Monitor

EXPECTING
Elisabeth Hasselbeck, 31, is building an army: The View cohost announced Jan. 29 that she will have a third child with hubby Tim. She’s due in August…. In 16 years, Molly Ringwald, 40, will have to light 32 candles. The actress and husband Panio Gianopoulos are expecting twins in August (the couple already has a 5-year-old daughter).

BIRTHS
Singer Erykah Badu, 37, and rapper boyfriend Jay Electronica, 32, became parents to a baby girl on Feb. 1.

ENGAGED
SNL‘s Fred Armisen, 42, will wed Mad Men actress Elisabeth Moss, 26…. Looks like Chris Pratt (Everwood), 29, might have been the only person inspired by his film Bride Wars: The actor proposed to House Bunny actress Anna Faris, 32, late last year…. How I Met Your Mother‘s Cobie Smulders, 26, got engaged to actor boyfriend Taran Killam, 26. The actress is pregnant with the couple’s first child.

RECOVERING
Two weeks after suffering a partially collapsed lung, Law & Order: SVU‘s Mariska Hargitay, 44, returned to the set of her NBC drama to continue filming its 10th season.

MARRIED
Lisa Loeb, 40, tied the knot with Late Night With Conan O’Brien music coordinator Roey Hershkovitz, 30, Jan. 31 in New York City.

SPLIT
Destiny’s Child’s Kelly Rowland, 27, announced Jan. 28 that she and longtime manager Mathew Knowles (Beyoncé’s father) had split. Rowland issued this statement: ”Although we have decided to part ways professionally, the Knowles family and the entire Music World Entertainment team will always be my family.”

ROBBED
Someone’s up to no good. The London apartment belonging to Amy Winehouse, 25, was broken into Jan. 29 while the singer was on vacation in the Caribbean. The burglar stole a set of guitars and recording equipment.

SETTLED
A dispute regarding Heath Ledger‘s $10 million life insurance policy — which will go to his 3-year-old daughter, Matilda — has been settled. The lawsuit claimed that ReliaStar Life Insurance refused to honor the actor’s policy until they had eliminated the possibility of suicide (the New York City coroner ruled Ledger’s death was caused by an accidental drug overdose).

COURTS
Amanda Bynes, 22, is facing a lawsuit filed Jan. 16 by a driver involved in the actress’ 2007 car crash in Los Angeles. The driver is suing Bynes for hospital bills and damages. Her rep called it ”a minor fender bender…with no injuries.”… A photographer who says he was beaten by a bodyguard for David Beckham, 33, filed a lawsuit against the soccer star, claiming assault and battery among other charges…. The former manager and the ex-boyfriend of Britney Spears, 27, are driving her crazy, says Britney’s father, Jamie. On Britney’s behalf, Jamie was granted a restraining order against Sam Lutfi and Adnan Ghalib, as well as a lawyer named Jon Jay Eardley (he says that the three men are working to ”disrupt the conservatorship”). Although Ghalib and Eardley could not be reached, Lutfi retaliated by filing a defamation lawsuit against Britney and her parents four days later. He says they launched a campaign of lies about him with the publication of Through the Storm, the memoir by Britney’s mother, Lynne, that in part chronicled the pop star’s 2007 breakdown. The suit also claims that Britney owes Lutfi unpaid managerial fees, and that Jamie assaulted him. The family’s reps could not be reached for comment…. Jon Bon Jovi, 46, did not have a nice day Jan. 9. A former sales manager for the Philadelphia Soul football team — co-owned by Bon Jovi — filed a lawsuit against the singer in Philadelphia County for allegedly failing to pay $125,000 in wages and commissions.

DEATHS
James Brady, 80, an author and columnist who helped jump-start the New York Post‘s Page Six gossip column, died Jan. 26 in NYC…. X-Files and Supernatural producer and director Kim Manners, 58, passed away Jan. 25 in Los Angeles of complications from lung cancer…. Lynyrd Skynyrd pianist Billy Powell, 56, died of a heart attack Jan. 28 in Orange Park, Fla. — With additional reporting by Stewart Allen

Simpson Gains…Sympathy (And Has the Last Laugh)
Jessica Simpson has once again proved herself a postmodern genius with a talent for turning tough personal times into public relations gold…by doing nothing more than being herself. Photos of the 28-year-old singer at a Jan. 25 event looking a tad more voluptuous sparked widespread ”debate” (was it simply her high-waisted jeans?). But the days that followed were a windfall for the former Newlyweds star. The controversy prompted everyone from her ex Nick Lachey to the ladies of The View to speak out in her defense. ”I am completely disgusted by the headlines concerning my sister’s weight,” wrote Ashlee Simpson-Wentz on her website. ”How can we expect teenage girls to love and respect themselves in an environment where we criticize a size 2 figure?” (We’ll go ahead and chime in too: She’s kinda gorgeous no matter what.) Simpson defended herself at a Virginia concert, bemoaning the ”completely pointless” discussion and thanking the crowd for their support. Even President Obama seemed apprised of her struggle when, during a pre — Super Bowl interview on NBC’s Today show, he made reference to the brouhaha knocking him off the tabloid covers. Just more proof that Simpson is a master of the celebreality age, even if she no longer tops the box office and music charts. Serving up your personal life for public consumption may have its downside, but this controversy tastes like ”chicken or is this fish?” all over again. — Jennifer Armstrong

Porn Disrupts Super Bowl
Who would’ve thought Super Bowl XLIII would be rated XXX? While last Sunday’s halftime show didn’t include a wardrobe malfunction, some football fans still got an eyeful thanks to what may have been a high-tech prank. Moments after a fourth-quarter Cardinals touchdown, the Comcast standard definition signal in Tucson, Ariz., was interrupted by an adult film from Club Jenna, a subscription channel launched by porn superstar Jenna Jameson. The clip — which didn’t feature Jameson — lasted roughly 30 seconds and included full-frontal male nudity. ”Our belief is that this was intentional and malicious,” says a rep for Comcast, which is giving out $10 credits to affected customers. That’s little solace for some. ”It really ruined the night for us,” says Tucson resident Mike Montoya, 34, who fielded some ”uncomfortable questions” from his 9-year-old daughter after she saw the clip. Even actor Evan Stone, the clip’s star, thinks the culprit ought to offer a, um, full-on apology. ”I’m excited that I’m out there,” he says. ”But the fact that children were watching it really bothers me.” — Adam Markovitz