TRAVIS BARKER AND DJ AM WERE INVOLVED IN A SERIOUS PLANE CRASH . . . BUT THEY SURVIVED: 

Former BLINK-182 drummer TRAVIS BARKER and DJ AM . . . (--a.k.a. club DJ Adam Goldstein . . . who is also Nicole Richie's ex-fiancé) . . . were involved in a serious plane crash Friday night in Columbia, South Carolina that killed four people.

Both Barker and Goldstein survived with some burn injuries, and are expected to make full recoveries.  That could take up to a year, but since neither of them suffered any additional injuries, doctors said it could be sooner.

Both of them suffered second- and third-degree burns.  Barker was burned on his torso, and Goldstein was burned on his hands and part of his head.  Last we heard, they were both in critical but stable condition.

TMZ says Barker was burned from the waist down, and Goldstein suffered severe burns on his face.

The crash occurred Friday night just before midnight.  Barker and Goldstein were headed to Van Nuys, California from Columbia, where they'd just played a gig together, along with PERRY FARRELL and GAVIN DEGRAW.--What we're hearing is that the pilot thought she . . . (--yes, the pilot was a woman) . . . heard one of the plane's tires pop as he was taxiing down the runway.  The plane went off the runway and crashed into a highway embankment while the pilot was trying to abort the takeoff.

They're being treated at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta, Georgia.

Their families issued a statement saying, quote, "[We] wish to thank fans from all over the world for their prayers and concern.  Deepest sympathy is expressed to the loved ones of those who perished in the crash.

"As the two recuperate and mourn this loss, privacy for them, their families and friends is requested at this time."

One of the four men killed was Chris Baker, who was Barker's assistant on the reality show, "Meet the Barkers".  The other three people killed were a security guard named Charles Still, the captain and his co-pilot.

Barker's ex-wife, SHANNA MOAKLER, flew to Georgia to be with Barker.  They have two children together . . . a 4-year-old son and a 2-year-old daughter.  The kids haven't been told about the accident yet.

Meanwhile, one of Goldstein's exes, MANDY MOORE, has rushed to Georgia to be with him.  She and Goldstein dated for about three months in early 2007 . . . but remained friends after the breakup.

Record producer JERMAINE DUPRI was also spotted at the hospital yesterday.

In case it matters to you, the plane was operated by a soon-to-be-sued company called Global Executive Aviation.

CYNTHIA RODRIGUEZ SAYS SHE'S HAPPY WITH HER DIVORCE SETTLEMENT: 

Whatever CYNTHIA RODRIGUEZ got in her divorce from ALEX RODRIGUEZ, it was apparently good enough.  A source says, quote, "Cynthia is in New York for a few days and quite happy with the divorce settlement."

That must mean that Cynthia got more than what's in the prenuptial agreement . . . which begs the question:  What good are these agreements, when they NEVER seem to hold???

If we can get a lawyer on the phone, I'd love to know if prenuptial agreements signed by regular people can be just as easily circumvented during divorce proceedings . . . or is this just a celebrity thing???

"30 ROCK" AND "MAD MEN" WERE LAST NIGHT'S BIG EMMY WINNERS:

NBC's "30 Rock" and AMC's "Mad Men" were the big winners at last night's Emmys.

"Mad Men" became the first basic cable series to win Best Drama . . . which was just one of SIX awards the show won this year.  (--That includes some that were handed out at last weekend's technical Emmys.)

Meanwhile, "30 Rock" won Outstanding Comedy Series for the second year in a row . . . and ALEC BALDWIN won for Best Actor in a Comedy.  It was his first Emmy win in seven nominations.

Co-star TINA FEY won Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series . . . and also picked up an Emmy as one of the show's writers.

HBO won more Emmys than any other network, with 26.  Half of those . . . 13 to be exact . . . went to the miniseries "John Adams".

"Survivor" host JEFF PROBST won the inaugural Emmy for the host of a reality-competition program . . . although JIMMY KIMMEL brilliantly made the nominees wait until "AFTER THE BREAK" for the results.

There was some chaos OUTSIDE the Emmys before the show started, but it didn't affect the broadcast.

Three people who were planning on attending the ceremony were detained for questioning after security guards found an air rifle in the trunk of their car at a checkpoint.

Traffic was shut down briefly as the vehicle was searched by a bomb squad.  That meant some poor celebrities had to get out of their limos and walk to the red carpet . . . but that's about all the damage that was done. 

There's no word what happened to the morons with the gun, or what they might have been up to in the first place . . . if anything.
 

LINDSAY LOHAN PUNCHED A PAPARAZZI PHOTOGRAPHER IN THE FACE:

LINDSAY LOHAN punched a paparazzi photographer in the face on Sunday night . . . for no good reason.

