Bennifer 2.0 MARRIED?

Us Weekly is reporting that Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner got married yesterday:

Ben Affleck, 32, and Jennifer Garner, 33, were married yesterday at the Parrot Cay resort in the Carribean islands of Turks and Caicos. The couple, who are expecting their first child this fall, have been dating since last year. They costarred together on the film Daredevil in 2002. Garner, the star of the ABC spy drama Alias, has been shooting the drama Catch and Release in Vancouver.

Garner's first marriage, to actor Scott Foley, ended in divorce in 2003. Affleck and Jennifer Lopez called off their highly-publicized engagement in January 2004. Garner's rep could not be reached. Affleck's had no comment.

UPDATE: Their reps confirm: They're married and expecting.

The Train Wreck Commences Tonight

After a decade and a half of spending more time on the police blotter than the pop charts, Bobby Brown wants the world to know he's not really a bad boy.

"They've made my life out to be problems, problems, problems," said Brown, who spent the 1980s and early '90s on the charts with his group, New Edition, and as a solo artist. "It's not like that. I'm not a bad person."

He'll take his case to the public starting Thursday, when "Being Bobby Brown," a reality TV series promising "an artist striving to clean up his life," premieres at 10 p.m. EDT on Bravo.

The series follows the lives of Brown, wife Whitney Houston and three of his children.

Jessica Gets Slammed

A Christian group calling itself "The Resistance" wants Jessica Simpson to apologize for her "slutty" video of "These Boots are Made for Walking" and re-shoot a clean version.

The group objects to Simpson's racy antics in the vid, especially because her father was a pastor and she's a Christian role model. "It's sad to see her whore herself out like this," declares the group's, rep "John Conner" (he won't divulge his real name). "She's a singing stripper." The Resistance has also blasted MTV for "celebrating the homosexual agenda."

--Um, judgmental much?

"We're Not Alone"

Hollywood actor Tom Cruise not only battles creatures from outer space in his latest film "War of the Worlds," he also believes aliens exist, he told a German newspaper on Wednesday.

Asked in an interview with the tabloid daily Bild if he believed in aliens, Cruise said: "Yes, of course. Are you really so arrogant as to believe we are alone in this universe?

"Millions of stars, and we're supposed to be the only living creatures? No, there are many things out there, we just don't know," Cruise, 42, said in the interview published in German.

--Wow. He's freaking looney tunes. Spielberg needs to chat with him. I mean, I wanted to believe ET was real, too. I even had a shirt w/ ET on it and the little headband w/ the ET stars that sprung up from it. But, I did enter reality at some point. Wait a sec, does anyone else think Katie's starting to look like ET? Hmmm...

Brit's AZ Birth

MSNBC.com reports that Britney Spears has decided to deliver her new baby in a Scottsdale hospital.

According to the item which cites an upcoming issue of Star magazine, the pop tart has selected a deluxe room in an unnamed Scottsdale hospital, where the administrators have arranged to clear the rooms on either side of her for privacy.

Unwanted expectant mothers and babies are not the only ones on Spears' hot list. Apparently the mommy-to-be is leery of hospital staffers as well. "Britney wants all the nurses serving her to be given background checks," said an insider. Nurses and hospital staff likely to come in contact with Spears will reportedly be screened by hospital administrators as well Spears' mom before being given the all clear.

The tattler adds that the event will be a catered affair complete with flower arrangements. "Britney wants white and yellow roses in the room when she gets there," said the source.

--I'm sure Cheetos and smokes will be on hand as well.

Angelina Shocked by Conditions in Ethiopia

Angelina Jolie realized the sheer enormity of the tasks aid workers have in Ethiopia after a recent visit to the health clinics of Addis Ababa, where she learned 50 per cent of the women who give birth there die in labor.

The actress, a United Nations ambassador, was shell-shocked by what she learned from aid workers who can do little to halt the daily death toll. She recalls, "I visited a malaria clinic, and I was shown how blood is taken, dyed, and then viewed under a microscope. I was literally able to see parasites in the blood, and I heard about how the medicines that the clinic has often don't work."

"We stopped at another clinic to learn about women's health issues. Clinic workers spoke of trends in maternal mortality." "It was alarming to learn that almost half of the women who made it to the clinic during labor still died during childbirth."

Party Time

After the NBA draft, it was time for basketball's newest millionaires to celebrate. Knicks first-round draft pick Channing Frye celebrated with dinner at McCormick & Schmick's with 25 family and friends.

The Atlanta Hawks' No. 2 pick, North Carolina forward Marvin Williams, had a group of 18 at Morton's, New York. Other first-rounders Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Ian Mahinmi and Michael Gelabale partied at the 40/40 Club with Jay-Z and Lebron James. Richard Jefferson (N.J. Nets) and Luke Walton (L.A. Lakers) were at Bed for its rooftop opening.

--Yo, Ice! Did you catch the crew at the 40/40 Club? And for those of you who are interested in the draft picks and all the insider stuff, check out the two great NBA draft posts on G2.

Proper Tribute

"The Producers" creator Mel Brooks threw a private memorial for his wife, Anne Bancroft ("The Graduate"), at the St. James Theater on Monday night.

Among the 100 guests were Paul Simon, who played a solo acoustic version of "Mrs. Robinson," and Alan Alda, who spoke about his friendship with Bancroft, a Hamptons neighbor. Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick and Patty Duke also paid their respects. As usual, Brooks had the last word. "If any of you are grieving, keep it to yourself," he quipped. "I don't want to hear it."

Denim Details

No doubt: Denim is in!

Details surrounding Marc Jacobs’plans to create a small collection of baby clothes are limited, but Jacobs, also the creative director at Louis Vuitton, is planning a similar project for the French fashion and accessories house.

Vuitton has designed one pair of kids’ sneakers that will be available in sizes 24 through 33 and will make its debut this December. The shoes will be fashioned in a denim monogram pattern, similar to the company’s current spring/summer Monogram Denim collection of handbags. Jacobs’ line of wares for his signature collection, likely to be a focus on clothing like thermals and cashmere hoodies, is expected this fall.

And Prada dabbles in denim:

After slapping her name on umbrellas, bathrobes, and socks, Miuccia Prada has decided to do jeans.

The cuts are traditional and the seven different finishes range from dark blue to gray. Understated aesthetic aside, you'll instantly recognize the designer's touch, thanks to the familiar red tag on the right cuff, logo inside the watch pocket, and a just-short-of-subtle "Prada" stitched on the right rear pocket. Their $295 to $695 price tag.

Bourne Again

Tony Gilroy has been signed up by Universal Pictures to write the screenplay for The Bourne Ultimatum.

Gilroy previously adapted Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy.

Matt Damon already has expressed his interest at reprising his role as Jason Bourne reports Digitalspy.

Tilly's Poker Prowess

Actress Jennifer Tilly is no poker pretender. Tilly won the Ladies no-limit Texas Hold 'Em event at the World Series of Poker, marking the first time a celebrity has won a bracelet at the famous tournament.

Tilly's skillful and self-admitted lucky play earned her $158,625. She beat 600 players to capture first place in the grueling two-day event that featured some of the top female pros in the world. The buy-in was $1,000. "I think she showed an incredible amount of talent," WSOP media director Nolan Dalla said. "She had an enormous chip lead and never looked back. It was almost as though her victory was never in question."

Tilly, 46, said she's learned plenty of pointers from her boyfriend, poker player Phil "Unabomber" Laak. "When you're living with Phil, you kinda learn by osmosis," Tilly told CardPlayer.com. "Even in the middle of the night, he wakes up screaming out poker terms. Most guys scream out other girls' names. He'll wake up and go, `I should have bet more on the turn.'"

Tilly, an Oscar nominee for her role in the 1994 film, "Bullets Over Broadway," is the first woman in this year's WSOP to win a bracelet.

Tennis Gets Glitzy

Serving Up Some Bling:

Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova have been bling-battling it out at the British tennis championships, wearing enormous earrings, dazzling diamond rings and sparkling sneakers. But who's winning the style showdown? Here, a scorecard on (and off) the court. (Compiled by New York Daily News).

Maria

On-court bling: Sharapova sports Nike's Air Zoom Vapor Speed sneaks, with sparkling specks of 24-karat gold built in. Matching white-and-gold uni is so this season.

On-court bust: Gold dangling earrings whip against her face while she plays.

Best off-court look: Minidress and cropped capelet at the GQ Men of the Year Awards. In gold, natch. The girl's got a signature style and she's sticking with it.

Fighting rumors: That all the attention may turn Sharapova, 18, into the next Anna Kournikova.

Ad campaign coup: $20 million worth of product pushing (including Motorola). Swats balls into a fence, spelling out "MARIA WAS HERE" in a Canon commercial. Has her own perfume, due out this fall.

Lucky girl: Has been in Italian Vogue

Venus

Oncourt bling: Alternates doorknocker-huge gold hoops with chandelier earrings.

Oncourt bust: Huge dazzling diamond ring.

Best off-court look: Slinky siren-red dress at a party in L.A. in May.

Fighting rumors: The 25-year-old's outside interests - in fashion and interior design, for example - are distracting her from her game.

Ad campaign coup: Scored a reported $40 million from Reebok in 2000. Earlier this year, teamed up with her sister to sling grub for McDonald's.

Lucky girl: Has been on "Oprah."

Eco-Ritz

Leonardo DiCaprio has bought his own island in the Caribbean.

He plans to turn the 104-acre Blackadore Caye, off Belize, into a five-star resort.

A source said: "He wants to make money without destroying the environment. Energy sources will be renewable and it will be self-sustaining."

L.Lo Collapses

After the headline "WASTING AWAY! Friends fear for Lindsay's life" appeared on the cover of Star recently, it didn't take a psychic to see that a full-on catastrophe couldn't be far away. Ananova.com reports that Lindsay Lohan prompted more fears for her health after she collapsed at the LA's Body and Soul gym.

According to Heat magazine, the Herbie Fully Loaded star became pale and began gasping for air halfway through an hour-long spinning session, just before stumbling off of her bike and falling to the floor. "Everybody was shocked," said a tattler. "Lindsay wasn't moving and she appeared to be unconscious."

With the help of her gym partner, Kimberly Stewart, and some staffers, Lohan was brought around quickly. After a few minutes, a reportedly woozy Lohan assured onlookers that she was fine.

--Um, she "became pale?" How could anyone tell a difference?

Hung and Cyrus Pair Up

Brace yourselves, folks:

William Hung returns this summer with "Miracle: Happy Summer From William Hung," a collection of classic American summer songs sung from the heart. The first single will be "Achy Breaky Heart," the hit made famous by musician/actor Billy Ray Cyrus. Cyrus will appear in the tongue-in-cheek video which will be shot shortly. William's rendition is already being serviced to various radio formats with an emphasis on country radio.

"Miracle: Happy Summer From William Hung" features his unique take on summer-themed songs as well as some of William's personal favorites including "Tie A Yellow Ribbon," and "I Love L.A." The set also includes brand new inspirational sayings, or "Moments," from William as those on his debut CD were so cherished by his fans.

Track List:
1. Miracle Moment
2. It's A Miracle
3. Because of You
4. Tie A Yellow Ribbon
5. Achy Breaky Heart
6. I Love L.A.
7. Summer Moment
8. Surfin' USA
9. Dance Dance
10. Just Do It
11. Ocean Deep
12. Right Here Waiting
13. Healing Hands
14. I Left My Heart In San Francisco
15. Final Moment
16. Take Me Out To The Ball Game

--God, I hope Cyrus is still sportin' that semi-permed mullet of his.

Some Maternity Outfit

Um, well, this is certainly an interesting maternity ensemble Brit has put together. And, I've never been pregnant so I don't know, but don't your feet usually hurt? I can't see boots being the smartest choice. (Aside from the fact that they are heinous with that outfit and don't match).

Don't Do It On Tape, Moron

It seems that every famous girl has a sex tape these days. This time around Eve, 26, is the lucky winner of a new kind of cult status.

The New York Daily News reports that the R&B singer is mortified by the footage of her and then-boyfriend, Bad Boy Entertainment producer Stevie J., having fun with a sex toy. The clip, dated Nov. 20, 1999, was made when Eve was 21 and lasts only 30 seconds, but in this case, size doesn't matter. The video is purportedly as explicit as Paris Hilton's infamous video.

Eve's spokeswoman told the paper that the "personal tape" was made "years ago with her boyfriend of over two years. The fact that a private moment is being made public is a violation, and we would hope that people would respect her privacy as they would their own. Legal action has been taken to have it removed immediately."

The star of Barbershop and UPN's Eve was once a stripper and has had previous difficulties with nude photos being circulated, but friends say this is another matter all together. "She's devastated by this," a friend told The New York Daily News. "She's hired a private investigator. She can't figure out how this got out. [Stevie J.] says he has nothing to do with it and is also horrified because he has kids."

--Newsflash--don't do it on tape, moron.

Penn Says...

Magician Penn Jillette has traveled all over the world with his partner, Teller, and he hates every trip.

"Every place outside of the U.S.A. is an absolute hellhole," Jillette rants to Mean magazine. "As much as we can complain about the U.S.'s lack of freedom, I just can't stand when they force women to dress like Batman, when they leave little girls out to die. I mean, at least we address the issues of equality and freedom, which are not even addressed in a place like Egypt or China or India . . . Other countries are pieces of s - - -, so they have a holier-than-thou attitude. I think the most insulting thing you can say about anybody is that they're more popular in another country."

Engagement News

Avril Lavigne is engaged to Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley, her Web site confirmed Tuesday.

"We can officially confirm that Avril and Deryck are in fact engaged!!!" the statement on her site reads. "Avril and Deryck are very excited and they want to thank all of their fans for their best wishes."

Lavigne, 20, and Whibley, 25, who are both Canadian, have been dating since last summer. The pair sparked engagement rumors as far back as last September, when Lavigne was spotted showing off a large ring to partygoers at the Spider Club in Los Angeles.

Because This Is So Important

American Idol judge Paula Abdul urged California legislators to force nail salons to clean up their act, testifying Monday about her yearlong health ordeal after an unsanitary manicure.

Abdul said a trip in April 2004 to a Studio City nail shop that used unclean equipment sent her in and out of the hospital, and made her the butt of late-night talk show jokes. "Being a professional dancer, I'm no stranger to pain, but this time the pain was so excruciating that even my hair touching my thumb caused me to scream," Abdul told the California Senate Business and Professions Committee in Sacramento.

The legislation, sponsored by Democratic Assemblyman Leland Yee, would establish safety standards for manicure and pedicure equipment and rewrite state regulations mandating that nail shops follow sanitary practices.

Cruz The New Face of Sean Jean?

P. Diddy has reportedly asked Penelope Cruz to be the face of his Sean Jean women's fashion collection. The range is due to launch this autumn.

The rap mogul has had meetings with Cruz in New York and Madrid, reports the New York Daily News. The 31-year-old Spanish actress, who is currently dating her Sahara co-star Matthew McConaughey, has yet to confirm if she will accept the offer.

Vivienne Westwood Designs Rugs

Cynthia Rowley designs sheets for Target, Ralph and Calvin have their very own home lines, and even Gucci has wallpaper. Now Vivienne Westwood joins the domestic designer club with her very own line of rugs.

Debuting this month at The Rug Company in London, and later at its New York outpost, the carpets were commissioned by Rug Company founder Chris Sharp, whose past collaborations have included Matthew Williamson, Marni, and Diane Von Furstenberg.

Vivienne’s rugs compliment her Fall ’05 clothing collection with deep scarlet and rich cream colors, bold graphic prints, and a signature carpet featuring a blurry Union Jack outlined in blood red and gray. The rugs retail at $85 per square foot, and come in Tibetan wool or silk weaves.

A Striptease Birthday Surprise

Christina Aguilera treated fiance Jordan Bratman to a sexy birthday surprise he'll never forget at a posh New York strip club, Scores.

Christina chose his four fave girls and the couple then took them into a private room. Then, New York's Daily News reports: "Christina did a little stripping and kissed a Beyonce lookalike named Jade."

The pair - who have been together for three years - finally left just before 6am.

Beyonce Sells Stage Outfits for Charity

Beyonce Knowles is selling some of her stage outfits in a charity auction.

The majority of the outfits were designed by her mother Tina Knowles. The cash raised by the auction, ongoing at New York's Museum of Film and Television, will go to VH1's Save The Music charity.

Items in the auction include the gold gown she wore to the 2004 Grammy Awards and the chainmail top she sported on the cover of Dangerously In Love.

Hope It's Not a Witch

Actress Melissa Joan Hart, best known as the star of TV's Sabrina the Teenage Witch, is expecting a baby with her husband Mark Wilkerson.

"I'm thrilled to death," says the star's mother, Paula Hart. "I'm so excited. Melissa is feeling great. So far, so good."

The 29-year-old actress is three months pregnant; the baby is due in January. This will be the couple's first child. Hart and Wilkerson, the 28-year-old lead singer and guitarist for the hard-rock trio Course of Nature, met at a Kentucky Derby party in Louisville, Ky., in May, 2002. They were married on July 19, 2003, in Florence, Italy.

--Did anyone else watch her years ago when she was on "Clarissa Explains It All?"

New Dylan Album Available at Starbucks

Bob Dylan made his mark playing in one cafe. Soon, he'll be in thousands. Starbucks Coffee Co. has reached a deal to produce and exclusively release a CD of 10 Dylan recordings from New York's Gaslight Cafe in 1962, when he was just finding himself as a songwriter. The Gaslight, in Greenwich Village, was a focal point of the folk revival in the early '60s.

"Bob Dylan: Live at the Gaslight 1962" will be available at Starbucks stores in the United States and Canada on Aug. 30. It includes the earliest known recordings of "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" and "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right," as well as folk standards "Barbara Allen" and "The Cuckoo."

Fans have circulated bootlegs of Dylan's Gaslight performances over the years, but these are the first to be professionally produced and remastered, Starbucks said Tuesday.

The CD's release will coincide with the release of director Martin Scorsese's feature-length film about Dylan, "No Direction Home." Starbucks will also sell the two-CD soundtrack for the movie, though the soundtrack will be available through other stores.

Baby on the Way for Pitt and Jolie?

Could there be a little bundle of Jolie on the way? Hollywood insiders are buzzing over whether blockbuster Tinseltown couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are expecting a baby from their high-profile fling.

"She's just in her first trimester," one well- placed industry source told The Post's Braden Keil in the Hamptons over the weekend. "Obviously, they're keeping everything very quiet." Jolie's spokesman, Geyer Kosinski, did not return numerous calls and e-mail inquiries yesterday.

Meanwhile, Star magazine speculates the next step in the couple's blissful relation ship "might not be so easy to hide." Jolie said in 2002 that she preferred adoption when she and then-hubby Billy Bob Thornton adopted Cambo dian infant Maddox, now 3. "Angelina is very giving," a source told Star. "If she thinks it will make Brad happy, she probably won't hesitate." In the latest W magazine, Pitt is photographed with Jolie in a 60-page lay out of cozy 1960s-style family shots.

--I'm not buying this one just yet.
--Pics from A Socialite's Life.

Aniston and Vaughn a Couple?

Hollywood actress Jennifer Aniston has slammed reports she is romancing her new co-star Vince Vaughn.

The former Friends star, 36, is currently filming The Break Up with Vaughn, 35, in Chicago, Illinois and has been photographed cuddling the actor on set.

However, her representative Stephen Huvane, tells website Pagesix.com, "There is no romantic interest. Vince is a good friend of Jennifer's. I think the tabloids are so eager to see her with someone romantically that they just make these false assumptions." "I don't know if there are pictures that show them hugging but... she hugs everybody all the time."

No Big Surprise

The New York hotel employee who was on the receiving end of a telephone toss by Russell Crowe – who later apologized for his misdeed on the Late Show with David Letterman – reportedly is prepared to slap the star with a lawsuit this week.

The suit, to be filed by Mercer Hotel concierge Nestor "Josh" Estrada, will claim that after Crowe threw the phone and gashed Estrada's face in the early morning hours of June 6, the star also hurled a ceramic bowl at Estrada, as reputedly captured on a hotel security videotape and observed by two eyewitnesses, New York's Daily News reports.

The paper also says that witnesses claim Crowe took a bow and assumed a karate stance after the bowl shattered. Settlement talks between Estrada and Crowe's side apparently went nowhere, the paper reports. The suit is likely to seek punitive and compensatory damages.

What a Mom

Pop icon Madonna has given her 8-year-old daughter Lourdes a credit card with a $10,000 limit, reports SouthFlorida.com.

Friends say the former Material Girl hopes the gesture will teach Lourdes to appreciate the value of money. 'Minors are not usually allowed credit cards, so she had to pull a few strings to get it issued in Lourdes' name,'' a close friend told the magazine In Touch Weekly.

--Um, maybe she should learn enough math to make change or balance a checkbook first.

Quicky Marriage

Kate Moss and Pete Doherty have tied the knot. But unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your take), the marriage only lasted for the weekend. The supermodel wed her addiction-challenged beau in the "Chapel of Love & Loathing in Lost Vagueness" at the Glastonbury Music Festival.

The London Sunday Mirror reports Moss was on hand to watch Doherty perform with his band, the Babyshambles, when they got hitched in a ceremony that's only valid for the duration of the festival. And while there was no time for a honeymoon, the couple danced to George Michael's "Faith" and the Human League's "Tell Me When" at a party thrown by Diesel to celebrate.

Jessica Alba Says...

Jessica Alba might look like an angel, but don't be fooled: In the newest issue of Rolling Stone, the Fantastic Four and Sin City star lets it all hang out.

Some highlights:

On being curvy: "I hear people in this industry talking all the time about how Jennifer Lopez is fat. And I know if they're calling her fat, they're saying the same s--- about me."

On being type-casted: 'The scripts I get are always for the whore, or the motorcycle chick in leather, or the horny maid. I get all these screenplays that start, 'Tawnya is in the shower. The water streams down her naked, perky breasts.' I don't think this is happening to Natalie Portman."

On her admiration for veteran actresses like Diane Keaton and Goldie Hawn: "I look forward to the day when I can do a small movie and act, and it's not about me wearing a f------ bathing suit or chaps."

On her upbringing (Alba grew up in the Los Angeles suburbs, the only daughter of Mark ["dark Mexican"] and Cathy Alba [French and Danish], and is now taking Spanish lessons: "I have a great accent because I grew up hearing it in the neighborhood. But I have no idea what I'm saying."

Will Smith Says...

Will Smith has one big introduction to make at Tuesday night's BET Awards: Gangster rappers, meet the rest of the world. Smith told The Associated Press he hopes to impress the global significance of U.S. black culture on the show's audience and artists.

"The kids that are making these trends, making these songs, don't understand the level of effect that black Americans have around the world," he said in an interview. " ... Black Americans are so elevated, it's almost worship."

