The Brit Gets Richer in Vegas

Britney Spears has clearly hit a hot streak – first she gets rid of K-Fed, and now she's scoring at the blackjack tables in Las Vegas.

The pop princess, on the Vegas leg of her national re-intrduction tour, partied with Mario Lopez and played the tables to the tune of $10,000 at the Palms' high-limit lounge, The Mint, according to People. While at the Palms, Spears did some work as well, mixing some new tracks at the hotel's recording studio.

"She looks and sounds great," says a source. "Her voice never sounded better ... She's ready to kick ass."

TomKat Makes Italians Molto Furioso
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes took off on their honeymoon yesterday, but they left a bad taste in the mouth of the Italian locals whose hometown they invaded for the last week. As the New York Daily News reports, roadblocks and gridlock were the order of the day in Bracciano, a suburb of Rome, and what did the townspeople get for all their trouble? Nary a "grazie" or an "arrivederci." A 76-year-old man, Sergio Pagliaro, and his wife waited for hours in the rain for a mere glimpse of the newlyweds, but they were denied. "After all the hype and the publicity, nobody has seen anything of this wedding. They did not even come out to say hello."

Sawyer to Supplant Gibson? Larry King?
Diane Sawyer is likely to be the next host of "World News Tonight" after the 2008 election, replacing current anchor Charlie Gibson, but, until then, what's she going to do with herself. Other than staying at "Good Morning America," says Page Six, she might take over as the host of "Nightline" for a while, or even replace the aging Larry King as host of his CNN show, though that rumor is probably a false one. And who would take over for her at "GMA"? Perhaps ABC's Kate Snow, or NBC's Campbell Brown.