Lindsay was on her way into a New York City club when she tripped over a metal barricade.  But she thought one of the photographers had tripped her . . . and she turned around and laid one on the guy's nose.

As she walked away from the guy, she told someone she was walking with, quote, "Oh my God, I just hit a paparazzi."

Police were called, but nothing came of it.

VIN DIESEL WILL DO ANOTHER "XXX" MOVIE: 

Remember how desperate it seemed when VIN DIESEL announced he was returning to the "Fast and the Furious" franchise after sitting out the first two sequels???  Well, get this . . .

After sitting out the second "XXX" movie, and letting ICE CUBE take over for him, Vin has come crawling back to THAT franchise, too.

Actually, things are still in the negotiation stage . . . but both Diesel and the original's director, ROB COHEN, are in talks to come back.  If they do it, the movie will be called "XXX:  The Return of Xander Cage".  (--Xander Cage is the name of Diesel's character.)

TINA FEY'S RETURN TO "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE" SCORED HUGE RATINGS, BUT WILL SHE BE BACK TO PARODY SARAH PALIN??? 

As you probably know by now, ("30 Rock" minx) TINA FEY DID return to "Saturday Night Live" this past weekend to portray her look-alike, vice presidential candidate SARAH PALIN.  And it was a huge success in the ratings.

"SNL" scored its highest ratings for a season premiere since 2001 . . . and it was the most-watched overall episode since December 17th, 2002.  (--AL GORE hosted that show . . . and PHISH was the musical guest.)

Although there's no word yet on an estimated number of total viewers, Saturday's "SNL" ratings were reportedly 64% higher than last year's season premiere.

Technically, a lot of factors may have contributed to those ratings . . . the show was hosted by (Olympic hero) MICHAEL PHELPS . . . and (rapper) LIL WAYNE was the musical guest.  However, Tina's Sarah Palin impersonation was a highlight.

So naturally, there's a lot of talk about whether or not Tina will keep coming back to "SNL" to play Sarah throughout the election season . . . and perhaps, beyond.

When asked about that possibility, an "SNL" spokesperson responded, quote, "We are taking it day-by-day."  That may be true for the long run, but it seems unlikely that Tina would be back THIS Saturday . . . due to the Emmys, which go down on Sunday.

(--"SNL" airs live in New York, the Emmys air live from L.A.  "30 Rock" is up for several Emmys, and Tina has been nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy Series.  She's also nominated for her performance as a guest host on "SNL" last season.)

By the way, the real Sarah Palin apparently ENJOYED Tina's impersonation of her.  Her spokesperson, one Tracey Schmitt, said, quote, "She thought it was quite funny, particularly because she once dressed up as Tina Fey for Halloween."  (???)

(--In other words, she once showed up at a costume party . . . without a costume.)

(--A McCain campaign official, however, called it "sexist" and "dismissive".)

Despite the show's success, "SNL" boss LORNE MICHAELS says he's still upset that BARACK OBAMA backed out of his cameo appearance, due to Hurricane Ike.

He tells the "Washington Post", quote, "There was a sensitivity to how it would be perceived . . . whether he would be criticized for doing it while disaster struck." 

He added, quote, "Do I think there's an over-sensitivity in this area?  Yes.  It was an enormous disappointment."

--Obviously, though, he's keeping the door open for Barack to show up for a future show, and he says Barack's people seemed interested in that . . . quote, "They were very pleasant about it . . . [saying things like] 'Please have us back again' and all that."

Barack was going to appear in a "Weekend Update" segment . . . as well as during Michael Phelps' opening monologue.  But Barack wasn't the only SUPERSTAR who was supposed to do a cameo during the monologue . . . CHUCK NORRIS was, too.  (!!!)

Sadly though, Norris . . . (--who, interestingly enough, is a hardcore REPUBLICAN) . . . also cancelled his appearance due to Hurricane Ike. 

(--WILLIAM SHATNER . . . who had a cameo during Phelps' monlogue . . . was a last minute replacement when Chuck backed out.)

Finally, "Time" magazine was NOT a fan of Michael Phelps' hosting gig.  They included him in a list of the Top 10 Dubious "SNL" Hosts.  (--It doesn't seem to be in any particular order . . . but you can check out the full list, beginning here . . .)

MTV'S "TRL" WILL BE COMING TO AN END IN NOVEMBER: 

MTV's music video countdown show,  "Total Request Live" . . . (--a.k.a. "TRL") . . . will be pulled off the air sometime in November.  The show's executive producer says it isn't being cancelled for good . . . they're just taking a "break".

There's no word when the show might return, IF it actually does return.  (--"TRL" premiered exactly ten years ago, back in September of 1998.)
 

