If Eddie Murphy Won’t Play Nice, Mel B. Will Play Nasty

If you thought the DNA results would signal the end to this tawdry tale, think again: Spice Girl Melanie Brown has been seen out-and-about with high-powered LA attorney Gloria Allred, and rumors abound of a major paternity suit against ex-lover Eddie Murphy. Brown has also taken the offensive in the press, combating Murphy’s charge that she’d gotten pregnant “on a whim.” Brown says that she and Murphy looked forward to walking down the aisle, and the little nipper was all part of the plan. From today’s Sun:

“Of course we planned this. It happened quicker than we expected but it was perfect timing.

“We planned to get married at Christmas.

“But then we had to change it once I got pregnant and we decided that after the baby was born we’d get married.

“This was a completely planned pregnancy….”

However, in Essence magazine, Mel B. tells a distinctly different story. She says Eddie Murphy’s home life was an improper environment to raise a child, reports The Mirror: “There were certain things that went on in his house with his lifestyle that I wasn’t prepared to be part of.” But what about those Yuletide nuptials, sweetums? Obviously, she was willing to overlook certain things in the name of love.

In other news:

• Amy Winehouse‘s London concert last night marked a return to form after several shambolic gigs: The Evening Standard‘s Chris Elwell-Sutton says, “At the ICA last night, as part of the ongoing iTunes festival, the 23-year-old provided a spectacular reminder of exactly why she was declared best British female artist at this year’s Brit Awards, and why she is the bookies’ favourite to scoop this year’s coveted Mercury Music Prize.”
• Don’t stare directly at Elton John‘s “canary yellow” suit; you must look slightly askew, as if viewing a solar eclipse.(Daily Mail)
• The Guardian features a Q&A with Andy Bell from Erasure on growing older, being HIV-positive, and his jealousy towards Jake Shears and the Scissor Sisters: “I do get slight envy, because of the Scissor Sisters’ mass exposure. I recorded one song with him, and we were on the subway afterwards and his phone rang. I asked who it was and he said, ‘Elton.’ He’s got a hotline to Elton John, and I thought, ‘How sweet,’ because you can see the naivety. At the moment he’s feeling like everybody is his best friend, and it’s not really like that.”
• The Times‘ Matthew Parris says “there has been no better, luckier, time or place to be gay than Britain in 2007.”
• A motorcyclist crashed into Bob Geldof‘s car while he was driving yesterday in London with his two daughters. “I’m very shaken but fine. There was no serious harm done to anyone in our car. It’s just a shock,” said Geldof. The biker suffered minor injuries.(Contact Music)
• James Reynolds of the Klaxons broke his leg when he jumped from the stage at a concert in France this past weekend. The band has postponed tour dates.(BBC)
• Get ready for Never Mind the Bollocks…Here’s The Sex Pistols, the 30th anniversary edition.(NME)