filed under: parties

Lionel Richie has been banned from performing in New York's Hamptons after locals protested about the noise.

Party promoter Scott Feldman planned to charge guests $1,250 each to watch Richie sing in the backyard of his rented home in the Long Island town of Sag tonight, reports the New York Post's gossip column Page Six.

But the newspaper claims requests for a permit were turned down after wealthy residents of the town -- where rocker Billy Joel also has a home -- stepped in.

Looks like baby Harlow hasn't settled Nicole Richie's wild side yet.

We're told Nicole was involved in an altercation around 1 AM this morning with a female while in line at the valet outside the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. Sources say Richie was so rowdy she had to be escorted off the property by security!

Make no mistake, Christina Aguilera loves her baby. But she likes the nightlife, too.

"Once in a while, if I want to go out and have a mommy-daddy night with my husband, I am more than allowed to do that," the singer – who gave birth to son Max Liron in January – told Access Hollywood.

This past weekend, for example, she hit Las Vegas's Pure nightclub at Caesars Palace to help celebrate the launch of an Xtina-inspired jewelry line, the Stephen Webster Silver Collection.

"I spend all day with my son," Aguilera, 27, told the TV show – adding that any criticism of her late-night outings with husband Jordan Bratman is downright "mean spirited."

"Everybody has an opinion and everybody sometimes wants to cause drama," she said. "But it's something that comes with what you do and I learned that very early on."

HUGH Hefner got an early birthday surprise the other night when he and girlfriend Holly Madison entered his penthouse at the Palm in Vegas to be greeted by Pamela Anderson, who was stark naked except for a pair of high heels. "She was holding a cake, walked over to him, tussled his hair and wished him happy birthday. Hef couldn't believe it," one Playboy insider told us. "Pam wasn't paid to do it, she just wanted to show her love for Hef." The girly-mag czar turns a spry 82 today.

The unlikely duo of Kevin Federline and Paris Hilton caused heads to turn in Las Vegas over the pre-New Year's weekend. On Sunday, the duo partied together for the second night running. Both were in town to host separate New Year's Eve parties – hers at LAX, his at Tangerine – but each name attraction started celebrating early, hitting LAX on Saturday and Pure Nightclub on Sunday. A source close to Federline told PEOPLE that the two hung out in Hilton's room Saturday after leaving the club.

PARIS Hilton desperately wants her ex, Stavros Niarchos, back, say sources who have followed her antics in Miami this week. The former lovers, who are in South Beach for the annual Art Basel festivities, provided a traveling sideshow as Hilton spent the week trailing Niarchos from spot to spot trying to get his attention. Hilton first ran into him at Mansion Wednesday night, where he was paid to host the official Art Basel kickoff party. When the Greek shipping heir showed up with Brandon Davis' ex-girlfriend, Caroline Vreeland, however, Hilton was not pleased. "Paris beelined for Stavros, but he was chatting up Caroline," said our source. "He was completely ignoring Paris, and she was furious. She shot them evil looks and finally stormed up to them and started screaming at Caroline." On Thursday, the celebutard followed Niarchos to three different clubs. One partygoer at Mokai, where the rich kids started their night, told us, "Paris saw that Stavros was with a girl, and she went crazy. She literally stood on Stavros' table and began screaming at him. Then she started dancing and trying to get his attention." The insider said that when Stavros and his date left Mokai and moved on to Set, Hilton followed: "Paris went to great lengths trying to get Stavros' date kicked out, begging club security to get rid of the girl." Our witness even claimed, "Paris was so furious, she ended up walking up to the girl and just punched her." But a rep for Hilton called that account baloney: "Paris was at both clubs but at no time physically struck anyone. These accusations are completely false."

Lindsay Lohan is now spending time with her ex, Stavros Niarchos, after she dumped rehab buddy Riley Giles a week ago. Niarchos, who used to date both Lohan and her frenemy Paris Hilton, this time is sticking with the newly sober star. Hilton showed up to a party for the anti-smoking lozenge Ariva at Crimson in Hollywood the other night and tried to hook up with Niarchos - who, spies said, "wanted nothing to do with her and seemed so annoyed by her, he left the party" to go hang with Lohan. Hilton, unaware she had irked Niarchos, was then seen wandering around "asking where Stavros had gone."

Britney Spears rang in her 26th year on Sunday and although she didn’t have her kids with her, she was surrounded by friends, fun and plenty of swag.

At 9:56 p.m., Spears and her pals Alli Sims and Sam Lufit arrived at the Scandanavian Style Mansion where Sharon Stone was hosting a party. OK! magazine reports that around 11 p.m., a small chocolate birthday cake was presented to Spears and a small crowd broke in to “Happy Birthday.”

Editor-in-chief Sarah Ivens says that the pop princess seemed to be in a much better state that the last time the two were together; during a disastrous photo shoot that resulted in an unfortunate incident with Spear’s dog and a Zac Posen dress. “Britney looked slim and pretty,” Ivens says. “I just kept thinking how much better it was this time around than the last time we spent time with her. We really hope this birthday and her new age will be a turning point.”

And in case you were wondering, the gifting suites at the Mansion made sure the birthday was a memorable one for Spears. She reportedly received the following:

$30,000 in fur coats
A $10,000 diamond and gold ring
$4,000 in Barito brand sunglasses
Various t-shirts and hair products

Actress Tara Reid — once one of Hollywood's most popular leading ladies — is hosting a 'Hookers Ball' in Darwin this weekend.

The American Pie starlet's role in the 21st staging of Darwin's self-styled naughtiest night will include competing in the wet t-shirt contest, and a manager at the Discovery nightclub says Reid may be dressed up in lingerie or even as a prostitute.

"It's a night like your 'pimps and prostitutes' or sleaze balls, and it's just a night of less is best," hospitality manager Guy Dunne said.

"We thought Tara Reid would be a great choice … it’s a very naughty night and an opportunity to put your inhibitions down."

A flyer for the event says partygoers should expect "bondage beds, fantasy, latex, porn stars, erotic dancers, and a R rated very raunchy event" and a photo of a scantily-clad Reid sits below the promo blurb.

Mr Dunne says it was a big coup for the club and Darwin to have Reid host the event, saying they usually get passed over by "big-name stars".

"It's something our promotions team worked very hard for and we just managed to secure her in the last week," Mr Dunne said.

"I believe Tara Reid and her people were very enthusiastic to come here."

Hollywood stars Kate Hudson and Orlando Bloom have sparked rumors of a new romance after they were caught kissing at a Halloween party.

The pair got together at a bash Hudson threw at her home in Pacific Palisades, Calif., on October 27, and the actress didn't care who saw them -- including her recent ex, actor Dax Shepherd.

An insider tells OK! magazine, "Kate and Orlando were talking, drinking and laughing. Then they just started going at it. They made out for ages and looked like they were really enjoying themselves. They didn't care who was watching.

"After that first make-out session, they walked around and talked to everyone as a couple. They were inseparable for the rest of the night."

Another onlooker adds, "At one point, Kate and Orlando were kissing in front of Dax. But he didn't seem to care at all."

Hudson's divorce from The Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson was finalized just two days before her kissing marathon with Bloom, on October 25.

Other guests at the party included another rumored hot new Hollywood couple, Jake Gyllenhaal and Reese Witherspoon.

Brandon crossed paths with Abdul at Paris Hilton's recent Los Angeles birthday party, where his behavior caused her to flee.

"He was mocking her," says a witness. "He kept on saying her last name over and over again, and then would insert his made-up version of an Arabic language. He was being very lewd and graphic and making sexual overtures to her in between being completely insulting."