♦ Is Lauren Bush supporting Barack Obama? Maybe. The niece of the president praised the Democratic nominee in a recent interview and she decided against using her family name for her new clothing line, Lauren Pierce, taking her grandmother's maiden name instead. [P6]
♦ Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson are either engaged or splitting up, depending on what you read. [Daily Mail, MSN]
♦ Marc Jacobs is supposedly jealous that his ex, Jason Preston, is dating someone else, even though he has a new boyfriend of his own, too. [P6]
♦ He can't afford a plane, but Diddy did get to upgrade to a new Rolls-Royce last week. [P6]
♦ In a new memoir, Maureen McCormick (Marcia Brady from The Brady Bunch) says she used to trade sex for coke. [NYDN]

Ever tireless in its efforts to metrosexualize men and encourage them to recognize that unless they smell of some bottled mixture of chemicals, women might never have sex with them, the cosmetics industry will launch more than 40 men's scents in the US this year, reports the Financial Times. If Prada's new Infusion D'Homme isn't quite classy enough for you, then Diddy's cologne I Am King, which comes out in December, might be more tempting. Or even better, Paco Rabanne's 1 Million is in a bottle shaped like a gold bar: a cheerful daily reminder of the decimated commodities market!

♦ Michael Phelps is telling people he's single even though he's actually dating Miss California runner-up Nicole Johnson. [R&M]
♦ Peter Cook's interview with Barbara Walters airs on Friday, but Christie Brinkley's lawyers now say he violated a confidentiality agreement by speaking with the network. [OK!, ABC News]
♦ Hugh Hefner says his relationship with Holly Madison began to crumble six months ago when they found out his sperm count was too low to father any kids. Also, he's already auditioning new girlfriends. [E!]
♦ Anna Wintour's latest celebrity obsession? Gerard Butler. [P6]

Though last night's presidential debate was mostly received as lackluster (and still couldn't outdraw the Palin/Biden vice presidential matchup), there was one bit that caught the eye of many pundits, and it's when John McCain dismissively referred to Barack Obama as "that one." Did McCain forget his opponent's name in a "senior moment," or was he letting his irritable temperament and condescension break through at an inopportune time? Whatever the reason may be, the newly energized Diddy took to his Diddy Blog to rewind the gaffe, and suffice it to say, the Bad Boy impresario is far from pleased. David Letterman, you may have a new foot soldier. [Diddy Blog]

Though John McCain came out of the Republican National Convention with a lead over Barack Obama, the general consensus is that political momentum has swung back Obama's way — and for further proof, look no further than important swing voter Diddy. Last seen praising Sarah Palin's RNC speech ("You did your thing. You gave a speech that pretty much shut me the fuck up") Diddy has changed his tune even faster than a ridiculous nickname past its expiration date. Now, after having watched Palin biff question after question with Katie Couric, Diddy is frightened — so frightened, he's hiding under the covers, threatening never to come out if McCain and Palin get elected. Finally, a celebrity endorsement the Republicans can actually use! [Diddy Blog]

♦ You probably heard the news yesterday that Clay Aiken is coming out of the closet. We thought we'd remind you again since you're undoubtedly still in a state of shock and disbelief. [P6, People]
♦ Anna Wintour took the trash out of her West Village townhouse wearing sweatpants, a t-shirt, and slippers. [R&M]
♦ Olivia Palermo's role in Whitney Port's new Hills spinoff will earn her $12,000 an episode. [P6]
♦ In response to her father's recent rants, Lindsay Lohan says her dad is out of line and "obviously needs to be on medication to control his moods." [P6]
♦ Jude Law was spotted with protestors outside the UN this week, although he was acting like "more of an observer than a protestor." [MSNBC]

Poor Diddy stepping in dog poop while his bodyguard glares at the paparazzi photographers capturing the embarrassing moment ... Blake Lively and Chace Crawford filming a scene on the set of Gossip Girl ... Terri and Bindi Irwin getting out of an SUV in front of their hotel ... John and Cindy McCain on the set of Rachael Ray's show ... James Taylor carrying a shopping bag in Midtown ... Celine Dion signing autographs for fans outside her hotel ... Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa shooting a segment outside ... Katie Holmes on stage for the opening night of her play and then leaving dinner with Tom Cruise afterward ... and David Blaine and Donald Trump announcing Blaine's next stunt inside Trump Tower.

