Spears, Aguilera trade barbs

New York — Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera aren’t exactly in the same Mickey Mouse Club anymore.

The pop stars, who both kissed Madonna a few months ago during a performance at the MTV Video Music Awards, are now trading insults about each other.

In the December issue of Blender magazine, Aguilera said of Spears, “She seemed very distant, even during rehearsals. … She seems to me like a lost little girl, someone who desperately needs guidance.”

Spears responds in the magazine’s January issue. She relates a story about seeing Aguilera, her former friend and fellow Mouseketeer, for the first time in two years: “She comes up to me in a club in front of all these people and tries to put her tongue down my throat!

“I say, ‘It’s good to see you,’ and she goes, ‘Well, you’re not being real with me.’ I was like, ‘Well, Christina, what’s your definition of real? Going up to girls and kissing them after you haven’t seen them for two years?'”

Jackson, Nation of Islam linked

Los Angeles — Members of the Nation of Islam have begun playing a role in Michael Jackson’s affairs, The Associated Press has learned, although the controversial group denies having any official part in the pop star’s life.

Sources inside the Jackson camp, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Nation of Islam members have handled security at the singer’s Neverland ranch and have begun taking over some of his business affairs since he was accused of committing lewd acts on a child.

The group responded Monday: “The Nation of Islam, in response to several inquiries, has said today that it has no official business or professional relationship with Mr. Michael Jackson. The Nation of Islam joins thousands of other people in wishing him well.”

‘Home Improvement’ actor dies

New York — Actor Earl Hindman, best known for playing a neighbor whose face was forever obscured by a fence on the television show “Home Improvement,” died of lung cancer Monday in Stamford, Conn. He was 61.

As Wilson, the neighbor of Tim Allen’s character on the long-running sitcom, Hindman dispensed folksy advice from behind a white picket fence, with only his eyes and forehead visible to audiences.

Before appearing on the show, he played Detective Lt. Bob Reid for 16 years on the daytime drama “Ryan’s Hope.”

Delivery for Paris Hilton?

Washington — That’d be stuffed crust for Paris Hilton. And don’t skimp on the Cinna Stix.

Yep, the hotel heiress’s name has become so chiseled on the American psyche that “Paris Hilton” is the No. 1 fake name used by people calling for pizza delivery, according to a survey of Domino’s Pizza drivers in Washington.

The survey also reveals that people who answer the door nude tip more than 20 percent, while folks in jammies give only 2 percent.