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The big-voiced mom-to-be has canceled her New Zealand “Back to Basics” Tour, after a “bad flu virus” has rendered her unable to move, much less perform. The singer apologized in a statement to her fans Down Under, saying she was “not been able to recover in time.” Xtina had already bailed on her shows the week before in Australia due to the same illness. Hopefully it’s just a virus and has nothing to do with her still unconfirmed baby, which according to Celebrity Baby Blog, is not due in December. They say that Christina is due sometime in January and does not yet know the sex of her child, contrary to earlier reports that the star is expecting a girl. Fingers crossed that it’s a lady and we can hold our breath for some sort of torrid love triangle with Sean Preston and Jayden James in twenty years. Scandalous moms make scandalous babies – we hope! [PopCrunch, CBB . Image: Getty]

As if she hadn’t cemented her status as every indie dude’s fantasy, Scarlett Johansson is working on her debut album with members of Yeah Yeah Yeahs and TV On The Radio’s Dave Sitek. This news comes on the heels of her reported Tom Waits cover album and her Coachella performance with the Jesus and Mary Chain. As reported by the Daily Advertiser in Lafayette, Louisiana, the Lost in Translation star spent 33 days recording at Dockside Studio. Owner Steve Nails described the album as, “a theater, big screen. Lots of heavy bass tones in it. Without a bass guitar, we used all kind of different instruments to create these sounds. It was a great experiment. Very avant garde. She sounds like Marilyn Monroe.” Which seems like a no-brainer comparison to us. We’re guessing there won’t be any Justin Timberlake duets.[Pitchforkmedia / Image credit: Getty]

Apparently, you can tell Kanye West…something. The notoriously arrogant producer-rapper-dandy reveals to Marc Ecko in the August/September issue of Complex that he not only reads blogs, he enjoys them. “I have a pessimist with me all the time,” says Kanye, giving an example of a way he keeps himself in check. But who needs a pessimist in your entourage when you have a laptop? Kanye continues:

“Man, it takes a really strong person to read the blogs; it’s just no holds barred. So if you’re feeling good about yourself and you want to feel like s***, go to the blogs. It’s good to have a place for someone to have unabashed opinions. Even if they’re dissing me or I’m the butt of jokes, I respect people giving their real opinion.“

How refreshing it is to see a blast of humility from a star like Kanye. But did you notice that he prefaces it all by calling himself “strong?” I’ll spare him my real opinion on this.

Us Weekly has brought in a bevy of brain shrinks to analyze Ms. Spears, and the diagnosis isn’t pretty. It seems that all the weirdness – the impromptu underwear swim sessions, the strange scarf face mask, the nip slips, the outbursts – could signify that Brit’s got “a mood disorder,” says psychologist Robi Ludwig, based on her “self-destructive, erratic and dramatic” behavior. This can also be “symptomatic of drug and alcohol abuse.” Hm – you mean like Brit’s addiction to bathroom breaks? Ludwig also added that Britney “… strikes me as someone going through a delayed adolescence.” Come on ya’ll! Adults love wearin’ jean shorts and tank tops every day! Adults totally prefer Cheetos over caviar! Adults are always droppin’ their babies! Right? No? Fine, whatever. Time for a tantrum. [Us Weekly. Image: Getty]

After the bitch-slap of Whitney Houston craziness from earlier this week, it seems only fair that we should hear from her former other half, King of R&B Bobby Brown. And hear from him we have! Bobby’s still yapping about Osama Bin Laden‘s supposed jealousy and wish to kill him, despite the fact that the story’s been circulating for over a year and that it refers to events that took place 11 years ago. Whatever. Attention is attention even if it’s from a terrorist. Eleven years ago.

Says Bobbaaaaaaaaaaaaay:

“I figure if Bin Laden wants me, and everybody is looking for him, it probably won’t happen. But if he wants to try and find me for something so stupid, he can do what he wants. I have to leave it in the hands of my higher power. Come on, if anybody [else was] threatened by Al Qaeda, they’d take it seriously.“

Isn’t it comforting to know that even if they aren’t together, Whitney and Bobby’s craziness is still potent, almost complementary? Even though we know how very far apart they are, it helps to think they might be wishing on the same bright star. It’s like that ’80s animated film An American Tale, except with more hootin’ and hollerin’ and drugs instead of mice. All together now: “Somewhere out there…” [New York Daily News / Image credit: Getty]

Keyboard player Stephen Bier is laying a big-ass suit today on the shock rocker and his managers, accusing Manson of squandering away money owed to Bier and his band-mates on some bizarre buys. In an email to Page Six, Bier’s lawyer alleges that the millions of dollars the band earned together were instead spent by Manson on “sick and disturbing purchases of Nazi memorabilia and taxidermy (including the skeleton of a young Chinese girl).” In addition, the rocker blew the money on a massive home, an enormous engagement ring for now ex-wife Dita Von Teese, and their extravagant wedding in Ireland. It makes sense that all those things would cost a ton, but what is the price tag on a skeleton? And is there any reason at all to buy it? Splurging makes a lot more sense when it’s on bling, not bones. [NY Post. Image: Getty]