ARE JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE AND JESSICA BIEL PLANNING A WEDDING???

This is probably nothing but a silly tabloid story, but "OK" magazine claims that JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE and JESSICA BIEL might be getting married soon.

Supposedly, at some event last week, Justin was talking with friends, when he squeezed his thumb and forefinger together and said he was, quote, "this close to getting married."  (--Believe it if you must.)

TONY ROMO AND JESSICA SIMPSON SAVE LIVES!!! 

Maybe TONY ROMO and JESSICA SIMPSON really do belong with each other . . . because they both SAVE LIVES.

On Sunday, Bill and Sharon White got stranded with a flat tire on the highway in Irving, Texas.  Romo, who had just flown in from Cleveland . . . where he and the Cowboys beat the Browns . . . was driving by, and he stopped to help out.

After Tony and Bill fixed the tire, Sharon says, quote, "I looked at him and thought, 'Dang, he looks familiar.'  I go, 'You know what?  You look like Tony Romo.'  He looked down and just gave me that boyish smile he's got.  Then he said, 'That's because I am.'

"I just screamed as loud as I could.  Then I grabbed him and hugged him."

Okay, so Tony didn't really save a life here.  But tell me that smile of his hasn't given YOU an extra reason to live at some point.

Meanwhile, an old high school friend of Jessica's tells the "Star" that Jessica saved her life when she tried to commit suicide when she was a teenager 12 years ago.

26-year-old Emily Usher says she swallowed a bunch of pills she found in her family's medicine cabinet, but then called Jessica for help.

he says, quote, "I didn't tell her what I had done, but I was sobbing hysterically and begged for someone to come and get me."

Jessica brought Emily back to her house, where her dad, JOE SIMPSON, figured out what was wrong.  Emily says, quote, "I was lethargic and nauseous, and Joe started yelling at me, 'Did you take something?'"

Emily admitted she had taken the pills, and the rushed her to the hospital to have her stomach pumped.  Emily says, quote, "I haven't spoken to them since they moved to Los Angeles, but I'll always be grateful for their kindness."

THE SPEARS FAMILY IS HAVING A REUNION THIS WEEK: 

JAMIE LYNN SPEARS brought her newborn daughter Maddie to Los Angeles this week to visit BRITNEY SPEARS and her two kids, Sean Preston and Jayden James. 

LYNNE SPEARS was there, too . . . and we assume that patriarch JAMIE SPEARS was present, because he's still in charge of Britney's affairs.

KEVIN FEDERLINE hung out with the family for about an hour when he came to pick up the boys from the visitation on Wednesday night.

Jayden's second birthday is TODAY, by the way . . . and Sean turns 3 on Sunday.

KANYE WEST WAS ARRESTED YESTERDAY . . . AFTER GETTING INTO AN ALTERCATION WITH THE PAPARAZZI: 

KANYE WEST was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport yesterday morning . . . after he got into an altercation with the paparazzi.  Here's what went down:

At around 7:45 A.M. yesterday morning, Kanye and his bodyguard, one Don Crowley, were at the airport, preparing for a flight to Hawaii, when a member of the paparazzi began snapping pictures of Kanye.

When Kanye noticed he was being photographed he, quote, "rushed the photographer . . . and grabbed his camera . . . and threw it on the ground, breaking it into pieces."  All this was caught on VIDEO by another annoying paparazzi scumbag.

Then, Kanye's bodyguard approached THAT guy and demanded that he give him his videotape.  Naturally, the paparazzo refused, so Crowley grabbed the camera from him . . . ripped off the mic and viewfinder . . . and threw it to the ground.

So-called eyewitnesses at the airport described the scene as, quote, "pure chaos". 

Evidently, Kanye thought he'd be able to get away with all this . . . because they then left to continue through the airport.  But they were stopped by police.

After everyone was questioned, Kanye and Crowley were arrested and charged with felony vandalism.  (--One of the smashed cameras was supposedly worth over $10,000.)  Both men posted $20,000 bond, and were released a few hours later.

As of last night, Kanye had not commented on the incident . . . or his arrest.  A court date has been set for October 2nd.

DMX HAS BEEN EXTRADITED BACK TO ARIZONA: 

DMX is through sitting around in a MIAMI jail . . . but he's not through with jail altogether.  Yesterday, he was FINALLY extradited from Florida back to Arizona.

He pled GUILTY to drug charges in Miami . . . and was sentenced to time served.  However, he had to remain in jail while waiting to be extradited back to Arizona, where he has been WANTED on MORE drug charges, among other things.

Last we heard, he was in jail in Arizona . . . however, he can be released once he coughs up a $25,000 cash bond.  (--You know we'll keep you posted on all this.

