NO. 5'S NO. 1: Nicole Kidman has been announced as the new international face of Chanel No.5. The Sydney Sun-Herald in Australia reported that Kidman will be paid about $8.5 million for the gig, which her Australian publicist, Wendy Day, called "a great accolade for her." Day, however, could not confirm the latest speculation that Kidman was preparing to announce her engagement to Lenny Kravitz, as was reported in the London Daily Mail.

SIMON SPEARED: Britney Spears told Britain's ITV1 "This Morning" show that if she were an aspiring pop star, she wouldn't put up with the putdowns of "American Idol" judge Simon Cowell. "I would take his advice and whatever he said and tell him to shove it," she said. Not that the pop princess, 21, is dissing the entire "American Idol" phenomenon. "I think it's inspiring for kids," she said. "I think people watch that and it gives them hope. You see these kids, they're hungry and they're inspired and they're motivated."

NIXON SPLIT: Cynthia Nixon, 37, and her companion of 16 years, photographer Danny Mozes, have separated, a rep for the "Sex and the City" star confirmed to New York's Daily News. "Cynthia and Danny were both growing apart," the rep tells the paper, explaining that the two actually split sometime earlier this year. "It was discussions they were having." The couple have a daughter, Samantha, 7, and a son, Charlie, born last Dec. 16. The rep went on to say, "There was no third party involved. It was amicable. They are both committed and focused on the children."

JINX NIXED: "Catwoman" star Halle Berry, 37, will not be doffing the orange bikini she made famous as Jinx, the American super spy in the last James Bond movie, "Die Another Day," Variety reported. MGM has shelved the idea of a spin-off with Berry's character, which was to have been produced before the next Pierce Brosnan-007 outing. Instead, says Variety, MGM is moving ahead with the 21st Bond film, set to begin shooting in 2005.

SIZEMORE SENTENCE: In a role he probably didn't bargain for, actor Tom Sizemore was sentenced on Monday to six months in jail for beating up his former girlfriend, onetime "Hollywood Madam" Heidi Fleiss, reported Reuters. Sizemore, 41, best known for "Saving Private Ryan" and "Black Hawk Down," was convicted in August of domestic violence, making criminal threats and harassing Fleiss during their stormy one-year relationship.