It was only a matter of time.

Mere weeks after Vanessa Bryant became one of the NBA’s most famous ex-wives, she has become the Holy Grail for producers of VH1′s misnamed Basketball Wives.

The people behind the show are prepping to make Kobe’s ex-wife an offer she can’t refuse, with sources say “an extremely lucrative pitch for Vanessa” is imminent.

As one source put it, they will do whatever it takes to get her, since, “Vanessa has more than enough storyline and would bring the show to another level.”

Producers never dreamed of approaching Vanessa Bryant while she was married to the L.A. Lakers superstar, who she recently left due to Kobe’s repeated cheating.

Budget constraints were also an issue when the show was in its infancy, but with Wives pulling in big ratings for VH1, and Vanessa single, times have changed!

Sources say producers would instantly make her the LEAD star the show or spin off an L.A. version with her as the centerpiece. We’re not buying it, though.

First of all, Vanessa scored $ 75 million in their divorce. VH1 isn’t going to woo her with money, in other words, and it’s unclear if she wants to be a fame whore.

Even if she does, we doubt Kobe will agree to have his daughters on the program, which could be a tough workaround as Vanessa will have primary custody.

[Photo: WENN.com]

The Hollywood Gossip

Baseball Wives, a spinoff of Basketball Wives, premieres tonight on VH1, and when it does, Anna Benson, the craziest baseball wife of all, will be front and center.

For those unfamiliar with the wife of former Mets pitcher Kris Benson, she’s one of the few baseball wives to ever overshadow the player, who was fairly average.

Nothing average about Anna, a stripper and former Playboy model who once threatened to sleep with the entire Mets organization if Kris cheated on her. Anyway.

During a recent Wives taping, she got into it with Cheri Knoblauch – wife of former Yankee standout Chuck Knoblauch – in an altercation involving sex toys. Really.

According to reports, Anna Benson pulled out a stun gun and set it on a table (gal’s like a female, reality TV version of Gilbert Arenas) in front of her threateningly.

Then, she produced a 12-inch dildo from her purse and started swinging!

Why wield that over the stun gun? Wo carries around a 12-inch dildo? Where do you buy a purse big enough for that faux manhood? Questions for another time.

Sources connected with the show say some of the cast members and even the staffers are now threatening to quit, because they can’t handle Anna’s insanity.

Show execs, meanwhile, are trying to contain Anna. Good luck there.

[Photo: WENN.com]

The Hollywood Gossip

Sister Wives star Kody Brown welcomed his 17th child yesterday.

Today, we bring you the first look (courtesy of TLC) of Solomon.

Solomon Brown was born at the polygamous family’s Las Vegas home at 2:02 Wednesday a.m., weighing in at 9 lbs, 10.5 oz. Here is the little angel with father Kody, mom Robyn, and sort-of moms Meri, Christine and Janelle …

Robyn’s pregnancy was the focus of Sister Wives’ Season 3 premiere.

Solomon joins Mariah, Madison, Savanah, Logan, Hunter, Garrison, Gabriel, Aspyn, Mykelti, Gwendlyn, Ysabel, Truely, Paedon, Dayton, Aurora and Breanna.

Three of the children are Robyn’s from a previous relationship, so this is her first child with Kody, who has fathered the other 13 kids with the Sister Wives.

Congratulations to the happy, unconventional, ever-expanding family!

The Hollywood Gossip

With 16 combined kids and one more on the way, the titular stars of TLC’s Sister Wives decided it was time to drop a few pounds and get back in shape.

Think the network encouraged/forced that nonsense at all?

Regardless, Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn were evidently quite serious about getting healthy so they visited a personal trainer, Biggest Loser style.

As if jealousy issues weren’t already prevalent, this had to foster such feelings or did it? Perhaps meeting with theology teacher to gain “perspective” balanced it out?

The wives all met up with Bill, Meri’s personal trainer, at which point the four Mrs. Kody Browns got weighed in front of each other, much to Janelle’s abject horror.

She weighs 271 pounds.

“My physical appearance has always been my Achilles’ heel,” she says, unclear on what that means, since she’s still married with kids by the same guy as the rest.

Meri opines, “Kody loves me for me. Kody loves Robyn for Robyn… I know Kody likes my curves.” Robyn concurs … and despite being pregnant weighs the least.

Poor Janelle.

Things go well for her, though, right out of the gate. Janelle gains more confidence in a hurry. Meri says she has more energy, too. Way to work it out, ladies!

What is going through Bill’s head while training the four wives of one person? Any number of things, but Kody expected him to act professional and he did so.

They even grabbed healthy options from the buffet later, when Danielle, a theology teacher, dined with them to gain their perspective on faith in this world.

Kody and the wives get grilled pretty good, but they are asked to come to Boston to speak with her students. Kody agrees, despite the obvious reservations.

“If you have an antagonistic crowd, that’s hard to deal with,” he says.

Some people think they’re a cult, but not Danielle. She and her husband joined the family to celebrate Meri’s daughter Mariah’s 16th birthday, which was sweet.

The five oldest Brown boys happened to be returning from a trip to Wyoming, and the rest of the family was so excited to see them … there was a lot of love.

That’s the thing about Sister Wives. You get a real sense of goodness and authenticity from them all, despite what you may think of their unusual lifestyle.

Danielle agreed: “There was so much love in their home. It makes it hard to cast negative judgment on them as a family.” Give it up for open-mindedness!

Thoughts on this installment of Sister Wives? How do you think it went on the weight loss front? Do you judge the wives or accept them for who they are?

What do you think of Kody Brown and Sister Wives?

The Hollywood Gossip

We really wish we were making this up.

Ted Haggard and Gary Busey – a pastor best known for his 2006 crystal meth/homosexual affair scandal and an actor who has been arrested for cocaine possession and domestic violence – will be featured on the series premiere of Celebrity Wife Swap.

Busey was most recently seen on Celebrity Apprentice and is a born-again Christian.

Haggard is still married to his wife and condemns homosexuality, following three weeks of intensive counseling with four ministries in 2006 after a masseur claimed he and the pastor had been involved in a three-year dalliance.

Congratulations, Toddlers & Tiaras. You may no longer be the most reprehensible reality show on television.

The Hollywood Gossip

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