K-Fed eating overtime to prep for reality show

Courtney Hazlett The Scoop

If you can get it, reality television can be a very lucrative gig. Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt are said to make $65,000 per episode, according to salary figures leaked earlier this week, a sum that nauseates some as much as Pratt’s recent revelation to People magazine that he’s considering self-castration in order to keep his young bride from becoming a mother.

Another young famous-for-nothing celebrity who will cash in on reality is Kevin Federline, Britney Spears’ ex. When he joins the cast of “Celebrity Fit Club,” which premieres Feb. 14, he’ll land a $100,000 payday, according to several sources familiar with Federline’s negotiations.

That payday has come at cost, though. Federline has been overeating to get ready for the show. After he found out the casting was definite, “he started putting on even more weight on purpose,” a source told Us Weekly.

It’s all part of a grand plan to make him a bigger brand post-weight loss, another friend of Federline’s said.

“He thinks that if he goes on the show, loses a ton of weight, and seems really likeable, he’ll get more deals afterward,” the friend said. “The way he sees it, he could have another show after ‘Fit Club,’ and that would open the door to working on music again, maybe even a fashion line.”

Britney Spears, please stop writing songs
Someone needs to remind Britney Spears that she’s still trying to get her career back. And on top of that, she’s a mother, and it stands to reason that her kids will one day listen to her songs or read their lyrics. Those two facts should be reason enough for Spears to dial back the oversharing in her song writing.

In the song “3” off her new album, “The Singles Collection,” Spears wrote: “Three is a charm / Two is not the same / I don’t see the harm / So are you game?”

Slideshow   The Spears years From pop princess to troubled wife and mom, the ups and downs of Britney Spears. more photos

Actually, she wrote more, but I don’t want this to be the place her kids someday stumble upon the lyrics; I assume you all know where we’re going here.

Kanye West’s breach in decorum was more abject, but this is just as bad, given the circumstances and her own career status. Britney, you have talent. You don’t need to try so hard. Until you’ve got your confidence back, please just back away from the songwriting. You’re not doing yourself any good.

Keeping tabs: Newsstand is stuck on the spin cycle
Making breaking news in a weekly publication is increasingly difficult, and the need to punch up a story with some publicity-speak has become more common. But this week, the spin cycle is dizzying.

Slideshow   Celebrity sightings Natalie Portman attends the “Brothers” premiere, Susan Boyle performs on the TODAY show, Katie Holmes and Suri go shopping in New York and more. more photos

In Touch Weekly has an exclusive with Mariah Carey. “I’m going to be a mom,” is the cover blurb. The more accurate headline would be “I’m going to be a mom ... someday” (sorry for the spoiler, but I’m here to help). You’d think an exclusive with Carey would sell on its own merits — instead, the magazine spins a portion of the interview where Carey said that at some point she and her husband Nick Cannon definitely want to have kids to make you think Carey’s actually pregnant already.

There’s also Us Weekly, which has Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel splitting up. “It’s over! After Timberlake dumps her over the phone, a heartbroken Jessica Biel refuses to let go.” The truest part of that statement is the “refuses to let go,” because Biel and Timberlake were spotted looking very much together in Northern California the day the issue hit stands.

Which makes Star, and their linking of Timberlake and Rihanna, all the more difficult to believe. But they have photos to prove it, you say? One photo does not a relationship make. It’s a total pass at the newsstand this week. Spend the money on a good book instead.

Courtney Hazlett delivers the Scoop Monday through Friday on msnbc.com. Follow Scoop on Twitter @courtneyatmsnbc

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