Olympic great Michael Phelps acknowledged “regrettable” behavior and “bad judgment” after a photo in a British newspaper Sunday showed him inhaling from a marijuana pipe.

In a statement to The Associated Press, the swimmer who won a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Games did not dispute the authenticity of the exclusive picture published Sunday by the tabloid News of the World.

“I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment,” Phelps said in the statement released by one of his agents. “I’m 23 years old and despite the successes I’ve had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again.”

News of the World said the picture was taken during a November house party while Phelps was visiting the University of South Carolina. During that trip, he attended one of the school’s football games and received a big ovation when he was introduced to the crowd.

While the newspaper did not specifically allege that Phelps was smoking pot, it did say the pipe is generally used for that purpose and anonymously quoted a partygoer who said the Olympic champion was “out of control from the moment he got there.”

The U.S. Olympic Committee said it was “disappointed in the behavior recently exhibited by Michael Phelps,” who was selected the group’s sportsman of the year. He also was honored as AP male athlete of the year, and his feat in Beijing - breaking Mark Spitz’s 36-year-old record for most gold medals in an Olympics - was chosen as the top story of 2008.

“Michael is a role model, and he is well aware of the responsibilities and accountability that come with setting a positive example for others, particularly young people,” the USOC said in a statement. “In this instance, regrettably, he failed to fulfill those responsibilities.”

The party occurred nearly three months after the Olympics while Phelps was taking a long break from training, and this apparently would have no impact on the eight golds he won at Beijing. He has never tested positive for banned substances and even agreed to extra testing before the games.

Marijuana is viewed differently from performance-enhancing drugs, according to David Howman, executive director of the World Anti-Doping Agency. An athlete is subject to WADA sanctions only for a positive test that occurs during competition periods.

“We don’t have any jurisdiction,” Howman said. “It’s not banned out of competition. It’s only if you test positive in competition.”

Phelps returned to the pool a couple of weeks ago to begin preparations for this summer’s world championships in Rome. He plans to take part in his first post-Olympics meet in early March, a Grand Prix event in Austin, Texas.

Phelps was in Tampa, Fla., during Super Bowl week to make promotional appearances on behalf of a sponsor. But he left the city before Sunday’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals, abandoning his original plan to be at Raymond James Stadium.

This isn’t the first embarrassing episode for Phelps after an Olympic triumph. In 2004, a few months removed from winning six gold and two bronze medals in Athens, the swimmer was arrested on a drunken driving charge at age 19. He pleaded guilty and apologized for the mistake.

In his book “No Limits: The Will to Succeed,” Phelps recounted how his first phone call was to his agent, and not his mother or coach Bob Bowman, because he knew they would yell at him.

Later, he called Bowman, who was supportive but told him, “Michael, just because you want to blow off some steam doesn’t mean you can be an idiot.”

Debbie Phelps, his mother, cried at the news.

“That hurt worse, maybe, than anything,” Phelps wrote. “I had never seen my mother that upset.”

Bowman did not immediately respond to phone and e-mail messages Sunday.

Last year, News of the World posted video on its Web site showing Max Mosley, the president of motor racing’s governing body, engaging in sex acts with five prostitutes. The video was filmed by one of the women, and Mosley admitted to being a part of the scenario but sued for breach of privacy and was awarded $120,000 in damages. Another news break involved Prince Harry in 2002, smoking marijuana and drinking before the legal age of 18.

Olympic teammate Dara Torres said Phelps has become such a prominent figure that everything he does is news.

However, she said: “This in no way, shape or form diminishes anything he’s done.”

“It’s sort of a double-edged sword,” Torres told the AP on Sunday. “When you’re recognizable, you’re looked up to as a role model. He is recognizable and everything you do gets looked at and picked apart. I guess that’s the price of winning 14 Olympic medals.”

Jason Lezak, whose remarkable anchor leg of the 400-meter freestyle relay helped Phelps stay on course to break Spitz’s record, said he was “saddened” to hear of the report.

