INCEPTION WINS THE BOX OFFICE AGAIN
Christopher Nolan’s dreamy thriller, Inception, came out on top of the box office for the second week in a row with $43.5 million. The finish was stronger than expected, and is attributed at least partly to strong word-of-mouth. Angelina Jolie’s new spy thriller, Salt, debuted at number two with $36.5 million, a major drop compared to Angelina’s last big openings. The timely thriller about a Russian spy ring received mixed reviews, and managed to finish just shy of studio projections.

KINGS OF LEON CONCERT CANCELLED BY PIGEON DROPPINGS
Just three songs into a twenty-song set, Kings Of Leon pulled the plug on their show in St. Louis this past Friday because of some troublesome pigeons in the rafters of Verizon Amphitheatre. The pigeons reportedly launched their attack during the very first song, hitting at least two band members. Citing health concerns, the band cancelled the gig, explaining that they would have been covered from head to toe had they continued. They promised to return to St. Louis as soon as possible. No fans are believed to have been affected by the pigeons, but they were angry at the cancellation and some began chanting ‘refund’

MEL AND OKSANA’S BATTLE CALMING?
Though Mel Gibson has been silent regarding the recent drama surrounding his custody case, Oksana spoke up again and insisted that her intentions are noble. “Mel is a liar! He’s lying. There’s no extortion and there’s no texts, and no emails, ok? And I’m fighting for my child and he’s just a liar, and it will come up in court, just wait.” Sources familiar with family court battles say the judge will likely order them both to parenting classes in an effort to calm things down, reminding them that they will have to get along for the sake of their daughter. In the meantime, Mel has volunteered for supervised with visits with Lucia in an effort to prove that he’s a good father.

OTHER INMATES GETTING SICK OF LINDSAY

Each new report about Lindsay Lohan’s jail time seems to include information on her early release, which could happen as soon as this week after some legal wrangling allowed her to get days credit for the 84 minutes she served a few years ago. Regardless of when she’s released, it wont be soon enough for the other inmates at the facility, who are said to be sick of her special treatment. Sources claim that anytime Lindsay’s cell door is opened for any reason, the rest of the facility is placed on lockdown, upsetting the other prisoners. There are even reports that they began chanting ‘firecrotch’ recently, sending Lindsay into a hysterical fit. She was placed in isolation and is being monitored twenty-four hours a day.

BIG MOVIE NEWS OUT OF SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON

Samuel L. Jackson and Robert Downey Jr. were on hand at Comic-Con this weekend to announce the cast of The Avengers movie, and confirm that it will indeed by directed by sci-fi mastermind and Buffy The Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon. Mark Ruffalo was announced as The Incredible Hulk, Hurt Locker star Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, and of course the previously announced Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Chris Evans as Captain America, among others. Jackson as Nick Fury and Downey as Iron Man will also appear. The superhero dream team is still scheduled to hit theaters in 2012.

MICHAEL LOHAN ALREADY SELLING NUDE PHOTO OF EX-FIANCEE

Though he was just charged with second degree harassment last week after a physical altercation with his now ex-fiance Kate Major, Michael Lohan is already trying to capitalize on the situation by selling a nude photo of Kate to the highest bidder. The photo shows Kate on a bed with her chest exposed, and he engagement ring from Michael clearly visible. Kate claims the picture was taken while she was asleep. She calls Michael a disgusting human being, to say the least. He’s threatening more actions like this unless she cuts out the ‘nonsense’.

CASEY AFFLECK SUED FOR SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Casey Affleck has been hit with a $2 million lawsuit filed by Amanda White, one of the producers of: I’m Still Here: The Lost Year Of Joaquin Phoenix. She claims that Casey called women ‘cows’ during filming and openly discussed his sexual exploits. More seriously, she says that one night at a hotel in San Francisco, he became ‘hostile and aggressive’ and ‘grabbed her arm’ while trying to get her to spend the night with him. Casey’s people say that White is a disgruntled employee who was fired over a year ago and that the claims are ‘preposterous and without merit.’

TIBITS OF GOSSIP I DON’T CARE ABOUT

• Beyonce was hit with a $100 ticket in NYC for texting while driving.
• Amanda Bynes has un-retired from acting just in time to promote her latest film.
• The mysterious deaths of Brittany Murphy and Simon Monjack have investigators looking at mold found in their home as a possible contributing factor.
• Luckily, the rumor that Amy Winehouse is pregnant has been proven false.
• Maroon 5 has joined the list of bands refusing to play in Arizona because of their controversial new immigration law.
• Elton John will re-team with the producers of the Broadway hit Billy Elliot to create a production of George Orwell’s classic Animal Farm.
• Someone spray-painted the face of Gandhi in hot pink on the gate of Halle Berry’s home in Los Angeles.
• Sources close to the couple claim that the wedding of Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr was moved up because the bride is pregnant.
• Levi Johnston will star in a music video for a pop/R&B artist called Senser.
• Martin Scorsese is in talks with HBO to create a drama series based on the history of the music industry.
• Lindsay Lohan’s neighbor in jail, celebrity burglar Alexis Neiers, has been released after serving only 30-days of her 180-day sentence.
• Justin Bieber says that puberty will not eliminate his singing voice, insisting that he’s working with the best vocal coach in the business.
• Bruce Willis says that Die Hard 5 is ‘imminent’ and a screenplay is already being written, though no director is attached.
• Nickelodeon will debut a live-action/CG version of The Fairly Oddparents in 2011 starring Drake Bell, Jason Alexander, and Cheryl Hines.