T.I. WILL NOT RAIL AGAINST THE SYSTEM ON HIS NEXT ALBUM . . . BECAUSE HE HAS TAKEN RESPONSIBILITY FOR HIS ACTIONS: 

T.I. is about halfway through working off the 1,000 hours of community service that he agreed to do to settle a felony gun charge conviction.  After that, he still has a one-year jail sentence to complete, plus another 500 hours of community service once he's out.

Needless to say, when T.I. began recording his upcoming album, he was an ANGRY YOUNG MAN.  But something happened during the recording process:  He OWNED UP TO HIS MISTAKES.  And as a result, the album won't be QUITE as angry.

He says, quote, "When I started recording, the songs were angry.  But as time went on, I had to accept responsibility for the part I played in all this madness."

However, that isn't T.I.'s only problem.  Perhaps ironically, while he's spending all this community service time speaking to kids . . . he's facing a lawsuit from one of his baby mamas who says that he isn't doing enough for his OWN kids.

The mother of two of T.I.'s SIX children just filed a palimony suit against him . . . asking a judge to bump up the support she gets . . . which currently stands at $2,000 a month.

ANN GILLESPIE . . . WHO'S NOW A PRIEST . . . RETURNED TO "90210" LAST NIGHT: 

If you watched "90210" last night . . . you saw the return of ANN GILLESPIE, who plays Jackie Taylor, the mother of JENNIE GARTH'S character, Kelly Taylor.  If you're wondering what she's been doing since the original "90210" ended . . . get this:

She left Hollywood . . . for God.  Last year, she earned a degree in divinity and she's now an Episcopal priest at (the historic) Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia. 

LANCE BASS SAYS "THE ODDS ARE GOOD" FOR AN 'N SYNC REUNION:

Now that NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK and (four-fifths of) the BACKSTREET BOYS have reunited . . . will 'N SYNC be next??? 

LANCE BASS believes it could happen.  He tells "Access Hollywood", quote, "We're definitely itching to do some music.  We've always discussed it.  It's always a possibility and we still owe some records to the record companies."

When pressed for the "seriousness" of the possibility, Lance responded, quote, "The seriousness is good.  I'm serious!"  And while it's not hard to imagine MOST of 'N Sync being down with a lucrative reunion . . . Lance admits JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE might be a hard sell.

He says, quote, "[We're all] pretty serious . . . [but] it's gonna be hard to get Justin to calm down and get off tour.  He has not stopped since our last tour.  He's a workaholic."  (--That's a cleverly worded way of saying Justin's not on board yet.)

Due to that whole Justin situation, Lance has no idea when a reunion might happen.  He says, quote, "It could be possibly a year, it could be five years from now.  Depends on everyone's schedules kind of aligning together.  We'll do it on our own time."

VH1 IS DEVELOPING TWO URBAN-THEMED SPECIALS: 

VH1 is developing two, new urban-themed specials . . . that will air in the lead-up to the fifth annual "VH1 Hip-Hop Honors", which will air on October 6th.

On September 29th, they'll begin airing a five-part series called "100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs", which will slowly count down the 100 best rap songs of all time.

Then on October 3rd, VH1 will broadcast a special called "VH1 Rock Doc:  N.W.A.:  The World's Most Dangerous Group".  CHRIS ROCK will narrate it, and it's exactly what it sounds like . . . a documentary on N.W.A.

WHY DID LIL WAYNE REFUSE TO GO THROUGH SECURITY AT A GIG IN NEW YORK LAST FRIDAY??? 

Last Friday, LIL WAYNE was supposed to play at the Fashion Rocks event in New York . . . but his performance was cancelled at the last minute.  Wayne showed up, but he never made it through the door . . . because he REFUSED to go through security.

A so-called "senior production person" told the "New York Post", quote, "He was carrying a bag and refused, point blank, to go through security.

"Everyone else . . . including Rihanna, Chris Brown, Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake and Kid Rock . . . went through security, and we couldn't make an exception.

"But he wouldn't budge and refused to have his bag searched or have a security wand passed over him.  Then he started getting abusive:  [He said, quote,] 'I don't need your (effing) show . . . I'm leaving if you make me do this.'  So he had to leave."

Supposedly, Wayne's management and label tried to work something out to bring him back to perform later in the night . . . but this time, he was late, and the event's organizers pulled the plug.  (--Wayne hasn't commented on any of this.)

By the way, here's an interesting anecdote from Wayne's court hearing on Monday.  He's fighting a gun charge from 2007, when police found a loaded gun on his tour bus.

Wayne's defense is arguing that the search was ILLEGAL . . . because his tour bus counts as a SECOND HOME.  (--According to the law, there is a lower expectation of privacy in a vehicle than there is for a home.)