Is reality TV's most public couple really married?

LOS ANGELES – Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, the reality-TV couple whose on-again, off-again relationship has been chronicled by MTV's "The Hills" and celebrity magazines, appear on the Wednesday cover of Us Weekly with the headline "Heidi & Spencer Elope!"

But were their nuptials a legal marriage, or just an elaborate photo shoot?

Several Us Weekly images, both posed and candid, show the couple at various stages of a wedding ceremony at a chapel near Cabo San Lucas, Mexico on Nov. 20. The accompanying story features an interview with the pair, as well as details about the rings, Montag's dress, and the content of their handwritten vows.

The story does not address whether they obtained a marriage license or took part in a separate civil ceremony, which is required by Mexican law to make the union binding.

Their publicist, Rick Rhodes, said he knew nothing about the marriage. "I'm not privy to any of that information," Rhodes wrote in an e-mail. "If there was a wedding I wasn't invited ... Sorry!"

Us Weekly's report, which was picked up by numerous celebrity magazines and blogs, said that none of the couple's friends or relatives was in attendance. Some people close to the couple said they were caught off-guard.

"Everybody's pretty upset," Montag's sister, Holly Montag, told MTV on Monday. Montag's father, Bill Montag, told People magazine that he'd be dismayed if his daughter got married and didn't invite him.

If the story were true, he added, "Then we just have to have another wedding here!"

Us Weekly, which has recently featured the couple in numerous cover stories and photo spreads, reported that they decided to get married while drinking margaritas on the beach. An hour later, they were exchanging vows, the magazine said.

Americans who wish to get married in Mexico must first go through a process that takes about five days, according to Mexico's foreign relations department Web site. They must obtain a health certificate, including blood test results from a local doctor; and provide official translations of legal documents, such as birth certificates.

Only civil, nonreligious marriages conducted in Mexico are valid internationally. Peter Grossman of Us Weekly, who conducted the wedding-day interview with Pratt, 25, and Montag, 22, would only confirm Tuesday that the two exchanged rings and handwritten vows in front of a minister.

"Heidi and Spencer are two people in love who had a beautiful wedding ceremony to celebrate that," Grossman said. "The pictures and words in our issue this week bear that out."

A couple can register their marriage up to 10 days after a ceremony, but California does not recognize marriage ceremonies outside the United States, according to the state's Department of Public Health. A couple can petition a court later to have their marriage legally recognized.

A Tuesday records check in Los Angeles County did not show that the couple had filed for a marriage license, though it can take weeks for such documents to appear public.

Neal Hersh, a Beverly Hills attorney who has handled numerous celebrity divorces said Pratt and Montag's marriage could be legitimate, but only if it was handled properly.

"People can get married anywhere," he said.

It wasn't immediately clear whether MTV captured the wedding ceremony for its show, but an MTV spokesperson said in an e-mailed statement late Tuesday that the network "wishes Heidi and Spencer the best and can't wait to share their special moment with 'The Hills' fans later this season."

Since their relationship came to light on the MTV reality show, Pratt and Montag have been ever camera-ready, willing to pose or invite photographers to capture their "private" moments — including an intimate, champagne-and-roses Valentine's Day celebration aboard a chartered boat earlier this year.

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On the Net:

http://www.usmagazine.com

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Mark Stevenson in Mexico City and Anthony McCartney in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Jackson spokeswoman: singer, sheik settle lawsuit

LONDON – Michael Jackson has reached a settlement with a Bahraini sheik who says the singer owes him $7 million after breaching a signed contract, the pop star's spokeswoman said Sunday.

The out-of-court settlement means Jackson will not be giving evidence at London's High Court as scheduled on Monday, Celena Aponte said.

Scores of journalists and fans had been expected to cram the courtroom for the appearance by the always-unpredictable King of Pop. Aponte said Jackson was informed of the deal as he was about to board a flight to London.

"As Mr. Jackson was about to board his plane to London, he was advised by his legal team to postpone his travels since the parties had concluded a settlement in principle," Aponte said. "Therefore, he will not be attending court on Monday."

A representative for the sheik could not immediately be reached late Sunday.

Sheik Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa said he gave the singer millions and planned a series of collaborations following Jackson's acquittal on child molestation charges in June 2005. Al Khalifa, 33, invited Jackson to the small, oil-rich Gulf state to escape the media spotlight.

The sheik, the second son of the king of Bahrain, said he believed he had formed "a close personal relationship" with the star, whom he referred to affectionately as "my brother."

