Sideshow | Angry comic on meditative path

Michael Richards

, who was defrocked as a comic last year after he spewed a racist rant during a stand-up gig, has gone

Siddhartha

: He is on a spiritual journey in Cambodia.

"That night, when I was insulted and disrupted, I lost my heart; I lost my sense of humor," Richards said of his night of shame.

Richards, 57, who is questing with his fiancée, Beth Skipp, sometimes hangs with folk from the L.A.-based Nithyananda Foundation, which follows the teachings of 29-year-old Hindu monk Nithyananda, who, his group says, is "on a mission to reestablish the science of inner bliss on planet Earth."

Richards does seem to have learned one glorious lesson: Poverty-striken peoples are actually happier than people who can afford to eat.

"At first, I was a little bit struck by the poverty," he said, "but when I leaned in I could see how openhearted the Cambodian people are, and I was touched by it."

Richards insists his trip is not some sort of Mel Gibson-ian "karmic rehab" intended to clean up his image. His pilgrimage continues apace: He's already moved on to Thailand.

The supremely sexy - yet superbly sentient -

Anne Hathaway

, whose thespianic journey has already taken her all the way from the innocent fluff of

The Princess Diaries

down -

down

- to the disturbing, rapist-infested depths of

Havoc

, has made another courageous career move. She's gone whole-hog

Gwyneth Paltrow

, portraying

the

quintessential 19th-century British heroine,

Jane Austen

, in her new film,

Becoming Jane

.

In an interview with Entertainment Tonight set to air Monday, Anne says the pressure got to her. "I pulled out of the film for a couple of weeks." But she has moxie: "As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I realized I wanted to take them back and I convinced the director to rehire me." Becoming Jane opens Aug. 10.

Asked if she's a hard-partying wild child like so many of her contemporaries, Anne said, "I'm goofy and a little dorky."

"I did go to a party last night - with my book club!" Now that is hot.

America's overpopulated celeb population swelled this week with

The Beckhams

, who have finally moved into their $22 mil, 13,000-square-foot villa in Beverly Hills - chosen especially for its proximity to the superbly photogenic couple's new Svengali,

Tom Cruise

.

Aside from promoting the soccer lifestyle, David and Victoria Beckham's role will be to bear witness to the Glory that is Tom and the Ecstasy that is his marriage to Katie Holmes.

The L.A. Sheriff's Department announced that it has launched an internal probe to determine whether

Paris Hilton

received preferential treatment in jail. The L.A. Times says three horrific transgressions were allegedly committed by the jailers:

Paris was given her own cordless phone to use instead of being forced to wait for the pay phone like other inmates.

Paris was not issued a grimy, recycled jail uniform as per s.o.p., but a new one. (But was it made with natural, hypoallergenic fabrics?)

An officer - a captain - delivered Paris' mail to her and not a worker-bee inmate.

No comments from the Hiltons.

According to TMZ.com, which uncharitably refers to him as a "talent-free hairball," popular loser guy

Sanjaya

, who somehow got hired to perform as a member of the

American Idol

summer tour, really stinks.

Anonymous sources tell TMZ.com that a man who appears to be stalking musical treasure

Britney Spears

last week called the L.A. County Department of Child and Family Services several times to lodge "bizarre" complaints against Brit's fabulous parenting skills. But no worries: Authorities quickly figured the guy's claims were bogus.