Smith, co-host of the show (8 p.m. EDT) at Hollywood's Kodak Theater with wife Jada Pinkett-Smith, said he witnessed the phenomenon recently while in Africa. Touring a village in Mozambique, he came across a shack on which someone had scrawled the name of slain rapper Tupac Shakur.

"I was asking the kids: What is it about Tupac? Why is that there? I kept asking why. They were saying we want to dress like you dress, wear all the things you wear, talk how you talk." "The impression is that black Americans are the dragon slayers. Here we are 13 percent minority in a foreign land, and yet we can make laws, change laws. If Jesse Jackson shows up at Coca-Cola, something changes."

Smith, who won the first rap Grammy in 1988 for his squeaky-clean "Parents Just Don't Understand," said he wants hip-hop artists to recognize their importance and shift away from thuggish themes. "It's real important to have balance of the imagery. Yes, there are people who fire guns in the street, but there's also doctors who go to work in those areas to feed their children."

Now more well-known as a movie star ("Men in Black," "Bad Boys," "Independence Day") than rapper, the 36-year-old Smith maintains on his latest album "Lost And Found" that his nice guy image has worked against him. "Black radio, they won't play me though," he raps in one song. "Guess they think that Will ain't hard enough. Maybe I should just have a shootout ... just ignorant, attacking, acting rough. I mean then, will I be black enough?"

Launch of Men's Vogue

When Vitals launched last fall, Fairchild Publications pegged the 200,000-circulation men’s magazine (and later, a women’s edition) as the ultimate concierge to luxury living. Now, this September, Fairchild sibling Condé Nast will roll out its ode to luxury with Men’s Vogue.

The latest franchise of fashion giant Vogue, Men’s Vogue follows Teen Vogue and fills out Condé Nast’s stable of manly magazines that includes GQ and shopper Cargo. Men’s Vogue will publish one issue this year with a 300,000 rate base and become quarterly in 2006 Men’s Vogue will carry features and essays on fashion, travel, food, culture and art. Tom Florio, vp, publisher of Vogue and Men’s Vogue, said the spinoff is meant for readers with an innate sophisticated taste.

“Men’s Vogue is very much talking to a guy who is already living this life,” he said. “It’s not aspirational. It’s not a shopping magazine. We’re not teaching him how to drink scotch.”

By a Nose

Nicole Kidman was cast as Samantha in Bewitched - because of her nose.

Director Nora Ephron says Nicole's nose bore an uncanny resemblance to Elizabeth Montgomery's who played the role in the 60s TV series.

Ephron says when she saw the similarity between Montgomery and Kidman's nose there was no other serious contender for the part. She told the Boston Herald, "I instantly thought the resemblance between Nicole's nose and Elizabeth Montgomery's nose was so perfect. "I thought: "What a great idea to write a story about a character being cast in Bewitched solely for the resemblance her nose bears to Elizabeth Montgomery's!''

Clarkson on Dating

Original American Idol victor Kelly Clarkson has only had three boyfriends in her life - because she refuses to date somebody she can't see herself marrying.

The singer is fussy when it comes to selecting a lover, because she's eager to ensure she doesn't "waste time" on men she'll soon part ways with.

She says, "I've had only three boyfriends in my life, and I'm still really good friends with two of them. "I'm 23! My friends make fun of me. It's not that I'm a prude; I just don't waste my time if they're not marriage material. I don't want to get married right now, but I don't see the point in wasting my kisses on someone.

"My last boyfriend and I broke up, and now he's already married. It's funny, because I'm not into the Hollywood scene, and he was so Hollywood - living in the hills, drinking the finest coffees, all that. He's the nicest guy, but we were just two totally different patches of green."

Target Takes Over Rockefeller

On July 27, Target will stage a fall fashion show at Rockefeller Center featuring its own brand, in addition to its popular labels like Liz Lange, Mossimo, and Isaac. While that may be quite the norm, their approach to doing so—in the form of a vertical fashion show—is not. Harnessed models will descend the sides of two buildings in the middle of Rockefeller Center, modeling the clothing and accessories while traversing down a vertical red carpet as guests watch.

This may seem like a novel idea, but it isn’t the first time the Target Corporation has attempted it. Reaching into its archival bucket of ideas, this upcoming NYC event is reminiscent of September 2003, when Marshall Field’s State Street store—then under the Target Corp. wing—staged a publicity stunt to reintroduce its delivery service for customers via London-style taxis. The highlight of the event was the vertical fashion show, which had a group of European athletes, suspended in harnesses, descending down the store’s 11-story façade.

Picasso Auction

A sketch by Pablo Picasso of his mistress reclining nude sold for $575,357 - about three times the estimated price - at a Paris auction Monday where the woman sold 20 of the artist's works.

Describing the pencil on paper sketch in the sale catalogue, Genevieve Laporte recalled how she had fallen asleep just as Picasso was preparing to draw: "He waited patiently until I opened my eyes to continue his sketch!"

The Picasso Museum in Paris bought the sensual image entitled "Odalisque" for about three times the estimated price, Artcurial auction house said. Altogether, the sale of Laporte's collection reaped a total of $1.87 million.

A similar sketch, entitled "Le Songe," was sold to an unidentified British collector for $507,239, more than twice the estimated price, said Francis Briest, the auctioneer.

Little House Reunion

Cast members from "Little House on the Prairie" will reunite this weekend in Tombstone, a town known for its old West roots.

Melissa Gilbert, who played Laura Ingalls Wilder, is scheduled to reunite with Dean Butler (Almanzo Wilder) and Alison Arngrim (Nellie Oleson) during the Tombstone Western Film Festival that runs Friday through July 4.

The 1970s television hit was almost a guilty pleasure for viewers, Butler told the East Valley Tribune. "People watched it, but they didn't want to talk about it," he said. "It was almost an embarrassed pleasure. People would ask, 'How can you watch "Little House on the Prairie"? It's so sweet.'"

The show, based on books by Wilder, showed the struggles of the Ingalls family and other pioneers in Walnut Grove. It ran nine seasons. The Tombstone festival will feature screenings of the cast members' favorite episodes and question-and-answer sessions.

--My favorite episode is when Laura pushes Nellie down the hill in her wheelchair. (She, of course, was faking her injuries). And my favorite character was always Mr. Olsen. He always reminded me of a lot of shop owners in the small town in southern Indiana where I grew up. The whole "pay me when you can," "take it now, we'll bill you later" mentality was prevalent there.

Kissing Bandit!

Beware of the Kissing Bandit!

Look at the fear in Spielberg's eyes.

Rosie Says

Click here for Rosie O'Donnell's take (from her blog) on the Oprah-Hermes riff and the Tom Cruise drama.

An excerpt:
after watching tom on o
and then everywhere else
in the free world
i think i may need to up my meds

--You're not the only one, Ro!

Batman and Malcom?

Malcolm In The Middle star Frankie Muniz will shed his teen image to play Boy Wonder Robin in the upcoming Batman Begins sequel - if director Christopher Nolan has his way.

The director fears he won't be involved with the franchise when Robin is introduced but he thinks baby-faced Muniz will be the perfect sidekick for the Caped Crusader.

Nolan tells Internet site Superherohype.com Muniz would make the perfect Robin "if he doesn't age too quickly".

One Big, Happy Family?

It looks like Britney Spears' hubby Kevin Federline has buried the hatchet with his ex, Shar Jackson.

Kev was spied having secret meetings with Shar at a friend's apartment in the LA suburb of Sherman Oaks. According to a source, 27-year-old Kev was seen hugging Shar earlier this week after a heart-to-heart.

Our source says: "Kevin was gesturing with his hands then he would put his head down when Shar spoke. It looked like she was calming him down."

Shar, who has two kids with Kevin, recently claimed he wasn't coping well with the stress of Britney's pregnancy. She said: "Kevin's told me he's under intense strain and doesn't know if it will fall apart."

Dakota Shines

Tom Cruise and Steven Spielberg were stunned by the attitude of Dakota Fanning on the set of new sci-fi epic War Of The Worlds, because the young actress made time to meet and greet the kids of castmates and crew members.

Cruise insists the 11-year-old star is among the best actresses he has ever worked with, and was thrilled when she took time out to play with his kids. He says, "She's just lovely. She's just enormously talented and so fun to work with also. Steve and I had so much fun. It was her birthday and we had pink balloons and Cold Stone Creamery ice cream. You can have a laugh with her too. She's a unique talent. "She's just a really terrific person. She has impeccable manners too. She'd write thank you letters and it's just very sincere."

And Spielberg was thrilled when Fanning made the effort to correspond with his children. The legendary director adds, "All my kids are huge fans of hers. My little girls were sending her notes and she was answering every one of them and sending them right back through me. "We had a whole mail service going between my two daughters and Dakota the whole movie."

She Eats!

That's probably Nicole's caloric allotment for 3 days:

Dr. Kovac to Be Bond?

ER star Goran Visnjic will reportedly screen test for the next James Bond film. Visnjic will test for Casino Royale, in London next week.

Croatian news agency 24 Sata claims the 32-year-old actor who plays Dr. Luka Kovac on the medic drama, will have a screen test on Wednesday. Clive Owen and Daniel Craig have also recently been linked to the role.

Casino Royale to be directed by Martin Campbell is expected in 2006.

Party Animal

Elton John made sure his White Tie And Tiara ball was a wild party by filling the grounds of his mansion with giraffes and zebras. Guests at the bash were stunned when they arrived and saw the safari scenes.

A spy at the event, held at the singer's Windsor pad, reveals: "It really was an incredible party. "There were all these exotic animals roaming around the garden and Jamie Cullum and Joss Stone got up to sing. "Sharon Stone gave a speech and Victoria and David Beckham spent the night dancing cheek-to-cheek."

Stella's Lost Her Groove

Stella's gonna need to get her groove back:

Terry McMillan, author of "How Stella Got her Groove Back," is splitting up with her husband of six years, spies say. McMillan's hubby, Jonathan Plummer, was the inspiration for "Stella" when McMillan met him in Jamaica in 1996.

After the two got married, McMillan set Plummer up in a pet grooming business near the couple's home in San Francisco — but now the two are locked in a nasty divorce. According to one spy: "They signed prenups when they got married, however now Jonathan is contesting it.

Twinkle Toes

Defending Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova is taking steps to ensure a glittering performance at this year's tournament.

The young Russian has been wearing shoes with 24-karat gold specks on the sides.

Maria Sharapova and Roger Federer will wear shoes at Wimbledon that carry a strip of 24-karat gold. Each pair is worth $500. "It shines unbelievably," Sharapova said. "Hopefully it can distract my opponents a little bit."

Sharapova said she has 10 pairs of the gold-speckled shoes, which Nike said are worth $500 a pair.

Stork Visits

--It's a new baby girl for "Six Feet Under" star Rachel Griffiths and her husband, artist Andrew Taylor. The 36-year-old Australian-born actress (who plays Brenda on the HBO series) gave birth to their 8 lb. daughter on Thursday in Los Angeles. Griffiths' spokesperson tells the magazine that the family is "extremely happy" and both mother and baby are doing well. The couple has yet to announce the name of their newborn, who joins older brother Banjo Patrick (1 1/2 years).

--"Law & Order" alum Angie Harmon gave birth Wednesday to a baby girl. Avery Grace was born in Harmon's hometown of Dallas, the actress' rep confirms. This is the second child for Harmon and her husband Jason Sehorn, former cornerback for the New York Giants; daughter Finley Faith turns two in October. Harmon will next be seen on the big screen in December with Jim Carrey in a remake of the 1977 comedy, 'Fun with Dick and Jane.' The family plans to remain in Dallas for the summer before returning to Los Angeles in the fall.

Logo

The man who's molding Logo, the new network for gays and lesbians, grew up in rural Illinois, attended Oral Roberts University and counted that cheesy keyboard solo on "Freeze Frame" as his big moment during gigs with his college band the Ozones. At first glance, Brian Graden hardly seems too hip for the room.

But the 42-year-old Graden is one of television's busiest and most imaginative executives, already responsible for the programming on MTV, VH1 and CMT - and now Logo, which debuts Thursday.

Long in the works, Logo will initially be seen in about 10 million homes with digital cable. Unlike Here and Q, two pay-per-view, gay-oriented networks already operating, Logo will be available in homes that do not specifically order it.

Films such as "Kissing Jessica Stein" and "Philadelphia" and documentaries will fill many of Logo's first hours. The network also has a scripted series, "Noah's Arc," about a homosexual black man and his friends in Los Angeles, a reality series about opening a gay bar and the stand-up comedy series "Wisecrack."

A gay man himself, Graden had hoped to help out with Logo even before he was appointed its president. Graden's job requires a comfort with Wall Street and Hollywood, two sides of his personality presaged by his educational choices. He went to Oral Roberts with fellow band members in an ill-fated attempt to keep the Ozones alive, then later earned an MBA from Harvard University.

Most Humiliating Moment?

Oprah Winfrey is apparently describing her recent rejection at an Hermès store in Paris as one of "the most humiliating moments of her life," according to her close pal Gayle King.

King told ET that she was with Winfrey last Tuesday when the renowned talk host was denied entrance to the famous luxury goods shop, an incident that quickly sparked speculation in the media as to whether the store's action was racially motivated. Hermès later issued a statement expressing its "sincere regrets for any misunderstanding that these circumstances could have caused" and added that they had simply been closed for a private after-hours event when Winfrey stopped by.

Still, King claims she's bothered by the apology because "it implies that nothing offensive happened." She also says it's unlikely that Winfrey will be quick to forgive and forget what happened, and probably won't shop there again.

Crying Like a (Destiny's) Child

Beyonce Knowles turned into an emotional wreck on MTV's TRL yesterday when she was asked to list the things she'll miss about Destiny's Child.

The trio appeared together for the last time on the daily show to confirm reports they're splitting up to sobbing fans. And Beyonce couldn't contain her feelings when she was asked for sad anecdotes.

She started crying as bandmate Kelly Rowland explained, "This is not cool because we're very emotional." Rowland went on to play down the split, stating, "We call it the end of a chapter, which is still a beautiful thing because there's more chapters to come individually.

"We still haven't had kids yet; we're not married. We're not breaking up. We're growing up."

Like You Need More Beads

How sad is it that this is the best I've seen Ashley look in ages?

And like you need more ugly, wooden, droopy beads, girlfriend!

Spawning Soon

The spawn of ParisSquared could come sooner than we think:

Hotel heiress Paris Hilton is planning to start having children soon after her wedding to Paris Latsis - on the advice of her future father-in-law.

The blonde beauty, who accepted Greek shipping heir Latsis' marriage proposal last month, has met with the billionaire's father Grigoris Kasidokostas, and he's thrilled to welcome her into his family. Kasidokostas, who first met Hilton in December on a family skiing vacation in Gstaad, Switzerland, says, "I love Paris like a daughter. (When I met her) I understood why my son is so crazy about her. She is not only beautiful, but a very sweet and kind girl. The whole family is thrilled with the news."

Hilton adds of Kasidokostas, "He loves me and is so happy for us. He wants to be a grandpa soon, and he has told us to have kids when we are young. I promise we will not disappoint him."

How Does Ashlee Get Cast?

The Simpson sisters are ready to rule the silver screen this summer -- as both Jessica and Ashlee are making their movie debuts in lead roles in the very same month -- August.

Jessica, as most of the universe knows, will be running around in skimpy cutoffs in the 'Dukes of Hazzard,' out August 5, while Ashlee is a bit more covered up in 'Undiscovered,' out August 26.

"It's cool because Jessica and I are doing our first big roles at the exact same time," Ashlee explained. "We call each other and make sure everything is going cool on the set and everything." "I'm kind of grungy and she's Daisy Duke," Ashlee admits. "I don't know if I would've been a good Daisy Duke. Not yet. I think Jessica's probably the best Daisy Duke out there."

The light-hearted 'Undiscovered' takes place in the world of up-and-coming artists looking to break into the big time in Los Angeles. Ashlee plays an aspiring actress and tomboy who's dabbling with a singing career.

--Ashlee--go to college or something. Leave the singing to your sister. And, leave the acting to, well, ANYONE but you. Thank you.

--Thanks for the tip, Ice.

Demi's the New Face of Versace

Demi Moore is doing double-duty this fall.

Not only does the actress have two projects due out, but the mother of three is also starring as the face of Versace. A first look at an image from the campaign, which will hit select fashion and lifestyle magazines beginning in August, shows Moore with iron-straight hair, parted in the middle, wearing a white jersey dress and silver Medusa sandals. In total, a series of six images, all photographed by Mario Testino in London this past April, are slated to run. The majority of the images involve both fashion and accessories; however, one shot is strictly a close-up of Moore in a pair of Versace sunglasses.

Moore, much like Madonna—who starred in the spring/summer Versace campaign—was chosen not just for her long-standing relationship with the fashion house, but because she represents a modern woman who knows no barriers. In addition to putting a heavy emphasis on its accessories business, Versace has been keen on promoting itself as a brand no longer just for kept wives, but one aimed at strong working women who balance successful career with family life. “I have known Demi Moore for many years and never has she been as beautiful as she is now,” remarked Donatella Versace. “Her presence is magnetic because it is entirely natural and never forced. Her personality comes shining through.”

--She looks fabulous. Just amazing.

Celebrity Idol

A celebrity-starring spin-off of the TV series 'American Idol' is currently under development.

Variety reports that TV giant Fox is nearing a deal for the series, dubbed 'Celebrity Idol', with 10 participants competing for charity, with the winner getting $1M for his or her chosen cause.

Commenting on the show, Fox executive Mike Darnell said: "We're going to go for the biggest talent possible. We're looking for people who can sing but aren't known for singing."

As the series would be dealing with fragile celebrity egos, as opposed to the egos of the Average Joe or Jane, there would be no embarrassing auditions to determine who made the cut. Darnell said it was hoped that 'American Idol' judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson and host Ryan Seacrest would take part in the show.

Auditions for the fifth season of American Idol are taking place this summer in Austin, Memphis, Chicago, Atlanta, Denver and Boston.

She's a Nutball

Madonna wears crystals in her bra to improve her love life.

The pop queen has reportedly become a fan of the bizarre healing treatment which involves keeping pink quartz stone in underwear to boost love and healing. A source said: "Madonna is a big fan of crystal therapy.

One of the techniques is having pink quartz crystals glided over your body to help you relax. "Another is wearing the crystals inside your underwear they the stones are close to the heart to encourage love".

--Is that what's in the cone bra?

Don't Lose Your Day Job

Renee Zellweger is keen to show off her sexy side as a model - as it would make a welcome change from acting out dowdy roles such as Bridget Jones.

The 36-year-old star is convinced posing for racy photoshoots would give her career an interesting slant.

She says, "It would make a nice change from acting. It's something different. "In a way modelling is like acting. A lot of the time you hide behind someone else's guise."

Funeral Parlor to Become Frat

An Indiana State University fraternity is renovating a funeral parlor to serve as its house. Phi Kappa Psi currently rents a house, but it can sleep only 10 people. The 32 member chapter’s new four level house will have 27 bedrooms and 15 bathrooms.

The new place will house a plasma screen television donated by an alumnus and a disc jockey booth. Each resident will pay $350 a month. Some of the former Bedino Peace Chapel’s areas are being adapted for use as lounges or other areas. A rock fountain on one wall will be left in place, and the old embalming room will become a coin operated laundry.

“I’m looking for someone to come in and bless that place before we move in,” said Aaron Vaught, president of the chapter.

The former funeral home is being renovated by the leasing company of Chad Overton, who graduated nine years ago and was in the fraternity. Students plan to move in this August. Members of the fraternity’s Nebraska Beta chapter at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., also live in an old funeral home.

“As far as layout, it works well for a fraternity,” said Shawn Collinsworth, executive director of Phi Kappa Psi’s national organization.

--Oh, the hazing fun they'll have with THAT!

Nifty

Nifty: Finis SwiMP3 Underwater MP3 Player

A swimmer’s new best friend, this fully waterproof player holds up to 128 MB of music, and is both Windows and Mac compatible. Whether you’re doing laps or just taking a dip, the SwiMP3’s bone conduction mechanism—which transfers sound vibrations directly from the cheekbone to the inner ear—will keep sound crisp and clear under up to ten feet of water.

Price: $249.99

Sad

The Broadway revival of "On Golden Pond" will close Sunday because its star, James Earl Jones, who is recuperating from pneumonia, can't return to the production next week.

"The entire `On Golden Pond' family is heartbroken to close this production prematurely, and it's especially disappointing that James Earl Jones won't be with us for our final performances," said producer Jeffrey Finn in a statement Thursday.

The statement said Jones' doctors had determined that "the seriousness of recuperating from pneumonia would prevent his return until sometime in August," adding that the actor is expected to make a full recovery during that time. Jones has been recuperating at home, the statement said.

--That's sad. Get well, James!

Ebert Gets Star

Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic Roger Ebert isn't a movie star but he critiques them on TV - so memorably that on Thursday he received his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

A crowd of family, friends and fans cheered as Ebert's star was unveiled in front of Hollywood's El Capitan Theatre. Attendees included director Werner Hertzog, actress Virginia Madsen and actor Tony Danza.

"When I watch movies, I can feel what it's like to walk in another person's shoes," Ebert, 65, told the crowd. "Movies make us more decent people. This is a wonderful day for me."

Ebert, who began his journalism career as a 15-year-old sports writer for The (Champaign, Ill.) News-Gazette, was named the Chicago Sun-Times film critic six months after joining the paper in 1966. In 1975, he became the first film critic to receive a Pulitzer for arts criticism.

iTune Tax

Attention all you (legal) music downloaders out there: Very soon the songs you purchase from iTunes could help pave the roads you drive on, pay for an artistic fellowship or buy books for kids in the school around the corner. Because in a number of states, budget proposals are targeting digital downloads, looking to make them taxable items, and therefore subject to state sales tax.

In New Jersey, Governor Richard J. Codey has called for an amendment to the state's sales-tax laws that makes downloads — including songs, movies and books — taxable items and subject to the Garden State's 6 percent sales tax. So in the future, every 99-cent song purchase from iTunes could now cost you $1.05.

Codey hopes the move will "level the playing field" for record stores in New Jersey that have to charge a sales tax for each CD sold, as opposed to digital music stores, which do not.

At least 16 states currently apply sales tax to digital downloads: Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Washington. According to New Jersey Treasury Department spokesperson Tom Vincz, as technology continues to outpace tax laws, more and more states will soon be added to that list.

Famous Last Words

Famous Last Words:

Lindsay Lohan may be all over the big screen, but don’t expect her to bare it all for a movie role. "You will never see me in a nude scene," Lohan tells Access Hollywood on Wednesday. "Then there's no mystery for my private life." The young star, who says she wants to be a respected actress, tells the show, "I don't think that's what's needed to win an Oscar for me."

