Justin Bieber has apologized for giving the middle finger to a paparazzo after a fracas at his 17th birthday celebration Tuesday left girlfriend Selena Gomez with a fat lip.

The flipping-off incident was out of character for the generally jovial singer, whose freshly cut hair fetched $40,668 at auction. (The winning EBay bidder was an online casino.)

After the run-in, the Canadian-bred pop star tweeted that night that he "had a great bday and at the end of the night we got surrounded by paps and i reacted in a way i know better. im sorry #killthemwithkindness."

That reaction apparently included the middle finger.

"It's not always easy but I know better than to react in anger," he tweeted soon after. 

The Biebs got support Thursday from Whoopi Goldberg and Elizabeth Hasselbeck on "The View," with Whoopi noting, "Maybe they just really pissed him off."

After news about the altercation at the Grove spread Wednesday, rumors began to circulate on Twitter that an angry Bieber fan had punched Gomez, who mysteriously left the party with a puffy pucker.

Gomez's rep has since denied the claims, but the "#sorryjustin" hashtag continued to trend on the microblogging site.

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-- Nardine Saad
Twitter.com/NardineSaad

Photo: Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber arrive at the Vanity Fair Oscar party in West Hollywood on Sunday. Credit: Carlo Allegri / Associated Press

A Hulk Hogan wedding ceremony would, of course, have a touch of the wrestling arena to it — though not by the bride and groom's design.

Hogan, 57, and Jennifer McDaniel, 37, were married at the former pro wrestler's waterfront home in Florida on Tuesday, with the vows punctuated by a brawl that reportedly started when a photographer pressed his arm against the throat of a family employee who'd asked him to leave.

The brawl began after photographer Robert Martinez reportedly shouted, "I'm packing a gun," according to TMZ, which also said his video camera was running during the altercation, providing police with interesting viewing.

Nobody was arrested, and as of Wednesday the officer responsible for the report had not written it up, People said.

McDaniel and Hogan (real name Terry Bollea) got engaged in December 2009 and, according to Hogan's attorney, have no immediate honeymoon plans. They'd intended to keep the wedding as quiet as possible after filing for a license in November, David Houston said. Meh, maybe not so much?

Even with the brawl, however, the wedding was less confrontational than the two-year divorce battle (with wife of 23 years, Linda Hogan) that preceded it.

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Hulk Hogan is engaged! After two years of an ugly divorce, why the heck not!

— Christie D'Zurilla

Photo: Jennifer McDaniel and Hulk Hogan, shown in September 2008, were married in Florida on Tuesday. Credit: Chris O'Meara / Associated Press.

Russell Brand seems to have emerged relatively unscathed after his arrest Friday at Los Angeles International Airport.

"Thanks for your sweet messages of support. After the tips I picked up in chokey I'm an infinitely more proficient criminal," he said Sunday on Twitter.

Brand and fiancee Katy Perry were going through security at LAX to catch a flight to Las Vegas when, TMZ reports, a paparazzo tried to take a picture up Perry's skirt, allegedly sending the comedian over the edge. The "Get Him to the Greek" star was arrested and charged with misdemeanor battery.

Perry also commented on Twitter afterward: "If you cross the line & try an put a lens up my dress, my fiancé will do his job & protect me." She and Rihanna then hit the town in Vegas on Saturday for her bachelorette party.

Brand is out on $20,000 bail, with an Oct. 15 court date.

-- Christie D'Zurilla

Photo: Russell Brand arrives at the pre-party for the premiere of "Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole" at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood on Sunday. Credit: Kevin Winter / Getty Images

Related dispatches from the Ministry of Gossip:

Adam Lambert accused of battery by paparazzo [poll]

Katy Perry's 'California Gurls' video: a sweet, sexy candy land

Katy Perry's taming of Russell Brand, as told by Judd Apatow

Katy Perry and Russell Brand, engaged and adorable

"Eeew paparazzi killed my peaceful afternoon on the beach!," Adam Lambert tweeted Thursday. "#howisthisok?"

 Lambert was later accused of simple battery by a paparazzo after the incident outside a South Beach hotel, the Miami Herald reports.

The glittery one responded with an apology to fans for the less-than-fabulous hat he was wearing in pictures of him, um, interacting with the photographer, calling it a "clearly failed" disguise attempt.