“While I don’t condone his conduct, I am a teammate and fan,” Lezak said in a text message to the AP. “Unlike many fair-weather people, I am sticking by him. If my wife and I can help him in any way, we will. I believe he will grow from this and be better person, role model and teammate.”

The USOC noted that Phelps acknowledged his mistake and apologized.

“We are confident that, going forward, Michael will consistently set the type of example we all expect from a great Olympic champion,” the governing body said.

(source)

Kim Kardashian is tired of the criticism over Jessica Simpson’s new controversial curves.

“I was doing Super Bowl interviews for my Leather & Laces party I’m hosting down here in Tampa, Florida, and EVERYONE seems to be asking me about Jessica Simpson’s alleged weight gain,” she blogged.

Kardashian continued: “I think it’s absolutely ridiculous!!! She is not fat at all and I am actually offended that people are giving her such a hard time over this!”

The reality star says she’s a fan of the unflattering look Simpson sported at a weekend chili cook-off.

“LEAVE HER ALONE!!! First of all, her outfit was FABULOUS!” she wrote. “I loved that Fendi leopard belt with those high-waisted jeans. She is so drop dead gorgeous, and the fact that the media is sending this message out to young girls is mind blowing!”

Kardashian — who has recently been working out to shrink her famous booty — says she’s “probably twice Jessica’s size, so what do you guys think of me then???”

(source)

Hollywood heartthrob Matthew McConaughey has once again been leaving beach-goers bemused with his bizarre public yoga performances.

The Tropic Thunder star was spotted flexing his muscles while wearing a white tennis visor backwards near his home in Malibu.

His strenuous – and apparently spiritual - work-out included a series of stretches and sitting in the lotus position and praying.

Mr McConaughey, 39, who last week celebrated his girlfriend Camila Alves’ 27th birthday, was also joined on the beach yesterday by his dog BJ.

One onlooker said: ‘It was the funniest thing because he looks so serious while he’s doing the yoga. He’s every bit as funny as some of his films. He just doesn’t know it.’

The star, who has appeared in films including A Time To Kill, The Wedding Planner and Fools Gold and once dated Penelope Cruz, has been a yoga fan for years.

Other celebrity devotees include Madonna, Reese Witherspoon, Angelina Jolie and Uma Thurman.

But yoga didn’t interest BJ a bit. He preferred to dig in the sand.

On Thursday night Mr McConaughey treated his Brazillian model Miss Alves to a delicious birthday dinner at LA celebrity haunt Nobu.

They were joined by friends and fellow stars, including the singer Pink.

(source)

Britney Spears has obtained a restraining order against former pal Osama “Sam” Lutfi and one-time boyfriend Adnan Ghalib , court records show.

Attorneys for Spears and her father, who is her legal conservator, received the order Friday. The documents state that Lutfi, Ghalib and attorney Jon Eardley have been trying to gain control of Spears’ affairs.

“On the first anniversary of the establishment of the conservatorship, the co-conservators are informed and believe that these three figures are working in concert to disrupt the conservatorship, with an utter disregard for Ms. Spears’ health and well being,” the documents state.

Lutfi was a manager and friend of Spears, whose mother once accused him of grinding pills into her food to control her. Ghalib, a paparazzo, had dated the singer.

Judge Aviva K. Bobb signed a temporary restraining order Friday forbidding Lutfi, Ghalib and Eardley from having contact with Spears, her parents and her young children. A hearing on whether to extend the order is scheduled for next month.

The documents, released late Friday, claim that Lutfi tried to contact Spears in late December by sending text messages to her hairdresser. The documents state Lutfi later started sending text messages to Spears and one of her father’s attorneys, Blair Berk, trying to arrange a meeting.

Spears father, Jamie, wrote in a sworn declaration that he has found Lutfi’s phone number in his daughter’s phone records.