On Wednesday morning, Lohan also told Today's Matt Lauer that if she had had her way, attention would be paid to her acting, not to her social life. Admitting that she hates the word "partying," the star of Herbie Fully Loaded, which opened Wednesday, said that she's a professional who would like a career just like Jodie Foster's. "She's my main person I always look toward," said Lohan, who turns 19 on July 2. "She was able to make the transition" into adult roles after a career as a child star. "I don't just want to be a celebrity," Lohan emphasized. "I want to be an actress."

With Lauer telling her that public perception of Lindsay Lohan is someone who "has romances with older men and parties without boundaries," Lohan responded: "I don't hang out in clubs as much as they say I do, I go out with friends and go out to dinner." To counteract sensational stories about her, she said, "The only thing you can do is ... know what the truth is, (because) the more you try to defend yourself, the more people say you're hiding something."

The conversation then turned to her weight. Lauer pointed out when he first started interviewing her, she was more full-figured. "I just hit puberty!" she shot back at him. As for her new, slimmer self, which also has been the subject of tabloid speculation, she said: "You grow up. You work out. You eat healthier. I was (accused of) having implants, then of taking them out."

Would the Real Mrs. Smith, Please Stand Up?

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie didn't check in as "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" at the Parker Palm Springs Hotel a few weeks ago — according to Blackbook magazine, they used the aliases "Bryce and Jasmine Pilaf."

However, Jennifer Aniston is checked into Chicago's Peninsula Hotel as "Mrs. Smith." Inside TV magazine reports Aniston — in a $2,000-a-night suite for two months while shooting "The Break Up" with Vince Vaughn — gets a kick having the staff call her "Mrs. Smith." "Everyone at the Peninsula knows it's Jen," the weekly reports. "But hotel policy requires room servers to address guests by the name they're checked in under."

And in related news, Brad and Jen split again--this time, it's their production company, Plan B. At least four Plan B projects currently in development at Warners -- including The Assassination of Jesse James, starring Pitt, and the soon-to-be-released Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, starring Johnny Depp -- will remain at the studio, and will continue to involve Aniston, her spokesman tells the trade paper.

Humble Home

Click here for pics of ParisSquared's "humble" love shack.

--Other than the one room that would clearly make anyone intoxicated vomit in, I'm in LOVE w/ the entire thing--from the layout to the decorating. n

Clooney's Single!

Can I get a "Hell, Yeah!?!?!?"

George Clooney is back on the market.

The actor split up from on/off girlfriend Lisa Snowdon two weeks ago - over the phone no less.

The Oceans 12 star and the UK presenter/model have said that their long distance relationship was too difficult to maintain and "had nowhere to go". A Hollywood source told The Mirror: "They have remained great friends and there is no animosity between them."

The couple last snuck in some quality time at the beginning of May, but their hectic schedules meant that they've been unable to see each other since. The pair met in 2000 on the set of a Martini advertisement, but their different locations has always been an issue, causing them to split up once before.

Bobby's Not Making Any Friends

Bobby Brown is taking revenge in his upcoming reality show - by making a number of crude jokes about other celebrities.

The singer, whose troubles with drug abuse and legal woes have made him a target for comedians, cracks jokes about Eddie Murphy wearing dresses in his downtime during the first episode of Being Bobby Brown, and he makes no apologies for it.

He tells Newsweek, "I didn't censor myself at all while the cameras were on because that wouldn't be real. I don't mean anybody harm, but I've spent most of my career being the butt of somebody's joke, so I don't have too much concern about somebody's feelings getting hurt. If you can't take a joke, then you need to go somewhere and die - and definitely get out of this business."

The show is set to debut on US TV on June 30. (And I must admit, I cannot wait!)

TomKat Parental Pow-Wow

Katie Holmes may have alienated all of her longtime best friends but she's still trying to keep her parents in the loop — for now.

On Tuesday, Holmes and alien-fighting fiance Tom Cruise flew into New York and holed up in the Carlyle. "They have a huge suite and his mom and sister [his spokeswoman Lee Anne DeVette] are there and her parents are there. It's kind of a 'get to know you before the kids get married' session," said our source.

Holmes' parents — who are said to be a little weirded out by Holmes' new devotion to Scientology — might be more at ease after meeting Cruise's family.

--If her parents are smart, they'll kidnap her.

Fiddy Taps In to His Emotions

50 Cent claims that on the set of his new movie he faced one of his hardest challenges - having to show his emotions.

The hip-hop tough guy, who's filming Get Rich Or Die Tryin', says blubbing in front of the camera didn't come naturally to him.

"When I was (on the street) and someone got killed, we'd go to the wake, pay respects and then we were gone. Emotionally, I am probably five years old".

--Oh Fiddy, let it OUT, buddy! Tap IN to those repressed emotions you couldn't show! ;)

Stone To Do Playboy Again?

Rumor has it that the Sharon Stone is preparing to pose naked.

Fifteen years after she did her first spread for Playboy, there are reports that she's doing it again. According to The Daily Mail, the 47-year-old Basic Instinct star has been offered a considerable wad to slip out of her clothes for a shoot in a tropical location.

"She has been asked to pose again before she hits the big 50," a source told the paper. "Sharon thinks it will be very sexy to pose in the sand."

New MAC Beauty Announced

Following in the divalicious footsteps of legends like Liza Minnelli and Diana Ross, M.A.C Cosmetics has announced that French actress Catherine Deneuve—who’s been the face of Chanel No. 5—will serve as their new “beauty icon.”

Deneuve, who was recently in New York to present Elle publication director Gilles Bensimon with the CFDA’s Eugenia Sheppard Award, will promote a color collection that will be launched internationally in February.

Brainless Quiz

You scored as Prep/Jock/Cheerleader. Prep/Jock/Cheerleader 100% Drama nerd 50% Geek 38% Punk/Rebel 19% Goth 19% Ghetto gangsta 13% Loner 0% Stoner 0% What's Your High School Stereotype? created with QuizFarm.com

Hughes Items To Be Auctioned

Twenty-two telegrams that Howard Hughes sent to Katharine Hepburn during their brief romance in the late 1930s are going on the auction block.

Dallas-based Heritage-Slater Americana is holding the auction of items associated with the reclusive billionaire, whose life of designing and flying planes and producing movies was dramatized in 2004's "The Aviator," directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Hughes.

The auction was to begin Wednesday evening and end Thursday. Included is a telegram that Hughes sent to Hepburn on Jan. 19, 1937 - the day he set a new air record, flying from Burbank, Calif., to Newark, N.J., in seven hours, 28 minutes and 25 seconds.

The flight was over, and Hughes apparently was running behind schedule to meet Hepburn at Chicago's Ambassador Hotel before she performed in a play. "Supposed to arrive six something in the afternoon," the Western Union telegram reads. "Probably not in time to see you before the theater so will try to contain myself until eleven thirty, love Dan."

Dan was short for Dynamite, one of several nicknames the two shared, said Michael Riley of Heritage-Slater Americana, a subsidiary of Heritage Galleries. Riley said the owner of the documents, which include two 1939 handwritten draft telegrams by Hepburn, isn't being identified.

Sharapova Launches Fragrance

She may not smell so good after a tennis match, but Wimbledon princess Maria Sharapova will have a sweet scent this fall, when she launches her very first fragrance.

Designed by Parlux, the eponymous perfume retails for $59.00 and contains floral and herbal notes chosen specifically by the tennis pro. “We created a few different scents for Maria,” said Marina Mangiarano, PR director for the new scent, “and then she had the final deciding factor as to which fragrance she wanted. She picked the one we thought she would; it’s a very bright, unique fragrance and it’s very feminine; she’s very girly.”

Gibson Stalker Sentenced

A homeless man convicted of stalking Mel Gibson was sentenced to three years in prison by Superior Court Judge John Fisher in Van Nuys, Calif., on Wednesday.

Zack Sinclair, 34, a drifter from Idaho who represented himself during the course of the two-day trial (but who failed to call any witnesses to the stand), should be committed to a psychiatric ward, the judge recommended, according to court spokeswoman Pat Kelly.

Sinclair was arrested in September 2004 after violating a restraining order that banned him from going within 100 yards of the Malibu compound where Gibson maintains a residence, children's school and chapel.

Witnesses who were called to testify said that Sinclair told them he wanted a chance to share Mass and discuss the Catholic faith with Gibson, who directed The Passion of the Christ.

Frankly, The Best Quotes

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

Clark Gable's line to Vivien Leigh in 1939's "Gone With the Wind" led the AFI's list, announced in the organization's annual top-100 special that aired on CBS Tuesday.

Brando had the No. 2 and 3 quotes — "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse," from "The Godfather" and his "I coulda been a contender" speech from "On the Waterfront."

Judy Garland's Dorothy Gale came in fourth with "Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore," from The Wizard of Oz." At No. 5 was "Here's looking at you, kid," spoken by Rick (Humphrey Bogart) to Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) in "Casablanca."

Rounding out the top 10:

6. "Go ahead, make my day," Clint Eastwood, "Sudden Impact."

7. "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up," Gloria Swanson, "Sunset Blvd."

8. "May the Force be with you," Harrison Ford, "Star Wars."

9. "Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night," Bette Davis, "All About Eve."

10. "You talking to me?", Robert De Niro, "Taxi Driver."

--And MP&S must give a special nod to #90: "A martini. Shaken, not stirred" from "Goldfinger."

Lohan Freaks

After a screening of the film, Herbie: Fully Loaded, which opens Wednesday, Lindsay Lohan stomped out into the lobby of the El Capitan Theatre huffing, "I'm so (angry)!" Her team of handlers hurried her into a bathroom for a 12-minute cooling down period.

At a block-party carnival after the screening, Lohan was hugged by her mother, Dina, and received compliments from co-star Matt Dillon, before explaining her outburst.

"I was upset when I didn't hear my song (First) during the race scene, where I originally thought it would be," Lohan said while signing autographs. "I was like, 'Whoaaa,' because nobody stays to hear the song in the closing credits. "So I ran out."

First is especially important to her because "I recorded it right before I got sick (from exhaustion) and went to the hospital. And then I shot the video for it and re-sprained my ankle. I pushed myself to get it done for the movie when I probably should have waited."

Tink Takes a Bite

Paris Hilton's dog took a chunk out of a "Today" show producer's hand yesterday morning just before mom Kathy Hilton was about to promote her new show, "I Want to Be a Hilton."

Mama Hilton decided to bring tiny Chihuahua Tinkerbell to the "Today" show's Rockefeller Center studio because "Paris didn't come — she's in Los Angeles," our source explained. "Kathy knows everyone just wants to hear about or be with Paris, so since Paris couldn't be there, she thought Tink was almost as good."

But before she was interviewed by Katie Couric, Kathy was sitting in the green room when an unidentified segment producer came in and said, "Oh! Tinkerbell!" The producer put her hand in Tink's Louis Vuitton carrying case and "the dog bit her hand!" our insider shrieked.

"Tinkerbell wasn't kidding — she really bit in good. The producer had to shake the dog off — it was a nasty bite. Meanwhile, the entire time this is happening — on Kathy's lap, mind you — Kathy is just sitting there doing nothing, murmuring, 'Oh. Soooooorry . . .' "

--Too bad Tink didn't bite Katie.

Denzel is a Class Act

Denzel Washington made some new fans when he and his family visited the Brooks Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where soldiers wounded in Iraq, especially burn victims, are hospitalized.

The base has buildings known as Fisher Houses, founded by the Fisher family of New York real estate fame, where relatives of the wounded can stay for little or no charge. When Washington learned there weren't enough Fisher House facilities, he asked how much one would cost to build. "He wrote a check for the full amount right there on the spot," said a source, who added: "The question I have is why do Madonna, Sean Penn and other Hollywood types make front-page news with their anti-everything America crap and this doesn't even get reported?"

--Class act move by Denzel. And I agree with the source--I know we thrive on the gossip, but a story like this should also get serious airtime.

PJ Tight

Nelly has shown consideration for his fans' waistlines, by releasing a diet version of his Pimp Juice energy drink.

The rapper's new beverage, called PJ Tight, has an apple flavor like the original, but less sugar - and only 20 calories per can, reports Mtv News.

Nelly, real name Cornell Haynes, is also urging his creative fans to send in a rhyme for the product's jingle on the website Letitloose.com. Entrants have until 20 October to submit their work.

The Pumpkins Are Back

On the same day Billy Corgan released his first solo album, he revealed that he wants to reunite his band, The Smashing Pumpkins.

"For a year now I have walked around with a secret, a secret I chose to keep," Corgan wrote in a full-page advertisement published Tuesday in Chicago newspapers.

"But now I want you to be among the first to know that I have made plans to renew and revive The Smashing Pumpkins. I want my band back, and my songs, and my dreams," he wrote.

The Smashing Pumpkins, a leader in the early 1990s alternative rock revolution, broke up in 2000 after winning two Grammys and selling millions of albums during 13 strife-ridden years. Corgan's subsequent project, Zwan, dissolved after only one album.

--I really liked the Pumpkins in high school. I'll be interested to hear what they sound like now.

Because the Beckhams Are Worth It

David and Victoria Beckham have been offered their biggest sponsorship deal yet - for L'Oreal hair products.

They would be the first couple to front the campaign - famous for the "because you're worth it" slogan and would be seen on both TV and billboards. The deal could be worth tens of millions of pounds.

"L'Oreal are one of the biggest cosmetics firms in the world, while David and Victoria are the biggest celebrity couple in the world, so it makes perfect sense for them to join forces," a source told The Sun.

Becks has previously fronted high-profile campaigns for brands such as Gillette, Police sunglasses and Brylcreem hair products.

No More Love

50 Cent has warned The Game he will struggle to have another hit album now they're no longer on speaking terms.

50 Cent signed The Game, real name Jayceon Taylor, to his G-unit label, and released his protege's debut album The Documentary, which has spawned hits and huge sales. But things soon turned sour when they became locked in a bitter on-off war of words.

And while fans brace themselves for an onslaught of "diss" tracks going back and forth between the pair, 50 Cent, real name Curtis Jackson, is letting The Game know he's now on his own. He says, "It is what it is. We don't have much conversation. I accept it. I know what it was and is. "I liked him enough to do what I did for him - I wrote six records for his album... he will find the only thing harder than making a hit album is making the second one."

Size Matters

DeBeers will make its retailing debut in New York later this week with a display of one of the world's largest, most precious diamonds.

Weighing in at 777 carats, roughly the size of an egg, the Millennium Star, will be on view for the next week, part of the opening ceremonies to christen the new DeBeers LV store at 703 Fifth Avenue, a joint venture between mining giant De Beers and LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton.

Dug up in 1992 by villagers in the Congo, the diamond already has a storied history. It was bought for an undisclosed price by De Beers before a civil war tour up what was then Zaire.

Because the villagers didn't have a bank account, DeBeers paid cash. The villagers promptly buried the money in the ground, where it was partially eaten by insects, explained Andrew Coxon, president of the DeBeers Institute of Diamonds.

The money —"many millions," according to Coxon — has since been dug up and deposited in a foreign bank account for safekeeping.

When the white, pear-shaped flawless stone was finally ready to display in London's Millennium Dome in 2000, after two years of carving, it was the target of jewel thieves, who were thwarted by the British police.

Samantha's New Man

Former Sex And The City star Kim Cattrall has found love with her London theatre co-star Alexander Siddig.

Cattrall, who dated 27-year-old Canadian chef Alan Wyse until earlier this year, starred opposite the Sudan-born actor, 39, in West End hit Whose Life Is It Anyway? until April. Cattrall, 48, starred as Claire Harrison, a woman paralyzed from the neck down, who enjoys a flirtatious relationship with the handsome Doctor Scott, played by the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine actor.

At British magazine Glamour's Women Of The Year Awards in London on June 9, where Cattrall picked up Theatre Actress Of The Year, the couple went public for the first time on the red carpet. A theatre source says, "Their chemistry is amazing."

Gellar to Play Alice

Sarah Michelle Gellar will be embarking on a new adventure as she falls down a particularly famous rabbit-hole.

The former "Buffy" star is attached to star in "Alice," a psychological thriller based on the hit computer game, which in turn was based on the Lewis Carroll literary classic "Alice in Wonderland," according to a rep for Universal Pictures.

In the video game, Alice is the only survivor of a catastrophic event that kills her family and wrecks the world as she knows it, forcing her to retreat to Wonderland. There, she finds that the once-whimsical land of talking animals, looking glasses and illogical tea parties has taken on horrific elements that must be successfully navigated if she ever hopes to return to the real world.

No Spice Girls Reunion

Holdout Spice:

Mel B is refusing to reunite with the Spice Girls for Live 8.

Show organizer Sir Bob Geldof claims, while the rest of the chart-topping girl band are keen to make a comeback at the star-studded charity extravaganza, 'Scary Spice' doesn't want to return to her past and reform the group.

Geldof told British TV talk show 'Richard and Judy': "One of the Spice Girls has difficulty in reuniting. Well, she's doing something in California, but she also has difficulty going back to something she did in the past".

He later admitted it was Mel B.

Scarlett Said "No" to Scientology

Tom Cruise might have tried to recruit Scarlett Johansson to Scientology long before he set his sights on fresh-faced fiance Katie Holmes. MSNBC.com reports that the Lost in Translation star, who was expected to co-star with Cruise in MI:3 but dropped out due to "scheduling conflicts," attended a private tour of a Scientology center with her would-be co-star before fleeing the building and subsequently the project.

"After two hours of proselytizing," according to RadarMagazine.com, "Cruise opened a door to reveal a second room full of upper-level Scientologists who had been waiting to dine with the pair, at which point the cool-headed ingenue politely excused herself."

Rumors of Cruise's handlers auditioning a host of young starlets to be his "girlfriend" and convert to the controversial religion have been plaguing the internet since Cruise and Holmes were caught on camera together in Rome earlier this year.

"Is this Tom Cruise's version of a first date? It's becoming increasingly difficult to make distinctions between his personal, professional and religious life," Rick Ross of CultNews.com told MSNBC.com. "Tom Cruise and Scientology seem intent on recruiting a hot young star. Apparently, Scarlett Johansson flunked her test, but Katie Holmes passed."

Bennifer 2.0 Not Married?

Forget those reports that Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner married in West Virginia – or anywhere else – last weekend.

The actor's publicist, Ken Sunshine, tells TV's Access Hollywood that an item about the nuptials in New York's Daily News quoting a florist and wedding planner in Wheeling, W. Va., just isn't true.

Affleck and Garner "are not in West Virginia," says Sunshine. "They did not get married yesterday. They did not get married today."

Brandon Tucker, owner of the Briarwood Flower Shoppe, had told the News that the "Alias" star requested bouquets of ivory Virginia roses, Casablanca lilies and gardenia. "I was just dumbfounded," said Tucker. "In Wheeling, not too many celebrities come in. I should have worn something different."

StorkWatch

Country singer Martina McBride and her husband, John, have welcomed their third child – Ava Rose Kathleen McBride, born at 2:25 p.m. Monday, according to McBride's publicist, Kathy Best.

Both Ava, who weighed 7 lbs. 7 oz. upon arrival, and her 38-year-old mother are doing well, according to the singer's Web site.

The McBrides have two other children: daughters Delaney, 10, and Emma, 7. The Kansas-born McBride rose to stardom in the late '90s, and has produced such hits as "My Baby Loves Me," "Concrete Angel," "Independence Day," "In My Daughter's Eyes," and "This One's For the Girls."

Diddy's Ticked

Rap mogul Sean 'P Diddy' Combs is outraged a New York court ordered him to pay a record-breaking $250,000 a year in child support in April, claiming he's the victim of a "scam".

The Bad Boy Records boss - who is currently appealing the decision, the largest child support order in the history of New York State - believes he has been unfairly treated by the order to pay the cash to his 11-year-old son with stylist Misa Hylton-Brim, Justin.

Combs tells the New York Daily News, "This is not about the money. This is about me as a father. And this is not about my son. My child is being used. There's a scam that's going on. To go and have a judge order me to do it as if I've been a bad father is unfair. A court doesn't have to tell me what to do to support my child. It's disrespectful. It's saying I don't take care of my kids. To put me in this position, when I feel I've even been a shining example as a father... it's ludicrous. It's ridiculous. It's so insulting. I know I'm talking very passionately. But when you have these ambulance-chasing lawyers who have publicists and do photo shoots in magazines saying, 'This is the man who's going to beat Puffy, ' for them it's about my money. This money is not going to be spent on Justin. This is about somebody wanting another car or another piece of jewelry, some new coats. And I'm going to fight it to the highest court there is."

She Always Falls In Love

Angelina Jolie has fuelled speculation she's secretly dating Hollywood hunk Brad Pitt by confessing she fell in love with him while they shot Mr. and Mrs Smith.

She has admitted she always falls for the leading men she acts opposite, and her gruelling gun training sessions with Pitt for the film - in which they play married assassins - made them very close.

Jolie says, "I have always developed deep ties with actors who have played alongside me. I always fall in love. "If you're armed, you need to trust that person. We developed a good understanding."

Looney Tunes

Pamela Anderson was left shaken after a female 'fan' broke into her Malibu pad - and headed straight for the underwear drawer.

The intruder left without stealing anything, reprots the Daily Mail. But she left a note to explain her motive: "I'm not a lesbian, I just want to touch you."

Pam was understandably freaked out by the strange display of affection. "This is very unnerving. Who knows what is going on in that woman's mind?" she said.

To calm her fears, Pamela has invested in a new state-of-the-art security system.

Usher's a Freebie Whore

Usher is getting a bad rep as a freebie whore. Stylists complain they have trouble getting clothes returned from his shoots because the sought-after samples frequently go missing.

Rumor has it that he visited the Bathing Ape store in SoHo last weekend with security in tow. "After making the manager run up and down the stairs for close to an hour, and running everyone ragged, he gets to the register and wants everything for free," said our source. When the manager refused, Usher said, "I have to be somewhere at 8." The manager replied, "So do I." Usher said, "Are you trying to play me?"

The singer's rep countered, "Usher pays for everything."

Madonna's New Album

Madonna wants to go back to her roots, so she's planning to get into the groove on her next album. "It's all dance music," she revealed recently. "No ballads, no slow songs."

She has been working on her 10th studio album with several collaborators, some of whom have lent a helping hand before, such as French producer Mirwais Ahmadzai, who lent his retro-electro style to both Music and American Life, as well as Stuart Price, her musical director on the Reinvention Tour who popped up on American Life by co-writing "X-Static Process." His '80s electro-pop sound will be showcased even more prominently on the upcoming, still-untitled album, she said, because she did "a lot" of it with Price (a.k.a. Jacques Lu Cont).

