PEOPLE

Timberlake facing lawsuit from fan of the boy band

A 15-year-old girl has filed a suit against ‘N Sync heartthrob Justin Timberlake, accusing him of false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress in a St. Louis hotel after a Nov. 19 concert, reports E! Online.

Danielle McGuire says after Timberlake stiffed waiting fans in the Chase Park Plaza Hotel lobby, she yelled after him: “I like JC better anyway. He’s cuter,” a reference to his boy band colleague JC Chasez.

Ooooooh, them’s fightin’ words, Danielle!

According to McGuire’s lawyer, John Wallach, a security guard then took her by elevator to an upper floor, where Timberlake backed her against a wall and berated her for what she had said. The suit alleges that the security guard wouldn’t let McGuire tell her mother she was leaving the lobby.

Meanwhile, TV newsman Randy Jackson was allowed upstairs, where he says he saw Timberlake yelling at McGuire. When the singer saw the newsman, Jackson says, he limped away, saying his leg hurt.

Hmph. Girly-boy.

“We tried to resolve this quietly,” said McGuire’s lawyer. “But N Sync’s lawyer told me they weren’t interested.” The band’s lawyer and record label didn’t return calls.

A jury will determine damages in the suit if and when it goes to court.

Mind you, none of this seemed to bother Timberlake’s girlfriend, Britney Spears, who gave him a $35,000 watch for Christmas. Girls, in case you want to pick one up for your honey for Valentine’s Day, it’s one of the Nautilus line by Patek Philippe of Geneva, and features diamonds set about the face and encrusted into the 18-karat gold bracelet.

WERE MANDATORY MOVIE ROLES INCLUDED IN THE PRE-NUP?: Guy Ritchie gave his new wife a belated wedding gift the starring role in his next movie. “The Mole” is set to start shooting in March in London and would mean Madonna and her man-for-life (stop giggling!) could be together several months without the intrusion of separate work commitments. In the flick, the pop diva will play an American who gets caught up in an underworld battle to find a police snitch in one of the gangs. Ritchie, who directed “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” plus “Snatch,” is looking for two actors to play opposite his bride.

In other Madonna news, little Lourdes, 4, has taken up martial arts. Her security-conscious mom says it’s called judokai, “the only kind Guy approves of. It has been homogenized for people who are not remotely interested in the real discipline.” She also tells January’s InStyle mag that she’s not interested in the new husband getting in touch with his feminine side. “That’s my area of expertise,” Madonna said. “He can get in touch with my feminine side.”

IN LIP SYNC: Rosemary Clooney may be arguably one of the be-boppin’-est voices around, but nephew George Clooney didn’t inherit the crooning pipes. In fact, his warbling silenced even the Coen Brothers, who originally urged him to sing some old-time blues songs for their movie, “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” which debuts in Bay Area theaters Friday. “We were both staring at our shoes,” said Joel.

“I’m not my aunt,” Clooney said. “I decided it would be easier to just do a passionate lip-sync in the film.” The stubbly-chinned one isn’t the only one silently mouthing off: John Turturro’s yodel is entirely dubbed.

Meanwhile, it seems like a Clooney family Christmas, what with reruns of “White Christmas” starring his aunt, his cousin Miguel Ferrer playing a ruthless drug dealer in “Traffic,” and dad Nick still hosting on cable network AMC. Even nonprofessional relatives are in on the act: After Clooney got the “O Brother” script, he sent a tape recorder and script to his tobacco farmer uncle back in Danville, Ky. “I just did my Uncle Jack through the whole thing. So, he has a credit in the movie, Special Thanks to Jack Warren.'”

Clooney is also flying Uncle Jack out for the premiere, “He’s never been on a plane before and he’s never been to New York,” Clooney said. “So, we’re going to have a stretch limo pick him up, we’re going to drop him off at the Ziegfeld Theater for the premiere, it’s going to be amazing. It’s really going to be fun, it’s going to be cool, me and my Uncle Jack!”

NO PRETTY HORSES HERE: Steven Spielberg might want to beware next time he needs a neighborhood watch. His fellow Brentwood residents aren’t pleased about a five-story, 27,000-square-foot horse-riding ring he’s building for spouse and equine lover Kate Capshaw. “It’s just astounding and obnoxious,” said John Murdock, a land-use attorney retained by a half-dozen people who live near the proposed site. “They’re cutting out half the hillside to put in this riding ring the structure is completely alien to the area.”

The building is six times the size of a typical home and will probably cost more than $7 million, in addition to the $5.75 million real estate price tag. The couple won’t be living there, by the way, just the horses. Neighbors say they’ll fight the proposal, which would now require six zoning variances, and the first public squabbling will probably be at a Jan. 4 zoning administration hearing. Spielberg can appeal any decision to an area planning commission and the city council.

Today’s People Column was compiled by Vera H-C Chan from staff and wire reports. Comments? Write to us c/o the Times, P.O. Box 8099, Walnut Creek, CA 94596-8099. Or call 925-943-8262, fax 925-943-8362, or e-mail spin@cctimes.com.