Reviled romantic comedy actress Katherine Heigl is on the cover of Elle magazine with a smirk and this cover line: "They wanted me to be America's sweetheart… then I opened my mouth." Ooh, is Katherine Heigl "rebranding" as a "bad girl"?

Well, no, not really. She's just addicted to external validation. "It's a female thing."

I think it's a female thing. I'm just that asshole who really wants everyone to like me and it's a ridiculous goal and it's an impossible goal. But I think if keep pushing forward and showing myself through and through, they will see me again for what I really am and not what has been sort of spun about me.

Speaking of desperation and spin, check out Heigl's PR triage unit, featuring a publicist, a speech writer, and "months of self-hatred":

Her longtime publicist told her to start thinking about interviews as other acting roles. A speechwriter was brought in to craft answers to questions she might be asked. She did chipper interviews, the aftermath of which was, she says, "months and months of self-hatred… I was trying to stop the snowball from gaining speed."

No wonder she's a neurotic mess. I'm starting to think anyone who survives celebrity with a normal self-image is actually a sociopath. [Elle, print edition quotes via Celebitchy]