LETTERMAN EXTORTIONIST PLEADS GUILTY - David Letterman's extortionist is going to jail. Robert Joe Halderman, a producer on CBS's 48 Hours,  pled guilty yesterday to one count of attempted grand larceny in the second degree and was sentenced to six months in jail, five years probation and 1,000 hours of community service, which will be split between New York and Connecticut. Halderman threatened to expose Letterman's affairs with female staffers, specifically former Late Show writer Stephanie Birkitt (Halderman's ex-girlfriend), if he wasn't paid. "I have great remorse and sincerely apologize to David Letterman and Stephanie Birkitt," Halderman told the court. "I attempted to extort $2 million from David Letterman."  Letterman released a statement saying, "I would like to thank the District Attorney of Manhattan, Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., the former District Attorney, Robert M. Morgenthau, the Special Prosecutions Bureau in the D.A.’s Office, and the New York City Police Department.   When they became involved with this case, I had complete faith that a just and appropriate result was inevitable. On behalf of my family, I am extremely grateful for their tireless efforts.”

 

LINDSAY LOHAN SUING OVER E-TRADE AD -

 Lindsay Lohan sure has an over-inflated ego. The actress filed a $100 million lawsuit against the financial company E-Trade, claiming their commercial featuring a boyfriend-stealing "milkaholic" baby named Lindsay was modeled after her. "Many celebrities are known by one name only, and E-Trade is using that knowledge to profit," explained Lohan's lawyer Stephanie Ovadia. "They used the name Lindsay. They're using her name as a parody of her life. Why didn't they use the name Susan? This is a subliminal message. Everybody's talking about it and saying it's Lindsay Lohan." Apparently Lindsay believes she has the same single-name recognition as Oprah or Madonna. Lindsay's camp wants the spot off the air, and wants money to compensate her pain and suffering. But a spokesperson for the company that produced the E-Trade spot claims they chose the name Lindsay because it is "a popular baby name that happened to be the name of someone on the account team."

 

CONAN SIDEKICK GOES OFF ON NBC AND JAY -

 Conan's Tonight Show sidekick Andy Richter filled in for Regis Philbin on Live with Regis & Kelly yesterday, and unloaded on the network that fired him, as well as Conan's replacement Jay Leno. When Kelly Ripa asked Andy whether he would talk about the "ill will" he has towards NBC, Andy replied, "Why wouldn't I? I mean, my God, I'd be some sort of self-hater...I mean, NBC definitely…everybody said they were gonna do something, and then they didn't." In a dig at Jay, Andy explained, "There was all kinds of talk about our ratings not being very good, but they were pretty good all summer. And then our lead-in changed and then they weren't so good anymore." But that wasn't even the worst Andy said about Leno. "It's very frustrating when somebody says…and especially when they're on videotape saying, 'I'm gonna take this No. 1 show and hand it over and hope that the next guy makes it a No. 1 show.' And then doesn't. And says things like, 'Well, I didn't have any choice. They wouldn't let me out of my contract,'" said Andy. "Which…you know how multimillionaires are always being forced to do things they don't want to do. It's frustrating. It's very frustrating." 

 

OSBOURNE REGRETS BOOB JOB -

 Sharon Osbourne has never shied away from talking about the many plastic surgeries she's endured, and now she's opening up about one that she's not particularly fond of. The reality show star, who appears on the new season of The Celebrity Apprentice, premiering Sunday, tells New! magazine that she hates her breast implants.   Osbourne went under the knife in 2006, for her second boob job, to increase her chest to a 34DD. "I wish I had never had my breasts done. They have put these bloody great bags in that are two (bleeping) round," she explains. "It is like (having) a waterbed on your chest…I want to have the bags taken out – then I will put them on eBay."

 

TIGER AND ELIN CAUGHT KISSING - It sounds like Tiger Woods is succeeding in winning back his wife.  Witnesses in Florida claim the cheating golf champ and wife Elin were spotted being affectionate for the first time in months. "They were hugging and they were kissing right out in the open," a source told Radaronline. "Elin is certainly a lot more relaxed these days and so is he. People in the neighborhood are getting used to seeing them together." Sources say Elin has agreed to move back in with Tiger, but she hasn't done so just yet. Added another source, "There's no question the divorce has been called off."

 

RENNER DENIES SIMPSON FLIRTATION - Jeremy Renner, star of the Oscar-winning film The Hurt Locker, is denying rumors he's after Jessica Simpson. An article last week claimed that Renner and Simpson spent the night flirting at a cocktail party in Los Angeles, but Renner says he met her for only "three minutes." "Her hairstylist (Ken Paves) did my mom's hair so we were talking about that and all of a sudden we were dating," said the 39-year-old. Renner says he's currently single, telling Usmagazine.com, "I'm not a ladies' man. I'm a working man. That's all."

 

SPARTACUS STAR BATTLING CANCER -

 Shooting on the second season of Starz's Spartacus: Blood and Sand has been postponed because the show's star is battling cancer. Andy Whitfield, who plays the title role, has been diagnosed with treatable Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and is currently undergoing treatment in New Zealand. “I’m receiving excellent care, and am feeling strong, positive and determined with an army of support behind me,” Whitfield said in a statement.

