NAMES & FACES

K-Fed Gets the Kids

After several weeks of relative calm in the child custody battle between Britney Spears and ex-husband Kevin Federline, lawyers for both said yesterday that a settlement has been reached, effectively ending the long, bitter case that was headed for trial next month.

Federline's attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, told several media organizations late Thursday that Federline will retain sole custody of Sean Preston, age 2 1/2 , and Jayden James, 22 months, with Spears retaining visitation rights that may increase over time. But Kaplan declined to discuss settlement terms outside a Los Angeles courthouse after a closed hearing yesterday, opting to wait until the agreement is officially filed with the court.

Spears's attorney, Laura Wasser, told the Associated Press that Spears will now have three visits a week with her sons, with at least two overnight visits. Spears was granted one overnight visitation per week late last month.

The settlement will bump Spears's monthly child support to Federline from $15,000 to $20,000, People magazine reported. Kaplan also demanded and received $250,000 for his work on the case, according to People.

Spears, 26, and Federline, 30, split in late 2006. They shared 50-50 custody after their widely watched divorce was finalized last year. Spears lost custody of her sons in January after two brief hospitalizations for psychiatric evaluation. Her estate has since been under court-ordered supervision of a conservatorship helmed by her father, Jamie Spears.

No Wedding Bells for Hayek

New mom Salma Hayek has called off her 16-month engagement to businessman Francois-Henri Pinault, AP reports.

In March of last year, the couple announced their plans to wed, and welcomed a daughter, Valentina Paloma Pinault, several months later. In a statement to AP, Hayek's publicist confirmed the split, saying there would be no further comment.

Pinault, 46, is the chief executive officer of the luxury goods company PPR SA, which owns high-end labels such as Gucci, Puma, Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent. Aside from acting, Hayek, 41, is one of the executive producers of ABC's "Ugly Betty" and the chief executive of Ventanazul, a production company she formed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Moving in a New Direction

Dancer and educator Gesel Mason, co-founder and artistic director of Capitol Heights-based Mason/Rhynes Productions, will be taking her solo show "No Boundaries: Dancing the Visions of Contemporary Black Choreographers" on the road during the 2008-'09 arts season.

On Thursday, the MetLife Foundation announced that Mason's show, which won two Metro DC Dance Awards in September, is one of six to receive funding as part of the New England Foundation for the Arts' National Dance Project (the MetLife Foundation donated $250,000 to fund the productions, as well as accompanying workshops and master classes around the country).

Mason will perform and do three-day residencies at Dance Place in Washington and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, as well as perform in Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania and at the National Black Arts Festival in Atlanta. No details about tour dates were immediately available.

End Quote

"I don't know why women do Botox. It doesn't make them look younger, it just makes them look like they had work done. You are not going to look the same as you did at 25. What are you going to do about it?" -- Julianne Moore, 47, calling out a group that includes many of her fellow Hollywood types, in an interview with Britain's Observer Magazine. Uh, we're guessing that means she doesn't do Botox.

-- Marissa Newhall, from wire, Web and staff reports