Britney Spears' friend and onetime manager Sam Lutfi was finally served with a restraining order Thursday (February 21), on the eve of his hearing regarding the issue. Lutfi had allegedly intentionally avoided being served with the court papers, as lawyers for the singer's conservatorship claimed in court, to invalidate the restraining order, which requires notification. However, since news of the order was widely reported in the three weeks since it was first granted, Lutfi will have a hard time making an argument that he was unaware of it, if he appears at his hearing Friday (his spokesperson told MTV News he didn't know whether Lutfi would show or not). The order was requested by the singer's parents, Jamie and Lynne Spears, on behalf of their daughter. ...

The New York Post reports that a judge ruled this week that 50 Cent has to pay the paper's deputy photo-assignment editor, Jim Alcorn, an undisclosed amount following a 2003 lawsuit Alcorn filed against the rapper for assault. Alcorn, who was a Post photographer at the time, was allegedly knocked down by 50's security detail outside a jewelry shop, after trying to snap a few photos of the rapper. The photographer was treated for neck and jaw injuries at a nearby hospital, according to the suit. ...

Lindsay Lohan's nude homage to Marilyn Monroe crashed New York magazine's Web site, with more than 20 million page views since the shots went up Monday, according to DART and Omniture, a magazine spokesperson said. That's a 2,000 percent increase in web traffic, which benefited non-Lindsay pages as well, with almost four times the site's usual page views (jumping from 1.2 million per day to just under 4 million). Before the Lindsay extravaganza, the largest spike NYMag has is during New York fashion weeks, which average 3 million total page views a day. So what does this mean for the magazine? New York says they haven't increased the print run, but they've reallocated an extra 5,000 copies to be used for back-order sales, since more than 1,000 have already been requested. The magazine also grabbed 500 extra subscriptions out of the hubbub, but New York won't know total impact until the issue hits newsstands. ... Meanwhile, Lohan is hoping for a similar success story for her third album, which she'd like to release later this year (no word from Universal Motown on a release date just yet). She's been working with R&B songwriter Jeremy Greene, who played Life & Style a few tracks, include songs called "I Miss You" and "Faith," which were recorded in Los Angeles on February 9. "She's been working hard on her new songs," Greene told the magazine. "Lindsay's going for a pop sound with a house-music feel to it." "I Miss You," Greene said, was written specifically for Lindsay "and what she's going through right now," including her relationship with her father. "Faith" is also about complicated relationships. "With everyone around her, she's definitely dealt with these kinds of relationships," he said. ...

Ashlee Simpson fans in New York and beyond will have two chances to catch up with the singer next week. Simpson will be giving out copies of her new single, "Outta My Head (Ay Ya Ya)," at Wal-Mart in Farmingdale, New York, on Monday at 7 p.m. ET. If you can't make it there, you can catch Simpson on a live chat in MTV's Virtual Worlds on Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET. ... When "Rush Hour" director Brett Ratner isn't busy with big-screen projects, he takes a trip to the small screen — at least when Mariah Carey comes calling. The filmmaker called in to Ryan Seacrest's Los Angeles radio show to talk about his upcoming video for Carey's latest single, "Touch My Body." Instead of going the serious route (as he did on Mimi's "We Belong Together" clip, starring Wentworth Miller from "Prison Break"), Ratner opted for a funny video. "Mariah is hysterical, and this record is kind of funny," Ratner said. "There's no way we could do a video with a cute guy and [Mariah], so ... we got one of the funniest guys in the world: Jack McBrayer from '30 Rock.' " The video shows McBrayer imagining what it would be like to be with Mariah, who, according to Ratner, "looks better than she's ever looked." ...

Justin Timberlake is a singer and actor, and now the "SexyBack" star can add cologne pitchman to his résumé. JT will partner with Parfums Givenchy to head a new men's fragrance that will hit shelves sometime in 2008. ... Jay-Z's Rocawear clothing company has tapped Nicole Paultre-Bell (who married Sean Bell in a posthumous ceremony), along with the couple's two daughters, as a pitchwoman for the hip-hop clothing line. The ad features the widow — whose husband was fatally shot by NYPD in a controversial incident that has drawn protest from rappers Nas and Papoose — and her children with the tagline: "We are going to be here to the end, 'til justice is served." ...