But about the pap's accusation? "Battery? Nope," the singer wrote. "I attempted to grab a camera, no punches were thrown and no one was on the ground.... It was literally harmless. If embarrassment is a crime- thats all I'm guilty of." Adam's in Florida for shows Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Melbourne, St. Petersburg and Hollywood, Fla., respectively.

The police report, obtained by TMZ, states that no cuts or bruises were sustained by Victor Eras, who told cops that Lambert grabbed at his backpack as he ran away, then wrestled him to the ground.

A police spokesman told the Herald that the department will not press charges. It's up to the photographer, he said, to pursue that with the state attorney's office.

If you were the paparazzo, would you pursue charges against Adam Lambert?Market Research

-- Christie D'Zurilla

Photo: Adam Lambert performs at the Nokia Theatre in New York City on June 22. Credit: Jemal Countess / Getty Images

Has celebrity blogger Perez Hilton finally gone too far with a link to an alleged "upskirt" photo of 17-year-old Miley Cyrus?

If you're ABC, the answer is apparently yes -- in the wake of the photo scandal, the Disney-owned network has yanked its spots for "The View" off Hilton's site, Pop Tarts reports. Still prominently featured, with a matching background: ads for "Hot in Cleveland," the new TV Land series featuring Betty White.

Miley, meanwhile, mouthed off at Hilton in a phone interview with Ryan Seacrest on Monday regarding the tweet from the blogger's account.

"That's some idiot being an idiot," she said.

Hilton or someone with access to his Twitter account posted a link to a dangerously aimed photo apparently of the singer getting out of a car in a dress; the link has since been deleted. A post on Hilton's website Tuesday linked to "photographic evidence" that Miley was wearing underwear.

Dunno about you, but this blog draws a distinction between being able to see an outline of a person's panties through her dress and being shown the business end of said panties in a picture taken using a camera aimed directly at a girl's crotch.

Call us old-fashioned.

-- Christie D'Zurilla

Photo: Perez Hilton at a celebrity author book signing at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut on April 24. Credit: Joe Kohen / Getty Images for Foxwoods

Related dispatches from the Ministry of Gossip:

Perez Hilton, Miley Cyrus and the whole underage 'upskirt' photo dilemma [poll]

Lindsay Lohan is let go from film; Perez Hilton lets it fly on Twitter

Lindsay Lohan, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry play at Perez Hilton's birthday party

Perez Hilton, Black Eyed Peas manager settle civil suit

We have more Miley, if you'd like. Want the headlines? Follow the Ministry of Gossip on Twitter (we're @LATcelebs), or Like us into your news feed when you visit our Facebook page.

Parents of the teen insist that Foster attacked him after he took photos of her and her family out at the Grove shopping center in Los Angeles. The 17-year-old filed a police report for battery; he said Foster poked him in the chest, grabbed his left arm and caused visible injuries.

Foster’s rep shot back that there had been no assault. The rep also said the teen is “most definitely a professional paparazzo" -- as if that should make a huge difference -- and that the snapper had the gall to follow Foster the roughly 50 yards from a movie theater to valet parking.

The pap’s dad replied via Radar that, no, the kid is not a pro.

What both sides seem to be missing is the same tiny detail that Woody Harrelson, Sean Penn and other famous bullies have forgotten: Why should it matter if he’s a "real" paparazzo?

People have the right to take photos of celebrities and their families whenever they’re out in public, regardless of whether the photographer intends to sell said photos. They have the right to walk wherever they want in public too, as long as no one is in any physical danger.

It may be in poor taste. It may irk the subjects of the photo. But it’s the law. And no one -- not even the rich and well-staffed -- has the right to dictate otherwise, especially with their fists.

You wouldn’t know it if you listen to the stars, of course. Celebrities spend thousands of dollars a month on a spin machine largely devoted to convincing the public that they somehow own our cameras. They play the I-was-just-protecting-my-family card -- conveniently ignoring that they themselves often sell photos of their children to magazines for millions of dollars when it suits them. (And, by the way, I have yet to read of someone’s death by flash bulb. Protecting whom from what exactly?)

Or stars will argue that they’re "not working" and therefore, somehow, have the right to dictate what other people say about them -- at least, in the visual format.

