Reliable Source columnists Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts were online Wednesday, Feb. 21, at Noon ET to discuss your favorite gossip, what you thought about their recent columns or who you want to see them writing about in future ones.

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A transcript follows.

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Amy Argetsinger: Today in The Reliable Source: Britney's shaved head apparently a cry for help, and not the fashion statement we were hoping for; she checked herself into rehab yesterday. Jack Kent Cooke's little girl wishes she had daddy's old football team to run. Tom Brady is at least saying the right thing when it comes to Bridget Moynahan's pregnancy. Earlier this week: The former prime minister of Spain blew off a G'town luncheon crowd; Henry Rollins tried but failed to move back to D.C., despite the influx of "Sting fans"; one AI finalist is a hottie out of Catholic U and another might be a Fort Meade gal; the Inn at Little Washington breakup cost a LOT of $$$; and Madeleine Albright gets $40 in quarters stolen from her Mercedes. Also: We gauged the odds in the big Anna Nicole Smith babydaddy competition, and told you what's true and what's make-believe in the new FBI spy thriller "Breach."

Bookmark us at www.washingtonpost.com/reliablesource, e-mail us at reliablesource@washpost.com, and send us your comments and questions right here and right now.

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Kensington, Md.: So, what are y'all gonna wear to the party after Dana Priest and Anne Hull when the Pulitzer? Will it be business attire or evening? I vote for evening dress. You'll be celebrating.

Roxanne Roberts: It's interesting to see how fast the brass responded, isn't it? Kudos for Dana and Anne, but the real winners are the soldiers and their families. That, my friends, is the power of serious, reported journalism.

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Pittsburgh: Tristan and Ryan Sutter (from The Bachelorette) -- married 3 years and now expecting a child. And they said it wouldn't last. And a spokesperson for Britney Spears assures everyone that her children are being well-cared-for while she's in rehab. My goodness, I doubt they would even remember who she is at this point, she seems to have spent little time with either of them in the past several months.

Amy Argetsinger: Whew, finally some questions... Sorry for the delay, folks, a technical difficulty was preventing them from coming through...

A big congratulations to Trista and Ryan, who met on "The Bachelorette" and now appear poised to beat Rob and Amber to create the world's first reality-TV baby. In the news reports today there doesn't seem to be any information about whether a five-part series will document the birth -- we can only hope, I guess.

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Treviso, Italy: What is Jackie Kent Cooke up to these days?

Roxanne Roberts: Funny you should ask. She's the subject of our column today. We'll post a link for you, Treviso.

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Washington: So Britney shaved her head ... is this a cry for help or merely a publicity stunt? K-Fed is looking more and more normal these days...

Amy Argetsinger: Well, silly me -- over the weekend, I was ready to proclaim that Britney's head-shaving, far from a "cry for help," was actually the coolest and most interesting thing she's done in years. (Will post a link to my story about her from Sunday.) But within hours she was hiding her Sinead 'do under a fright wig, and I began to suspect that maybe she didn't know what the hell she was doing. Sure enough: Yesterday, her family whisked her into rehab.

You don't have to like her music or her persona or anything to feel pretty bad for her. History will reflect that it rarely works out well for former child stars.

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washingtonpost.com: Jacqueline Kent Cooke, Auditing Trusts and Estates 101 (Post, Feb. 21)

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Washington: In regards to Britney, I think we have all read plenty about her hair. My big question, which was briefly mentioned by he esteemed Ms. Argetsinger this weekend, is what is the deal with a cross country flight in coach? Did this really happen? I assume not on Jet Blue?

washingtonpost.com: The New Fashion Cue: Britney Shears (Post, Feb. 18)

Amy Argetsinger: The latest I heard (either in US or People, so you know it's true) is that she didn't actually plan on flying coach. She arrived for the flight really late, after the boarding ramp had been pulled up, and almost missed it, and only got back on after begging and pleading, and then there was nowhere else to sit but the back row of coach.

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Arlington, Va.: For those of us young 'uns: How big of a deal was Jack Kent Cooke before he died? And he only left his daughter $5 million when he was worth more than $1 billion?!

Roxanne Roberts: Jack was one of those larger-than-life figures in town, best known for the Redskins, of course, but also his affairs with the much younger Suzanne (Jacqueline's mother) and then her friend, Marlena, who he married. As rich as he was, he never shared the wealth, so it's not that surprising that he left so little to his kids. And that $5 million? She doesn't even get it in a lump sum---just 8 percent of the income after she's 35 years old. Nothing to sneeze at. of course, but hardly living in the style he was accustomed to....