Gwen Stefani is auctioning off memorabilia from her recent Sweet Escape tour to benefit two Orange County charities: Orangewood Children's Foundation and the Children's Hospital of Orange County. Head to eBay to check out what's on the block, including the ska look Gwen wore while performing "Now That You Got It" and the Swarovski crystal-covered romper she sported for "The Sweet Escape" and "Rich Girl." ... Trent Reznor is smiling this week. The Nine Inch Nails frontman is overjoyed that his former label, TVT Records, is folding, and wrote a blog post about it on NIN's Web site, titled "You're gonna get yours." The post simply reads, "Not ALL news in the music industry is bad these days," with a link to a story about the collapse of the record label. Earlier this week, TVT officially announced that it will be filing for bankruptcy after 23 years in the business. ...

The AP is reporting that News Corp., the company that owns MySpace, has met with the four major record labels to discuss launching an online music service through the popular social-networking site. According to the report, News Corp. is developing a one-stop music service that offers content in a variety of ways, including MP3 downloads, a subscription plan and free digital streams. The labels would receive an equity stake in the new company. ... According to the Los Angeles Times, at least four paparazzi were booked on charges arising from blocking sidewalks in West Hollywood, California, Tuesday night and early Wednesday, as part of continued law-enforcement efforts to crack down on aggressive paparazzi. Police arrested David Tonnessen, 31, and Christian Shostele, 37, outside B2V Salon just after 8 p.m. on Tuesday. The photographers were waiting for Britney Spears to finish inside the salon. Several hours later, Christopher Gonzalez, 21, and Vagn Rauch, 23, were collared outside the nightclub Villa for blocking the sidewalk while awaiting the arrival of Lindsay Lohan. ...

According to a posting on his MySpace page, Korn guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer — who left the band's European tour last month for "personal and family reasons" — will be back with his bandmates for their February 23 concert in Milan, Italy. ... Comedian Pauly Shore has fired back at neighbor Wes Craven, according to The Associated Press. Shore was sued by the horror-film director back in June, when Craven alleged that Shore upgraded his home with a pool, spa, landscaping and other improvements that caused water to seep down a slope and damage his property. Shore's newly filed countersuit claims a landslide on his Hollywood Hills property in December 2006 was caused by Craven's failure to properly maintain vegetation and landscaping on a hillside on his property. Both suits seek unspecified damages and a judgment determining who should be held responsible. ...

According to WSPA-TV, a teacher at Excelsior Middle School in Union, South Carolina, resigned after parents claimed she had been playing songs about suicide and death for their children. Sixth-grade science teacher Karen Hipp played the music, included H.I.M.'s "Join Me in Death," during class. ...

2.20.08

Since Britney Spears isn't in control of her own affairs at the moment, she can't make a plea bargain in her driving-without-a-license case, a Van Nuys, California, judge decided Wednesday (February 20). Spears' attorney for the criminal case told the court that the singer's conservatorship attorneys don't feel she's capable of making an agreement, giving a deposition or signing a declaration at the moment, so Judge T.K. Herman continued the case until March 20. The misdemeanor charge stems from an incident in August in which Spears was videotaped hitting a parked car and leaving the scene without notifying the other driver (the hit-and-run charge was later dropped). Spears was denied visitation rights with her two sons in an unrelated hearing Tuesday. ...

Hayden Panettiere must have absorbed someone's musical powers, because the "Heroes" star is putting out a debut album later this year on Hollywood Records. Panettiere, who spent some of her downtime during the writers' strike shooting a Candies campaign for spring 2008 at New York's Serendipity 3, also resumed recording on her debut, which she started working on when she was 15 years old. "I've grown up a lot since I started," she said. Panettiere is also expanding her acting résumé, playing a younger version of Emily Watson's character in the upcoming film "Fireflies in the Garden," which co-stars Julia Roberts and Ryan Reynolds. "My mom always says you don't know you've done a film until you're sitting in the movie theater watching it, so I get a little nervous saying anything!" ...

Ellen DeGeneres skipped right to the tough questions during Christina Aguilera's appearance on her show, which is set to air Wednesday. "You look great," DeGeneres told the new mother, who sported a low-cut shirt. "One question: Are you nursing?" A blushing Aguilera responded: "I guess it's a little obvious." DeGeneres quipped back, "It's going to be a healthy baby boy." ... When Comedy Central's animated series "Lil' Bush" returns for another season, the young version of Republican political mastermind Karl Rove will get to show off his rap skills as MC Rove. So which hip-hop luminary will lend his or her rhymes? Kevin Federline! The aspiring rapper will be a guest voice on the season-two premiere, which airs March 13 at 10:30 p.m. ET. ...