The documents state that Spears continues to inform Ghalib of her travel “and that he then arranges for paparazzi to meet and film her to his financial benefit,” the documents state.

A phone message left for Lutfi was not returned Friday. A phone number for Ghalib could not immediately be found.

Geraldine Wyle, an attorney for Jamie Spears, wrote that Lutfi and Ghalib have “disappeared,” and private investigators had been trying to find the pair unsuccessfully for six weeks.

The order, first reported Friday by the celebrity Web site TMZ, alleges that Lutfi has also sent “anonymous, harassing and threatening” messages to Spears’ father.

This week, the documents state, an attorney sent a proposal to remove Spears’ court appointed attorney. He later told Spears’ attorneys that he had been contacted by Eardley and Lutfi, according to the filings. The documents were never filed with the court, and that attorney dropped Lutfi and Eardley as clients, the documents state.

Eardley once claimed to be Spears’ attorney and tried to get her conservatorship case moved to federal court. A phone message left at Eardley’s office was not returned Friday.

Spears and her father agreed not to renew a temporary restraining order that was issued against Lutfi last year when it expired in July.

At the time, Spears’ court-appointed attorney Samuel D. Ingham III issued a statement renouncing their friendship. “Britney has made clear to everyone that she does not want to be further harassed or contacted in any way by Osama ‘Sam’ Lutfi, now or at anytime in the future,” Ingham said in a statement.

Lutfi at the time declined to comment, saying only that he and Jamie Spears had reached an agreement.

That arrangement called for Lutfi to have no contact with Britney Spears or her parents, according to details released Friday.

Spears was placed under the conservatorship a year ago on Sunday. The arrangement has been expensive ? her estate has paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees ? but since her father took control of her life, the pop singer has not had the bouts of erratic behavior, including two hospitalizations, that led to his intervention.

She released her newest album, “Circus” in December on her 27th birthday and is preparing for an upcoming concert tour.

(source)

Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb wed Roey Hershkovitz, a music supervisor for Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Saturday night, her manager, Janet Billig Rich, confirms to Usmagazine.com.

The couple — who became engaged in November 2008 — said “I Do” in front of 275 guests in a traditional Jewish ceremony at a New York City restaurant.

Loeb — most known for her hit 1994 tune “Stay” — donned a strapless pink wedding gown designed by Amsale Blue Label. Hershkovitz opted for a Paul Smith suit.

Guests dined on jumbo lump crab cakes and Caesar salad with anchovy beignets made by chef Julian Alozno. For dessert, a white wedding cake with chocolate mousse prepared by pastry chef Martin Howard will be served.

The restaurant is decorated with all-white flower centerpieces arranged in glass and copper vases set in fresh moss with miniature deer figurines. After the party, the couple plan to donate the blooms to the FlowerPower Foundation, which will reassemble and give them out as inspirational gifts to the elderly and terminally ill.

The Blue Vipers of Brooklyn, a jazz band, will play after dinner, followed by DJ Mike C.

Loeb met Hershkovitz two years ago when she attended a meeting to seek a host for a food show he was developing.

She also starred in a 2006 E! reality show called #1 Single about her attempts to find love.

(source)

THIS is the astonishing picture which could destroy the career of the greatest competitor in Olympic history.

In our exclusive photo Michael Phelps, who won a record EIGHT gold medals for swimming at the Beijing games last summer, draws from a bong.

The glass pipes are generally used to smoke cannabis.

And after sporting chiefs announced laws which mean four-year bans for drug-taking, Phelps’ dreams of adding to his overall 14 gold medal tally at the 2012 games in London could already be OVER.

Those dreams seemed the last thing on his mind when he puffed from the bong during two days of partying with students last November, a quiet time in the swimming calendar when athletes would not expect to get tested for drugs.

One party-goer who witnessed the star’s behaviour told the News of the World: “He was out of control from the moment he got there.

“If he continues to party like that I’d be amazed if he ever won any more medals again.”