But Madonna isn't just tapping into the well of the tried and true — she's also borrowing a bit from Britney by experimenting with a duo of Swedish producer-songwriters known as Bloodshy & Avant (Christian "Bloodshy" Karlsson and Pontus "Avant" Winnberg), who made a name for themselves by writing and producing Spears' "Toxic."

Madonna's album is due in late November, and she plans to tour by next summer.

The Real World--Austin

"The Real World" returns to MTV tonight (10 p.m. EDT), this time heading south to Austin, Texas.

After 16 seasons and locations as diverse as Philadelphia and Hawaii, the show still remains one of TV’s most successful franchises. "This season is great," says Jon Murray, "Real World" co-creator and executive producer. "Every show is defined by its cast, and this year there is some really powerful drama."

The housemates:

Rachel: The "talkative" brunette from suburban Los Angeles did a tour of duty as a medic.

Nehemiah: The L.A. suburbanite grew up in a single-parent family, and his mother is currently in drug rehab.

Danny: He’s from the blue-collar outskirts of Boston and grew up working for his father’s roofing business while his mother struggled with alcoholism and depression.

Wes: A college student originally from Kansas City, Wes admits many people think he is "a jerk," and claims to have "the best six-pack in [his] school."

Johanna: This Peruvian bad girl was raised in suburban L.A., and even though she denies the accusation that she has behavior issues, she was arrested for an as-yet-unnamed infraction while in the Austin house.

Lacey: This hairstylist from Ohio ensured her place in the house by telling casting directors, "I don’t go looking for gossip — it just finds me!"

Melinda: She contributed an unforgettable audition tape. The suburban Milwaukee lass is seen streaking topless and screeching "I’m crazy! I’m a crazy b--ch!"

New Spade Show

David Spade once did the "Hollywood Minute" on "Saturday Night Live." Now he figures there's enough material for a half-hour of fun each week.

"The Showbiz Show" aims to do for entertainment news shows what Jon Stewart does for the nightly news. Comedy Central said Monday the show probably will debut in September.

Think about the past few weeks alone: Tom Cruise and his whirlwind romance, Russell Crowe and the hotel phone. The joke possibilities are endless, Spade said. What once seemed like Hollywood-insider information is now everywhere, he said.

"Even my mom is like, `Cinderella Man' took a bit of a dip the second week,'" he said in an interview with The Associated Press. "Huh? How did you hear that? `Does Angelina Jolie really drink blood? Call me back.'"

Spade's program will feature a mix similar to "The Daily Show," with "correspondents," on-location pieces, parodies using film clips and celebrity guests.

Seymour to Be Topless in Film

She was a glamour girl in a Bond movie and the maverick Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, renowned for her ladylike image on screen. Now, at the ripe old age of 54, actor Jane Seymour dared to go topless on screen for the first time.

Mother-of-six Jane decided on the daring comeback to appeal to a new generation of fans but she was "anxious" about baring all for the new comedy movie Wedding Crashers, in which Owen Wilson rips off her bra and fondles her.

"I have never done anything quite like this and it seemed a little insane to be doing it now that I'm in my 50s," she said. "But I wanted to appeal to this generation. The script was the funniest thing I'd ever read. I thought the topless scene in particular was the funniest moment in the whole movie. Despite my anxiety I recognised this to be a great role."

Scent of a Younger Woman

Scent of a Younger Woman:

A study of smells shows that the scent of grapefruit on women make them seem about six years younger to men. However, grapefruit fragrance on men does nothing for them.

The study by the Smell and Taste Institute in Chicago was conducted by Institute director Alan Hirsch. Hirsch smeared several middle-aged woman with broccoli, banana, spearmint leaves, and lavender but none of those scents made a difference to the men.

But the scent of grapefruit changed men's perceptions. Hirsch said that when male volunteers were asked to write down how old the woman with grapefruit odor was, the age was considerably less than reality.

--Looks like I'll be perceived as my age or older--I'm not in to smelling like fruit.

Lennon Auction

A major collection of John Lennon memorabilia, including an oil painting from his student days and a handwritten "All You Need Is Love" manuscript, will go on sale next month.

The July 28 auction also will include a table from the home Lennon shared with his first wife, Cynthia; a tunic thought to have inspired the costumes on the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album cover; and a bedspread from Lennon's "bed-in" for peace in Montreal with Yoko Ono, Cooper Owen auction house announced Monday.

Cooper Owen, which specializes in auctions of music and film memorabilia, said it expects to raise $2 million from the auction, to be held at The Hippodrome nightclub in central London.

ESPN To Become Less Sports-Centered

MTV became an integral part of the pop culture by morphing from a music video network to a channel carrying a wide range of programming.

Looks like ESPN is going to follow suit.

Take Me to Paris

Nothing says love like your fiance's mostly-naked picture on your shirt:

The Legendary Couch Dance

Herbie: Fully Loaded star Lindsay Lohan followed in Tom Cruise's footsteps on Thursday night - by leaping onto a couch halfway through her TV interview.

Mission: Impossible star Cruise raised eyebrows last month, when he jumped up and down on Oprah Winfrey's couch as he repeatedly yelled he was in love with Katie Holmes. While his antics made him the target of teasing at the hands of comedians across America, Cruise went on to repeat his actions when he appeared on Leno's chat show. And while Lohan, 18, insists she's yet to find love since splitting with Wilmer Valderrama, she decided to continue the trend when she arrived on Leno's show.

When the funnyman asked her if she was in love, Lohan responded, "No, but I was watching the show the other day and I saw Tom Cruise and I know he's in love. So in honor of Tom Cruise, for everyone who's not in love, I'm gonna pull a Tom!" She then proceeded to jump on the couch, as the audience cheered her on. After composing herself, she explained, "I love Tom Cruise, but I just had to do it. Also for Dean, my security guard."

She's So Deep

Brit's the Oracle of Trashphi:

Pop beauty Britney Spears has declared her new maternal song Someday (I Will Understand) "a prophecy" - because she wrote it two weeks before she discovered she was pregnant.

Spears sings about having a baby on the track, which has now taken on extra-special meaning since she discovered that she and husband Kevin Federline will welcome their first child together into the world in the autumn.

She says, "I wrote this song at my piano, at my house. I wrote it two weeks before I found out that I was pregnant, so it was really kind of weird, because the song's about having a baby... and it's something that I'd been dreaming about for a while. It's kind of like a prophecy."

Big Mistake

Spies in Paris report that, in a stunning display of ignorance, the Hermes store in the City of Light refused entry to Oprah Winfrey.

"Oprah didn't have her hair done," says a source. "When she tried the door, they refused her entry because they have been 'having a problem with North Africans' lately' and obviously had no clue who she was." A rep for Winfrey says: "Oprah is in Paris," but declined further comment. Hermes didn't return calls.

Happy Birthday, Olsen Twins

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen may have had a relatively tame 19th birthday – they celebrated with cake, balloons and sushi at an L.A. restaurant Monday – but it appears Mary-Kate saved the hard partying for Wednesday and Thursday night at New York nightclub Bungalow 8.

Mary-Kate arrived around 1 a.m. early Friday morning with an entourage of 10 to 15 friends (but not her sister) for a night of wild dancing, champagne, shots, cigarettes – and more cake. After heading to the bathroom with her tiny white minidress falling off her shoulders, Olsen stepped out clutching the hand of a short dark-haired man who became her dance partner (but not romantic partner) for much of the night. When the two of them reached the middle of the dance floor, they ran into Russian supermodel Natalia Vodianova. Mary-Kate vaulted herself into Natalia's arms, and the model scooped Mary-Kate off the ground and cupped her rear-end as the pair exchange kisses.

Natalia's husband, Justin Portman, appeared with shots for the group and gave a short toast. Mary-Kate had a glass of champagne, and she later donned a cowboy hat and grinded with girlfriends to songs including "The Seed" and "Get Right."

When 50 Cent's "In Da Club" came on (complete with the "It's your birthday" refrain), friends gathered around Mary-Kate and two cakes frosted with roses were brought out. After she blew out the candles, the dancing continued, while a bodyguard stayed close to Mary-Kate's side. The group made their exit around 3 a.m.

"School's out. Summer's here and they were having fun," said Olsen's rep, Michael Pagnotta,.

Ashlee Loves Sloppy Seconds

Ashlee Simpson is a fan of sloppy seconds.

Simpson dated Wilmer Valderrama after her pal Lindsay Lohan broke up with him, and now she's after her pal Ashley Olsen's ex. Spies caught Simpson snuggling with Scott Sartiano, co-owner of Butter who just got dumped by Olsen, at Los Angeles' club Mood on Wednesday night.

The spy reports: "They were definitely together."

More of Bale as Batman

Warner Bros. is so happy with the box office of "Batman Begins," the studio plans to remake all the Batman movies — with Christian Bale firmly implanted in the Bruce Wayne/Batman role.

A source says, "Everyone is in agreement that the movie's strength is with Christian Bale, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman." Sadly, this leaves Katie Holmes out. "She won't be in the sequel . . . the next romantic interest will be a much stronger actress," says the spy. "Warner is happy that people are now focusing on who'll be playing the Joker rather than Katie and Tom [Cruise]."

Shakira's Shy?

Shakira believes she's the "most shy person in the world."

The 28-year-old Colombian, who shows off her grease-painted curves as she writhes around in the video for her latest single LA Tortura, claims she's extremely inhibited. She tells Blender magazine this month, "I have way too many inhibitions "I'm shy. Super-shy. The most shy person in the world."

--Um, have you SEEN her new video? Not exactly exuding shyness.

Madonna Clearly Wears the Pants

Guy Ritchie had wanted to hire 80's crooner Rick Astley to perform at the wrap bash for his latest film, Revolver. But Madonna banned the move.

A source says: "Guy and the production staff on the movie thought hiring Rick would be a cool thing to do for his cast and crew, who had worked so hard on the gangster flick. They'd been filming scenes on the Isle of Man and wanted to have a bit of a party when they had finished. "They were discussing how to make it a bit different and somehow came up with the idea of hiring Rick."

Madonna "[w]asn't into the idea at all and didn't find it amusing. "When word got out that they were going to ask Rick along, the staff thought it was a great idea. "Of course, he's cheesy but that was the point. It would have been a real laugh. Everyone was looking forward to dancing to Never Gonna Give You Up. "But no one can understand why Madonna didn't approve of him being the star attraction."

--Now there's a blast from the past.

DiCaprio Gets Stitches

Leonardo DiCaprio was assaulted early Friday morning at a party at the Hollywood Hills home of Rick Salomon.

In a statement released to People, the Oscar-nominated actor's publicist, Ken Sunshine, says: "While leaving a small private gathering, Leo was attacked by a woman who was trespassing and had been repeatedly asked to leave the property. The attacker struck him with a glass object before being restrained by witnesses. The woman was reportedly looking for an ex-boyfriend, who she had apparently physically assaulted on prior occasions."

DiCaprio was at the party hosted by Salomon (Paris Hilton's ex, who starred with the hotel heiress in their notorious sex video), when at around 4 a.m., the woman hit him in the face with what appeared to be a beer bottle, a source reports. After the incident, an ambulance wasn't called but friends took him to a hospital for medical attention, where he received about a dozen stitches near his ear, says the source.

--Note to all: Bad things happen when you hang with Rick Solomon.

Avril Says...

Avril, on recent tabloid pics of her looking wasted:

"I was out for 10 weeks in Asia, (went) to L.A. for a weekend to meet my girlfriends, went out -- and yeah, we had some drinks, yeah -- and some paparazzi took some pictures and now everybody thinks I'm an alcoholic," the Canadian pop star tells the Sun during a phone interview from Germany.

"But the funny thing is, I've been on tour for six weeks (now), I've drank probably twice because I was in Italy and I had some red wine. "I'm on a vegan diet, I do yoga every day, I work out, I'm totally spiritual -- I'm completely opposite of what everyone thinks I am right now.

"Everyone thinks I'm this angry ... alcoholic and I'm losing all of my friends." "To me, I look at that and my friends look at that and we laugh," she says. "All those people who buy those magazines are dumb. Those who buy them and believe them are dumb."

"One good thing ... it makes me look more like a rock star."

DeNiro Gets Choked Up About Dad's Art

Robert De Niro got choked up at an exhibit of paintings by his father in northeastern France.

"This is a magnificent exhibit," said De Niro, whose father, Robert De Niro Sr., passed away more than a decade ago. "I'm sad that my father is not here," De Niro said Saturday, dabbing his eyes.

The 56-painting exhibit, in the recently opened La Piscine Museum in the town of Roubaix, is the first European retrospective of the elder De Niro's paintings. Hundreds gathered outside the museum, housed in a renovated Art Deco poolhouse, hoping to spot the actor.

In the 60s, the elder De Niro spent several years living in France, studying Matisse, Manet, Gaugin, Bonnard and other painters who influenced his work. "He said that painting is love and sensuality. He expressed these feelings with color," said art critic Valere Bertrand, who attended the opening.

Bosworth and Bloom Engaged?

After calling it quits in January claiming that they were too busy for romance, reports have emerged that Orlando Bloom and Kate Bosworth are on the mend. MSN.com citing Australia's Daily Telegraph reports that Bloom, 28, flew to Sidney this weekend with the goal of "rekindling his love affair" with the Bosworth, 22, who is there working on Superman Returns.

"Orlando can't stay away from Kate," a tattler told the London Mirror. "They've tried to be apart but it's impossible when you are as in love as they are. He's determined to woo her back."

According to spywitnesses, the hot-and-cold couple are happy to see each other and have been spotted all over town while Bloom has been on his first break in filming the sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean. The Daily Telegraph also claims that Bloom reportedly surprised Bosworth with a $400,000 diamond engagement ring.

Kate Tries to Keep Her Man Off Drugs

No matter what the rumors, Kate Moss has certainly won Pete Doherty's heart, if his interview with the July issue of Vanity Fair is to be believed.

Kate, who has taken to wearing a red heart around her neck, is credited with persuading him to have an implant inserted into his abdomen to cure him of his dependence on drugs. "It was get an implant or die, really, the ways things were," he says. "I was fixing up, shooting white, shooting brown, and then entering a relationship – I mean, God knows, [Kate] saved my life, and, really, I had to choose. She's got a young kid, I have a young kid, and there's no way it could happen."

TomKat Engaged!

Actor Tom Cruise said he and girlfriend Katie Holmes are engaged, after he popped the question early Friday morning atop the Eiffel Tower.

Cruise, speaking at a Paris news conference with Holmes, said: "Yes, I proposed to her." The couple often shared smiles and blushes as Cruise turned to look at her, with a massive diamond ring on her finger. "It was early this morning at the Eiffel Tower, so I haven't slept at all," he said. "Today is a magnificent day for me, I'm engaged to a magnificent woman."

Asked why he chose the famed Paris landmark, he said: "I've never been to the Eiffel Tower. It's Paris, it's a beautiful city, it's very romantic." Cruise said no date for a wedding has been set: "We haven't discussed that - one step at a time," he said. "Let's see. We're not sure."

Cruise, 42, was in Paris to promote the French release of the Steven Spielberg film "War of the Worlds" next month. He and 26-year-old Holmes went public with their romantic relationship in April. Holmes did not speak to reporters, but at one point, Cruise whispered to her: "Are you OK?" Afterward, the two hurried into a car before leaving for a promotional event in Marseilles, southern France.

--Well, I can certainly think of worse places to be proposed to. Wow. Wonder what Penelope, while cruising around in Matthew's mobile home (see story a few posts below) thinks right now. Hopefully, how lucky she is to be in the mobile home with Matthew.

A Porn Welcome?

Britney Spears was left completely abashed when she invited the Disney bosses to her hotel room and found husband Kevin Federline watching porn. Both Britney and Kevin had been invited to celebrate the resort's 50th anniversary.

23 year old Britney, who is expecting her first child soon, did not know where to look after Kevin had left the video running but quickly recovered her wits thereafter. "Boys will be boys", Femalefirst quoted her as saying.

"Honey, you didn't tell me you'd brought along Sleeping Booty!", she added.

--I'm sure it's indeed a "small world" after all for Kevin.

Forbes Celebrity 100 List

Media mogul and TV talk show queen Oprah Winfrey has topped the new 2005 Forbes magazine Celebrity 100 list.

The annual Forbes list ranks celebrities according to their power, salaries and media presence. Winfrey was a clear choice to top the list after earning a staggering $225 million in the last 12 months, and her show is one of the world's top-rated. Golf ace Tiger Woods came in second and Mel Gibson, who topped the list in 2004, fell to number three.

Star Wars creator George Lucas, who didn't appear among the Celebrity 100 last year, crashes in at number four on the new list. Meanwhile, funnymen Will Ferrell and Dave Chappelle appear on the list for the first time at numbers 18 and 78 respectively and Denzel Washington is also a Celebrity 100 virgin at number 31.

The ladies of Desperate Housewives have replaced the girls of Friends - the cast of the hit new show debut on the new list at number 25, while Courtney Cox and Lisa Kudrow join the likes of Tom Hanks, Jim Carrey and The Rolling Stones, who fall off this year's list. Friends co-star Jennifer Aniston, who topped the list in 2003, falls to number 37.

The top 10 is: 1. Oprah Winfrey, 2. Tiger Woods, 3. Mel Gibson, 4. George Lucas, 5. Shaquille O'Neal, 6. Steven Spielberg, 7. Johnny Depp, 8. Madonna, 9. Sir Elton John, 10. Tom Cruise.

24 Movie

A movie based on the Fox series 24 is in the works. But whether it will be shot in real-time is still up for consideration, says the show's Canadian director/producer Jon Cassar.

"The last I heard, the first hour will not be in real-time, but then something big will happen and real time will kick in. It still has to be worked out -- it's at a stage where they need to write it."

Cassar will not predict a storyline for the big screen version of the hugely popular show. He says the script will likely depend on what's happening on the series prior to the movie coming out.

Is She Still Around?

It looks like the original "Apprentice" villain, Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth, has finally found her true calling — she's shooting a pilot with the same people who made Jerry Springer a trailer-trash phenomenon.

"We're going to take all that attitude she has and have her turn it toward people who deserve to have their heads handed to them," Springer's executive producer, Richard Dominick, told a spy. "Love her or hate her, you won't be able to turn her off. She's going to be bigger than Oprah."

--Is she STILL around?

Keri Russell's In

After all of the hype about who may or may not star alongside Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible 3, Keri Russell has accepted her mission, beating out potential actresses Lindsay Lohan and Cruise's squeeze Katie Holmes to replace Scarlett Johansson after she pulled out the film last month. E! Online reports that Russell, 29, will play a junior agent mentored by Cruise's Ethan Hunt character.

The former Felicity star is reuniting with director and producer J.J. Abrams for the project, who is slated to direct the upcoming film. M:I-3's cast also includes actors Ving Rhames, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Michelle Monaghan and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

--Get pumped, Iceman.

Profound Thoughts By Penn

Sean Penn to a film student during a visit to Iran's Film Museum in Tehran regarding the "Death to America" slogan chanted each week at Friday Prayers:

"I understand the nature of where it comes from and what its intention is," he said. "But I don't think it's productive because I think the message goes to the American people and it is interpreted very literally."

--Um, ya think, Sean?

A Different Kind of Live Programming For Couric

While rumors persist that Katie Couric may leave The Today Show, the perky morning host will soon headline a program on another network: The QVC Home Shopping Channel.

On June 25, Couric will team up with comedian Ray Romano to hawk “Laughing Gas,” a cinnamon-scented room spray created by Philosophy for the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance, the charity founded by Katie and the Entertainment Industry Foundation.

The product is available exclusively on QVC for $15, and the show airs over the weekend.

Missy Surprised By Smooch

Rap star Missy Elliott was horrified when she witnessed Britney Spears and Madonna kissing at the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards rehearsals - as she knew her mother would be offended.

The singer first suspected she had spied a spontaneous smooch between the pair, but she was amazed to learn they were rehearsing the kiss for the evening's award ceremony.

She says, "At first I thought they were just ... into each other. "Then Madonna was like, 'Okay, let's take it again.' And, you know, we probably did that rehearsal 15 or 20 times. "All I was thinking was, 'Oh my God, my momma gonna watch this, and all the church people gonna call her up.'"

However, Elliott is not ruling out any lesbian lip-locking action herself. She adds, 'I would never say what I would never do. Never say never."

Gross

Recently rehabbed talking head Pat O'Brien was humiliated when recordings of him talking dirty surfaced on the Internet. But the ordeal hasn't dampened the "Insider" anchor's libido, it seems.

At a recent Audemars Piguet party, O'Brien took a fancy to reality TV tartlet Brittny Gastineau, we're told. And when Gastineau left, O'Brien was right behind. "He ran down the street after Brittny to get her phone number," our spy reports. "And he did." Gastineau was most recently linked to Backstreet Boy Nick Carter.

On the Road Again

Matthew McConaughey is whisking girlfriend Penelope Cruz off on vacation - in a mobile home.

The mega-rich Hollywood star has said he hates five-star hotels and prefers to have his "own four walls" when he travels. And he's dragging Penelope - who's more used to extravagant foreign hotels- along with him.

Matthew said: "I love my mobile home. I can feel my independence. It's great having my own four walls instead of staying in hotels all the time.

"I have everything I need. I have a satellite so I can connect my mobile office at any time. I have my own bed, a little kitchen, a grill and water. It's not like a five-star hotel but I like it better."

Stars For the Cure

Having secured Oscar-winning actresses Nicole Kidman and Charlize Theron to star as ambassadors in its annual Key to the Cure for cancer campaign, Saks Fifth Avenue has unveiled Academy Award winning actress Hilary Swank as its newest spokeswoman.

Swank will model a limited edition T-shirt created by Diane von Furstenberg that features an abstract heart design with such phrases as “life is love” and “love is life.” The shirt will be available this fall at Saks stores nationwide and will retail for $35, $33 of which will be donated to the cause. In addition, a complementary ad campaign will debut in select fashion and lifestyle magazines this October.

Swank has revealed in the past that several of her family members, including her grandmother, grandfather, and mother-in-law, have all succumbed to the disease.

Blanche Has a Cause

Blanche sticks up for the elephants:

Former "Golden Girls" actress Rue McClanahan is trying to prevent four elephants from being transferred from Chicago to Hugo, Okla. because they were exposed to another animal with tuberculosis.

McClanahan, an honorary director of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), wrote a letter to state Rep. Ray McCarter, a Democrat, asking him "to introduce an emergency resolution recommending against the importation of any elephants who have been exposed to TB in Oklahoma."

McClanahan, an Oklahoma native, said she would prefer the four elephants be sent to the Elephant Sanctuary, a 2,700-acre preserve in Hohenwald, Tenn.

--Yeah, go ahead and laugh. I think I've seen every "Golden Girls" episode.