Lindsay Lohan's recent re-creation of a nude Marilyn Monroe photo shoot was given the OK by mom/manager Dina Lohan. "It was very tastefully done," Dina told People magazine. "I respect the photographer as an artist, so I look at them artistically." Dina said her actress daughter felt that the New York magazine pictorial was a once-in-a-lifetime chance. "Lindsay was very excited when she first got the phone call," Dina said. "Of course we talked about how they would be done. Lindsay said, 'Mommy, I'm never going to get this opportunity to do it again.' She was very thankful she was asked." Dad Michael Lohan also approved of the shots, but that doesn't mean he'll pick up the issue. "I'm not going to look at the photos — that's my daughter!" he told UsMagazine. ... In other Lindsay news, despite her appearance at a taping for "Monday Night RAW" on Monday (duh), she isn't planning any more stops at wrestling events, as some fan sites have surmised. When asked by MTV News, the actress' rep shot down rumors that Lohan would appear at "WrestleMania XXIV" with a simple "not true." ...

Aretha Franklin is not getting any R-E-S-P-E-C-T from PETA. After her Grammys appearance, the animal-rights organization named Franklin queen — of its worst-dressed celebrities list, which targets famous fur and leather wearers. Also on the list, released Wednesday, are Marilyn Manson ("his wardrobe is a real-life tale of blood and guts"); Eva Longoria ("in her trashy furs, she looks like the streetwalker of Wisteria Lane"); Lohan (" 'I Know Who Killed Me' ... the cry of the animals snuffed out so that this 'mean girl' can pose in their pelts"); Kate Moss ("nothing completes the transition from supermodel to super-tramp like a fur coat"); and Kylie Minogue (called "cold-blooded" for carrying a snakeskin purse). ...

Perhaps Longoria and her cohorts can take style cues from Pharrell Williams, who was given the much-less-dubious honor of being named InStyle's "Man of Style." Since Pharrell has two clothing lines in the bag and a jewelry line forthcoming, the mag asked him to spill his style secrets for the latest issue. Pharrell described his clothing lines, Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream, as "basically everything I ever wanted as a kid but couldn't afford — and if I could have afforded it, no one was making it." He started out wearing Vans and Vision Streetwear, but an admiration of Rakim led him to Dapper Dan threads and gold chains. Though Pharrell had his own gold-chains phase, he insists he's "more subtle" now, and counts George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Robert Redford among those he admires. "I don't like ice, and I don't like bling," Pharrell told the mag. "I just like jewelry — beautiful stones and incredible settings. I'm not a loud or look-at-me individual. And even when it seemed like I was, it was more a sense of artistic expression." So for his own jewelry line, designed for Louis Vuitton's spring collection, Pharrell drew upon ethnic, art-deco and aristocratic influences — "It's pretty sick," he said. Next up for Pharrell is a furniture line, set to debut in Switzerland in June. "I have no social life [anymore]," he said, "but it's worth it. There's no creativity in partying — not for me." Britney, are you listening? Watch Pharrell talk about his fashion preferences at InStyle. ...

Working at MTV has its perks — and former "TRL" VJ Vanessa Minnillo hopes that one of hers is a blossoming movie career. After a small role in "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer," Minnillo wants more, as she told Vegas magazine. "When I was on the set of 'Fantastic Four,' I loved it," she said. "I respected everyone's work ethic. It was like a mini-family, and I want to continue doing it, whether it's action or comedy or action/comedy. I can pull off physical comedy; I'm athletic enough not to get hurt easily." Despite her lack of acting experience, Minnillo feels that her hosting résumé ("TRL" and "Entertainment Tonight") gives her a good start. "Acting is a different way to entertain people," she tells the mag. (Click here for photos from the issue.) "Most people know how to be themselves in front of the camera, but interpreting a character takes a lot. Once I get the right role, I'll just feel it." She's turned down a few offers already, she said, including one where she would have been a "bikini terrorist" and another where she would have been "some crazy girl at Mardi Gras doing anything for beads!" Meanwhile, In Touch Weekly reports that Minnillo has picked a part in a film called "Redefining Love". Minnillo's contract with both MTV and ET ended in April. ...

Jesse McCartney is looking for love online — and you can find him on JDate, a Jewish singles network (even though he is not Jewish). The 20-year-old singer/songwriter writes in his profile (under the screen name jbagel07) that he has a "pretty simple outlook": "I love life, love what I do, love my fam, friends, and want to meet someone who is willing to share all of that with me." So for interested parties, he would like to have children someday, smokes occasionally, drinks socially, has only completed high school but would prefer a mate with a college education, and considers himself a left-wing moderate. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, dining out, traveling, golf, skiing and wine tasting. For a first date, he's up for "whatever you wanna do — crazy or low key. I'm down." McCartney notes that he's "fortunate enough" to have made music his profession, and adds in his profile that he's working on his third album (Departure, out May 20).