Al Khalifa said he gave Jackson millions of dollars to help shore up his finances and subsidize Jackson's lifestyle in Bahrain — including more than $300,000 for a "motivational guru." Al Khalifa, an amateur songwriter, says the pair even moved into the same palace to work on music together.

But Jackson dropped the project in 2006, leaving Bahrain and pulling out of the contract.

Jackson's lawyers have maintained the money was a gift and argued that the musician wasn't bound by the deal because the contract was signed on behalf of 2 Seas Records, a venture which never got off the ground.

The singer originally wanted to avoid coming to London to answer the lawsuit in person, seeking instead to give evidence by video link from the United States. His lawyer, Robert Englehart, had claimed that Jackson should be spared the trans-Atlantic trip due to an unspecified illness, but on Thursday the lawyer said the 50-year-old star had been cleared for travel.

The suit is being heard in London by mutual agreement.

Jackson's purported medical problems — and his sometimes bizarre demeanor — have been a regular feature of previous court appearances. His 2005 trial was punctuated by complaints of back problems, an apparent bout with the flu and visits to the hospital. At one point, the judge had to order the pajama-clad star into court from the emergency room.

His most notorious appearance came in 2002, when a wide-eyed Jackson testified in a California courtroom with what appeared to be a bandage hanging from his nose.

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Associated Press Writer Raphael G. Satter contributed to this report.

Spears makes unexpected appearance in court

LOS ANGELES – Britney Spears made another cameo in the midst of her comeback — this time at a Los Angeles courtroom.

Spears appeared unexpectedly Friday for a hearing in her ongoing conservatorship. A court spokesman said after the hearing that Spears appeared to give an update on her upcoming album, "Circus," and details of her tour and other promotions.

Her father, Jamie Spears, has had control over his 26-year-old daughter's personal and financial affairs since February. The court made the arrangement permanent last month, but Spears can petition to end the arrangement.

The court spokesman says she did not make that request Friday.

As part of that deal, her father and attorney gained greater control over her professional career. Jamie Spears appeared in court with his daughter and emerged from a courtroom with her after a two-hour closed session.

Spears has not appeared in court during months of conservatorship proceedings, but has been represented by a court-appointed attorney.

Spears' new album is scheduled to be released on Dec. 2, which is also the singer's 27th birthday.

Britney Spears craves freedom amid career upswing

NEW YORK – Britney Spears is craving more freedom — and less of the "control" that's stabilized her personal life and reinvigorated her career over the last several months.

In an upcoming behind-the-scenes documentary, the 26-year-old pop star says: "If I wasn't under the restraints that I'm under right now, with all the lawyers and doctors and people analyzing me every day and all that kind of stuff ... I'd feel so liberated, and feel like myself."

The 90-minute film, "Britney: For the Record," airs Nov. 30 on MTV and the LOGO network. She is shown backstage at the MTV Video Music Awards; recording her new album, "Circus"; dodging the paparazzi; and goofing off with her father, Jamie, who controls her personal and financial affairs.

While her career takes a positive turn, Spears says she's sad and feels her life is "too in control."

"There's no excitement, there's no passion, there's no nothing. It's just like `Groundhog Day' every day, you know? So I'm really bored," she says, getting teary.

The mother of two young sons with ex-husband Kevin Federline says she "used to be a cool chick," but the paparazzi has made it impossible for her to be out and about. In the documentary, which was executive produced by Spears' manager Larry Rudolph, her security staff discusses hiring a decoy to fool the cameras.

Spears' turnaround kicked into high gear in September when she nabbed three VMAS, including video of the year. Now on the comeback trail, she has a hit song, "Womanizer," and is releasing "Circus" next month.

She talks about her two-year downward spiral, which included a divorce, a custody battle, public meltdowns and a sluggish performance at last year's VMAs, when she barely made it through a dance number of "Gimme More."

"I've been through a lot this year — well, actually the past two or three years," she says. "And my trust has really been battered. I've definitely grown up — big time. And I'm very weary of a lot of things. Very protective of myself."

She says sometimes she gets lonely.

"You're guarded," she says. "You have to be that way, otherwise you get taken advantage of and get in situations like I did the past year. I totally lost my way. I lost focus, I lost myself, I had that type of nature within me that wanted to rebel out.

"I never wanted to become one of those prisoner people — I always wanted to feel free and get in my car and go and not let people make me feel like I have to stay in my home. I think that was always the part of me that kinda got me in trouble," she says.