TomKat News

And from the "Endless Brainwashing of Katie" files:

These days, wherever Katie Holmes goes – press conferences for Batman Begins, TV interviews and autograph sessions – Jessica Rodriguez is never far behind, People reports in its latest issue.

"They're always together," says one source. Since Holmes met Rodriguez – soon after the star began dating Tom Cruise in April – "they've become good friends. They go shopping, they go out."

And they've been generating headlines. Why all the fuss? Because Rodriguez is employed by the Church of Scientology, Cruise's controversial religion. And though a source close to Holmes says that Rodriguez is traveling as a friend and assistant – not as a religious adviser – the blossoming friendship indicates that Holmes is getting more serious about Cruise, 42, and more deeply involved in Scientology.

One source says Holmes, 26, is "now a Scientologist." Holmes herself has only said she's taking lessons. "I know how important it is to Tom, and I want to be able to share that with him," she told reporters in London June 12. (Holmes, who hails from Ohio, was raised Catholic; a Scientology rep says Scientologists need not renounce their faiths to join.)

It's not the only way life has precipitously changed for the former Dawson's Creek star. "Since meeting Tom, she hasn't spoken to any of the people she used to hang out with," says one source. Though to be fair, Holmes hasn't had much time to chat lately, between a busy promotion schedule for Batman Begins and jaunts with her new man.

Holmes has also made career changes recently. She dropped her manager and changed reps at the Creative Artists Agency. She also turned down the role of drug-addicted Andy Warhol acolyte Edie Sedgwick in the upcoming movie Factory Girl. A source claims she did so because Cruise thought she shouldn't play a victim – though a friend of Holmes's (who calls her "Kate") says that "Kate's decisions in terms of her career are Kate's decisions. Tom has done nothing but support her."

A more concerned friend feels Holmes is understandably swept up in the moment. "You have to remember, she's a young girl and this is Tom Cruise," says the friend. "I would have jumped off a bridge with Tom Cruise at 26."

--That's Jessica in the pic w/ Katie.

Sure You Eat, Girlfriend

Lindsay "I Promise I Eat" Lohan:

Lindsay Lohan has revealed that despite losing heaps of weight this year, she does in fact have a healthy appetite.

She also claims that she doesn't feel any pressure to be thin but is a bit preoccupied by how she looks. "I always get self-conscious about the way I look - the way my legs look, about my freckles, my hair... If I have a blemish, I'll freak out," she tells OK! magazine.

"I've never been one not to eat because I eat so much," she said, rather confusingly. "I'm kind of happy with my body. I don't work out too much - I have fun, and I eat a lot," she repeated.

Clearly feeling she has to defend herself and all the media speculation about her dramatic weight loss, Lindsay went on to say: "I don't believe in weighing myself or checking my height because when people ask, I'd feel obligated to say."

The 18-year-old also revealed that she's a big fan of Jennifer Aniston's style, admitting she would love to trade wardrobes with her. "I love how she dresses. She's very classy, but at the same time, she's fun and down to earth. She can never dress wrong, and I really admire that."

The Mean Girls star told the magazine that she doesn't have a boyfriend at the moment, although she did confess to a couple of celebrity crushes: "Johnny Depp, but he's married. And Ashton Kutcher is also taken! He's cute."

BritNews

Your MP&S BritNews updates:

--Britney has angrily hit out at an actress' claims the pregnant pop star must not breast feed because she has chest implants - insisting she's never gone under the knife.

Spears was rumored to have undergone an operation to enhance her bust several years ago - something she has always strongly denied. But 60-year-old Sally Kirkland claims to know the doctor who operated on the singer, and has warned her not to breast feed her baby when it is born, because she suffered terrible side effects when she underwent a breast enlargement herself.

Kirkland - a former Vogue model - says, "I happen to know Britney's breast implant doctor, and I just hope she does not breast feed. Because if she does, she could give her baby so many future problems. "Now I am the poster girl for women with diseases from breast implants."

But Britney's publicist insists the claims are nonsense: "Britney does not have breast implants so you don't need to worry."

--Britney Spears is determined to make Kevin Federline a movie star.

The pop princess has asked pal Madonna to get hubby Guy Ritchie to cast Kevin in his next film. Apparently pushy Britney has been bombarding them with pics of Kevin along with character suggestions.

The source said: "Britney is convinced that Kevin has what it takes and is using her contacts to make it happen."

A Moment With Kirsten

Kirsten says: Jake and I are not together:

Kirsten Dunst participated in what is described as a fun, lighthearted, and very personal interview.

The first topic at hand was her career. "I'm very pleased with my decisions up to now, and hopefully in the future I'll be as lucky as I have been in the past." exclaimed Kirsten. She describes her lifestyle as busy yet free of chaos. She currently has three projects in the works. Elizabethtown is completed and awaiting its Fall 2005 release date. She is currently busy filming Marie-Antoinette which is due out in 2006, and for 2007 she is once again reprising her role as MJ in Spiderman 3.

In the social slash romantic aspect, she stated that her and Jake were no longer together, and they have not gotten back together as rumors have suggested. One note she wanted to add, is that they are very much still friends and any new man in her life has to be mature enough to accept that.

With that said, she seems to have found just that person. Although she never fully explained how they met, she has admitted to have taken part in a new relationship. "If I could describe my new relationship in one word, it would have to be blossoming" explained Dunst. She feels very strongly that this will be another long term romance, and she couldn't be happier about that.

Kirsten stated that he is a couple years younger at 21 years of age, although he will turn 22 this July. At first she completely denied releasing his name, but after a few attempts to hold back, she requested to put the interview on hold as she called him on the telephone. Once permission was granted the name that was released is Fred Riahi, a Pepperdine University student majoring in Business Administration.

Duff's Ear Issues

Teen star Hilary Duff has become so ill from jetting around the US she's had a hole poked in her eardrum so she can continue to fly.

The 17-year-old singer and actress has been flying in and out of varied climates, which has left her nursing a bad cold. She says, "I've been travelling a lot. I was in New York and then I went to (Washington) DC and then coming back (to Los Angeles)." "The weather there's really hot and humid and then I got on the plane and I couldn't even breathe or talk and I had to get like a needle poked through my eardrum so it would relieve pressure because I have to fly at like six o'clock in the morning."

Pay Up, Queen!

Oscar-nominated actress-singer Queen Latifah is a deadbeat tenant and hasn't paid rent on her company's office space since November.

The 6,000-square- foot office space in Elmwood Park, N.J., is rented through Latifah's company, Ghettoworks, Inc., and "her bill paying is the worst," said a source. "The past five years of behavior has not been good. They're in litigation with her right now." Further, "Her bodyguards are threatening and anti-Semitic." David Raindorf, who owns the property, declined to comment. Reps for Latifah did not return calls.

--Maybe that's why she's entering into the new little endeavor a few posts down.

RIP

Celebrity hair designer John Sahag – who prepared such clients as Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lopez , Sarah Jessica Parker and Drew Barrymore for their major magazine shoots – died of cancer on Wednesday, a representative said. He was 51.

Born in Lebanon and raised in Sydney, Australia, Sahag set off for Paris at age 18 and soon received a credit in Italian Vogue. Over time, he would work with such internationally renowned photographers as Richard Avedon, Patrick Demarchelier, Helmut Newton, Irving Penn and Albert Watson. He was also credited with giving actress Kirsten Dunst her famous five-inch cropped cut – a look he repeated on Maggie Gyllenhaal. Sahag also did Demi Moore's famous boy cut in 1990's Ghost.

"Cutting and shaping hair is a very personal and intimate experience for me," Shag once said. He opened his own New York salon, The John Sahag Workshop on Madison Avenue, in 1985 and launched his own product line in 1998.

Other famous heads he shaped included those on Gwyneth Paltrow, Courteney Cox Arquette, Gretchen Mol, Brooke Shields, Sandra Bullock, Winona Ryder and Bruce Springsteen.

JLH Says: Don't Be a Hater

In an interview with "Access Hollywood," actress Jennifer Love Hewitt says she feels that not all paparazzi "should be lumped into the group of these monsters who treat people badly."

"I don't think that every paparazzi should be lumped into the group of these monsters who treat people badly," said Hewitt. "I've actually met a lot of really nice ones who are lovely people."

Furthermore, the actress says that a member of the paparazzi actually came to her rescue. "My car ran out of gas and he stopped and didn't take any photos of me," she said. "He ran and got me a tank of gas for my car so I could drive to a gas station. He was like, 'See Jennifer, we're not all monsters...'"

However, Hewitt admits that not all of her experiences with the paparazzi have been pleasant. "I've met a lot of them that are frankly kind of scary and push the limits and get too much in your face," she said. "I think a law to protect celebrities from the ones that are not so good may not be a bad idea."

Posh To Be the Next Big Thing?

Tom Cruise has revealed he thinks Victoria Beckham (Posh Spice) has the talent to make it big in Hollywood, and wants to transform her into a leading lady.

According to Grazia magazine, Tom told Victoria: "You could be a fantastic actress. "You are witty, have great comic timing and a fantastic accent. "You have great potential to be a huge Hollywood star."

According to a friend of Victoria, Tom revealed his plans during a dinner date with David Beckham and Tom's new love Katie Holmes at Tom's home in Beverly Hills. The friend said: "Tom told Victoria he could make her a star and she just couldn't believe it. "She was telling David how excited she was and how that would be a dream come true. "Victoria has always been extremely ambitious and she doesn't see why this couldn't be the next step in her career."

According to the friend, Tom now plans to set up meetings in the movie industry to help launch her career.

--Um, did he see Spiceworld?

Jay-Z Plays Rough

Beyonce and Jay-Z looked completely in love fooling around on a romantic holiday in the South of France - that is, until he took their play-fight too far.

It all started off as a bit of harmless fun after a stroll in the sunshine when the 35-year-old rapper decided to teach the 23-year-old Destiny's Child babe a little self-defense.

Beyonce's smile turned to a scowl when the heavyweight packed a punch which was too much for her.

Latifah Does Lingerie

Victoria’s Secret queen Tyra Banks released her own CD last year, and now Queen Latifah is turning the tables with her very own lingerie line. In an official announcement expected today, the 35 year-old Grammy winner will partner with Vanity Fair Intimates on their Curvation line of lingerie, designed specifically for larger women.

The line debuts at the VF Offices tomorrow morning with a press conference, a slew of interviews, and a special preview of Queen Latifah’s new organization, Project Confidence, which the entertainer established to promote acceptance and assurance among all women.

As part of the partnership, Queen Latifah will serve as the face of the Curvation brand and appear in Curvation’s advertisements, including a four-minute promotion found on VF’s website. True to the brand, she refers to Curvation’s target consumers as “a size ten or better.”

Murphy To Be in "Dreamgirls"

In the past, Eddie Murphy has been an actor and a singer. In a new musical, he'll get a chance to do both.

Murphy will join Jamie Foxx and Beyonce Knowles in the cast of the upcoming film "Dreamgirls," Dreamworks has announced. To be directed by Bill Condon, "Dreamgirls" is an adaptation of the Tony Award-winning musical that first ran on Broadway in the early 1980s.

The movie follows the rise of a trio of women who form a group called The Dreamettes in the 1960s. Murphy will play James "Thunder" Early, a singer for whom the Dreamettes sing back up before taking over the spotlight themselves.

Immature Graduates

Arnold Schwarzenegger's return to his alma mater turned into an exercise in perseverance when virtually his every word was accompanied by catcalls, howls and piercing whistles from the crowd.

Schwarzenegger's face appeared to redden during his 15-minute commencement address Tuesday to 600 graduates at Santa Monica College, but he ignored the shouting as he recalled his days as a student and, later, his work as a bodybuilder and actor.

"Always go all out and overcome your fears," he told the graduates. "Work, work, work. Study, study, study."

--Poor form by the attendees. It wasn't the time or place for that. I didn't agree politically with my graduation speaker when I graduated from college, nor did I agree with his subtle jabs at prominent folks in my party. Did I boo or catcall? Um, no, because that would have been inappropriate. Have a little class.

--AND, don't even get me started on the professors holding signs in the picture above.

Splitsville

Matthew Perry and his longtime girlfriend, Rachel Dunn, have called it quits.

"There was no drama involved (in the breakup), just a commitment by Matthew to stay focused on his sobriety," says a source close to the couple. The 35-year-old former Friends star has publicly battled addiction to both alcohol and prescription painkillers in the past.

Dunn, a former fashion student, and Perry met in 2003. Late last year, she briefly moved from New York to Los Angeles to be closer to her beau, but returned East because the couple "drove each other crazy," a friend told People in February.

Perry will host the ESPY Awards on July 17 at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre.

Is Brad a CheaterHead?

Did he cheat?

The mystery of the Brad Pitt-Jennifer Aniston breakup has been solved.

Aniston has finally broken her silence on the love triangle to Leslie Bennetts, who will write up the interview for Vanity Fair. Contrary to early speculation, "She told Bennetts she did want babies with Brad, and that starting a family wasn't the issue," one source told Page Six.

"The issue was Brad cheated . . . and she is appalled by the 'family photos' coming out in W." Brad and Angelina posed with pretend kids as one big happy family in the upcoming monthly.

Moore Shows Off Her Assets

Moore to bare all again?

Demi Moore is reportedly to appear naked on the cover of Vanity Fair - almost 15 years after she famously posed nude for the magazine while heavily pregnant.

This time, however, the sexy actress will strip for the camera with her toy boy lover Ashton Kutcher.

Elephant Rides?

Simple Life star Nicole Richie has a number of outrageous wishes for her upcoming wedding to Adam Goldstein - including elephant rides, swans, horse-drawn carriages and salsa dancing.

The daughter of soul legend Lionel Richie is reportedly in conflict with her DJ fiance, who is disgusted by her flamboyant plans and is desperate for a more modest ceremony instead.

The 23-year-old is disappointed by her future husband's lack of enthusiasm: "I want elephant rides and swans. He wants, like five people at our wedding - our close friends and family only."

Luke to Play The Joker?

Original Star Wars star Mark Hamill has joined the shortlist of favorites to play The Joker in the Batman Begins sequel.

The actor, who played Luke Skywalker in Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return Of The Jedi, has become a fan favorite to play Batman's colorful foe. He joins Crispin Glover and Aussie actor Lachy Hulme on the three-strong internet shortlist.

Hamill became an obvious choice for some Batman fans after voicing The Joker for the Batman cartoon series. A spokesman for top Batman website Darkhorizons.Com points out, "The net basically picked Christian Bale to play Batman, so who knows." Batman Begins opens across America and Europe this week.

--I'm not feeling it.

Penn the Reporter

Sean Penn has stepped into the shoes of a reporter once again.

The Oscar-winning actor has left a wake of excited fans and bewildered clerics around the Iranian capital while on a special assignment for the San Francisco Chronicle to cover Friday's presidential elections.

Last week, Penn attended Friday prayers at Tehran University where worshippers gave the well-known chant of "Death to America." On Monday, he told an audience at Tehran's Film Museum that such cries hurt prospects for starting a dialogue between Iran and the United States.

His trip has offered Iranian photographers the rare taste of paparazzi-style celebrity hunting. Iran has a highly respected domestic film industry that has won countless international awards, but few Hollywood stars have visited since the Islamic Revolution.

Baby News

Married 'Melrose Place' alums Doug Savant and Laura Leighton are welcoming a new baby girl to their family.

Lucy Jane Leighton Savant was born on June 9 in Santa Monica, California and weighed in at 7 lbs. 7oz. Little Lucy is the fourth child for Leighton and Savant, who currently stars on the popular ABC hit series "Desperate Housewives."

Get A Clue, Photogs

More stalkerazzi news:

The paparazzi seem to just be getting ruder. On the red carpet at the Ziegfeld Theatre in Midtown for the "Bewitched" premiere Monday night, a pack of photographers including Star Max shooter Mitch Gerber were treated to the movie's star, Nicole Kidman, posing with co-star Will Ferrell.

But Gerber wanted solo shots of Kidman and started booing when she began to move away. For the first time in her career, an angry Kidman doubled back and berated the lensman in front of his colleagues while saying, "You are incredibly rude." Neither Gerber nor reps from Star Max were immediately available for comment.

Movie Anniversaries

Happy Anniversary to two GREAT movies:

--Surely it hasn't been 25 years since the movie "Airplane!" debuted. But it has and "Don't call me Shirley."

--And, not until "Jaws" came along in June 1975 did a movie top $100 million in first release. Thirty years later, $100 million seems almost paltry. Heck, "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith," made by Spielberg's pal George Lucas, took in $108 million on its opening weekend.

Spielberg and Lucas are true movie savants. "Jaws" and "Star Wars," the movies that made their careers, are pictures that are imbued with the spirit of true fanship: "Yeah! That's the kind of movie I'd really like to see." And so they went out and made them.

The great irony of "Jaws" is that although it is a special- effects movie, its greatness is due in large measure to the fact that its central special effect, the shark, didn't work very well. Spielberg, just 27 when he made the picture in 1974, took an immense risk when he decided to make "Jaws" on location in the ocean off Martha's Vineyard.

There's Basketball On?

More television viewers were interested in B-list stars learning how to dance and Diane Sawyer interviewing Brad Pitt than either of the first two games of the NBA Finals. Fortunately for ABC, the network televised all of those events.

The summer series "Dancing With the Stars" topped the Nielsen Media Research ratings in its second week on the air, with 15.1 million people tuning in.

Pro basketball's premiere event is a flop so far, with 10.6 million people watching the San Antonio Spurs beat the Detroit Pistons in the first game, and 10.7 million seeing the same result in Sunday's Game 2.

Making It Work

Lance Armstrong is thinking about more than just winning his seventh straight Tour de France title. The cyclist also is considering his future with Sheryl Crow.

"Yeah. Sheryl and I are very happy. To me, when you have a relationship, you're happy and in love, children are a natural part of the equation," Armstrong told The Associated Press recently. "I'm traditional in that sense. "I had a marriage that didn't work, but I still believe absolutely in the institution of marriage. I think it's good," said the 33-year-old Armstrong, who has three children from his first marriage.

Armstrong began dating Crow more than a year ago, and he soon introduced the singer to the rigors of the cycling world. Looking relaxed and healthy, Armstrong spoke proudly about how he and Crow, 43, have made their relationship work.

She burst into the room while he spoke, dressed in black cycling gear, and demanded to borrow some of his equipment. He duly obliged. "We're two people with separate busy lives and we've defied the odds," Armstrong said. "We're still as happy as we were the first day. I mean, look at her, she comes to places like this and rides in the car and then goes out for a ride. She's a great lady to do that.

"The tables will be turned in six months, when I'll be on a tour bus supporting her."

Awesome

Hip-hop star 50 Cent is boosting his fans' education by offering up 10 scholarships to a New York college.

The rapper, who never pursued a college degree, is awarding the scholarships - together totalling more than $31,000 - to Bayside's Queensborough Community College. Eight students from 50 Cent's alma mater, now called Campus Magnet High Schools, and one student each from nearby Springfield Gardens and Hillcrest High Schools will win the scholarships, being offered through the star's G-Unity Foundation.

Students, who need a grade C average to qualify, have been asked to submit 500-word essays and two teacher recommendations by the June 24th deadline, reports Mtv News.

Gisele Is the New Face of St. John

She’s been sultry for Dolce & Gabbana, sexy for Valentino, not to mention a revealing angel for Victoria’s Secret. Now Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen has scored another coup as the new face of St. John.

IMG model Bundchen replaces the 43-year old company’s creative director Kelly Gray, who has starred in the campaign for the last 22 years. The images, to appear beginning in September books, are being photographed today by Mario Testino and styled by Camilla Nickerson in the Hollywood Hills. It remains unclear as to whether Kelly Gray and St. John designer Marie Gray will stay with the company as word had it that the duo would exit this September.

According to information released, the ad’s creative direction takes inspiration not far from its company headquarters in Irvine, California. The focus is on the ease and spaciousness of native California, as seen under the bright lights of Hollywood. “California is where it begins. The wide-open spaces, the sunshine, and the infinite possibilities, Gisele is the personification of those things,” said David Lipman, of the Lipman Agency, who was brought in to provide strategic counsel in the redirection of consumer perception of the brand. “That’s what St. John is about and that is the energy that we are capturing with this new ad campaign. We are thrilled to have her on board.”

--I'm kind of shocked by this. They have used Gray for years, and what I liked about their ads was that very fact--that they always had the same model. Plus, I see Gisele's image and looks better representing the trendier clothing and the new Bohemian style. St. John, on the other hand is classy and refined. We shall see.

DuhNews

And from the "No Sh*t Files," 2 of the most PREDICTABLE stories came out yesterday:

--Jacko found not guilty and will return to his world of make-believe creatures.

--Katie Holmes has decided to convert to scientology and enter a new world of make-believe creatures.

Wow. They have a lot in common now.

Joe Simpson's a Freak

There's no question: there's something not right about Joe Simpson.

Jessica Simpson’s father/manager was so angry after his daughter was dissed by Lindsay Lohan recently, he carpet-bombed the tabloids with negative stories about the rival pap princess. After Lohan banned Jessica and her simpleton sister, Ashlee, from her post-MTV Awards party at L.A.’s Standard Hotel last Saturday, Joe Simpson planted multiple items about the snub in celeb rags across the country, including In Touch, Us Weekly, Life & Style, Star, and several newspapers, sources say.

“Joe called our head offices himself and ranted and raved about it,” says a top editor at one of the weeklies. “It was obvious he wanted to paint Lindsay as a bitch. He couldn’t believe anyone would dare ban Jessica from any party because, as he said, ‘She’s a huge superstar.’….Joe will do anything to make sure she’s in the papers every week and he knows Lindsay’s an easy target.”

Cruise and Smith to Team Up?

Box-office megastars Tom Cruise and Will Smith are secretly looking for a film project to team up on.

In a recent Mtv News special, Cruise admitted the two blockbuster superstars are on the hunt for the perfect movie. He says, "Will and I keep talking, we're looking for something. We saw Will's Hitch. That was the funniest movie I've seen in a long time. I laughed my a*s off. I'd like to work with him."

Cruise is also keen to work with Ice Cube and current girlfriend Katie Holmes, who was at one point rumoured to be a part of the movie hunk's upcoming Mission: Impossible sequel.

He added, "I'd love to work with her. She's a great actress. We will work together one day... no question."

--Well, he did Collateral with Jada. Why not finish out the whole Smith coupling?

The Plot Thickens

The theory British royal Diana, Princess of Wales was murdered has been boosted by the recent discovery her chauffeur received mystery payments amounting to $142,000 - just weeks before she died in the car he was driving.

