Britney and Russell Brand Play Head Games in VMA Promo

In a new promo for MTV's Video Music Awards, set for Sept. 13 in New York City, Britney Spears wishes for a personal invite from Russell Brand, who is hosting for the second year in a row.

Standing by a pool in a white bikini and a black sun hat, Spears says in a voiceover, "I wonder if he'll invite me. I mean, I can obviously get an invite, but it would be nice for Russell to invite me personally now that we're friends and all."

Meanwhile, Brand has VMA jitters of his own. "I hope I didn't balls it up with her last time," he says. "Some of those things I said could have been construed as offensive. I hope she don't think ill of me."



Back to Spears, this time biting her fingernail: "Should I have played it up more when he was flirting with me last year? I have to admit there is something sexy about his dangerous ways."

At the end of the spot, Brand realizes he's hearing Spears's voiceover and that she might be hearing his. What's a bloke to do? "Britney," he says in a high-pitched voice, "this is the voice of your mind ... go to Russell's hotel room and abandon yourself. Give yourself to him, Britney. Sleep with Russell!"

The VMAs air live on Sept. 13 (9 p.m. EST) on MTV.

Adam Hunter On Showtime

Adam Hunter performs stand-up comedy on Showtime's White Boyz in the Hood. Had me laughing so I'm sharing...

'SVU'-Watching Receptionist Fights Crime & Steals Our Hearts

She may be a mild-mannered receptionist by day, but it was Justine Faeth's voracious appetite for "Law and Order" that helped her apprehend a long-time criminal.

When she heard that her office had suffered a bold midday robbery of a wallet and personal electronics, Faeth remembered that an unidentified man had just asked for a cup of water, which he drank from before leaving behind.

"When they are trying to get DNA from a suspect on 'SVU' and that person is unwilling to give them a sample, they trick them into drinking water and then use that as evidence," Faeth explained.

At first the police dismissed her, saying they only use DNA samples in murders and rapes. But the next day they reversed their course, and found the DNA collected from the cup matched Kevin Moore, who was in the database for committing 10 similar robberies.

On a personal note, let us know if you can think of any profession that wouldn't be made hotter by the addition of the adjective "crime-fighting."

Megan Going From Fox-y to Catwoman?

A new report from a British newspaper claims that 'Transformers' superhottie Megan Fox has officially been cast to reprise the role of Catwoman in an upcoming 'Batman' movie. Something about the report makes it hard for us to fully believe -- mostly the fact that a British newspaper is breaking news on an American movie with no studio confirmation -- but it still got our minds running at full speed. She obviously looks a bit "catty," will she work in such a prominent role?

Comic Tells One Too Many Jokes About Her Mother-in-Law

In-laws are fun to make fun of, just ask any comic. Well, maybe don't bring it up to Sunda Crooquist, a veteran stand-up who's being sued by her mother-in-law after making her the punchline of too many jokes.

According to the AP, Croonquist's mother-in-law Ruth Zafrin accuses her of spreading defamatory and racist lies through the many zingers she has used during her lengthy career.

The action seeks unspecified damages and demands that Croonquist remove any offensive statements from her Web site, routines and recordings. The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in New Jersey back in April and judge is scheduled to hear a motion to dismiss on Sept. 8.

Croonquist is half-black, half-Swedish, grew up Roman Catholic and married into a Jewish family -- an absolute perfect storm of possible punchlines. She tells the AP that in-law jokes just come natural to her.



A sampling of her jokes:

The one where her mom-in-law reacts to her being pregnant: "OK, now that we know you're having a little girl I want to know what you're naming that little tchotchke. Now we don't want a name that's difficult to pronounce like Shaniqua. We're thinking a name short but delicious. Like Hadassah or Goldie."

The one where she visits her mom-in-law's house for the first time: "I walk in, I say, 'Thank you so much for having me here, Ruthie.' She says, 'The pleasure's all mine, have a seat.'" Then, in a loud aside, 'Harriet, put my pocketbook away.'"

The one where she talks about their differences: "I'm a black woman with a Jewish mother-in-law. Now you know the only thing we have in common, is that we don't wanna get our hair wet. Haaaaaaaay!

"They're nice jokes. There's nothing bad, nothing defamatory," swears Croonquist, who converted to Judaism before she met her husband and keeps a kosher house in Los Angeles.

The lawsuit was filed by mother-in-law Ruth Zafrin, her daughter, Shelley Edelman, and Shelley's husband, Neil. Neither Zafrin, the Edelmans nor their attorney, Lawrence H. Wertheim, returned calls for comment.

Chris Brown and Rihanna Had a History of Violence

Not that it's any big shock BUT Rihanna and Chris Brown had two previous violent episodes before the Feb. 8 fight, which ultimately led to Brown's arrest and felony conviction, court documents reveal.

The "Umbrella" singer allegedly slapped Brown in a heated argument three months prior to the February incident, according to Brown's probation review released Tuesday.

In that previous fight, which occurred in Europe, Brown responded by pushing Rihanna into a wall, the documents say. The couple "were involved in a verbal dispute and [she] slapped [him]." Brown "responded by shoving her into a wall."

