Spears hits as No. 1 celebrity

And who ranks atop USA Today’s Celebrity Heat Index for the second year in a row? It’s Britney, bi… uh, dude.

As in Britney Spears, of course. The pop singer took the newspaper’s top spot for a total of 11 weeks this year, the most of any celebrity. That includes the Dec. 2 release of “Circus,” which also took the No. 1 spot in album sales in its first week out, and her two stints in psychiatric wards.

Following on the index we have Angelina Jolie at No. 2. The actress celebrated the birth of twins in July with partner Brad Pitt, No. 4. Pitt’s ex-wife, Jennifer Aniston, hit No. 3. Although Jolie, Aniston and Pitt rank after Spears individually, collective coverage of the trio dominated for 14 weeks.

Other top newsmakers included Britney’s little sister, Jamie Lynn Spears, and Tom Cruise, while Paris Hilton and Anna Nicole Smith were nowhere to be seen.

The younger Spears, 17, ended up as Hottest Mom, while the arrival of the Jolie/Pitt twins Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline ranked 2.

Among the hottest breakthroughs of 2008, the paper lists “Twilight” star Robert Pattinson, “Gossip Girl” star Blake Lively and President-elect Barack Obama.

The hottest breakup: Madonna’s divorce from director Guy Ritchie ranked No. 1 (Madonna, Ritchie and Alex Rodriguez were featured for 10 weeks). The Aniston/John Mayer breakup placed second (especially since they’ve reunited).

Drink and it’ll look purple

Sean “Diddy” Combs wants to paint New York’s New Year’s Eve ball purple. Combs, who already has billboards around Times Square, wants his Ciroc Vodka to “be the official vodka of New Year’s Eve.” The New York Daily News reports that Combs has offered the city $1 million for charity if he could paint the ball the purple color of grapes – fitting since Ciroc is the only vodka made from grapes. “So far,” says the News, “the city has spurned his offer.”

‘Watchmen’ may be delayed

Movie studio 20th Century Fox says it will continue to seek an order delaying the release of “Watchmen.” U.S. District Court Judge Gary Feess has agreed with Fox that Warner Bros. infringed its copyright by developing and shooting the superhero flick, scheduled for release March 6. Feess plans to hold a trial Jan. 20 to decide remaining issues.

No Pinter like the late one

Accolades continue to pour in for playwright and activist Harold Pinter, who died at age 78 on Christmas Eve of cancer. Actress-turned-politician Glenda Jackson told the BBC that the Nobel winner’s death was “a great loss not only to the theater but … also a great loss to people who fight for human rights.” “Harry Potter” star Sir Michael Gambon told London’s the Guardian: “He was our God, Harold Pinter, for actors.”

The birthday bunch

Actor Anthony Hopkins is 71. Actor Tim Considine is 68. Actress Sarah Miles is 67. Rock musician Andy Summers is 66. Actor Ben Kingsley is 65. Rock musician Peter Quaife is 65. Actor Tim Matheson is 61. Singer Burton Cummings is 61. Singer Donna Summer is 60. Actor Joe Dallesandro is 60. Actor James Remar is 55. Actress Bebe Neuwirth is 50. Actor Val Kilmer is 49. Actress Gong Li is 43. Author Nicholas Sparks is 43.