Chauffeur Henri Paul died alongside Diana and her lover Dodi Al Fayed when the Mercedes he was driving crashed in an underpass in Paris, France in August 1997. And British detectives investigating the tragedy have fuelled speculation Paul was being paid by British secret service agents, by revealing the staggering sums he received from British banks just before the fatal accident.

Financial investigators have also revealed Paul had staggering amounts of money in 13 bank accounts around the world, despite earning just $38,000 a year as a driver for Paris' Ritz hotel, reports British newspaper the Daily Express.

A source close to the inquiry explains, "Money was drafted over to Paul from accounts in England. As far as the investigation is concerned, this is a crucial breakthrough. "Many thousands of pounds arrived from Britain in the weeks leading up to the tragedy. It arrived via a banker's draft and was converted into French francs from sterling."

Madonna Regrets Sexy Past

Pop icon Madonna admits she took her sexy image too far in the early stage of her career.

The 46-year-old singer and actress says her attitude - which included suggestive songs such as Like A Virgin, daring concerts and releasing the provocative book Sex in 1992 - may have misled fans.

"Sometimes I was being overtly sexy for the sake of showing off when I didn't need to be. I think I hurt myself. "Ultimately none of us wants to be judged, or approved of, or loved because of the way we look, or how sexy we are," the singer tells Ladies' Home Journal.

"One minute I was saying 'believe in yourself' and the next minute I was saying 'just be sexually provocative'. "I was letting it pump up my ego, thinking 'aren't I great, they're writing about me, my picture's on the cover of every magazine, I'm so fabulous'," she says.

--So the cone bra was taking it too far? Surely not...

Destiny's Child To Split

Staying together was not part of Destiny's Child's destiny - the multiplatinum group is splitting up.

In a statement released to MTV News, the trio of Beyonce, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams announced plans to disband after their world tour ends in the fall.

"We have been working together as Destiny's Child since we were 9, and touring together since we were 14. After a lot of discussion and some deep soul-searching, we realized that our current tour has given us the opportunity to leave Destiny's Child on a high note, united in our friendship and filled with an overwhelming gratitude for our music, our fans, and each other," the statement said.

Nicole's Bad News

Nicole Kidman was in mourning as she prepared to premiere "Bewitched" last night.

A few days ago she learned her longtime makeup artist, Rob McCann, 45, had died suddenly of natural causes. A distraught Kidman mustered enough strength to appear on "The View" yesterday, but no-showed "Good Morning America." "She just completely blew it off," said an insider. She later guested on David Letterman's show.

Insiders buzz that Kidman might be reluctant to promote the film because it's a stinker, but the Aussie beauty is too professional to let that interfere with her duties. "McCann was a good friend of hers and she is devastated," said a source.

Silverstone Weds

Actress Alicia Silverstone married rocker Chris Jarecki over the weekend.

A publicist for the couple says the two vegans tied the knot in romantic Lake Tahoe. Silverstone gained major fame playing the role of a spoiled-but-sweet Beverly Hills girl in the hit 1995 film 'Clueless.' She went on to star in Hollywood hits like 'Batman & Robin.' Jarecki is the lead singer for an L.A.-based rock band called Stun.

Rent Movie

Click here for cast info and trailers for the upcoming Rent movie.

Thanks for the tip, Iceman.

--I'm SO hoping this is good.

Disney Says: Tone It Down

Teen star Lindsay Lohan has been persuaded to drop her partying lifestyle for the sake of her new Disney film Herbie: Fully Loaded.

The 18-year-old actress's antics have been the talk of Hollywood, but Nina Jacobson, head of Disney distributors Buena Vista, warned her that movie moguls feared her wild streak could interfere with filming. She says, "Nina sat me down and talked with me about it..."

"They've put a lot of money into the movie - and they need to make sure the person is going to be there to get the job done."

--Oh come on. I think it would be a good way to get the name of the movie out there. Can't you just see the headlines? "Lindsay: Fully Loaded." Any press is good press! ;)

Because Americans are Gossiphounds

Tired of celebrity coverage? Millions of readers can't get enough - and neither can advertisers. Publishers of celebrity magazines that once looked to newsstand and checkout-aisle sales for almost all of their revenue are now experiencing surges in subscriptions and ad sales, bringing in the kind of money that could make a movie star jealous.

Us Weekly's ad pages are up nearly 25 percent in the last year, and at Star Magazine, ads are up almost 17 percent, according to the Publishers Information Bureau. In Touch Weekly's ads have risen nearly 22 percent.

Advertisers are finding star-focused magazines to be advertising-friendly environments. "People typically read those magazines front to back, and that's always a good thing for an advertiser," said Bill Koenigsberg, chief executive of Horizon Media, an ad agency based in New York. Mr. Koenigsberg added that more advertisers had become interested in reaching women, who make up the bulk of celebrity magazine readership. Most ads in these magazines were traditionally for beauty products and other goods aimed at women. Now a wider range of advertisers want to be there, publishers said.

American Media Inc., which publishes Star, and the Bauer Publishing Company, which owns Life and Style Weekly and In Touch, are recording increases in ads for cars, pharmaceuticals and consumer electronics. Schering-Plough, for example, recently ran an ad for its drug Nasonex in Star and in Inside TV, which is published by Gemstar-TV Guide International. Canon is advertising its digital cameras in the current issue of In Touch Weekly.

Us Weekly's publisher, Vicci Lasdon Rose, said she had noticed a change in interest among car companies and electronics makers. "As recently as five years ago, I can remember them telling me they appreciate the female consumer, but they would likely not market to them," Ms. Rose said.

The advertisers are responding in part to rising circulation. Average total sales of Star, People, Us Weekly and In Touch Weekly combined were up 11.6 percent at the end of last year from 2003, with Star and In Touch sales rising about 80 percent, according to data from the Audit Bureau of Circulations.

--We already knew Americans were gossiphounds though, right? I mean, why else would you read MP&S?

Nip/Tuck-ers Cash In

The stars of TV series Nip/Tuck have been paid massive bonuses before shooting for the third series gets underway.

Julian McMahon, who has expressed his interest in taking over from Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, and Dylan Walsh have both received bonuses believed to be worth $300,000 from TV network FX and their Warner Bros Television producers. Joely Richardson has also received an undisclosed lump sum of money. She will be joined in the upcoming series by fellow British actress Rhona Mitra who will play a tough-talking policewoman.

Celebs and Hotel Debauchery

Russell's not the only celeb who has had a run in at a hotel.

The story is a familiar one: A big-name star has been arrested for aggressive or unlawful behavior in an exclusive luxury hotel.

Furniture may have been ripped to pieces, or perhaps glass and bottles are shattered on the once-perfectly carpeted floor after a long night of rowdy behavior. Charges are then considered, and the gossip hounds go wild over the salacious details.

Click here for the rest.

Stars Join Forces Against the Stalkerazzi

Hollywood stars including Cameron Diaz, Lindsay Lohan, Halle Berry and Reese Witherspoon are joining forces with the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) to act against "aggressive" paparazzi.

While the actors accept media attention is part of their job, they want authorities to take further measures to prevent photographers who "overstep the line" by ambushing the celebrities, risking physical injury to the stars or the public. Last week photographer Gaio Ramirez was charged with assault for allegedly ramming into teen actress Lohan's vehicle on purpose to create a photo opportunity for other snappers. The Mean Girls star suffered minor injuries.

The Los Angeles Times newspaper says, "The investigation centers on whether celebrity photographers are being instructed on how to obscure their identities, block license plates, appear in the same place at the same time, or work together to force celebrities off the road and out of their vehicles."

Madden Back to Work

Steve Madden is back!

The shoe designer, who went to jail for stock fraud for 21/2 years, is leaving the halfway house where he's lived since his April 14 release to go back to work.

Madden showed up to his "Shoe Show" last Wednesday at the Madden showroom on West 56th Street "with his new, toned body, fully running around networking and chatting with all the distributors he has missed while being away," a witness said. "The place is packed and there are lines of people who want to meet him." Madden was heard saying, "I am back and getting back to work!"

Mr. and Mrs. Smith Premiere

"I can't see him in public."

That's what Angelina Jolie said shortly after 11 p.m. to a male associate as he was steering her toward Brad Pitt at Tuesday night's premiere afterparty for the new killer comedy, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, which opened in theaters Friday and stole the box office.

The sexy co-stars, who play married assassins in the film, and whose real-life relationship has been the subject of much speculation, held court on opposite sides of Westwood's Hammer Museum courtyard for more than an hour. But practically the entire room of curious partygoers - many with cameras raised - formed a circle around the pair as Pitt, 41, surrounded by his camp of guards and publicists, approached 30-year-old Jolie moments later and said into her ear: "Can you believe this craziness?"

The two once again turned their backs to each other and separated. Pitt's security brigade then hurried him down to the parking garage via the front lobby. Jolie was led out a side door. Guests including Lindsay Lohan, Paula Abdul and Adam Brody partied a while longer. But with Pitt and Jolie gone, the once-hot party quickly lost steam.

Hours earlier, Jolie arrived on the red carpet in a skin-tight black leather Versace dress. She signed autographs for two bleachers full of fans, many UCLA students, who were all given Mr. & Mrs. Smith T-shirts - black "Mr." tees for the men and white "Mrs." tees for the women. Among the celebrity guests who hurried down the carpet into the theater were Lost star Matthew Fox, director Oliver Stone and supermodel Cindy Crawford.

Jolie finally reached journalists at 7:45 p.m. The actress politely extricated herself from any reporter who tried to ask anything she deemed too personal. She gave brief responses to other questions, including about son Maddox, 3. "He's home," she said. Pitt, in a black leather jacket, didn't do any interviews. He visited the red carpet just long enough to pose for photos.

Spelling Creates Necklace for Spears

Britney Spears' pregnancy has inspired actress Tori Spelling to design a special charm necklace for the pop beauty.

Former Beverly Hills, 90210 star Spelling, who recently began designing 14-carat gold charm necklaces, created an Oh, Baby version for dancer Kevin Federline to give to his wife Spears after hearing the Toxic singer was expecting.

--I wonder if perhaps Spelling isn't hard at work on a "Your babydaddy dumped you" version.

Walters Gets Flack for Comment

Barbara Walters is under fire from the pro-breastfeeding lobby in New York after she said on "The View" that she felt "uncomfortable" when a nursing mom started suckling her child next to her on a flight.

Miriam Arond, editor-in-chief of Child magazine, told Page Six that Walters' comments were "bizarre" as she had been a "trailblazer for women."

She added, "Breast-feeding is very fashionable now. Mothers like Pamela Anderson, Madonna, Jada Pinkett Smith, Princess Diana, Laura Bush and even Hillary Clinton all breast-fed."

--Breastfeeding is fashionable? I have a few friends who have babies, and they never do that in public. If it's absolutely necessary (like on a plane ride or something) I'd totally understand. But, most people don't want to see you whip out the milk bar in full view.

Murphy Bares All for Tropps

Actress Brittany Murphy has stripped to the bare minimum for men's magazine Maxim and says that she has done it for the benefit of American troops.

"The reason that I chose to do this was because the magazine was kind enough to put a pin-up inside for the troops," Contactmusic.com quoted Murphy as saying.

"My cousin is overseas right now and he's a Marine. Maxim's doing a very kind thing in which they're sending, I believe, over 20,000 magazines overseas - and to our Bravehearts in the States," she said.

What Every Chic Pup Needs

Summer is here and dogs can’t wear shades! Why make your best friend squint and bear it when Gucci’s given you a fabulous alternative: headgear for dogs.

Available in both classic beige or black Gucci logo fabric with red and green signature web trim. Now that’s a haute dog! Only $70! ;)

The Donald on The Jacko

The Donald on The Jacko:

"I know him very well because he has apartments in buildings I have ... I have never found him to do anything wrong, he's been great. He lived in Trump Tower for a long time and he has always been great. If you look at [the accuser's] mother with the massages and the this and the that, I mean, give me a break," said Trump.

Suvari Moves On

American Beauty star Mena Suvari has found love again, less than a month after filing for divorce from cinematographer Robert Brinkmann.

The actress was spotted "making out" with Hollywood fitness trainer Jay Bulloch outside his apartment earlier this week after a lunch with mutual friends.

Suvari split from Brinkmann earlier this year, ending their five year marriage.

AFI Honors Lucas

More than ten years after The American Film Institute initially offered him the honor, 'Star Wars' creator George Lucas accepted the 33rd AFI Life Achievement Award Thursday night.

Surrounded by admirers and colleagues, including original 'Star wars' cast members Harrison Ford, Mark Hamil, and Carrie Fisher, Lucas recalled how he originally turned down the Institute's offer and told them he wouldn't accept the prestigious award until he was at least 60-years-old. Now 61, he has gained world-wide acclaim as the mastermind behind not only the 'Star Wars' series, but a long list of classic films like 'Raiders of the Lost Ark,' and 'American Graffiti.' "I love movies ... I love to watch them, I love to make them," Lucas said Thursday.

He joins past recipients of the AFI honor, like Martin Scorcese, Alfred Hitchcock, and Meryl Streep. The USA network will broadcast the ceremony on Monday, June 20 at 9 P.M.

The 3 J's

Jessica Simpson, Jessica Alba and Jennifer Lopez are currently the most popular beauty icons among online women, according to BeautyRiot.com.

The "three J's" drew the most interest from women seeking hairstyles and makeup inspiration and ideas, according to user stats from the leading celebrity beauty and hairstyles Web site in April 2005.

Each of the three stars has recently made a major change to her appearance. Coming in at number one, Jessica Simpson's new, shorter, shoulder-length hairstyle was by far the most popular hairdo with BeautyRiot.com's users. In second place, Jessica Alba, traditionally a longhaired brunette, now sports a sleek, chin-length, blonde bob. And, third place winner Jennifer Lopez recently cut her ultra-long hair into a shoulder-length style similar to Jessica Simpson's and Nicole Richie's haircuts.

"Jessica Simpson, Jessica Alba and Jennifer Lopez represent a growing appreciation for personal style among modern women," said BeautyRiot.com's editor in chief, Kirsten Lambertsen. "Each of these three women has her own unique look. Women today seek beauty style inspiration from celebrities who have embraced their own personal strengths rather than trying to fit into a cookie-cutter idea of what is beautiful."

What Inspires Missy

Missy Elliott has confessed that a love of sex toys inspired her song 'Toyz'.

The rapper says she was thinking about two "aids" when she wrote the explicit track. She said: "Yeah, they were called the Rabbit and, oh God, the Mega Blaster. "

The 33-year-old hip-hop star added that the inspiration for the track came from a friend's experience in a sex shop. She explained: "She went into this sex shop, and she was like, 'I seen body bags, catheters - the weirdest shit' A body bag - that you put dead people in - in a sex store!"

Moron Alert

An enterprising movie fan is trying to sell a jar of "celebrity air" on auction website eBay after `trapping' it at the Hollywood premiere of Mr. and Mrs. Smith last week.

The fan has taken pictures of himself `capturing' the air and placing a lid on the jar, just feet away from the stars of the film, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.

He claims the pictures were taken for authenticity, and the jar hasn't been opened since he sealed the air inside.

--Get this dude a straightjacket.

Free Katie!

After weeks of questions about how strong her interest is in her boyfriend Tom Cruise's controversial Church of Scientology, Katie Holmes admitted to Access Hollywood at the premiere of her movie Batman Begins that she has indeed looked into Scientology, "and I really like it. ... I feel like I'm bettering myself."

Pressed about her and Tom possibly getting married, Holmes told show host Billy Bush: "You'll be the first to know." As for Cruise, on Wednesday night's Tonight Show, he again declared his love of Holmes, haltingly telling host Jay Leno, "She's ... it's great. She's lovely." He then turned and examined the couch on the set and slowly crept over to it as the audience squealed. Reprising his routine on Oprah, Cruise pounced on the furniture and struck a Rocky pose.

BUT...we can all band together to try to help the poor girl...

FreeKatie.net, a Website that proclaims itself dedicated to "the movement to liberate Katie, a young, gifted actress held captive by forces we may never understand. Even one summer of captivity is too long for one so bright!"

In an effort to perpetuate the tongue-in-cheek movement, the site is selling T-shirts, trucker hats, stickers and coffee mugs bearing the message "Free Katie."

Sheila Cameron, creator of FreeKatie.net, said she originally put up the site after watching Cruise's now infamous appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show last month. She said she was surprised by the amount of attention it has since attracted. "We just thought it would be funny to make a few shirts and send the link around to friends. I never thought it would get the response it has," Cameron told E! Online via email.

--I just might have to get the pink tee...

ParisSquared Update

Click here to check out ParisSquared's wedding registry from Tiffany.

--Also, is this a shotgun wedding?

I'd Like to Thank the Sponsors

Show some love to the advertisers, Road Runner and Chabah, on the left side of the page. (Under the calendar).

Thanks! :)

BritNews

BritNews:

--Britney Spears's hand is about to get a little heavier. The pregnant pop star is getting an upgraded engagement ring – a gift from her husband Kevin Federline – to replace the one she picked out last year from jewelry designer Cynthia Wolff.

"I think it was because he wanted to buy her the diamond ring," a source close to Spears tells People.

The new ring, also designed by Wolff, is quite a sparkler, says the source, who describes it as having a platinum band with a 5.5 carat round, single diamond set in a classic style. Though Spears was spotted testing out a similar version of the ring over Memorial Day, friends say the real thing won't be delivered until later this month.

"Kevin is giving it to her, which is a huge gesture, I think," says the friend. "He's a real standup guy. It is lovely and she's very happy and excited. The gesture of the gift is huge."

--And, she's got a new song coming out: "Someday (I Will Understand)" the new single from Spears is shipping June 14 to radio. The video directed by Michael Haussman will premiere on the season finale of Britney and Kevin: Chaotic June 14.

Kevin Smith Tells All

Ben Affleck can get a little nutty around his buddy Kevin Smith.

The "Jersey Girl" director tells Maxim U.K. that during filming of the 2004 flop, Affleck used to pull a prank called a "Fruit Basket." Smith explains: "I'd be sitting in the director's chair and I'd be watching a playback, and he'd stand behind me. Every once in a while I'd feel something on my neck. I'd be like, 'What the [bleep] was that?' And I'd turn around and he'd have his (I'm sure you all can figure it out) out and resting on my neck. I was like, 'What the [bleep] is wrong with you, dude?' What if it got out in the press that that's the kind of thing you do?'

He's like, 'No one would ever [bleeping] believe you, sir.' " Besides exposing Affleck's shenanigans, Smith tells the mag about his hate for Reese Witherspoon, who was once rude to Smith's ex-girl friend, Joey Lauren Adams. "I was at some party with Joey . . . and Reese had just got a part Joey was hoping to get," Smith recalled. "Joey said, 'Hey, Reese — I just wanted to say congratulations. I think you'll do really great with the part,' and Reese just gave her this dead-eyed look and was like, 'Whatever.' What a [bleeping] [bleep]-bag!"

Charlotte Expands Her Boundaries

Actress Kristin Davis faced a tough line of questioning during a visit to David Letterman's chat show on Wednesday night, when she was quizzed about pal Cynthia Nixon's lesbian relationship.

Davis appeared on the show to promote her new movie The Adventures Of Shark Boy & Lava Girl In 3-D, but within minutes of taking a seat, Letterman grilled her about Nixon's romance with Christine Marinoni. When Letterman enquired if Nixon is a lesbian or if she's "just visiting", Davis answered, "I don't personally know but I think she says that she doesn't need a label. Doesn't need one, isn't concerned about it..."

The funnyman also raised a laugh when he asked if Danny Mozes, the father of Nixon's two children, "turned" also, before admitting of Nixon's romance, "In a way, it's kind of hot." While Davis is heterosexual, she informed Letterman she would "never say never" to the idea of one day having a relationship with a woman herself.

Arrogant Usher

Get over yourself, Usher:

The 26-year-old singer stunned organizers at the Glamour Women of The Year awards by insisting a bigger star than Radio 1's Trevor Nelson present him his Man of the Year award.

So tipsy actress Sophie Okonedo did the deed. "It was hilarious. Usher had to hold her up," says an onlooker.

And on accepting his award, arrogant Ush moaned that a Justin Timberlake track was played as he went on stage. He said: "Justin's not man of the year!"

"Today" Changes it Up

In a bid to boost sagging ratings, the "Today" show is about to admit it made a mistake — sort of.

Several years ago, the show was lengthened from two hours to three. The extra hour has been a "nightmare," an insider said, but it will soon end. "Katie Couric, Matt Lauer, Ann Curry and Al Roker will continue to do the first two hours, but NBC will most likely have an entire different cast of characters for the third hour. They are even hiring a separate producer for the third hour."

"It will be like a different show to keep up with 'Live! With Regis and Kelly' and other shows, but will still be called 'Today.' This way Matt and Katie can have a break."

Stone Booted By Legend

British soul sensation Joss Stone's stint as the face of Gap is set to be short-lived - R+b star John Legend has already been named as her successor.

Stone was thrilled when she learned she'd be taking over from former Sex And The City star Sarah Jessica Parker earlier this year.

But now Allhiphop.com reports that Ordinary People singer Legend is set to star in a TV and print advertising campaign for the company from next month. Legend, real name John Stephens, follows in the footsteps of Madonna, Missy Elliott and Orlando Bloom, who have all fronted Gap campaigns.

If the Shoe Fits...

It’s easy to get distracted when Sean Combs, Kanye West, and Naomi Campbell are in the same crowded showroom. Maybe that’s why most guests at the Audemars Piguet party this Tuesday didn’t notice the luxury watch company’s latest offering: a pair of sneakers.

Designed with help from Shawn Carter, a.k.a. Jay-Z, the shoes represent a possible collaboration between Reebok, Audemars, and the hip-hop mogul. Currently, the shoes are only available to industry insiders, but sources within Jay-Z’s camp confirm, “It’s fair to say that Audemars and Jay-Z have something brewing with a special limited-edition shoe, available at Reebok retail at some point.”

Jay-Z launched his first footwear line with Reebok in 2003. This year he teamed with Audemars Piguet for a line of luxury watches and iPods sold for charity.

Let's Hope

It seems The Sopranos might not be sleeping with the fishes as soon as expected, reports E!Online.

Despite creator David Chase's claims that the upcoming sixth season of the HBO series would be the last for his gang of merry mobsters, the Sopranos mastermind appears to have left the door open for a possible seventh season.

At the DVD release party for the fifth season of The Sopranos Monday, Chase said he was considering the idea of extending the show's run. "I'm ambivalent," he told reporters. "HBO wants me to do it, and I can't deny that there's a certain pull on me from the cast."

Are You A Betting Man?

With jurors deliberating behind closed doors, the odds of Michael Jackson being convicted of child molestation are almost even, according to a popular Internet betting site.

Internet speculators, however, see it as more likely than not that the pop star will be convicted of the separate charge of administering alcohol to a minor.

