Lindsay aids washroom attendant

A plantedgossip item, for those of you not in the biz, is one placed, generally by a celebrity or publicist, to make a celebrity look good.

Typically, planted items feature movie stars visiting hospitals, ladling out soup at homeless shelters or writing giant checks to charities.

Or there's this, from Cindy Adams' column in the New York Post:

While Lindsay Lohan was attending the White House Correspondents' Association dinner Saturday night, she sneaked to the ladies' room for smokes (even though it's surely also illegal to smoke in the ladies' room).

Lindsay, so the story goes, rarely smokes (cough, cough), but is getting used to it for her role as Elizabeth Taylor.

Anyway, in the washroom, Lindsay came across "an elderly Hispanic named Bianca" cleaning the stalls.

Perhaps seeing a vision of her own future, Lindsay reportedly began to tear up and told Bianca, "You're too old to be doing this."

She then reached into her purse and handed Bianca a crumpled $100 bill.

"No, no, no," Bianca said, perhaps recognizing Lindsay and fearing what substances could be on the Benjamin.

But Lindsay would not be denied and forced her to take the cash.

Kind of makes you reconsider your opinion of the troubled former teen star, right?

Exactly.

TATTBITS

HBO is renewing "Veep" and "Girls" for 10-episode second seasons.

Maggie Gyllenhaal (the upcoming "Hysteria") and Peter Sarsgaard (the upcoming "Lovelace") have welcomed a second daughter, to join big sister Ramona.

Maggie gave birth to Gloria Ray on April 19 in New York. No more details were provided.

Following "The Lion King" in September, Sunday afternoon's matinee of "Mary Poppins" marked Broadway's second autism-friendly performance, and for many families with an autistic child, it turned out to be a practically perfect day.

"It is an amazing opportunity to bring our families here and enjoy the show, not be stressed, and relax and know that everyone in the theater is in our situation," said Paige Bravin, sitting with her 11-year-old daughter, Alexa, in the second row of the New Amsterdam Theatre.

The Theatre Development Fund, a nonprofit organization focused on providing access to live theater, bought all 1,797 seats for Sunday's matinee and offered reduced-price tickets to families with an autistic member. They sold out in two days.

The TDF plans a third such show, at "The Lion King" on Sept. 30. Tickets go on sale this summer on the fund's site.

At Sunday's matinee, about 40 autism specialists roamed the theater, providing comfort, help to families and a spoonful of sugar.

According to EW.com, Penn alum John Legend will replace Lionel Richie on ABC's summer dual-karaoke contest, "Duets." He'll join previously announced mentors Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland, Kelly Clarkson and Robin Thicke.

EW.com also reported that after six years singing on the sidelines, Kevin Richardson is returning to the Backstreet Boys.

Richardson, 40, is a lot closer to the AARP boys.

But somewhere, women who hit puberty in the late 1990s are shrieking. n

— Daily News wire services contributed to this report.

Email gensleh@phillynews.com.