Celebrity Mound

There was frantic negotiating to land Nicole Richie a $100,000 exclusive magazine deal ahead of her big wedding to Joel Madden today. Reps for Richie — who recently took a photographer to court to protect her and her children’s privacy — were as late as yesterday “playing the weekly magazines against each other to drive up the price,” an insider said.

Sources tell us that the reps for Richie, who said she planned to give the money to charity, had agreed to an OK! bid earlier in the week to make her a “cover chip” — a less important story referenced with a small photo on the front page — but then went to People to negotiate a full cover.

A source added, “Things got complicated because both Kim Kardashian and Christina Aguilera said they couldn’t attend the wedding because of other commitments.”

A rep for Richie, who’s expected to wear Marchesa to her wedding at father Lionel Richie’s Beverly Hills home, said: “Your information is incorrect”.

Nicole Richie has obtained a restraining order to prevent a photographer from going anywhere near her daughter’s pre-school.

The former ‘Simple Life’ star – who has two children, two-year-old Harlow, and 14-month-old Sparrow with Good Charlotte rocker Joel Madden – has sought the court order against Fabricio Luis Mariotto, who has been causing her “emotional distress” due to his “predatory behavior”.

In the court documents, Nicole said: “Mariotto drives erratically around my children and others, yells, screams and attempts to scare us so that he can photograph our reaction. He trespasses on pre-school property to photograph the children.

“He has often left his car in the middle of a busy street just to chase me for a photograph. His predatory behavior caused and continues to cause severe emotional distress as I fear for the safety of my children.”

The restraining order will block the paparazzo from going anywhere near Nicole and her family, in particular, Harlow’s Los Angeles school.

This is not the first time the 29-year-old socialite has obtained a restraining order.

She was also granted a restraining order against photographers Eduardo Arrivabene and Ivon Miguel, after she claimed they crashed into her vehicle after constantly hounding the petite star.

Nicole Richie means business. Stay away from her kids. In a sharply worded letter sent to paparazzi photo agency X17, the mom of two makes it clear that she is not happy photographers park themselves outside of daughter Harlow’s school daily.

On her blog today she writes:

You are stalking the children. Now how do you feel? I PROMISE YOU that I am going to do a background check on each and every person that I see there. For the safety of my children and others. Because the last time I did a check on your staff, I found they had no license. Remember that day? The day that ended with a car accident and me in a hospital? You, x17, better be pretty confident in your actions, and feel really good about what you are doing. If I find out anyone has a suspended, restricted or invalid license, I will have them thrown in jail before they can pick up the phone and call their lawyers. YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES. These are young children and you should know better. X17, you are irresponsible and repulsive. Consider this a warning. Nicole Richie.

For the entire letter, head over to NicoleRichie.com.

Don’t mess with a mama bear!

The reformed party girl – who has children Harlow, two, and Sparrow, 11 months, with the Good Charlotte rocker – has delighted her father Lionel Richie with the way she has got herself back on the right path.

Lionel said: “I think Joel had a lot to do with it, Joel’s an anchoring soul for Nicole. He came in the door once and said, ‘Mr. Richie, I just want to let you know I’ve got control of this.’ I was like, ‘No you don’t! Are you kidding me?’

“But I think that was the start: she found somebody that would challenge her stuff. They are a great team and I love him very much.”

The legendary soul singer – who formally adopted Nicole when she was nine – admitted seeing his daughter go off the rails was a “brutal” experience, but he is now proud of the way she has dealt with becoming a mother.

He added to Closer magazine: “It was brutal. You’re a parent so you’d like to just take them and put them in a basket and say: ‘I’ll protect you.’ But when they’re over 18 they get to walk out and you can’t keep them in a bubble. You have to sit and kind of watch it, because there’s nothing you can do.

“Nicole turned into a mom! She’s done a great job, I’m really proud of her. She grabbed the bull by the horns and turned it around.”

Court records show a judge has extended Nicole Richie’s probation until March to give her more time to complete alcohol education classes.

Richie was not present in court Tuesday when the order was made. She will have to complete the classes by February.

Richie’s attorney, Shawn Chapman Holley, did not immediately return a phone message and e-mail seeking comment.

Richie was arrested in December 2006 after witnesses reported seeing her black Mercedes-Benz sport utility vehicle headed the wrong way on a freeway in Burbank. She later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor driving under the influence charge and spent 82 minutes in jail.

A former star of the television series “The Simple Life,” Richie is engaged to longtime boyfriend and rocker Joel Madden.