'Boyfriend' Trouble for Avril?

'Boyfriend' Trouble for Avril?

Two songwriters have filed a federal lawsuit alleging that pop star Avril Lavigne's hit song "Girlfriend" is a rip-off of their song "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend," originally performed by their band, the Rubinoos, in the late 1970s.

"We are not so naive as to chalk it up to some sort of cosmic coincidence," said co-plaintiff Tommy Dunbar on Thursday. "The lyric, the meter, the rhythm -- they're identical." Dunbar first filed the suit in May with fellow writer James Gangwer. Lavigne's manager, Terry McBride, said a professional musicologist who analyzed the two songs determined "there are no similarities at all; this case is baseless."

By early yesterday, almost half a million people had watched clips on YouTube highlighting the similarities between the songs, making those videos some of the most popular on the Web site.

The first court date in the case has been set for Aug. 28 in Oakland, Calif.

Paris Doesn't Live Here Anymore

A UCLA junior who unwittingly inherited Paris Hilton's old phone number five months ago says she's still getting calls from people trying to reach the hotel heiress -- including the Los Angeles Times, which called the student last week in hopes of getting quotes from Hilton.

Shira Barlow told the Times that she began receiving calls and text messages meant for Hilton -- usually between 2 and 4 a.m. on weekends, and mostly inquiring about the socialite's nightspots of choice -- just days after acquiring the phone number. In May, Barlow said, the calls took on a more serious and sympathetic tone after Hilton was sentenced to jail for violating probation.

Barlow said she has no plans to change numbers again, because the confusion is still amusing.

Jenna Ducks the Fax on Foie Gras

Following recent reports that Jenna Bush was spotted dining on foie gras, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals couldn't help but pipe up.

U.S. News and World Report's Paul Bedard reports that PETA President Ingrid Newkirk faxed a letter to the White House, addressed directly to the Bush twin, describing grisly conditions at duck farms and the sordid details of how her alleged dish likely made it to the table.

"Investigations at every foie gras farm in the U.S. and farms across Europe have documented sick, dead, and dying birds," Newkirk wrote. "Our investigator in New York state found ducks jammed into wire cages. Their beaks were bloody, and their wings were twisted together."

The White House said it never got the fax and had no comment, according to Bedard.

Partying With the Prez

President Bush turned 61 yesterday but celebrated on July 4 with a private party at the White House. Daughters Jenna and Barbara, as well as his parents, former president George H.W. Bush and wife Barbara, joined the celebration along with several PGA golfers in town for Tiger Woods's AT&T National tournament.

Love, Etc.

· Nelly Furtado is engaged to her sound engineer, Demacio "Demo" Castellon. The pair have been dating since working together on Furtado's album "Loose" last year; Castellon popped the question at the end of her recent tour.

· Rachael Ray's reps say she is not getting a divorce, despite rumors that she's had it with her hubby of two years, John Cusimano. Instead of planning to separate, Ray's reps said, the couple are enjoying a week of vacation at their getaway in the Hamptons.

-- Compiled by Marissa Newhall from wire and staff reports