On the Dublin-based Tradesports.com Web site, the odds of a conviction on the alcohol charge were 70 percent Wednesday. That means traders who buy a contract for $70 stand to win $100 if Jackson is convicted or lose everything if he is acquitted.

Earlier in the trial, the contract for the alcohol charge had fallen as low as 20, but shot up last week after jurors were told they could convict Jackson for a lesser, misdemeanor charge of giving alcohol to a minor.

Reunited and it Feels So Good

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie may have checked into L.A.'s W Westwood hotel as "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" after they attended the movie's nearby premiere Tuesday night.

An eyewitness saw the couple enter Room 816. And as a spy was leaving yesterday morning, the couple was wearing bathrobes as room service delivered their breakfast. Pitt's publicist, Cindy Guagenti, confirmed that he stayed at the W Westwood, but insisted that Jolie was booked into a different hotel.

--You know she's thinking, "Whoa, Brad. Tone down the peroxide."

Holmes Will Not Play Cruise's Love Interest

Tom Cruise will star alongside Michelle Monaghan when filming for Mission: Impossible III starts next month.

The actress has taken over leading lady duties from Scarlett Johannson, who was forced to drop out of the project last month due to a conflicting schedule. Cruise's young lover Katie Holmes and Lindsay Lohan were also in the race to play Cruise's love interest, but Monaghan beat out their competition to be chosen by director JJ Abrams and the Collateral star.

--Hmmm...wonder if this decision caused a little spat between Holmes and Cruise.

Better Late Than Never

Jennifer Lopez is not one to be ruled by convention. MSNBC.com's The Scoop reports that the very married Jennifer Lopez has gotten engaged, one year after her wedding.

Marc Anthony must have been as surprised as we are that the marriage to the diva stuck for twelve months, so he decided to mark the occasion in style. According to the item, which cites an upcoming issue of In Touch weekly, the Latin crooner took the opportunity to give his bride an 8.5 carat engagement ring estimated to cost about $1 million as an anniversary present. Anthony also reportedly formally proposed to his wife with the ring in hand.

"It sounds a little odd, but Marc and Jennifer were never really engaged -- they just got married. So, to mark their first anniversary, Marc officially proposed, this time presenting Jennifer with an engagement ring from exclusive jeweler-to-the-stars Neil Lane," a tattler told In Touch.

The insider added that the ring is "huge, and it sparkles beyond belief. Jennifer was very excited to get it!"

One Too Many Margaritas

The Secret Service was called in to retrieve Jimmy Buffett's cellphone from a busboy after police were told it contained the private numbers of Buffett's high-profile politico pals like Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Jimmy Carter.

The singer left his $500 Ericsson mobile outside Cuban eatery Brisa Atlantica in Delray Beach, Fla., on May 29, the Palm Beach Post reports, where busboy Jason Martin, 22, picked it up. The phone's memory card stored numbers for Clinton, Gore, Carter, George Clooney, Harrison Ford, Michael Douglas, Bill Gates and Clint Black, Martin claims.

"We were sitting around smoking weed and strolling down the list on Jimmy's phone, going 'Wow!' ," Martin told the Florida paper. He claims he didn't call any of the numbers, but according to a police report, Clinton received a number of crank calls. Martin may be telling tales, though. Clinton's rep told Page Six, "Whatever number was in there, it wasn't President Clinton's." Clooney's rep said, "George doesn't even know Jimmy Buffett. If he did have a number, it would have to be for George's office. He hasn't gotten any suspicious calls."

The day after Martin found the Ericsson mobile, one of Buffett's staffers called the phone, which Martin answered. "He said I was a thief and a liar," Martin told the paper. "Then I called [Buffett's wife] Jane's number, and she was nasty to me. So I told them I wouldn't give it back." Buffett offered Martin a $200 reward, but he wouldn't bite. So the singer called the Cuban eatery's owner, Israel Torres, who fired Martin and called police.

The cops alerted the Secret Service when Martin told them that the two ex-presidents were in Buffett's phone book. Martin gave the phone back when the authorities dropped by, but he kept the memory card. "It's a person's worst nightmare," Buffett said. "I had probably left the phone on the restaurant table, but I got it back."

--Looks like Jimmy had one too many margaritas. :)

Don't Have a Cow

The Simpsons movie is off the drawing board and in preproduction.

"You know what? We've just done the table read for The Simpsons movie, so although we've been promoting that we're going to do it, now we're actually doing it and are in production," Nancy Cartwright, who gives voice to Bart Simpson, told BBC Radio 1 this week.

Cartwright, in London doing publicity for her one-woman show, My Life as a Ten-Year-Old Boy, indicated that the movie is still in the preliminary script development stage and it will take at least two years before it's fully animated and ready for release.

"I don't know the name of it, and I can't go into details about it, and we'll just have to see how it goes, but I think it's going to be great and the fans are going to dig it," she added.

--Thanks for the tip, Brian.

Unknown Bach Work Found

A previously unknown work by Johann Sebastian Bach has been discovered in a crate of 18th-century birthday cards removed from a German library shortly before it was devastated by fire, researchers said Wednesday.

Experts say the aria for soprano and string or keyboard accompaniment composed for a German duke's birthday is the first new music from the renowned composer to surface in three decades.

Researcher Michael Maul of the Bach Archiv foundation found the composition, dated October 1713, last month in the eastern city of Weimar. The Leipzig-based foundation said there was no doubt about the authenticity of the handwritten, two-page score.

Glamour Awards

Teri Hatcher stole the show at the Glamour Women Of The Year awards, scooping two awards. Teri was named US actress of the year for her role as Susan Mayer in the hit show Desperate Housewives and was given the editor's special award.

Glamour magazine editor Jo Elvin said: "The editor's special award is to recognise a woman who has had an unrivalled year of glamour and success. "This year's winner is a star of a show that's sexy, funny, totally addictive and has quickly become a global phenomenon. And, let's face it, she's the reason we're hooked."

Glamour Women of the Year Award Winners:

US TV Actress of the Year - Teri Hatcher
Theatre Actress of the Year - Kim Cattrall
Accessory Designer of the Year - Alice Temperley
Film Actress of the Year - Sophie Okonedo
Man of the Year - Usher
Entrepreneur of the Year - Elle Macpherson
Newcomer of the Year - Mischa Barton
Editor's Special Award - Teri Hatcher

Someone Needs to Stop Them

More "stalkerazzi" tales:

Seal went off on paparazzi yesterday afternoon — and for a good reason. The singer and his heavily pregnant wife, Heidi Klum, were having lunch at Bar Pitti when, "Eight paparazzi show up with still cameras and video cameras," a spy said.

When Seal and Klum got up to leave with her daughter Leni, they were "bombarded because [the lensers] wanted to get a shot of Seal pushing the baby carriage. When Heidi tried to move out of the way, she stumbled on the cameramen and almost fell."

Seal "went nuts on the paparazzi trying to hit them. He was restrained by a friend who had to physically hold him back."

Candie's Picks Duff

Candie’s spokesgirl Kelly Clarkson is so yesterday. At least for the brand’s new ad campaign. Today the accessories line, which also owns Badgley Mischka, unveiled its latest face, teen star Hilary Duff. Her campaign coincides with a new juniors line from Candie’s, launching in Kohls department stores this fall.

Hilary’s ads include a print campaign and television commercial, all shot by director Moshe Brakha, to mimic one of Hilary’s music videos. The ads will debut this summer, just as a new Hilary movie, music single, and concert tour sweep the country.

--And if you happen to be interested in fashion and shopping, check out the I Am Fashion blog. I just was directed toward it, and it's great!

If He Gets a Guilty Verdict...

As jurors in Michael Jackson's child-molestation trial deliberated a second full day Tuesday, jailers prepared to house the pop music star in protective isolation if he's convicted and ordered into custody.

Sgt. Erik Raney, spokesman for the Santa Barbara County sheriff's office, says operational plans are in place that identify several cells for Jackson. Where he'd go would depend on whether he was to be transferred soon to a state prison for a felony conviction, or was to spend his sentence in a county jail if convicted of a misdemeanor, Raney says.

Santa Maria's jail houses no more than 20 inmates and is designed for stays of four days or less, Raney says. That's why it's likely that Jackson would be driven 75 miles down U.S. Highway 101 to the 600-inmate main jail in Santa Barbara, says former sheriff Jim Thomas, an NBC commentator on the trial.

Hanks To Do Marple?

Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks is in talks to guest star in Britain's Miss Marple.

The star is reportedly a huge fan of the pensioner sleuth and is now in talks with ITV chiefs over appearing in the show. Tom, star of blockbusters such as Saving Private Ryan and Forrest Gump, is currently in the UK filming the movie version of The Da Vinci Code.

And he was said to be delighted when he discovered a second series of the hit show was being filmed nearby at Shepperton Studios, Middlesex. An ITV insider told The Sun: "Tom was excited when he heard they were filming on a nearby sound stage. "We have approached him for a guest role and he is considering it."

Wal-Mart, Meet Prada

At Wal-Mart's annual meeting last week, CEO Lee Scott unveiled what may be a subtle shift toward making the store more "upscale" in some respects. The company is doing fine selling goods in massive quantities to lower- and middle-income shoppers who patronize Wal-Mart because, in Scott's words, they "have to save money." But these customers can get tapped out. Indeed, the retailer's same-store sales have been plodding along, increasing less than 3 percent per year.

To grow more rapidly, Scott said, Wal-Mart needs to attract customers with lots of discretionary income who shop where they want to. So Wal-Mart plans to appeal to them by improving the quality of its clothes and goods and by stocking more "organic and natural food."

RIP

RIP. If you haven't seen "The Miracle Worker," go rent it this weekend.

Brad Goes Blonde

Brad claims he went blonde "just for fun." I'm not liking it.

Casting News

--Two of Hollywood's favorite leading men, Nicolas Cage and Will Smith, could soon go head-to-head on the big screen. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the actors are set to produce and star in a new Columbia Pictures project called 'Time Share.'

The comedy script has the two men playing fathers who set out to take their families on a dream vacation, only to find that the time-share dwelling they have booked has also been rented by the other.

--Josh Lucas sealed a deal to co-star with Kurt Russell, Richard Dreyfus and Emmy Russum in director Wolfgang Petersen's remake of The Poseidon Adventure for Warner Bros. He'll play a ship-hopping gambler.

Gaining a Husband and Some Poundage

Rail-thin Renee Zellweger is good at putting on weight and taking it off for acting roles. But her latest role as wife means that she just might be getting chubby permanently.

Ananova.com reports that her weight gain is "a belated wedding present for new hubby Kenny Chesney, who likes his women with something to hold on to." Why is Chesney so concerned with his new wife's frame? According to the item, the country crooner is worried that he might break her hand if he holds it too hard.

"Kenny's a bit of a southern boy and likes a little meat on a woman's bones," a tattler told Heat magazine.

Zellweger's goal is to gain 5 lbs. for Chesney.

Keanu Reeves Weds

Keanu Reeves has reportedly married fiance Autumn Macintosh.

Reeves stunned the showbiz world after it emerged he had allegedly tied the knot with his actress girlfriend at a secret ceremony in Los Angeles last month. A source told Britain's Daily Star newspaper: "Keanu and Autumn wanted something really low-key so opted for a quiet civil ceremony with only family and friends.

"They don't like causing a fuss. It was at a small restaurant in Los Angeles and was very simple and chic". The smitten couple, who have been dating for just over a year, revealed their happy news after hitting the party circuit and introducing themselves as man and wife.

From Gotti to Botti

Lisa Gastineau, the one-time girlfriend of "Dapper Don" John Gotti is now seeing musician Chris Botti, who had been dating perky "Today" hostess Katie Couric.

The trumpet player met the co-star (with daughter Brittny) of the "Gastineau Girls" reality show at a charity fashion show several months ago. He avoided a close call Monday when both women were honored at a benefit for Energy Up, an organization that works to provide healthy foods to teenage students. He wisely steered clear.

--Does she only date men whose names rhyme?
--Does anyone else watch "Gastineau Girls?" I reluctantly admit that I do sometimes. It's addicting.

Posh Bridesmaid

Bride-to-be Liz Hurley has chosen Victoria Beckham as her bridesmaid.

Victoria's confirmed her role in Hurley's wedding to high-flyer Arun Nayar. She said: "I bet she's going to put me in something really frumpy - and with flat shoes."

A Star Studded Birthday

Island/Def Jam chairman Antonio "L.A." Reid has one heck of a birthday present coming from Sean Combs.

At Reid's 47th b-day bash at the Soho Grand Monday night, Combs told Page Six, "L.A.'s into cars, so I'm thinking maybe I'll buy him a Porsche. He's already done Bentleys." Asked what he was giving Reid, Damon Dash replied, "Some hit records." Later, after Patti LaBelle sang "Happy Birthday," Mariah Carey made a toast and Reid was applauded by Jay-Z, Ludacris, Kanye West, Denzel Washington, Denise Rich and a hit parade of others.

The CFDA's

Fashion’s brightest glamorously packed the New York Public Library Monday night to witness the 2005 Council of Fashion Designers of America’s annual awards gala. While it must be said that each nominee’s works truly merits his or her own CFDA award, here’s who stole the show:

Womenswear Designer of the Year: Vera Wang
Menswear Designer of the Year: John Varvatos
Accessory Designer of the Year: Marc Jacobs for Marc Jacobs
Swarovski’s Perry Ellis Award for Emerging Talent in Womenswear: Derek Lam
Swarovski’s Perry Ellis Award for Emerging Talent in Menswear: Alexandre Plokhov for Cloak
Swarovski’s Perry Ellis Award for Emerging Talent in Accessory Design: Anthony Camargo and Nak Armstrong for Anthony Nak

The following awards were announced prior to the awards ceremony:
Lifetime Achievement Award: Diane von Furstenberg
Board of Directors’ Special Tribute: Norma Kamali
Eugenia Sheppard Award: Gilles Bensimon
International Award: Alber Elbaz
Fashion Influence Award: Kate Moss

[Picture of Mandy Moore in vintage Bill Blass at the awards.]

Are You Kidding Me?

Hilary Duff has recruited a pair of very good friends to bring some rock to her forthcoming LP, Most Wanted.

The 17-year-old recently said that Good Charlotte frontman (and rumored boyfriend) Joel Madden and his twin brother, Benji, wrote and produced three songs for the album. The disc will be a collection of the singer's most popular songs, along with four brand-new tracks.

--Are you kidding me? How could she possibly do a best-of album? Hasn't she released all of like, three songs?

Aspects of Beauty

Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber admits he is kicking himself after Catherine Zeta-Jones was turned down for one of his musicals.

The reason? The Welsh lovely was too beautiful for the role. Webber revealed lovely Catherine auditioned as the leading lady in Aspects Of Love before she hit the big time.

Back in 1990 she was hoping to play Rose Vibert when she was an aspiring 20-year-old actress. In the play, leading man Alex Dillingham rejects Rose.

Director Sir Trevor Nunn said the Welsh goddess was not suitable because no man would honestly believe Alex would dump such a beautiful Rose. He told The Sun: "The entire audience of red-blooded men will be saying: 'Go on Alex, give her one!'"

Alice Cooper to Behead Hilton

Rocker Alice Cooper intends to behead socialite Paris Hilton to make his upcoming world tour even more unforgettable.

The star famously sliced off the head of a life-size mannequin of Britney Spears, and he is keen to repeat the macabre performance with an effigy of the blonde heiress.

He muses, "This year, I'm thinking of cutting Paris Hilton's head off. That'll be fun. "Or maybe I'll take all of the American Idol contestants, kill them off one by one and mount their heads on sticks."

Seconds from a Catfight

Lindsay Lohan is still upset at Ashlee Simpson for "stealing" her ex-boyfriend, Wilmer Valderrama, last year. When Ashlee arrived with her sister, Jessica, Saturday night for Lohan's party at the Standard in L.A. after the MTV Movie Awards, there was almost "a catfight," sources say.

"Jessica and Ashlee pulled up, and as hotel employees were clearing a table for them at Lindsay's party, Lindsay supposedly found out and said, 'No way — they are not coming to my party.' And the guy at the door told the Simpsons that [Lohan] said to go away," our spywitness said.

The Simpson sisters then went to Jimmy Fallon's party at the Argyle Hotel, where Jessica was heard ranting, "That [bleep]. If she comes here, I will kick her ass!"

Sure enough, an hour later, Lohan ended up at the Argyle, where Jessica "went ballistic," spies said. "She was screaming how she was going to kick her butt, and had to be separated from Lindsay. Ashlee wasn't so upset, but Jessica was furious because she says she is a star and should be let in everywhere."

The trio ended up making up after Lohan "explained it was a mistake that they were not let into her party." A rep for Lohan said, "Maybe their names got misplaced on the list." A rep for Ashlee said, "Ashlee and Jessica had a great time at Jimmy's party, which was the hottest one of the night."

--A mistake? Riiiggghhhttt...

It's a Girl!

Looks like Britney Spears is expecting a girl.

The pregnant Chaotic star was spotted at Petit Tresor, one of Hollywood’s chicest baby stores, loading up on designer infant clothes — all for girls. “I don’t think it was a present for someone else,” says our spy. “She was buying a lot.”

Spears was shopping solo, buying French, Italian and British designer baby clothes, including items by Liberty and Petit Bateau, as well as some lesser-known lines, in sizes newborn to twelve-month-old. She was also stocking up on accessories, such as blankets and bibs.

A rep at the store confirmed the story, but says that Spears didn’t volunteer whether the shopping spree was for her baby or someone else’s — and no one asked. “She was very private, and we respect that,” says the rep. “And she was also very pleasant.”

16 Candles 2?

Molly Ringwald said she's in discussions to make a sequel to "Sixteen Candles," the 1984 movie about the obstacles and embarrassments a teen girl faces on her birthday.

The film, directed by John Hughes, shot Ringwald to teen stardom, but she hasn't appeared in a major role in many years. She said she's been appearing in theater, small TV and film parts and raising a daughter, now 18 months old.

Ringwald, 37, said she had been approached repeatedly about doing a sequel, but recently read a script that she liked and wanted to star in the movie.

"I've turned it down for years. I couldn't see how it would work," she said. "Now, it seems right."

--No. Not right. BAD idea.

Another Celeb Couple Ponders Scientology

Save Posh and Becks!

Posh and Becks held secret talks with Tom Cruise - amid fears he wants to entice them to join his religious cult. The superstar actor shared his bizarre beliefs with the Beckhams over dinner at his Los Angeles mansion on Thursday.

Cruise, 42, is a devoted follower of the weird Church of Scientology - which is based on the belief that humans are descended from aliens. The Mission Impossible star has become increasingly friendly with Victoria, 31, and David, 30.

And pals fear his passion for Scientology - which thrives on donations from wealthy celebs - could rub off on the couple. One said: "Cruise seems to have a real pull over them, especially David. "They seemed particularly keen on going to his place on Thursday. Of course, few would turn down a dinner date with him. But his interest in the Church Of Scientology has started to become all-consuming. He is known to try and recruit people into the church if he can. "If they spend too much time with Tom there is a danger they may be sucked in by Scientology."

Football fan Cruise watched England captain Becks play for Real Madrid last season and opened a new Church of Scientology in Madrid, not far from the Beckhams' home. Two months later he was seen in the Beckhams' VIP box at Real. At Christmas he sent them a card bearing the Scientology "Code of Honor" and told them he made a donation to the church on their behalf.

The couple are known to be interested in religious faiths and have flirted with Kabbalah, the cult followed by Madonna and her film director husband Guy Ritchie. But a friend warned: "They have to be careful. Tom's dedication to Scientology borders on obsessive. "And David and Victoria are very open minded and prepared to listen."

Cruise demanded a special "Scientology tent" on the set of the Steven Spielberg film War Of The Worlds.

--And in other "Celebrities Who Can't Cope With Reality" news: It seems that Jennifer Aniston has turned to Buddhism to get over her breakup with Brad.

Monroe Auction

Marilyn Monroe's personal telephone book containing numbers for Frank Sinatra and Henry Fonda was sold at auction alongside one of her paintings for $168,000 on Saturday.

The Some Like It Hot beauty's 1962 painting of a red rose was initially inscribed to President John F Kennedy, but the late leader was never given the present. Instead, Monroe overwrote the inscription with another that reads, "Happy Birthday Marilyn Monroe". The piece sold for $78,000 to an art museum in Rhode Island.

The brown leather phone book, which contains hundred of names and address for celebrities including Peter Lawford and former husbands Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller, sold for $90,000, said Darren Julien, president and chief executive of Julien's Auctions, which organized the auction of Monroe memorabilia.

More Words Between Crowe and Clooney

Russell Crowe has slammed George Clooney for filming commercials to make extra cash.

The 'Gladiator' star claims Clooney, who promotes Budweiser beer as well as whisky, suits and cars, is a one-dimensional actor who only acts to make staggering amounts of money from spin-off advertisements and deals. The actors have been at odds since Clooney lashed out at Crowe's rock band, 30 Odd Foot of Grunt, earlier this year.

Crowe's latest blow is the next step in one of Hollywood's most spiteful rivalries.
He said: "I had a good laugh when Clooney tried to compare doing ads for suits, a car and a drink to what I do as a musician. An endorsement is about money. My music is from the heart".

--With Russell's latest little spat, it sounds like he might need some anger management therapy.

Oops

Angelina Jolie was left red-faced when she performed a stunt on the set of her upcoming movie Mr. and Mrs. Smith - because she was wearing no underwear.

The star, who stars in the action film alongside Brad Pitt, is seen jumping out of a window wearing a dominatrix outfit in one scene, and the first time Jolie filmed it she only realised she was bare underneath when it was too late.

She says, "I was a little unsure about something the first time I went down and my coat flew up. And I thought, 'I have no pants on! I have no pants on and there's just a crowd of people on the floor!'

"Everything was rubber so you don't feel like you're covered. Everything just doesn't feel right."

Happy Anniversary

I'll be the first to admit that I didn't think they'd make it past 3 months. Happy One Year Anniversary, Marc and J.Lo! Maybe it's their love of bad head gear that has kept them together.

Liam Opens His Big Mouth Again

Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher thinks Bono and his U2 bandmates are a bunch of wimps.

Gallagher was incredulous when he heard U2 members analyzed a video of themselves after a live show. “Wankers,” Gallagher spat to the Sydney Telegraph. “Haven’t they got [bleep]-all better to do? I’d rather be out there getting p——d. I certainly wouldn’t go back after a gig and analyze it. No wonder they’re the biggest band in the world: ‘Oh, Edge, the fourth guitar solo wasn’t right tonight.’ ‘Oh, sorry, Bono.’ If that’s what people think rock’n’roll is . . .”

7th Child for Wonder

There was quite a 55th birthday surprise for entertainer Stevie Wonder - the birth of his seventh child.