 

FOLKS UPSET OVER FARRAH SNUB - The internet was abuzz yesterday over the apparent snub of Farrah Fawcett in Oscars' "In Memoriam" segment Sunday night. Farrah's longtime beau Ryan O'Neal told Radaronline, "It was a terrible decision and very hurtful. Farrah was a member of the Academy for over 40 years and we could not believe she did not get a mention."  Jane Fonda was also shocked at the omission, tweeting, "Where was Farrah Fawcett? She should have been included." Added critic Roger Ebert, "They have a whole lot of 'spaining to do."  Star Jones also chimed in, tweeting, "FYI…Farrah had a very diverse career…that included Broadway, TV & Film." Well, Oscar bosses defended their decision, although their excuse was pretty lame. Bruce Davis, the executive director of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, explained, "It is the single most troubling element of the Oscar show every year. Because more people die each year than can possibly be included in that segment."

 

THE STORY BEHIND OSCARS' KANYE MOMENT -

 Forget about the battle between Hurt Locker and Avatar, what viewers can't stop talking about is the woman who pulled a Kanye West at the Oscars, abruptly stealing the microphone from Documentary Short director Roger Ross Williams in the middle of his acceptance speech for Music by Prudence. Well, Salon.com got the lowdown on what actually happened. Seems the woman, journalist Elinor Burkett, had worked on Prudence before leaving the film over creative differences. The Academy only allows one person to speak, and she claims Williams rushed to the stage in order to keep her from having a say. "As I'm sure you saw, when he won he raced up there to accept the award," Burkett told Salon. "And his mother took her cane and blocked me. So I couldn't get up there very fast."   But Williams says that's not what happened. He claims Burkett, "was removed from the project nearly a year ago," and the publicist for the Academy decided he was the one who'd speak for the film (Burkett was invited to the ceremony because she was still a producer on the project). Said Williams, "She had no claim whatsoever. She has nothing to do with the movie." As for claims his mother tried to block Burkett, Williams explains, "My mother got up to hug me. And my mother is 87-years-old. She was excited."

 

MO'NIQUE TURNS DIVA ON BARBARA - Things may have appeared to be okay between Oscar winner Mo'Nique and journalist Barbara Walters on Walters' pre-Oscar special, but looks can be deceiving. "Barbara is telling friends that Mo'Nique was one of her most challenging subjects ever," insiders tell the New York Daily News. "If Barbara needed one more reason to quit the Oscar specials, Mo'Nique just gave it to her."  Sources say the two stars have been on the outs since Mo'Nique made an appearance on The View, and Barbara made a crack about the actress's newborn twins. Mo'Nique apparently never forgot about it, and when Barbara asked her for the pre-Oscar interview, she agreed but with conditions. "She had very specific hair and makeup demands," said a source. "She also insisted that Barbara fly to Atlanta. Barbara usually goes to her subjects' homes…(but) Mo'Nique wouldn't let Barbara into her house." During the interview Mo'Nique was said to be "disrespectful and dismissive," as well as "rude." But Barbara claims the whole story's hogwash. "There was nothing about her that was rude," said Barbara. "It was a wonderful, funny interview. She couldn't have been more open."

 

CHAOS AT THE JACKSON HOME - Last week's allegations that one of Jermaine Jackson's kids tried to stun gun Michael's son Blanket is just a taste of the bad behavior that is going on at the California home of the singer's mother Katherine. Sources tell Radaronline that Michael's three kids, Prince, Paris and Blanket, are living in a chaotic environment, with little or no parental control. Seems several other Jackson grandchildren live in the home, and their parents do nothing to discipline them. "Jermaine and Randy are the biggest ego-maniacal, self-centered people that have ever walked the face of the earth," said a source. "They're not raising their kids." And things are just too crazy for the 80-year-old Katherine to control. "Ms. Jackson is wonderful, loving and committed to her family, but the other children don't get the supervision they need from their parents and it's hard for Katherine to change their behavior," explains the insider. And the situation is very troubling for Michael's kids. Said the source, "This is not something (they're) used to. They were brought up in a loving home. They're not used to experiencing this kind of violence."

 

JOLIE HAD A FLING WITH JAGGER - Apparently no man is off limits to Angelina Jolie. A new book called Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie: The True Story by biographer Jenny Paul, reveals that Angelina slept with rocker Mick Jagger when he was still married to model Jerry Hall. The two famous faces reportedly had a fling in 1997 when Angie starred in the video for the Rolling Stones song "Anybody Seen My Baby." (Mick was 54 at the time; Angie 22). They reportedly got together again six years later while Mick was with current girlfriend L'Wren Scott and Angie was married to British actor Jonny Lee Miller. Among the other revelations in the book: Angie dated Colin Farrell for four months while they were filming Alexander, but things ended because of Colin's heavy drinking. Angelina was sleeping with both Ralph Fiennes and ex-hubby Miller when she met Brad Pitt. When Angie and Brad met on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith, he told her his marriage to Jennifer Aniston had been over for more than a year, they just hadn't gotten around to filing for divorce. And finally, Brad and Angie want to have 13 children in total, some adopted, some biological. Adds the author, "And when they'll have those kids may be up to Brad because he's the one calling the shots these days."

IS FERGIE PREGNANT? - Are Fergie and Josh Duhamel ready to expand their family? Friends of the couple tell the National Enquirer that they think Fergie may be pregnant. They say the Black Eyed Peas singer, "definitely got more tummy lately, and she's certainly acting pregnant." Adds the source, "She suddenly cut out alcohol and is taking way better care of herself."  It appears the duo has gotten past Josh's cheating scandal, and is moving on with their life. "They've rededicated themselves to their marriage, and Fergie began to rebuild her trust in Josh," said the source. "A baby is their number one priority to making a fresh start. They both want to start a family as quickly as possible."