Lauren Conrad has fired back at the New York times after they said she “could learn from Heidi Montag right now.”

“I don’t depend on men,” she told Canadian entertainment blog Dramarama in response to the Times branding Montag a “feminist hero.”

“I have my own career,” she exclaims.

The New York Times said Conrad spends her time “pining for [Brody Jenner], who, she has confessed, never makes her feel good enough.”

Adds Conrad: “You show me the girl that is not affected when a guy that she likes, likes another girl.

“I don’t think it makes me any less of a feminist because my emotions are effected.

“I think that I’m very independent and I don’t let guys effect my life.

“I think in the past I have, and I’ve learned from it.”

When asked if she could learn anything from Montag, ‘The  Hils’ star, 22, responded, “I will keep my comments to myself. I think that’s really funny.”

Hollywood hunk Johnny Depp has been offered $10 million to become the face of American condom manufacturer Trojan.

The ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ star, 44, would be expected to appear in a series of offbeat TV commercials for the company’s new Magnum range.

Bosses at the contraception firm believe the Hollywood star would not only expand sales in the US but also help inspire an anti-AIDS campaign to send free condoms to third world countries.

The actor is yet to formally agree to the deal — but ad executives have already come up with a slogan: “Stand up with Johnny for safer sex.”

A source said: “He’s very interested and he’s trying to figure out if he can fit it in.”

A spokeswoman for California’s Safer Sex Awareness Campaign said: “We’d welcome seeing a major Hollywood star helping to promote the cause.

“And there’s no one bigger than Johnny.”

Father of two Depp — who’s dating French singer Vanessa Paradis — has been a big advocate of sex education since starring in TV’s teen crime series 21 Jump Street in the Eighties.

He said then: “This show teaches kids about drugs and safe sex, which is why I agreed to do it.”

Jessica Simpson has been hospitalized in Los Angeles with a minor kidney infection, a source close to the singer has said.

“She had a minor kidney infection,” the source tells People magazine. “She went in on Friday.”

And what caused the ‘Newly Weds’ star to check into the hospital? “She had a fever and it seemed important to get it treated,” the source explains.

Currently, Simpson is “doing fine,” the source added.

The 27-year-old — who’s dating Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo — recently took a trip to Iraq where she performed for the troops. She is currently working on a country album.

Anna Nicole Smith’s son Daniel died from an accidental drug overdose, a Bahamas jury has found.

The jury, which recommends no criminal charges be filed, deliberated for less than two hours before returning the verdict on Monday, the Associated Press reports.

The inquest began last November to determine what killed the 20-year-old in September 2006.

Autopsy results, announced in December, determined that Daniel died as a result of a lethal combination of methadone and the antidepressants Zoloft and Lexapro.

Anna Nicole Smith died aged 39, several months later after welcoming daughter Dannielynn.

Kim Kardashian’s New Year’s resolution to lose weight isn’t quite going to plan — she can’t stop eating junk food.

“I figured just eating well would help me lose five pounds or so,” she tells People.com, adding that she finds it “so hard to eat well.

“Because I love so many unhealthy foods. I just can’t stop eating junk. It’s awful!”

Kardashian, who served as the Celebrity Hostess of Wrestlemania XXIV in Orlando on Sunday night, paid a visit to the International House of Pancakes earlier in the afternoon — but managed to avoid tucking into pancakes. “I decided not to have pancakes, because those aren’t good for me and I didn’t want the carbs. So what did I get? Chicken strips. I knew they were bad for me, but they were worth it.”

Instead of cutting out the junk food completely, the busty 27-year-old is relying on exercise to keep her figure. “I’ve got a personal trainer who keeps me active,” she says. “I work my butt and legs just about every day, and I do cardio to burn fat.

“I’ve actually started videotaping my workouts so I can do them on the road.

“I’m going to start selling the videos soon on my Web site so that others can do the same workout that I do.

“They’re short videos, but if you do them one right after the other, it’s a really good workout.”

Kardashian is under no pressure from boyfriend Reggie Bush to lose weight — he loves her just the way she is. “He doesn’t care what I eat,” she explains. “He loves me just the way I am.”

Andy Roddick is engaged to swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker, according to a statement on his official website.

“We are thrilled to announce that Andy and Brooklyn Decker are engaged to be married,” the statement read.

The tennis player, 25, proposed to 20-year-old Decker — a model who has appeared in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition — in early March.

“The couple wanted to tell their family and close friends first but good news travels fast,” according to the statement. “By the time Andy arrived in Miami for the Sony Ericsson Open, the tournament was bustling with the news.”

The two — who met in NYC last year — have yet to set a date.

“With their hectic travel schedules, Andy and Brooklyn plan to enjoy their engagement,” the statement read.

Madonna is jumping to Britney Spears’ defense — again.

In a new interview with America’s Vanity Fair magazine, the pop superstar — who recently said she wants to “go save” the Toxic singer — called Spears’ situation “very painful”.

“When you think about the way people treat each other in Africa, about witchcraft and people inflicting cruelty and pain on each other, then come back here and, you know, people taking pictures of people when they’re in their homes, being taken to hospitals, or suffering, and selling them, getting energy from them, that’s a terrible infliction of cruelty. So who’s worse off?” she asked.

The Material Girl singer — who’s married to ‘Snatch’ director Guy Ritchie — also opened up about her Detroit upbringing, admitting, “I didn’t fit into the popular group.

“I wasn’t a hippie or a stoner, so I ended up being the weirdo,” she added. “I was interested in classical ballet and music, and the kids were quite mean if you were different. I was one of those people that people were mean to.”

But rather than wailing in self-pity, she said she “decided to emphasize my differences. I didn’t shave my legs. I had hair growing under my arms. I refused to wear makeup, or fit the ideal of what a conventionally pretty girl would look like. So of course I was tortured even more.”

But she said it “further validated my superiority, and helped me to survive and say, ‘I’m getting out of here, and everyone is a heathen in this school!’”

Madonna’s new album, Hard Candy, is out April 29.

Amy Winehouse is “carrying the torch for rock ‘n’ roll”, says former Guns ‘N’ Roses guitarist Slash — who believes the troubled star is way more dangerous than any of the current crop of hard rocking bands.

He said: “Amy’s cool, she’s carrying the torch for rock ‘n’ roll.

“I think she’s great, not so much because of her personal choices, but because she’s a great singer with a unique sound and style. And she doesn’t take any shit.”

The 42-year-old rocker — himself a reformed alcoholic and drug addict — has warned Amy, 24, to steer clear of drugs if she wants to become a true legend.

He told The Playlist: “She’s on the verge of greatness, but it would be regrettable if her talent was overshadowed by her extra-curricular activities.

“She’s at a crossroads, I hope she makes the right decision.”

Tragic actor Heath Ledger may have fathered a secret love child who could make a claim on his estate, it has emerged.

The ‘Brokeback Mountain’ star’s family say he had an affair with a woman of 25 when he was a 17-year-old schoolboy in his home city of Perth, Western Australia.

And Ledger’s mistress — who is now married with a family — discovered she was pregnant with a girl after their relationship ended.

The Hollywood star’s uncle, Hadyn, told Sydney’s Daily Telegraph newspaper: “There is a very real possibility that Heath was the father.”

If it is confirmed that Ledger, 28, is the girl’s biological father, it could split his multi-million dollar estate between his two-year-old daughter Matilda Rose by his ex, actress Michelle Williams, and his secret love child.

Ledger, who died alone in his New York apartment in January from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs, drew up his will before the birth of Matilda, on whom he doted.