This article is from the archive of our partner .
Here's one of my favorite gossip items of the year, just because it is so strange. Former prisoner of Xenu Inc. Katie Holmes was spotted at Queens Supreme Court in Kew Gardens yesterday, sitting in the gallery for the trial of a man accused of shaking his baby to death. Yes, Katie went all the way to Queens to sit in the audience and watch that trial. Her reasoning? Apparently she is friends with the prosecutor, Leigh Bishop. Yup, Katie Holmes went to support her friend at her big trial. Which... um, Katie, this isn't opening night of How I Learned to Drive at the local college. This is a trial for a man who might have killed his baby. Isn't that peculiar? "I want to see you at work!!" "Well, I've got this big baby murder case coming up..." "Ohh! Perfect! I'll be there!" I think it's great that Katie has friends who aren't in the Hollyweird world, and that she wants to support them in their endeavors, but making some splash by showing up at a baby murder trial? I dunno. I just don't know. For its oddness and its localness, though, this is a very good bit of news. [Page Six]
Britney Spears is leaving The X Factor after one year of judging the little-watched singing competition show, claiming she wants to focus more on her music. Of course the real scuttlebutt is that she was about to be fired, dropped from the roster because she didn't provide the juicy stuff the producers thought she was going to. Meaning, she acted like a reasonable adult instead of the sloppy mess they were hoping for, so she got the axe. Sad state of affairs in this country, when someone loses their job because they got their life in order. I feel bad for Britney, I really do. I mean, all she made out of this was $15 million and six months worth of press. The poor thing. What will she do now?? Oh, record another album and go on tour. I see. Well, fine then. [Us Weekly]