Phelps’ aides went into a panic over our story and offered us a raft of extraordinary incentives not to run the bong picture.

It was on November 6, weeks after his Beijing triumph, that 23-year-old Phelps surprised students at the University Of South Carolina in Columbia by showing up unannounced at a house party.

He was visiting Jordan Matthews, a girl he was secretly seeing who was a student there.

Our source revealed: “Michael came to visit Jordan but ended up just getting wasted every night.

“He arrived with a group of girls hanging all over him. Jaws hit the floor when he walked in. You don’t get many celebrities in Columbia, so when Phelps comes to your party it’s a very big deal.

Obnoxious

“He didn’t know many people so you’d think he’d be a little shy. But he was loud, obnoxious and slamming beers from the get-go.

“Every girl wanted a piece of him and every guy wanted to be his best buddy. He couldn’t get enough of all the attention.”

As he basked in his hero status, Phelps knocked back beers and shots of spirits. And when a student offered him the glass bong engraved with red writing, he did not hesitate, says our source.

The 6ft 4ins athlete, in a white T-shirt and navy cap worn back to front, clasped the device in his huge hands and inhaled deeply.

Our source said: “You could tell Michael had smoked before. He grabbed the bong and a lighter and knew exactly what to do.

“He looked just as natural with a bong in his hands as he does swimming in the pool. He was the gold medal winner of bong hits. Michael ended up getting a little paranoid, though, because before too long he looked like he was nervous and ran out of the place.”

But the next night, Phelps was out partying again. The source added: “He was right back at it at Pavlov’s bar.

“Like the night before he was holding court, throwing back shots two at a time and pouring drinks to every cute girl.”

Drink has got Phelps into trouble before. In 2004, aged 19, he got 18 months probation for driving while under the influence.

His wild behaviour is in stark contrast to the grim regime which took him to the top of his sport.

He once described his life, saying: “All you do is eat, sleep, swim; eat, sleep, swim; eat, sleep, swim.”

Last night Phelps’ management team and the sporting world closed ranks over the scandal.

Taint

The US Olympics Committee, who have pledged to clamp down on drug use, refused to comment, as did USA Swimming and Phelps’ coach Bob Bowman.

More surprising still was the World Anti-Doping Agency’s refusal to comment, given that they introduced the four-year ban on sport’s drug users.

Phelps, who earned £4million last year in endorsements, has resumed training for the 2012 games.

But there were fears about his commitment when, weeks after the bong incident, he began dating former stripper Caroline Pal.

Phelps is represented by marketing giant Octagon, which works with huge brands such as Mastercard and HSBC. They admitted proven cannabis use would be “a major taint” on Phelps’ character.

Spokesman Clifford Bloxham offered us an extraordinary deal not to publish our story, saying Phelps would become our columnist for three years, host events and get his sponsors to advertise with us.

In return, he asked that we kill Phelps’ bong picture. Bloxham said: “It’s seeing if something potentially very negative for Michael could turn into something very positive for the News of the World.”

He stressed that the swimmer had taken 1,500 drug tests and never failed one.

Until now?

(source)

Penn Badgley and Blake Lively

Blake Lively , Penn Badgley and Chace Crawford

Brody Jenner and 2008 Playboy Playmate of the year Jayde Nicole

Kourtney Kardashian and Brandon Morale

Kourtney Kardashian, Chris Jenner and Khloe Kardashian

Zach Gilford, actress Amber Lancaster, Joel Madden and Benji Madden

Chace Crawford and Christian Slater

Announcer Warren Sapp

LL Cool J

NY Giants QB Eli Manning

Reggie Bush of the New Orleans Saints and Brody Jenner

LL Cool J and Eli Manning

(source)

Nascar Sprint Cup driver Jimmie Johnson, Singer Chris Kirkpatrick and Singer Nick Lachey



Jerry Rice

Drew Lachey and MLB Player Ken Griffey, Jr.

(source)