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Washington: Hi. Guess who was spotted getting a pre-Oscar good luck kiss? Jamie Foxx was seen at a Las Vegas party making out and dirty dancing with Victoria Rowell, who plays Drucilla on CBS daytime drama "The Young and the Restless." They were also spotted leaving together around 4 a.m., albeit in separate cars.

Amy Argetsinger: Wow, are you a publicist? Because you've got that kind of cutesy flair that they use when they're trying to plant items.... Indeed, a couple of published reports have linked Jamie Foxx to Victoria Rowell, though I can't vouch for this particular sighting. Our colleague Keith Alexander (who chronicled D.C. club owner Marc Barnes party-throwing skills in Vegas) saw them at the same party but notes that they arrived separately. Is it possible to leave together in separate cars? At any rate, Keith didn't stay that late, and who knows, there were a lot of parties going on that weekend.

Keith also notes, sagely, that "since Foxx isn't nominated for an Oscar this year, I don't know how much of a good luck kiss it would have been."

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washingtonpost.com: Lighting Up Vegas, D.C. Style: Marc Barnes Brings the Love for All-Star Weekend (Post, Feb. 20)

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Washington: I lived in New England for five years, much of which were in Tom Brady's reign. Why didn't he have an illegitimate child with me? I don't really want the baby, just the baby-makin'. How do you think Gisele feels about this? A woman who looks like that can't feel threatened by much, but would think this would do it!

Roxanne Roberts: Now, now. So cynical. And frankly, Gisele is the last person on the totem pole here: First the baby, then mom Bridget (who either got pregnant and Tom broke up with her OR got pregnant on purpose to force a proposal after three years together)and then the surprised father-to-be. The supermodel been's dating him what..two months? Hard to drum up much concern for her.

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Bowie, Md.: Next time you guys are on a plane and Ralph Fiennes tries to talk to you, what do you do? What do you do?!

Amy Argetsinger: Wow, it depends on so many things, I guess. Like, how long the bathroom lines are.

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Washington, D.C.: Where do Melissa Stark and Soledad O'Brien get their hair cut? I'm thinking about either one of their haircuts. I thought about the Greta or the Nancy, but they're out.

Amy Argetsinger: Wahoowa -- Melissa Stark went to U.Va.! But I don't know what kind of haircut she or Soledad are sporting these days, probably on account of my not having cable. You do NOT want the Nancy haircut, whether we're talking Grace or O'Dell.

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Blech: Did anyone capture your fancy on "Idol" last night? Frankly, I thought that most of them were pretty dull and personality-free. The Jack Osborne look-alike was good, and I was surprised in a pleasant way by the human beat box, who, it turns out, actually can sing pretty well. The rest, though, were overwhelmingly unspectacular. I hope there's some more talent and personality in the women because if this is the best they've got, it's going to be a long season.

Amy Argetsinger: Right now the human-beat box guy is my favorite, especially when he's not beatboxing. Sounded a little like Thom Yorke of Radiohead, don't you think? Except in a kind of cleaner, less angsty, more commercial kind of way.... The women can only be better than the men, don't you think? It's hard to believe that our next American Idol stands amid this group.

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Minneapolis: But doesn't Britney have a private jet? Somehow I got the impression that she was running away from her handlers or something, and she tried to get on the next flight to L.A. I know that I read she took a private jet from New York to Florida last week.

Roxanne Roberts: Don't think she owns one: Probably leases one for tours and vacations, and hitches rides with all sorts of corporate types, but jets are very expensive to have sitting around. My guess is that this was so last minute she couldn't arrange something private in advance.

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Amy Argetsinger: Confidential to our B.Dalton tipster: That's a delightful story. We'd like to confirm it, though, and report it out as a possible item. Could you please please please e-mail us at reliablesource@washpost.com? Your anonymity guaranteed, etc.

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Los Angeles: I find it fascinating that Brittany Spears and Ryan Gosling were both in the Mouseketeers together as kids. Now he's up for an Oscar -- and she wants to look like one!

Amy Argetsinger: Ha ha ha! Oh, that's good.

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Anonymous: Congratulations to Trista and Ryan. But curious, have any of the people on The Bachelor ever actually gone through with it and gotten married?

Amy Argetsinger: Uh, no. In fact, most of those "Bachelor" courtships last shorter than a mayfly's after the cameras are turned off. The latest reports I've seen indicate that "Prince Lorenzo" who starred on the last season, had broken up with the "winner" within weeks and had taken up with her runner-up.

