing in your own neighborhood,” he said.

After signing autographs for several dozen fans, Hilton went into the theater to see the movie along with many fans who received free tickets.

Perhaps two of her biggest fans at the mall were Brittany and Kelly Lowry of Quakertown. The two young women had brought their micro-Chihuahua Diamond — the same breed as Hilton's Tinkerbell.

“We love her,” Brittany Lowry said. “She's our idol because she's rich, she's hot, she's famous and she gets what she wants.”

Britney Spears' licence case delayed

Britney Spears' lawyer has won more time to work on the pop star's case in which she is charged with driving without a valid license.

Attorney Michael Flanagan appeared with prosecutor Michael Amerian before a judge and said they had been unable to agree on what law applies. They asked for more time and were given until February 20.

But Judge TK Herman said that he was not going to grant any more delays after that, and if the parties could not agree he would order a trial.

"It's this court's intention to force both sides to go to trial within 30 days of that date," he said.

The case stems from an August incident in which Spears was videotaped as she bumped another vehicle while parking her Mercedes-Benz. She left after looking over the damage from the fender-bender.

The owner of the other vehicle later filed a police report and Spears was charged in September with misdemeanour hit-and-run and driving without a valid license. The hit-and-run charges were dismissed in October after Spears paid an undisclosed sum to the owner.

Flanagan said outside court that Spears was driving with a Louisiana license that was valid because she owns homes in that state. But he said that when a person is "domiciled" in California they are required to get a California license and that Spears did so within a week after the charges were filed.

"There's no dispute about the facts here," he said. "The dispute is about what the law is that's appropriate to the facts."

Tara Reid - Lindsay Lohan And Paris Hilton Deserved Jail

Hollywood actress TARA REID has slammed fellow stars PARIS HILTON and LINDSAY LOHAN - stating they deserved the punishment they received for breaking the law. The American Pie star feels she is unfairly portrayed as a party animal, insisting she has never done anything to deserve the bad press - unlike Lohan and Hilton. The 32-year-old actress, who has become more famous for her alleged wild antics than her film roles in recent years, believes she is often punished for simply enjoying herself. She says, "What have I ever really done? Dance on a table? When Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton got their DUIs (drinking under the influence arrests) they got punished, they deserved it. "But my punishment, I don't feel like it fits the crime. I don't understand why people punish others for being happy."

Britney Spears Took Drug On Aged 14

Britney Spears began experimenting with alcohol and drugs in her early teens, her uncle has said.

According to William Spears, the Toxic star first tried alcohol as a 13-year-old before beginning to smoke marijuana the following year.

Talking to the Sun, the singer's uncle also revealed he had once taken drugs alongside his troubled niece.

"I know she did cocaine on her 18th birthday - I was there," he said. "We were at a party in an apartment and I spotted her doing a line just before I did one. We smoked pot together too.

"She has tried just about everything - cocaine, crystal meth, ecstasy," the 49-year-old welder added.

The 26-year-old starlet is currently in the midst of a lengthy legal dispute with ex-husband Kevin Federline over the custody of their two children.

This week she again failed to attend a court hearing regarding the case and her uncle fears Britney could suffer a fate similar to her grandmother Emma Jean, who committed suicide aged just 31.

He added: "Britney is in an unstable state of mind now and there is nothing anyone can do about it. She is not listening to anybody. If people think she has reached the bottom, they are very wrong. Suicide is the bottom line for Britney."

It has been reported that the singer has grown "receptive" to the idea of seeking professional help for her problems after the suspension of her visitation rights to sons Sean Preston, two, and Jayden James, one, was again upheld.

Harvard magazine honours Paris Hilton

Paris Hilton is heading to Harvard.

The 26-year-old actress-socialite has been named Harvard Lampoon's "Hastiest Pudding of the Lampoon Award," the comedy magazine said Tuesday.

She will visit Harvard on Feb. 6 to accept her award, said Regent Releasing, the company that's distributing her new comedy, "The Hottie & the Nottie."

Hilton, whose body of work includes "House of Wax" and TV's "The Simple Life," stars as the attractive best friend to an ugly duckling in the new comedy, slated for release Feb. 8.

She also co-stars in the upcoming horror musical "Repo! The Genetic Opera!" which she began filming in Canada after serving a 23-day jail sentence in Los Angeles last June for violating probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case.

Britney Spears should be allowed to see kids: poll

Despite Britney Spears' erratic behavior, most people think the troubled pop star should be allowed to see her two sons a few times a week under supervision while ex-husband Kevin Federline retains custody, according to an E-Poll/Reuters survey.

Spears, 26, lost custody of her children last year after a series of strange episodes in the wake of splitting from Federline including being photographed without underwear, shaving her head, and attacking a car with an umbrella.

She was barred from visiting her sons earlier this month after refusing to return the boys and being hospitalized for two days. She failed to make a custody hearing on Monday with another hearing scheduled for February 19.

Some people have written off the singer, with a survey by E-Poll Market Research (http://epollresearch.com), conducted for Reuters, finding 26 percent of those questioned believe she should not be allowed to see her children at all.

But the survey found some sympathy, with 51 percent of people said Spears should be allowed to visit 2-year-old Sean Preston and Jayden James, 1, a few times a week supervised.

Only 1 percent backed Spears getting full custody of the boys while the rest did not know or wanted unlimited visits.

But the overwhelming message from the survey of 1,941 American adults was that Spears needed to stop drinking and taking drugs, change her friends, and grow up. Others voiced opinion that she was suffering some mental illness.

"She needs to clean up her act and start acting like a responsible adult and mother and not like a spoiled brat," said one survey participant. "She will eventually be dead if she does not change her lifestyle."

The majority of people, or 62 percent, blamed alcohol and drugs for the downfall of Spears who was the world's top-selling female artist in the early 2000s.

Two out of 10, however, blamed the Hollywood environment while one in 10 thought her parents were at fault.

Opinion was divided when it came to the question of whether Spears could recover from this meltdown.

She enjoyed a brief comeback in October with her new single "Gimme More" and her first album in four years, "Blackout," which hit No. 2 on the U.S. pop album charts.

Two out 10 respondents thought Spears could restore her reputation with fans -- but two out of 10 did not think this was possible with men and younger fans less forgiving.

The survey found 45 percent said maybe she could recover while 11 percent did not know.

"Get help, get clean, start over. People root for the underdog so as long as she is trying she can come back," said one respondent.

Others weren't so sympathetic.

"Up until the children weren't taken care of, she had a chance to bounce back. I don't think there is anything she can do at this point," said another.

E-Poll Market Research provides consumer research for entertainment and media companies about celebrities, characters and brands using a proprietary research panel.