A second fight occurred about three weeks prior to the Feb. 8 incident.

Brown and Rihanna "were visiting Barbados and were driving a Range Rover loaned to them," according to the documents. "They had an argument inside the car. [Brown] exited and broke the front driver and passenger side windows of the car. No one was injured during the incident."

The documents also reveal that in the Feb. 8 incident, which began after Brown allegedly received a text message from a previous lover, that Rihanna "said she became 'enraged' and slammed both of her fists against the dashboard," which led to Brown pulling the Lamborghini over and trying to force her out, which escalated into a physical fight.

Lawyers for both Rihanna, 21, and Brown, 20, weren't immediately available for comment.

In a June 26 interview with his probation officer, Brown stated that since the Feb. 8 fight, he had been very "depressed." Brown stated he grew up watching his mother being physically abused and said he did not want to "carry on that cycle."

Brown repeatedly told the officer he regretted the incident, and said he initially wanted to plead guilty right away, but his attorney advised against it.

"I want to take responsibility for my mistake," Brown told the officer, adding he is "totally remorseful for what I have done."

Brown was formally sentenced Tuesday to six months of community labor, five years probation, and was ordered not to contact Rihanna for the next five years.

So it seems that the "abuse" goes both ways. I'm not justifying what Chris Brown did BUT why is it that the media fails to cover this end of the story. It's obvious that together they are a toxic mix and are BOTH at fault here.

Williams Sisters Buy Stake in Miami Dolphins

If you follow them on Twitter than you already know that Serena and Venus Williams are ready for some football! The tennis stars are joining Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez and Gloria and Emilio Estefan in becoming limited ownership partners in the National Football League's Miami Dolphins.

The announcement that the Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., residents would become the first female African-Americans to hold an ownership stake in a NFL franchise and two of the few African-Americans league-wide to hold this unique distinction was made by Stephen Ross, owner and managing partner of the Dolphins.

"I am so excited to be part of such a renowned organization," says Serena. "Having spent so much of my childhood in the area, being involved with a staple of Miami culture is a huge honor. We look forward to many championships and much success together with the Miami Dolphins."

Agrees Venus, "I am honored to be a partner in the Miami Dolphins franchise and thankful to owner Stephen Ross for allowing Serena and I to be part of Miami Dolphins history."

Senator Edward Kennedy Dead at 77

Edward Kennedy, the iconic Democratic U.S. Senator from Massachusetts who raised a strong liberal voice in American politics for the past four decades, died Tuesday at his home in Hyannis Port, Mass. He was 77.

KFC Double Down Chicken Sandwich Loses the Bun

Why bother with the bun? That's the premise of KFC's latest offering -- the Double Down -- a sandwich that replaces the traditional bun with two Original Recipe chicken fillets.

"It's such a meaty chicken sandwich, there's no room for a bun," Rick Maynard, a KFC spokesman told Slashfood.

But the sandwich -- currently being tested in Omaha, Neb., and Providence, R.I. -- has some wondering if the Colonel has gone too far.

Newspapers like the Hartford Courant called the appearance of the Double Down a "complete 180" for the chain, and the Vancouver Sun estimated that the sandwich -- two chicken fillets sandwiching Swiss and pepper jack cheeses, bacon and "the Colonel's sauce" -- weighs in at 1,228 calories.

Maynard told Slashfood that KFC estimates the sandwich's caloric count at "just under 600," though the final nutritional data is not in.

Earlier this year, the chain unveiled a healthier dining option -- Kentucky Grilled Chicken -- under the Unthink ad campaign. But KFC uses the same Unthink logo in a Double Down TV advertisement, where a man exclaims "there should be more chicken in a chicken sandwich!"

The price of the sandwich varies but in Omaha, one foodie found it selling for $4.99, with combos -- including fries and soda pop -- going for $6.99.

What do you think of this new fried chicken-bacon-cheese combo? Take the poll, and let us know in the comments below.

Will Bloody Texting PSA Get The Message To Teens?

Texting behind the wheel qualifies as irresponsible and completely stupid. But is a gory British public service announcement going to reach kids who believe they are immortal?

Be warned: the four-minute PSA is extremely graphic, showing not only the realistic bloody injuries of three pretty teenage girls, but also an unresponsive infant in a car seat and a preschooler asking her unconscious and bleeding parents to wake up.

Mike Stout, director of the division of traffic safety for the Illinois Department of Transportation, said that he doesn't know if this kind of message would deter teens from texting behind the wheel -- and he wouldn't take the risk of trying to find out.

"This is way too gory," Stout told ParentDish. "...sometimes you have to push the envelope, but if you put this on TV, you'd have no control over who your audience was. Younger kids could see it, and I know some teens that it wouldn't affect at all."

As I watched the clip with my baby nearby, tears came to my eyes when the camera lingered on what appeared to be a dead infant in a car seat with a preschool-age sibling pleading for her parents in the front seat to "wake up."

So the PSA gets right to the heart of parents to avoid the lure of a quick text. But would the teenager behind me do the same?