Doherty released after drug suspicion arrest

London – Pete Doherty was released Tuesday without being charged with breaching his bail conditions after authorities failed to get him to court on time.

Doherty, who has been undergoing court-ordered rehabilitation treatment, was arrested Monday in east London on suspicion of possessing drugs, police said.

The charge of breaching his bail conditions was dismissed because the 28-year-old rocker had not been brought to court within 24 hours, said prosecutor Anjulika Vatish.

“The court has no jurisdiction to deal with this matter anymore,” she said at West London Magistrates’ Court.

Doherty, best known as the off-on boyfriend of Kate Moss, has admitted possessing crack cocaine, heroin, cannabis and ketamine, as well as to two driving offenses.

TV Guide Network signs Joey Fatone as co-host

New York – Joey Fatone has signed on for red-carpet duty as co-host with Lisa Rinna of TV Guide Network’s red-carpet coverage of major awards shows.

Their first gig together: the Emmy Awards on Sept. 16.

“Joey is a top-notch professional with a natural likeability and great sense of humor, all of which are essential attributes of a red-carpet host,” said TV Guide Network President Ryan O’Hara in a statement Tuesday.

“He will be a terrific complement to Lisa, who is also incredibly charismatic and brings a wealth of fashion savvy and insight,” O’Hara said.

West calls Timberlake ‘biggest inspiration’

New York – Kanye West considers a certain “SexyBack” singer his biggest rival.

“My biggest inspiration and biggest competition is Justin Timberlake,” the 29-year-old rapper tells XXL magazine in its October issue, on newsstands Sept. 11. “He’s the only other person that gets an across-the-board response and respect level – black radio, white radio.”

“If Justin hadn’t come out and killed the game, I can’t say that my album, singles and videos would be on the same level that they’re on,” he says. “We push each other. I look at me and Justin like Prince and Michael Jackson in their day.”

A sly dig at 50 Cent? Earlier this month, the 31-year-old gangsta rapper, whose real name is Curtis James Jackson, promised to quit his solo career if West’s new album, “Graduation,” outsells his upcoming CD, “Curtis.” Both albums are due out Sept. 11.

“I feel like my lyrics are, if not THE, then equal to, the realest lyrics out,” he says.

Linney gets engaged to boyfriend Marc Schaue

New York – Laura Linney and her boyfriend, Marc Schauer, are engaged, a spokeswoman for the actress said Tuesday.

No additional details were available.

It will be the second marriage for Linney, who was previously wed to David Adkins.

Linney, 43, co-stars with Scarlett Johansson in “The Nanny Diaries,” in theaters Friday. Her wide-ranging film resume includes Oscar-nominated roles in “Kinsey” and “You Can Count on Me.”

Gwen Stefani covers up for show in Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Gwen Stefani was a good girl, just like she promised.

The 37-year-old pop star wowed fans in Muslim-majority Malaysia on Tuesday, performing in costumes that showed almost no skin after Islamic critics claimed that her revealing clothes could corrupt the country’s youth.

She burst onto the stage wearing a black leotard under a white short-sleeved shirt and black-and-white striped hot pants suit, with black gloves up to her elbows.

“I am very inspired tonight,” Stefani told some 7,000 cheering fans at an indoor stadium.

Stefani had promised to dress modestly after the 10,000-member National Union of Malaysian Muslim Students charged that her skimpy outfits and cheeky performances clashed with Islamic values.

Harper Lee breaks usual public silence

Montgomery, Ala. – Pulitzer Prize-winning author Harper Lee is a woman of few words and generally avoids media interviews and public appearances.

But the author of “To Kill a Mockingbird” broke her silence briefly Monday at a ceremony inducting four new members, including former home-run king Hank Aaron, into the Alabama Academy of Honor. Lee, who lives in Monroeville, is a member of the academy, which honors living Alabamians, and was in the audience for Monday’s ceremony.

At the end of the ceremony, Academy of Honor chairman Tom Carruthers joked with Lee, saying he knew she had something she wanted to say to the crowd.

“Well, it’s better to be silent than to be a fool,” Lee said.

Federline lands role on CW show ‘One Tree Hill’

Wilmington, N.C. – K-Fed is going ‘Tree’ climbing.

Kevin Federline will guest star in a series of shows in the upcoming season of the CW’s “One Tree Hill.” The aspiring rapper will portray a cocky rock singer, said a publicist for the show.

The ex Mr. Britney Spears is scheduled to begin filming later this week in Wilmington, where the series is filmed. He’ll appear in a multi-episode story arc.

A spokeswoman for Federline did not immediately return an after-hours message seeking comment. The Web site TMZ.com first reported that Federline would appear in “One Tree Hill.”

This season, the show’s fifth, the characters will age more than four years from last season.