Interestingly, though, it seemed like one of those relationships was enduring -- Jerry O'Connell's brother, who starred sometime in 2005, was still dating his rose ceremony honey the last I heard. (which admittedly was ages ago)

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Washington: Yesterday on my way to work I saw some people setting up a table with coffee and fruit and pastries in the driveway of the Georgetown Four Seasons. I know it's really a posh hotel and all, but do they usually put on a spread for the limo drivers?

Roxanne Roberts: Not typical that we're aware of, but very thoughtful of someone.

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Richmond, Va.: According to Gawker, Britney's checked out of rehab. Again. Can't someone just lock her in a recording studio?

Amy Argetsinger: Would that really be the best course for mankind?

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Herndon, Va.: I just want to say this about the new, bald Britney -- I, uh ... still "would."

Amy Argetsinger: All right then!

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Wait: What is this about Dana Priest and Anne Hull and a Pulitzer?

washingtonpost.com: Soldiers Face Neglect, Frustration At Army's Top Medical Facility (Post, Feb. 18)

Amy Argetsinger: Check out their excellent series on Walter Reed.

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I Tried!: Ladies, because you have in the past complained about how people ask you about Tom, but no one ever asks Tom about you, I attempted to ask Tom where he would take you two to lunch. Alas, he did not post my question, and the answer shall not be known. All I can say is that I tried. On with the baldness and rehab...

Amy Argetsinger: Thanks. It's nice to know that SOMEone cares.

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Dulles, Va.: London's Daily Mail claims that Britney said she shaved off her hair because "she thought lice were eating her hair extensions." Do lice eat hair extensions? Do lice even eat regular hair? Won't the lice still be on the hair that's being sold on eBay? I was going to buy a lock or two, but I don't want lice all up on my mantle.

Roxanne Roberts: Eewwwwwwwwwwww.

Eewwwwwwwwwwww.

Eewwwwwwwwwwww.

Even though it's probably, kinda, unlikely, so not true.

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Philadelphia: Only a few more days until the Oscars -- you have any new predictions or do you still think Casino Royale will win on a write-in vote?

Amy Argetsinger: This has turned into a surprisingly difficult year for the Oscars. Best Picture is almost a toss-up -- The Departed, Babel, and Little Miss Sunshine all seem to have a shot. The acting categories seemed locked-in at first (Mirren, Whitaker, Hudson, Murphy), but... can the academy really pass up its maybe-last chance to honor Peter O'Toole (who has never won before)? And did Eddie Murphy just shoot his chances to hell by releasing "Norbit"?

You know what else should be in there? "Children of Men." That's a movie we'll still be watching 10 years from now; not sure about the others.

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Springfield, Mass.: I heard Don Imus call Amy cute yesterday morning on MSNBC. What I really want to know though is -- is Tucker Carlson the nice guy he seems like? I watch you both (when you are both on) on his show every Friday. Looks like fun.

Roxanne Roberts: She IS cute, and Tucker is a nice guy. Thanks for the kudos.

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Washington by way of New York: When is the Corcoran Ball? I recently moved to Washington and was told by a new friend that this is the "highlight of the Washington winter social season". She's kind of social-climber-y, but if this is true I want to snag an invite. So when and where is it? And can I get in?

Amy Argetsinger: It's March 2. Rox, do you know anything else?

Roxanne Roberts: The ball was traditionally one of the best in Washington and has always been drop-dead gorgeous, but has had a few shaky years as the gallery attempted to grow and compete for all those donor dollars---many of the bold face names (senators, cabinet, diplomats) haven't shown up recently. But there's a new, vibrant director who is reinventing the place, and we'll see what happens.

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Mount Vernon, Va.: Happy President's Day Weekend. In the spirit of presidents, do you guys ever ponder which president's administration, gossip-wise, would have been the most fun to cover?

Amy Argetsinger: Well, despite our recent fondness for the Wilson administration... no doubt the Kennedy years would have been fun.

Roxanne Roberts: Dolley Madison sounded fun. Ditto for Teddy Roosevelt.

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Bethesda, Md.: In light of the Anna Nicole saga, can you help me with the definition of "bombshell?" Are we talking about figure (the traditional bombshell shape) or visual impact? Does one have to be a blonde to be a bombshell, or do you media folk just like the alliteration? Now I hear Britney being described as a bombshell, so does that make her a Bald Bombshell?

