Ellen Degeneres

They already give so freely of their essence, their soul, their very Geist . Yet, some entertainers even give to charity, a heartwarming thought in these days of giving. Just ask givers Lady Gaga and Alicia Keys , who gave so much support to charitable causes this year, they are No. 1 and No. 2 respectively on an annual list of the most charitable stars released by national do-gooder dot.org, DoSomething.org. Her Gagaship is recognized for her work on gay-rights issues, while Keep a Child Alive founder Keys has concentrated on the fight against HIV/AIDS.

BROOKE SHIELDS recently told talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres that she could still fit in the Calvin Klein jeans she wore in the 1980s commercial that rocketed her to stardom. You remember the commercial. It starts with Shields whistling "Oh, My Darling Clementine" as the camera slowly pans her 15-year-old, denim-clad legs. It ends with Shields looking into the camera and purring, "You know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing. " Since I'm only three years younger than the 45-year-old Shields, I can remember what it was like to be young, childless, and in great shape.

REMEMBER WHEN Jennifer Lopez was cool? When her Versace dress at the Grammys rocked the fashion world? When she could hold her own on-screen with stars like George Clooney ? When she had a street name? "American Idol" remembers. To the tune of $12 million, the Fox talent show has nabbed Lopez to fill a seat at the judges' table for the 10th season, sources told People.com. Kara DioGuardi was forced out after one limp season, and the mighty Simon Cowell has moved on. Lopez, like the also-departed Ellen DeGeneres , signed on just for a year, so if things don't work out, there's a graceful exit clause.

Fantasia Barrino , 26, says the overdose that sent her to the emergency room on Aug. 9 was a suicide attempt, not an accident. "I didn't have any fight in me. I didn't care about anything. I just wanted out," the American Idol winner tells VH1 in an interview set to air Tuesday, the same day her new CD, Back to Me , is due out. "At that moment, I wanted out. I wanted it to be over with. " In the chat, which has been excerpted by People.com, Fantasia says she was driven to despair after Paula Cook , the wife of her former lover Antwaun Cook , accused her of destroying the Cooks' marriage.

Inquirer television critic Jonathan Storm is reporting this week from the television critics' press tour in Beverly Hills. These items originally appeared in his blog, "Eye of the Storm," at www.philly.com/ philly/blogs/storm . No deals, no speculation. That was the refrain from Fox Entertainment Chairman Peter Rice Monday morning on the question of who would be sitting in the American Idol judges' chairs next winter. After a long intro, Rice ducked - oh, I don't know, about 326 questions from members of the Television Critics Association gathered for their summer press tour.

A FEW THOUGHTS on Ellen DeGeneres bowing out of Fox's "American Idol," and the multiple reports, including one from the not-prone-to-speculation Associated Press, that Jennifer Lopez will replace the already departed Simon Cowell at the judges' table: _ Should J. Lo choose to continue Simon's tradition of wearing too-tight sweaters and T-shirts over his trademark jeans, I'm expecting to hear far fewer complaints about it. _ Fox, which smartly handled...

I nquirer television critic Jonathan Storm is reporting this week from the television critics' press tour in Beverly Hills. These items originally appeared in his blog, "Eye of the Storm," at www.philly.com/philly/blogs/storm . Ellen ankles "Idol"; TV critics not agog Ryan Seacrest may have been all worked up on his morning radio show about Ellen DeGeneres' surprising, amazing, earth-shattering announcement that she was leaving American Idol, but TV critics at their summer meeting in Beverly Hills were unmoved.

BIG NEWS in the world of entertainment yesterday as country- music legend Willie Nelson cut his hair. Willie's lengthy, reddish pigtails - as if Crystal Gayle and Pippi Longstocking merged their locks - have been one of his signature features since he was a young crew-cut crooner. Spokeswoman Elaine Schock said of Willie's waist-length hair: "There's a lot of maintenance. " Ellen Disc-Generes After a season judging singers on "American Idol," Ellen DeGeneres announced on her show yesterday that she is starting a label called eleveneleven.

Judge Ellen takes the 'Idol' bench Will we love Ellen DeGeneres in her new role as an American Idol judge? Will we hate her but love the fact that we hate her? (The Simon Cowell complex, as Sigmund Freud termed it.) Mum Betty has every faith in Ellen's judicial abilities. "She can't be brutal and she won't be just nicey- nice," Betty tells The Insider. "She will do honesty with a soft pedal. " Ryan Seacrest was busy yesterday denying that Ellen and Simon loathed each other during taping.

Will Smith for president? Will Smith for president! The Philly star's extraordinary wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, tells German rag Bunte (www.bunte.de) that the Enemy of the State star has genuine ambitions to become Leader of the State. "Will is thinking about going into politics," she says. "He once said he could imagine becoming a U.S. president. He wasn't joking. " But Jada may very well put the kibosh on his plans: "It's just not for me," she says of being first lady.