Yes, it would nice if photographers would back off sometimes to give celebrities breathing room, especially when they’re with family. But that pleasantness is far less sacred than the right to retell ...

Talk about jinxing things.

Looks as if our "no 'Mad Men' news to be found" post on Tuesday was bad news for actress January Jones, who Thursday evening was involved in a multiple-car crash that she reportedly blames on being followed by paparazzi.

Police told TMZ that Jones was driving home after watching the Lakers-Celtics game at a West Hollywood hotel, lost control of her Range Rover while paparazzi were following her and hit three parked cars. She left her license in the car and walked half a block home to avoid harassment and to call 911, then returned to the scene, TMZ says.

Alcohol was not involved, the cops said, and no hit-and-run investigation will be done. Paparazzi have been on Jones' tail since a gossip-inducing photo taken Wednesday morning hit the Internet.

-- Christie D'Zurilla

Photo: January Jones on Tuesday. Credit: John Shearer / Getty Images for GQ magazine

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Sean Penn pleaded no contest Wednesday to a misdemeanor vandalism charge, L.A. Now reports, and was sentenced to three years' probation and 300 hours of community service related to an altercation with a photographer in October 2009.

The actor also must complete 36 hours of anger management counseling, TMZ says, and if Penn plays nicely with others while on probation, the vandalism charge will gently transform itself into a less-serious disturbing the peace conviction.

The community service hours can be fulfilled through Penn's future work -- no credit for what he's done so far, TMZ reports -- for his Haiti relief organization, which operates out of West Los Angeles. Payback for the guy's broken camera and medical bills -- Jordan Dawes was kicked in the knee -- is also involved, but still to be determined.

-- Christie D'Zurilla

Photo: In Port-au-Prince, Haiti, director-producer Paul Haggis, left, and Sean Penn visit a camp for displaced people managed by Penn's relief organization on April 12, 2010. Credit: Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images for Artists for Peace and Justice.

A lot of celebrities get their day in court -- or close to it. Click here and scroll down for more.

You think those red carpet shots appear out of thin air? And even if they did, do you really think thin air could keep up with the demand for celebrity photos?

As the world of entertainment news coverage grows, the photographic evidence necessary to do it becomes even more important. Which is why we were excited to have an e-mail chat with Roxanne Motamedi, who created and now oversees the entire entertainment department for Getty Images, WireImage, Film Magic and Getty Video. No pressure there!

Motamedi -- who has to have her finger on the pulse of the latest in celebrity news -- knows all too well about protecting her sources, so she was too much of a lady to give us any dirt on who she thinks is about to crash and burn or which rising starlet we'll be all a Twitter about next week. Still, she was willing to give us some insight into her industry.

You oversee the entire entertainment photo department for Getty and its partners. How much of Getty's inventory is made up of entertainment photography? Has there been a shift at all over the years?

When I first joined the company in 2001, Getty Images was just entering into the entertainment market and knew there was a tremendous opportunity for us to build a world-class offering not only for our customers, but for celebrities as well.

This isn't the Ministry's normal type of post, but we stumbled upon an only-in-celebrity-land item that made us go "aww" just a little bit. In a sort of jaded way. But "aww" nonetheless.

Seems Jesse James apologized to a celebrity videographer (that's code for "paparazzo with a video camera") Thursday after a run-in Wednesday, telling the X17 associate, "Sorry for yesterday. I understand you're just doing your job. Just be cool and don't get in my face." According to X17, James then offered his hand to shake on it.

The paparazzi scene outside West Coast Choppers was rather chaotic Wednesday, Radar Online said, after news hit that James' wife, Sandra Bullock, had filed for divorce. At least James knew the People cover story was coming.

As always, what a difference a day makes. OK, so it's only a tiny difference, but -- still a difference.

-- Christie D'Zurilla

Photo: Jesse James at the NAACP Image Awards on Feb. 26  in Los Angeles. We cropped his date out of the picture, Match.com style, because that's what you do when people break up, right? Credit: Chris Pizzello / Associated Press.

Click and scroll down for the rest of the story on Sandra Bullock and Jesse James. Want the headlines? Follow the Ministry of Gossip on Twitter (we're @LATcelebs) or find us on Facebook at facebook.com/ministryofgossip.