Amy Argetsinger: Good point. Maybe "bombshell" is a cliche that needs to be retired. Wonder where that phrase came from?

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Kent Cooke: She can't live off of $50,000 a year? Wah, wah, wah ... maybe she can take a tip from the rest of the world who paid for college on much less than $10,000: get a job.

Roxanne Roberts: It's all, as they say, relative. Sure, she can get a job. But if your dad was worth more than a BILLION dollars and intended you to have enough money for tuition for a private college and living expenses, then it's not much. The money is there and the fact is that she's fighting to get what he left her....and you would probably do the same if you were in her shoes.

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Cute Amy: And perky, too. Perky as all get-out.

Roxanne Roberts: True, but Katie Couric hates it when people call her perky. Amy?

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Southeast Washington: I have been weighing the pros and cons of giving up drinking for Lent. Still undecided. Is it worth it? I mean, how can one go 46 days without alcohol? Especially in this city?

Amy Argetsinger: Wait -- I thought Lent was only 40 days. It's 46 days??? Then I am DEFINITELY not giving up alcohol. And I advise you to come up with something else as well.

How about your CrackBerry -- could you give that up?

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Amy Argetsinger: I am so not perky.

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WWW.ReliableSourceBookMarks.Com: What are your must-read blogs and Web sites?

Amy Argetsinger: Hmmm... I mostly read Slate, nerdy journalism-gossip aggregators, "The Wire" fansites and Oscar-buzz blogs. My favorite blogs have a way of dying after I've bookmarked them. There was this excellent one called "Veiled Conceit" which every week dissected the New York Times weddings announcements, but he mysteriously stopped posting last spring. Must have gotten a life or something. There was another one that gave tough-love dating advice (First Date DC) to hopeless locals, but the authors seem to have burned out.

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Bald Britany: What a disappointment. I had hopes that she'd start singing Prince tunes and refusing to sing the National Anthem and telling the Pope where to go.

Amy Argetsinger: Word. Thought this was just the career turnaround she needed.

Breaking news: There are now reports that Britney has already checked out of the rehab clinic she checked into yesterday. Maybe it was an accelerated program?

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Washington: Was the "poor," lonely and available soul Jim Kimsey advertising himself in The Post a few weeks ago? Oh, I have a mansion, and then I have this outhouse in the back that I renovated into another mansion with a great, romantic view. I'm surprised The Post didn't provide his number or e-mail.

washingtonpost.com: Falling for Mr. Wright: Jim Kimsey Rescued an Architectural Gem, and Eventually Loved It (Post, Feb. 8)

Roxanne Roberts: Trust me: Jim does just fine without our help.

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Virginia: What was it like interviewing Henry Rollins? I can't believe he'd actually consider living in Northern Virginia.

Amy Argetsinger: Henry Rollins was fantastic to interview. He's got a lot to say, and pretty much everything he says is an intricately reasoned-out and wittily articulated quote. I mean, the thing about Ballston being overrun by "Sting fans"? Pretty much every utterance is that good. I was doing a lot of typing.

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Bombshell: According to the Oxford English Dictionary: blonde bomb-shell, a fair-haired person, esp. a woman, of startling vitality or physique. Cited in the 1942 American Thesaurus of Slang.

Amy Argetsinger: Thanks!

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Vienna, Va.: Isn't Britney almost out of money by now? Spendthrift husband, divorce lawyers, rehab, children, the nightlife, nannies ... it's all pretty expensive ... just wondering.

Amy Argetsinger: I've been wondering the same thing. Hopefully she's had better money-managers than other teen wonders (i.e. Michael Jackson)

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Washington: So, is it true that the casual sex habits of college girls are a national scourge, as your colleague Ms. Sessions Stepp says? I for one think that it is good that the young women of America are, if I read your newspaper correctly, easy. Of course, I am a single twentysomething guy.

washingtonpost.com: Love's Labor's Lost: What Young Women Are Saying About Their Aversion to Emotional Ties (Post, Feb. 14)

Amy Argetsinger: We urge our readers to decide for themselves.

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Reston, Va.: Tucker may be "cute" but he's also a dork ... tell him to get a haircut and to stop pretending to be cool. He's not cool, and that's okay -- he's not supposed to be.

Roxanne Roberts: We'll pass that on. Bow ties rule!

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Veiled Conceit: Maybe he got married in a huge blow-out dog and pony show at the Plaza and didn't want to risk killing what remained of his soul.

Amy Argetsinger: True -- maybe he was implicated in the kind of wedding he always mocked, and realized he could never face his fans again.

