Marc Jacobs may have given a Cartier engagement ring to his on-again, off-again boyfriend, Jason Preston. Tyra Banks dropped her manager, either because he was a prima donna or because her investment-banker boyfriend told her to. Britney Spears backed out of recording a Timbaland-produced duet with Justin Timberlake. It's unclear why. No cameras or cars are allowed at the fund-raiser Oprah is throwing for Barack Obama at her California ranch, which is expected to draw George Clooney, Halle Berry, and Jamie Foxx. Harvey Weinstein is offering $100,000 to anyone who can identify the Upper East Side mom who inspired The Nanny Diaries. (Some speculate it's Preppy Handbook author Lisa Birnbach.) Marc Ecko's CEO threw $500 in cash around during a company-sponsored booze cruise. Norman Reedus, Helena Christensen's baby daddy, is making a movie in which Richard Nixon sleeps with a hooker and then kills her. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon dined at Le Cirque with two tables' worth of security guards.







The members of Motley Crue used to place high-stakes bets on such things as who could sleep with the fattest chick and who could sleep with a mother-daughter-grandmother combo. Ellen Barkin and Cameron Diaz both got blowouts yesterday at the John Frieda salon in the meatpacking district. New York Times perfume critic Chandler Burr was reprimanded by the paper for giving away a perfume he'd reviewed at a dinner. Disney wants to turn its High School Musical into a feature film but is only offering stars Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgins $1 million each. Kanye West and 50 Cent are "feuding." (Entirely unrelated: Both have albums coming out!) The White House denies that Jenna Bush is getting married because she is pregnant. Guy Richie broke the arm of his British estate's gamekeeper during a play fight. Madonna's brother, Chris Ciccone, is back to being a judge on Top Chef Miami. Beyoncé inadvertently flashed fans in Toronto. Denise Brown, sister of Nicole Brown Simpson, isn't pleased with the Goldman family's decision to publish If I Did It.