We're only about a quarter of the way through 2008, and already we've witnessed more than enough instances of foolery to cover an entire calendar year. Some were obvious, while others required actual research on our part. And while some on this list have surprised us with their idiocy, a select few simply carried on in their foolish exploits. Without further ado, here are 210SA's second annual April Fools.
 

BRITNEY SPEARS
Anyone who makes Kevin Federline seem stable in comparison definitely deserves a spot on our list. Sure, Britney has leveled out a bit over the past few months, thanks primarily to the fact that her parents have stepped in and put her on an allowance, but her nonstop parade of tomfoolery hasn't stopped just yet. After all, in addition to putting out an album that few bought (the aptly titled Blackout), Britney also took up with a who's who of Hollywood hangers-on (Adnan Ghalib, Sam Lufti, etc.). Not to mention the most foolish act of them all: Guest-starring on a formulaic CBS sitcom (“How I Met Your Mother”).

PAULA ABDUL
Just what the world needed: A late '80s revival. In the video for her “comeback” single, “Dance Like There's No Tomorrow,” Abdul sings — with the aid of vocal synthesizers, of course — and dances (MC Skat Kat, unfortunately, is missing in action) while fellow “American Idol” judge Randy Jackson fake-plays guitar in the background. It's cheesy, it's comical and it's pretty lame, but, hey, it's an '80s throwback. And, somewhere, Tone Loc is prepping his own comeback album.

ANYONE WHO APPEARS ON FOX'S ‘THE MOMENT OF TRUTH'
In its relatively short history, “The Moment of Truth” — in which people try to win money by answering some really personal questions — has seen its contestants admit to extramarital affairs, harboring feelings for ex-lovers and stealing money from a job. And that was just one episode! Of course, contestants who truthfully answer 21 questions earn $500,000, a figure that sounds even higher when you factor in that anyone fortunate enough to win the grand prize, having alienated everyone with their “honesty,” won't have to worry about sharing the winnings with anyone.

CONGRESS
So let's see ..... we're at war, millions of Americans are uninsured, Social Security is drying up like kegs at a frat party and foreclosures are on the rise. In the immortal words of Keanu Reeves in “Speed,” “What do you do? What do you do?” Simple, forget all that trivial stuff and instead invite superstar pitcher Roger Clemens and former trainer Brian McNamee to Capitol Hill, then have the two trade differing accounts on Clemens' did-he-or-didn't-he history with performance-enhancing drugs. Nice to know our elected officials have their priorities in order.

DESPERATE NBA EXECUTIVES
Apparently, the theme at this year's NBA trading deadline was for title contenders — desperate to keep pace with San Antonio, Boston and the Los Angeles Lakers — to take on past-their-prime players with bloated contracts. A few examples:
- Dallas trading up-and-coming point guard Devin Harris, defensive stopper DeSagana Diop (the only Maverick who could guard Tim Duncan), two first-round draft picks and others for 35-year-old Jason Kidd (due to make $20 million this season) and his 40-percent shooting clip.
- Phoenix — a team that prides itself on a run-and-gun approach — acquiring 36-year-old, 325-pound Shaquille O'Neal ($20 million annual salary) and his rather large appetite.

DIDDY
Diddy, aka Sean Combs or whatever he's going by these days, doesn't just want to be known as a mediocre rapper or the guy who did cameos for each of Biggie Smalls' music videos. Puffy wants to add “movie star” to his résumé, but not because he wants to gain artistic credibility or use his movie stardom to influence social change. Instead, as Diddy recently told David Letterman, he is pursuing a movie career in order to land roles that include “jumping off of buildings” and “making love to beautiful women.” It's a safe bet that Diddy has already landed his share of pretty ladies. As for the whole “jumping off of buildings” thing, well, there are plenty of hip-hop purists out there who likely wouldn't mind if Diddy did just that.

EDITORS OF ‘NEW YORK MAGAZINE'
If you're looking to reincarnate legendary screen gem Marilyn Monroe, whose onscreen triumphs, tabloid-fueling romances and rampant drug and alcohol abuse turned her into a cultural icon, who better than Lindsay Lohan? After all, Lohan — who appeared nude in the pictorial, thus reenacting Monroe's legendary layout — has experienced her share of recent onscreen triumphs (umm, thinking), tabloid-fueling romances (any 35-and-under male with a libido) and rampant drug and alcohol abuse (just pick up any celebrity rag circa 2007).

PEOPLE WHO STILL CARE ABOUT PARIS HILTON
Paris made our inaugural April Fools list in 2007, and now, we're turning the tables on those who still find her worthy of celebrity standing. Proof that lack of talent will inevitably lead to irrelevance, Paris isn't the tabloid magnet in 2008 that she was the previous year. Not that it's all her fault. With Britney's unraveling before our very eyes, and more talented starlets like Natalie Portman and Hayden Panettiere using their celebrity to further worthwhile causes, Paris has been relegated to second-tier tabloid fodder. She did release a movie — “The Hottie and the Nottie” — earlier this year. If you're one of the 36 people who saw it, congratulations, you're on our list.

POLITICAL PUNDITS
Not so much an act of foolery as a victim of 24-hour TV news, the major news networks trotted out their respective stables of talking heads in recent months, only to have them rant back and forth on the frontrunners for the upcoming Democratic and Republican primaries. First, it was Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani. Then, after it became clear that Rudy was tanking, the pundits moved on to “hot” GOP choices such as Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney. Judging from John McCain's status as the Republican nominee, those talking heads were all bastions of political insight.

THE SPEARS PARENTS
All Jamie and Lynne Spears did was essentially mortgage their financial future on the respective futures of their daughters, and did so by throwing each into the Hollywood limelight at a young age. What could possibly have gone wrong? Just about everything, as Britney ..... well, there's no need retelling that story, while little sister Jamie-Lynn got pregnant at age 16. Once her baby girl got knocked up, Lynne Spears' book of parental expertise was, to no one's surprise, shelved indefinitely. We're hoping it is soon issued under a more appropriate title, “How To Screw Up Your Children Beyond All Repair by Treating Them Like Pint-Sized ATM Machines.”

ELIOT SPITZER
Some guy takes out a bunch of money, spends it on a call girl and does with that call girl what guys with call girls do. A criminal act indeed, but hardly one deserving of mainstream news coverage. That is, unless the guy in question happens to be the (married) governor of New York, one who rose to political power on the basis of his straight-laced, clean-cut approach. Once the media caught wind of Spitzer's little sexual escapade, he quickly resigned. New Yorkers were better for it, if only because any governor who pays for sex — figuring he won't get caught — shouldn't be running a Valero station, much less a state.