• It looks like Pat O'Brien might be back off the wagon following his email rant about Lara Spencer to the staffs of both The Insider and ET. [R&M, P6]

» Zac Posen showed the kind of pretty dresses that made him famous. What has also made him famous, of course, is his dazzling knack for networking, which was in full effect with a starry audience of Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy, Marisa Tomei, Leighton Meester, Venus and Serena Williams, Anna Wintour, André Leon Talley, Bernadette Peters, Diddy, Julian Schnabel, Bette Midler, Juliette Lewis, Kate Mara, Jada Pinkett Smith, Veronica Webb, Joy Bryant, Rachel Zoe, Ingrid Sischy, and Fern Mallis. [WSJ, Wireimage]

Diddy has a response to the controversy over whether he owns a private jet or not. And he'd like everyone to get back to more important issues like the upcoming elections. Oh, also: he'd really like people to buy his brand of vodka, too. [Jossip]

Remember when P. Diddy posted a video a few weeks ago ranting that the cost of gas was making it too expensive for him to fly on his private jet? One small problem! He doesn't actually own a private jet. Reporters at the Palm Beach Post combed through aviation records to find evidence of this Diddy-owned aircraft. They didn't turning anything up. Nor could they account for Diddy's claim that flying back and forth from New York to LA twice a month cost him $250,000. (At the most, it would run in the neighborhood of $100,000.) Diddy's response? His publicist now admits he doesn't actually "own" a jet, but he does use NetJets from time to time, and isn't that close enough?

Now that the McCain/Palin ticket has usurped Barack Obama to become the official celebrity story of the day, actual celebrities are weighing in on Palin, and the reception is mixed. Following in the footsteps of Palin critics Lindsay Lohan and Albert Brooks, here's the latest roundup of stars going political: · Heart's Nancy Wilson has taken umbrage at the use of their band's song "Barracuda" to introduce Palin at the RNC (Palin earned the nickname "Barracuda" during her high school basketball days). "I think it's completely unfair to be so misrepresented," she said to EW. "I feel completely fucked over." · Diddy has much warmer feelings toward the vice presidential candidate, though they're expressed in equally blue terms. "You did your thing," he said on his Diddy Blog after watching Palin's RNC speech. "You gave a speech that pretty much shut me the fuck up."

Because he's totally in touch with the common man and his is the voice that all the kids listen to these days, Diddy would like to make it clear that he opposes John McCain's pick for vice president. After the jump, watch Diddy tackle the political issue du jour, plug his vodka brand, and suggest rather nonsensically that McCain actually should have picked Michelle Obama to be his runningmate.

Diddy's new fragrance for women is called "I Am King." In case you're wondering, Combs also "plans to roll out I Am Queen, too, though I Am Princess is not slated." [NYT/The Moment]

Greta Van Susteren isn't exactly known for her superstar celebrity guests, and God knows that with 15,000 journalists covering the Democratic convention, the competition for big-name guests is fierce. But that still doesn't quite account for why the Scientology-lovin' Fox News host didn't, say, pull some strings with Kirstie Alley or Lisa Marie Presley and decided to sit down with Wyclef Jean instead. Fortunately, Greta starts off with the obvious question: What's Wyclef doing in Denver? Unfortunately, it was a question that seemed to stump Wyclef. ("I think it's a historical time in history.") But presumably that was a better response than telling Greta that he's there to represent "Vote or Die!" since Diddy was too busy to attend. Video below!

Think you're suffering due to out-of-control gas prices? Try feeling Diddy's pain. The hip hop mogul has been forced the suffer the indiginity of flying commercial. But he isn't taking it lying down. He's calling on all his "Saudi Arabian brothers and sisters" to please send him some oil so he can fuel up his private jet. Until that happens, you can expect to find him boozed up at airport check-ins and lounges, making more videos like the one above.

• A visiting Kim Kardashian was rushed to New York-Presbyterian late last night after she cut her foot on a glass coffee table at her hotel. [TMZ]

Sean "Diddy" Combs is a lover, not a fighter. Sure, he has to call out "bitchasses" from time to time, but who doesn't? No, what the rap impresario would really like to do is curl up on the couch with a nice, Hancock-loving lady and watch some Olympics — and it was the latter interest that prompted the crew at New York's Daily Intel to ask, "Diddy, if there were a new Olympic sport you could excel at, what would it be?"

• Is Jovovich-Hawk over? Milla Jovovich tells Lucky magazine she's finished with the line. [The Cut]

• Mary-Kate Olsen is the last person federal investigators want to question before they close the Heath Ledger case. But the 4-foot-11, 90-pounder is refusing to talk unless she's granted immunity from prosecution. [NYP]