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Hopping with the Stars: So Heather Mills is going to be a contestant on Dancing with the Stars? Dueling emotions! She has one leg, so I want to root for her, but she's a gold-digging shrew who hurt the cutest of the still-breathing Beatles. Thoughts?

Roxanne Roberts: What fun! One one hand.....(we can still say that, right?)

Anyway, this strikes me a Fergie move. She will either win over the Yanks or confirm all those horrible rumors about her.

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Washington: Why can't Suzy Cooke foot some of the tuition bill? She's the other parent.

Roxanne Roberts: Point taken. Then again, many children of former billionaires don't need mom's income (or lack thereof) because dad left enough money to cover the bills. Messy business, all this.

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Washington: Jack Kent Cooke leaving his daughter only $5 million was bad, but just as bad or worse is that he left his son John with more -- but really less, because he wasn't given the Redskins and wasn't able to buy the Redskins outright himself, and had to scrape together a partnership that eventually lost. He pretty much made his son look like a inadequate fool. I seriously doubt if Dan Snyder will give the 'Skins away when he goes.

Amy Argetsinger: I miss the Cookes. Not that Dan Snyder's not a lot of fun, but they did give us a lot to talk about.

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Virginia: So in the same week that Christina Aguilera is headlining the NBA all-star game in Las Vegas, Britney is taking a coach flight, shaving her hair, getting a tattoo and going into rehab. Guessing Christina won?

Roxanne Roberts: Girl fight! Yes, Christina won big-time.

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Bald Britney: Poor dear thing. If not for the head-shaving breakdown we never would have known she has such a thick neck. Do you think Mandy Moore is sitting back, just laughing and laughing? She didn't have Britney's success as a singer but she sure has done better as an actress and, um, sane person.

Amy Argetsinger: Oh, the schadenfreude is thick today, isn't it?

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Lent: I gave up drinking for Lent a couple years ago -- actually I didn't mean to, but I gave up beverages with calories in them, so alcohol went too. It wasn't that bad. It was much harder the year I gave up cheese.

Amy Argetsinger: Giving up cheese -- wow. Might as well give up TV.

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Vatican City: Lent is 40 days. Sundays you have off to remind yourselves of what you are giving up. So enjoy!

Amy Argetsinger: Which means.... we can drink on Sundays? Sorry -- hate to bring the chat into the big theological debates.

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Salt Lake City: Roxanne, shame on you for throwing your son under the bus with that story last weekend on "Wait, Wait...". Is he still speaking to you?

Roxanne Roberts: The hiss? He's cool, because he really does a spectacular hiss. Learned it from my late 17-year-old Siamese, who was appalled when we got two boy Siamese kittens and gave them hell every chance she could.

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Re: The "Nancy" Haircut: I'm thinking she meant the Pelosi. Or maybe the Reagan....

Amy Argetsinger: Oh, okay.

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The cutest of the still-breathing Beatles?: Nothing against Paul, but Ringo's still pretty cute, too. Chacun a son gout!

Amy Argetsinger: I've said it before and I'll say it again: Ringo is most underrated Beatle. Ever seen "A Hard Day's Night"? He was hot.

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Vienna, VA: Not just Michael -- Gary Coleman, Home Alone guy, Judy Garland ... so sad how many once-bright stars die broke. As they say, the higher you go the harder the fall. I guess the lesson is be careful what you wish for ... at least it helps keeps us (potential) stage mothers in check...

Amy Argetsinger: Fame is a terrible thing for a kid.... Our colleague Bill Booth had an excellent profile this weekend of Jackie Earle Haley, who was a teen-idol star of "The Bad News Bears" 30 years ago who fell very hard before his recent comeback (an Oscar nomination for "Little Children")... He says being famous at that age really messes with you; it forms your self-identity, and when it's gone you have no sense of self.

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Kalorama: I would love to hear about the infamous "Green Book" if you have any details...

Amy Argetsinger: It's... a whole lot less titillating than you think. Mostly a phone directory of old-money people who don't necessarily have the money anymore and who you probably haven't heard of. But it's fun to browse through. Details like maiden names and what colleges/prep schools the kids go to.

Roxanne Roberts: Or folks who don't want you to know who they are. There are still of few of those around, believe it or not.

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Roxanne Roberts: Another day, another rehab. Join us next week when we'll chat about the latest a)meltdown, b)custody battle, or c)guilty plea. In the meanwhile, sent your tips to reliablesource@washpost.com. And everybody: Don't shave your head. Please.

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