Spears dishes on Federline and ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake in the film.

"With Justin, he was a part of the magnitude of what I'd become," says Spears, who ended a three-year relationship with Timberlake in 2002. "So then when he was gone, I was like, `What am I supposed to do with myself?' ... I would go out just to keep my mind busy, just to keep going."

While she was devastated over her breakup with Timberlake, she says she handled that better than her separation from Federline in November 2006.

"With Kevin, because I had two children with him, I did not know what to do with myself," she says. "I had built my dream home in Malibu, a huge house and a pool and a huge yard for the kids and I did everything for them. And just my world was that."

She says she married Federline for the wrong reasons instead of following her heart. As a result, she went down a "weird path."

She says her marriage disintegrated when Federline began concentrating on his rap career.

When it ended, "I felt so alone. I didn't really want to think about the reality of it. It was like, `I'm OK.' ... But I never really faced it, and I just ran," she says.

Comedian Wanda Sykes says she's 'proud to be gay'

LAS VEGAS – Comedian Wanda Sykes says the passage of a same-sex marriage ban in California has led to her be more outspoken about being gay.

"You know, I don't really talk about my sexual orientation. I didn't feel like I had to. I was just living my life, not necessarily in the closet, but I was living my life," Sykes told a crowd at a gay rights rally in Las Vegas on Saturday.

"Everybody that knows me personally they know I'm gay. But that's the way people should be able to live their lives," she said.

Sykes, who is known for her feisty and blunt style, said the passage of California's Proposition 8 made her feel like she was "attacked."

"Now, I gotta get in their face," she said. "I'm proud to be a woman. I'm proud to be a black woman, and I'm proud to be gay."

Sykes' appearance at the Las Vegas rally surprised organizers. She was in town performing at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.

Beyonce on offers for wedding pics: 'Ridiculous!'

NEW YORK – Beyonce insists she would have never considered selling photos of her hush-hush wedding to Jay-Z to a glossy celebrity magazine. Still, the singer acknowledges that she was amazed at the amount of money that was offered.

"Now, they offer crazy money that's just ridiculous," she said in a recent interview, laughing. "But in the end, absolutely not. It's so not worth it. If anything, if you wanna put something out, then put it out, not for (money)."

Beyonce and Jay-Z were married in April in an intimate ceremony in New York City.

"We worked really hard at keeping it private," she said. "I've always been this way, and he's always been this way, so that's why we complement each other. We always knew that it would be private and quiet, for all the right reasons."

Though Beyonce declined to talk about specific details, she's been more open to acknowledging her relationship in recent interviews after years of silence about it.

She's due to release her new CD, "I AM ... SASHA FIERCE," on Nov. 18. MySpace Music is giving listeners worldwide the first official preview of the CD on its Web site starting 3 a.m. EST Tuesday. The 27-year-old singer joins the list of other musicians who provide fans with an online preview of the CD in the days before its release.

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On the Net:

http://www.beyonceonline.com

http://www.myspacemusic.com

Source: Winehouse husband out of jail, into rehab

LONDON – The husband of troubled retro-soul singer Amy Winehouse swapped prison for rehab Wednesday, a man familiar with the matter said.

Blake Fielder-Civil was freed from prison on condition that he check into a rehabilitation center, the man said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he said it was not his place to discuss Fielder-Civil's legal issues.

Officials at Britain's department of prisons did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the subject.

Fielder-Civil was found guilty of beating up pub manager James King in a barroom fight in 2006 and then offering him a bribe to keep quiet about it. Fielder-Civil, 26, was arrested a year ago and was less than halfway through a 27-month sentence for assault and obstruction of justice.

The Daily Mail newspaper said Fielder-Civil walked out of Edmunds Hill Prison in eastern England wearing jeans, a striped red shirt and a trilby hat. Winehouse, who has repeatedly appealed to concert audiences for the release of "my Blake," was not there to see him, the paper said. The newspaper did not offer a source for its information.

Winehouse shot to stardom off the release of her multiple Grammy-winning album "Back to Black" in 2006. But her music has struggled to command as much attention as her personal life. British tabloids publish constant reports on Winehouse's alleged drug use, her run-ins with the law and her chaotic relationship with Fielder-Civil.

Winehouse herself went into rehab earlier this year after The Sun tabloid published a video apparently showing the singer smoking crack cocaine.

On Friday, the couple who sold the video footage of Winehouse to the newspaper pleaded guilty to drug charges. They are due to be sentenced later this month.