LAST LAUGH?: Details editor in chief Dan Peres has been beaten up in the blogosphere and in print for deciding to put Kevin Federline on the magazine's cover for the second time in two years. But it appears Peres' move was a shrewd one: he said the December issue featuring the baby daddy to Britney Spears is on track to sell more than 75,000 copies, nearly 15,000 above K-Fed's March 2005 issue. That's a respectable sale for a guy who has been panned as one of the bigger losers of pop culture, but whom Details called one of "America's new parental role models" in its December Power List. Though Federline, a fledgling rapper and party promoter, is best known for marrying (and divorcing) one of the biggest former pop stars in the country, his image as a doting father has grown as his ex-wife becomes increasingly strange with every incident of head shaving, clothing removal and erratic driving reported in the press. "K-Fed is certainly relevant and that's indisputable," said Peres.

Federline's popularity, Peres added, also speaks to the bigger theme of how even the most grotesque celebrities have become a larger part of mainstream news. "That sort of tabloid nature of the news is permeating so many aspects of our culture, from watching Paris Hilton being released from prison as if it were hostages being released with Jesse Jackson brokering the deal, or how the death of Anna Nicole Smith got more coverage than the death of [former president] Gerald Ford."

But Federline's appeal to the consumer isn't as strong as other Details cover models — the August issue featuring Daniel Radcliffe will likely be its best seller of the year. The issue, the first Details cover by photographer Steven Klein, banked 91,000 copies, compared with 73,000 copies for the August 2006 issue. And sticking with a winning idea, the January/February issue will boast another grown up young star: "High School Musical" actor Zac Efron.
— Stephanie D. Smith

LIKE, THE CONSTITUTION IS SOOO HOT: Paris Hilton, First Amendment issue? Well, it's about to be argued in court. Hilton sued Hallmark Cards Inc. in U.S. district court in California in September for using her likeness without permission after it produced cards titled "Paris' First Day as a Waitress," and used a photograph of her face superimposed on a waitress' body. The cards also include Hilton's catchphrase, "That's hot!", which Hilton had trademarked for use on apparel. The cards were part of a new line released in the summer that included a number of celebrities and politicians such as Donald Trump, Rachael Ray, Tom Cruise, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and others. Hilton believed that Hallmark misappropriated her image and invaded her privacy with the card, and sought damages said to be in the six figures, based on profits Hallmark earned on the cards at $2.49 a pop.