Wonder and his fashion designer wife Kai Millard Morris announced Monday that they are the proud parents of a boy born May 13, the singer's 55 birthday. It was the couple's first child.

Mandla Kadjaly Carl Stevland Morris weighed 7-pounds, 8-ounces and was 20-inches long, publicist Howard Bragman said. Mandla means Powerful/Defiant in Zulu and Kadjaly is Swahili for Born From God, the spokesman said in a news release.

--That kid is going to have fun filling out the grid for his SAT's.

Fugees Comeback?

Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill and Pras -- are plotting their first album since 1996's blockbuster The Score, reports Rolling Stone.

''We're working on it,'' says rapper Pras. "'Clef and Lauryn's putting tracks together while I drop my solo album [June 14th's Win, Lose or Draw]."

In his New York studio, Fugees ringleader Jean was more guarded about the project, but allowed, "We've gone from not talking to having conversations. There's good vibes, good energies right now. I want the Fugee thing to happen -- because it's not just music, it's a movement."

A seminal '90s hip-hop act, the Fugees broke ground with their fusion of hip-hop, R&B and reggae. The Score, the group's second album, hit the top of the pop charts and went on to become the biggest-selling hip-hop record to date.

Crowe Arrested

Russell Crowe was arrested in New York for allegedly throwing a telephone at a hotel employee early Monday morning, according to a police report obtained by CNN.

Authorities say the New Zealand-born actor, 41, was upset that he could not place a call to Australia on his phone at the Mercer Hotel in SoHo. Police also say that the employee required stitches to mend a facial bruise. Crowe, who is in New York to promote his new movie Cinderella Man (which debuted in disappointing 4th place in the weekend box office race, with an estimated $18.6 million), is due to appear in Manhattan Criminal Court later Monday, the Associated Press reports.

Police spokesman Sgt. Mike Wysokowski says the Gladiator Oscar winner has been charged with second-degree assault. Wysokowski added that the alleged incident occurred at approximately 4:20 a.m.

Crowe has previously made news for heated encounters. At the 2002 Bafta Awards in London, he admitted to being "abusive" and "behaving unreasonably" towards a TV producer who cut shot his acceptance speech. Later that same year police reportedly reprimanded him following an alleged skirmish with a New Zealand businessman in a London restaurant.

Decisions, Decisions

Heiress Paris Hilton is wearing two engagement rings, because she can't choose between the two diamond bands her fiance Paris Latsis offered her.

The Greek shipping heir gave Hilton a choice between two pricey rings from celebrity jewelers Harry Winston and Tiffany. One has a 24 carat canary yellow stone, the other a 15 carat white diamond. Both are worth $2.1 million and $4.2 million.

But the 24-year-old loves them both. A source says, "She just can't decide."

--You have GOT to be kidding me.

Honorary Degree for Tyler

Aerosmith's Steven Tyler took a different kind of stage on Friday – with scholars at the University of Massachusetts in Boston to accept an honorary degree. The school awarded the singer, who made Boston his home in the late '60s, for his community activism in the area.

TomKat Update

And in today's TomKat news:

--Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were the center of attention at the MTV Movie Awards in Los Angeles on Saturday.

Holmes, who stars in the upcoming Batman Begins, was chosen to present her new boyfriend with a lifetime achievement award for his movie career. "Most of us first met this man when he was dancing in his underwear and feeling the need for speed," Holmes said before introducing a clip reel of Cruise’s film history, which she watched with rapt attention.

At the end, the actress pumped her arms, then marched off stage to retrieve Cruise who was waiting in the wings, a move that mirrored Cruise’s much-replayed performance on the Oprah Winfrey Show last month.

And his controlling side continues to show:

--Tom Cruise seems to be exerting ever more control over his sweetie/ fiancée's career. Holmes, who has been spending a lot of time at the Scientology Center in L.A., showed up at the junket for "Batman Begins" at the Regent Beverly Wilshire with "an entourage of Sci entologists in tow," said a spy.

"At lunch, Tom came and after he left, his sister [and publicist] Lee Anne Devette sat in on all of [Holmes'] interviews. The producers and Warner Bros. are freaking out. They are worried Tom's bad p.r. is going to rub off." Holmes own p.r. man was also at the interviews, but Devette had "control. It's getting weird."

Tony Awards

Click here for a list of last night's Tony Award winners.

Ozzy to Write a Musical?

Ozzy Osbourne is following in the footsteps of Elton John by writing a musical about Russian mystic Grigory Rasputin.

The rocker is fascinated by the notorious 'Mad Monk' and is determined to create a theatrical sensation based on Rasputin's life - particularly after watching John's new Billy Elliot musical on London's West End.

He explains, "I was inspired to write it after I saw a BBC documentary about Rasputin. "As for Billy Elliot, I went to see it the other night and it was f**king great."

'Bout Time

Rod Stewart, who last week announced that he and his fiancee are expecting a child together, has filed for divorce from model Rachel Hunter.

Hunter and the British singer wed in 1990, but split in 1999, court documents show, according to the Associated Press. The paperwork cites irreconcilable differences as the official reason for ending the marriage. The couple have two children together.

Baby Phat Domination

This fall, Kimora Lee Simmons gets one step closer to total market saturation with her new line of shoes for Baby Phat. While past Baby Phat offerings included pink bejeweled flip flops and pink metallic sneakers, this fall’s collection includes stilettos, flats, and boots.

“Baby Phat is a brand about aspirational lifestyle,” explained publicist B.J. Coleman, “and it was important to Kimora to go beyond sportswear and give women what they need for every aspect of life. She designed a full collection for fall because shoes are definitely part of that bigger lifestyle picture.”

Shoes like “The Fortuna,” a bedazzled mary jane that also comes in a boot, and “The Carmen,” a thicker heel inspired by 1940’s swing and also by Beyoncé’s MTV movie Carmen: A Hip Hopera.

Perhaps the most poignant addition to Baby Phat’s new shoe collection is the Phat Max, named for the Simmons’ recently departed cat, who also serves as the company logo. “Yes, Kimora did design a shoe specifically for Max,” confirmed B.J. “There’s big drama with the cat.”

Smell Like Madonna

While Madonna's fans have been imitating her many iconic looks for decades, now followers of the Material Girl can wear her scent.

According to British newspaper The Sun, she's planning on launching an eponymous fragrance this Christmas. The perfume's debut will apparently coincide with the release of the singer's upcoming album.

--Because we don't have enough stinky celebrity fragrances.

Dido-Aguilera Collaboration

Dido is penning a special song for Christina Aguilera. The mild-mannered singer, who wrote hit, 'I'm Not A Girl, Not Yet A Woman' for Christina's rival Britney Spears, has been asked to write a track suitable for the 'Dirrty' singer - who is trying to tone down her raunchy image.

The as-yet-unnamed single, which will be included on Aguilera's third album due out later this year, has been described as "retro" and "gritty". Christina, 24, said of the record by 33-year-old Dido: "It's a retro blues-soul-jazz-record."

Kelly Osbourne Back in Rehab

Kelly Osbourne, the 20-year-old daughter of heavy metal star Ozzy Osbourne, has checked herself into a drug treatment center, according to a published report.

Osbourne entered the Pasadena facility on Thursday, Us Weekly reported Friday. A message left for her mother, Sharon Osbourne, was not immediately returned.

A family representative told the magazine that Kelly Osbourne was "dealing with some personal issues" and would be back in a few weeks. Kelly Osbourne spent several weeks last year at a Malibu drug treatment center for an addiction to prescription pain killers.

Lohan Crash Intentional

Police on Tuesday provided more details into the car crash between Lindsay Lohan and a photographer who was apparently trailing her, saying that the Mean Girls star was making a U-turn en route to a police vehicle when the celebrity shutterbug intentionally crashed into her car.

Lohan, 18, who originally was said to have escaped from the incident uninjured, in fact suffered cuts and bruises, and informed authorities that she would seek treatment on her own, police Lt. Ted Matthews tells the Associated Press.

The paparazzo, Galo Ramirez, 24, had followed Lohan in a van from Beverly Hills, Matthews said. Lohan, driving a 2005 Mercedes-Benz, spotted a police vehicle going the other direction on 3rd Street and was trying to reach it to report she was being pursued.

Ramirez then intentionally rammed the left rear of Lohan's car, Matthews said. "That obviously got the attention of the black-and-white unit," he said.

So Wrong

Celine Dion as Michael Jackson--quite possibly one of the scariest things I've ever seen.

Click here to view.

--Found at Pink is the New Blog.

Umm...

Strippers at New York club Scores are offering their services to troubled actor Christian Slater - to help him avoid a sex pest tag.

The movie star was arrested in New York on Tuesday for allegedly groping a woman on the street. But strippers at Scores, where Slater is a client, insist they'll come to his defense and testify he always keeps his hands to himself and behaves like "a perfect gentleman" when he's a guest at the club.

Ask and Ye Shall Receive

Eva Longoria has been bombarded with hundreds of vibrators by obsessed fans. The 'Desperate Housewives' star confessed that ever since she mentioned sex toys were fun, her post box has been flooded with parcels of X-rated aids.

The brunette, who says starring in the TV show has changed her life, revealed: "I get boxes and boxes of vibrators sent to me just because I happened to mention I thought they were fun."

The actress also confessed she would love to date George Clooney and Johnny Depp, both unfortunately spoken for.

TV Hotties

TV Guide has picked the 10 hottest guys from the 10 hottest TV shows. The editors of the magazine conducted a straw poll among the staff.

The winners are: Patrick Dempsey ("Grey's Anatomy"), James Denton ("Desperate Housewives"), Julian McMahon ("Nip/Tuck"), Josh Holloway ("Lost"), Tom Westman ("Survivor: Palau"), Hugh Laurie ("House"), Chad Michael Murray ("One Tree Hill"), Josh Duhamel ("Las Vegas"), Gary Douran ("CSI"), Entrique Murciano ("Without a Trace") and Goran Visnjic ("ER").

"The unique thing about our 'TV's Sexiest Men!' feature is we spoke to all their co-stars and they were able to tell us things you wouldn't know," explains TV Guide Senior Editor Carol Dittbrenner. "So we have a behind-the-scenes look."

Richards Welcomes Baby Lola

Denise Richards is a mom again.

The 34-year-old actress gave birth Wednesday night at a Los Angeles hospital to daughter Lola, who weighed in at 6 lbs. 10 oz., Richards's publicist said.

Richards's estranged husband, Charlie Sheen, was in the room with her when she gave birth. Mother and daughter are doing fine.

What is Wrong With People?

Actor David Hasselhoff is amazed at the lengths some of his fans go to in order to meet him - but he was especially taken aback when one admirer tried to kill herself to get his attention.

The crazed lady had become so fixated with former Baywatch star Hasselhoff that she jumped out of a high-story window when she couldn't speak to him.

But the actor was left surprised when he heard the fan's near-death experience hadn't left her any less determined to meet a celebrity. Hasselhoff recalls, "A woman threatened to jump out of a window unless she met me. She jumped, hit some awning and broke her leg."

--I opted for a vintage "Knight Rider" pic, since it was the best show he was ever on.

Jackman to Host Tony Awards

Hugh Jackman is back as host for the third year in a row, and the Broadway season's biggest musical hit, "Monty Python's Spamalot," is being challenged by three very different musicals.

Welcome to Sunday's 2005 Tony Awards (8 p.m.-11 p.m. EDT on CBS), where the production that could walk off with the most silver medallions is a play — John Patrick Shanley's "Doubt," which has picked up just about every other theater award given this spring, as well as a Pulitzer Prize. It's a shoo-in for best play Tony and probably several more honors, too.

Its competition for best play includes "The Pillowman" by Martin McDonagh, "Gem of the Ocean" by August Wilson and Michael Frayn's "Democracy."

Yet most of the attention will be focused on the musical categories where "Spamalot," a Mike Nichols-directed extravaganza based on "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," received 14 nominations. And the prime entertainment of every Tony telecast is a scene from each of the shows nominated for best musical and best musical revival.

--You have no idea how pumped I get for the Tony Awards. Seriously folks, watch them. If you aren't that interested in theater or musicals, watch anyway--you get the absolute best of every show--without having to sit through them. It's a star-studden affair--you won't be disappointed.

Tobey's a Nice Guy

Spider-Man star Tobey Maguire has welcomed old friend Sara Gilbert, her lesbian lover and their son into his Hollywood home while the former Roseanne star's own house is being renovated.

Maguire, who studied acting with Gilbert in his teens and once shared a home with her, didn't hesitate to offer up his pad when he heard his old pal was homeless as her home was undergoing construction.

A source says, "Tobey heard about Sara's plight and invited her to move in with him... They go way back."

Maguire lives in the home with his longtime girlfriend Jennifer Meyer.

Stars Come to Indiana to Remember Dean

Red lipstick kisses are sun-baked into James Dean's pink granite gravestone, testifying to the enduring allure of the man who, 50 years after his death, remains a symbol of rebellious, misunderstood youth.

Frozen in time by death - forever handsome, sullen and projecting a cool nonchalance - Dean is winning new fans with his legacy of cinematic magic, sex appeal and tragedy.

His three big films have been digitally restored and were released Tuesday as a DVD box set. Film crews from around the world are visiting his hometown for documentaries.

And starting Friday, up to 100,000 people - including Martin Sheen and Dennis Hopper - are expected to converge on Fairmount, Ind., his birthplace, for a three-day festival featuring outdoor screenings of "East of Eden," "Rebel Without a Cause" and "Giant" on a huge screen at Marion's airport.

The former Indiana farm boy's lasting appeal stems in part from the era in which he made his big, but brief, splash, said San Francisco-based film historian David Thomson.

McCartney Engages in Child's Play

Move over, Madonna, Paul McCartney is getting into children's books. The former Beatle has signed on to publish "High in the Clouds: An Urban Furry Tail" for the Penguin Young Readers Group, the publisher announced Wednesday.

McCartney will team up with veteran children's book author Philip Ardagh and animator Geoff Dunbar. The picture book is to be released this October with a first print of 500,000 copies.

"Having worked on this story and the characters for many years, it's very exciting for me to see things come to fruition in what I think will be a remarkable book," McCartney said in a statement.

Controlling Cruise

Tom Cruise continues to impose his Scientologist views on Katie Holmes.

She was set to star in "Factory Girl," about doomed Andy Warhol protégé Edie Sedgwick. But Cruise told Holmes to nix it, insiders said. "Edie was in and out of mental institutions and on all sorts of psychotropic drugs," said a spy. "Tom doesn't believe in those drugs because of Scientology."

Another insider said, "Tom didn't want her to take the role because it portrayed her as a victim and he said she should only take strong roles." Holmes' rep said: "Katie is not attached to that project."

--Sounds like, among others, Cruise has some control issues.

Halle May Eventually Bare All

Halle Berry once promised to fulfill longtime Playboy picture editor Marilyn Grabowski's dream and bare all for the men's magazine.

The actress was an aspiring superstar 10 years ago when she agreed to meet with Grabowski after she was made an attractive offer to pose for Hugh Hefner's publication. Grabowski, who discovered Pamela Anderson and Anna Nicole Smith among others, recalls, "Halle Berry, I had dinner with 10 years ago and she said, 'When I've got the right film, I'll do it.' She wanted to (do it) but I haven't heard from her in the last couple of years."

Grabowski reveals the magazine also approached Britney Spears, but she wanted a "ridiculous" amount of money to disrobe: "It was too much, let's put it that way."

Stallone Clings to Youth

Rambo is coming out of hiding and looking for some fresh blood.

After a 17-year layoff, Sylvester Stallone is ready to reprise his role as everyone's favorite muscle-bound Green Beret for a fourth installment in the popular 1980s film franchise.

After protracted legal wrangling, the rights to Rambo were snapped up in 1997 by Miramax's genre division, Dimension Films. But a planned Rambo IV stalled. Now, with Miramax heads Harvey and Bob Weinstein exiting Disney, they have sold the sequel rights for the intrepid character to Nu Image/Millennium Films, and the project is finally moving forward.

In addition to breaking the old red bandanna out of mothballs, Stallone, 58, will write the screenplay.

"I've signed the deal and I have the old headband, machine gun and bow and arrow ready to go. I am looking forward to showing movie fans the real action hero again," Stallone said in a statement.

--Oh come on. Just what we need.

Fan Beaten at Snoop/Game Show

A 24-year-old male fan claims he was assaulted onstage Saturday during the Seattle-area stop of the "How the West Was One Tour."

Richard Monroe told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer that he jumped onstage to dance — claiming he had been encouraged to do so by the rappers — during Snoop's hit "Gin and Juice" when a large group of people, including Snoop, began to hit and kick him repeatedly. He alleges that he also had alcohol poured on him while his diamond studs were ripped from his earlobes, and his watch, cell phone and wallet were stolen.

According to the report, eyewitnesses had varying accounts of what took place. Some onlookers claimed they saw a man rush the rappers from backstage before the fight broke out; another said that Game and the opening act, Oowee, also took part in the scuffle.

Ahhh

What I wouldn't give to be chilling on a boat on Lake Como, Italy with Clooney...

Spacey to Head Up Reality Show

Kevin Spacey has played Bobby Darin and one of "The Usual Suspects." Now the actor-director will take on the role of mentor to showbiz interns in "Going Hollywood," a new eight-part TLC reality series.

The series, slated to premiere this fall, promises to go beyond the velvet rope and document the business of being an A-list celebrity. "The Hollywood featured in `Going Hollywood' is a place few have seen, and is a refreshing take on what we all believe constitutes `celebrity,'" David Abraham, TLC executive vice president and general manager, said in a statement Tuesday. "Beyond the glamorous premieres and jet-set travel is a world where grit, ambition and, above all, hard work, are the stuff that dreams are made of."

Spacey will be joined by producer Robert Evans and rapper-actor Method Man. During each hour-long episode, the interns will be featured working for Spacey's Trigger Street Productions, The Robert Evans Co. and Method Man Enterprises.

FHM Editor Out of a Job

FHM editor-at-large Jake Bronstein's on-air comment that three-time FHM cover girl Beth Ostrosky and sex columnist is only famous because she dates Stern cost Bronstein his job. Bronstein's fatal mistake occurred during an interview on New York's cable channel G4TV's Attack of the Show last week.

"Nobody knew who Beth Ostrosky was before she became Howard Stern's girlfriend," said Bronstein. "It was a good move on her part."

Stern played Bronstein's comments on his own show the next day. "They kind of make me sound like a total dope," Stern commented. "She's the first one to admit she's only [on FHM's cover] because she's my girlfriend."

Ostrosky, whose covers outsell Halle Berry, reportedly received an apologetic message from Bronstein, but it was too late. FHM editor-in-chief Scott Gramling had already relieved Bronstein of his duties.

Stop Whining, Brad

Hollywood actor Brad Pitt is convinced he will never get an Oscar because there is too much competition for the coveted award.

The 41-year-old has only received one Academy Award nomination for 1996 Terry Gilliam movie Twelve Monkeys.

He says, "I don't think I'm one of those guys who's considered. There are a lot of us around." "At the same time, it's fun to go to and look around and see what everyone did for the year." "But I don't want them to give me one when I'm old because they feel sorry for me!"

Loser

An arrest warrant was issued on Wednesday morning for singer Bobby Brown in Massachusetts, after the musician failed to appear for a child support hearing.

According to local counsel for the musician, Brown was about to catch a flight to Boston to show up for the hearing, but became ill and was taken to a hospital in Atlanta. Brown, who lives in Georgia with his wife, singer/actress Whitney Houston, has two children from a previous relationship.

According to the Massachusetts court's Register of Probate, Brown has failed to make payments to a trust fund for the two children. Brown was previously sentenced to 90 days in prison last June for missing three months' worth of child support payments.

Madonna and Sting Partner Up

Madonna and Sting are planning a duet at the London Live 8 gig, it has been reported.

It is a collaboration which will go down in history and will be perfect for the giant event, says The Sun. It claims that one number the two superstars have talked about singing in Hyde Park on July 2 is John Lennon's "Imagine."

The Sun quotes a source as saying: "They have had a discussion about performing a cover version. "They thought about a Beatles song, or maybe 'Imagine.' Madonna sang it on her Re-Invention tour."

The paper claims Madonna consulted her Rabbi adviser before agreeing to get involved in the biggest charity rock event since Live Aid in 1985. She will reportedly star in a late afternoon slot, while Sting will perform solo earlier in the day.

Women Targeted by Cigarette Companies

Attention, ladies:

For years, tobacco companies have carried out extensive research to find ways to get females to smoke, according to a new study released this week by Harvard University's School of Public Health.

Analysis of the more than 7 million internal documents from the tobacco industry, dating from 1969 up to 2000, provides substantial evidence that cigarette makers intentionally modified their products to appeal to women, including putting an emphasis on "sleek" and "slim" designs, creating a better taste, and even looking into ways to add perceived health benefits, such as weight loss.

"These internal documents reveal that the tobacco companies' targeting of women goes far beyond marketing and adverting. They did so much research in such a sophisticated way, and women should know how far the industry went to exploit them," the study's lead author, Carrie Murray Carpenter, told The Associated Press. The documents, first made public following the 1998 Tobacco Maker Settlement Agreement, are examined further in the report published in the June issue of Addiction, an international scientific journal.

Too Much Perversion on CNN?

CNN should cover international news and the environment, not the "pervert of the day," network founder Ted Turner said Wednesday as the first 24-hour news network turned 25.

Turner, an outspoken media mogul who started CNN in 1980 but no longer controls the network, said he envisioned CNN as a place where rapes and murders that dominated local news wouldn't be emphasized, but he's seeing too much of that "trivial news" on the network he created, now second in ratings to Fox News Channel.

"I would like to see us to return to a little more international coverage on the domestic feed and a little more environmental coverage, and, maybe, maybe a little less of the pervert of the day," he said in a speech to CNN employees outside the old Atlanta mansion where the network first aired.

"You know, we have a lot of perverts on today, and I know that, but is that really news? I mean, come on. I guess you've got to cover Michael Jackson, but not three stories about perversion that we do every day as well."

One Small Snip of Hair...

Former Apollo astronaut Neil Armstrong is threatening to sue an Ohio barber who once cut his hair and then sold the locks to a collector.

Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, is steamed at Marx Sizemore, who peddled the shorn hair for $3000 last May. Now, according to the below May 17 letter from Armstrong's attorney, the ex-astronaut wants Sizemore to retrieve the hair or contribute his proceeds from the sale to charity (Armstrong also wants to be reimbursed for his legal expenses).

Ross Wales, Armstrong's lawyer, contends that the 35-year-old Sizemore's tonsorial hijinks violated a state law protecting the "persona rights" of famous Ohioans. Sizemore, who used to cut Armstrong's hair monthly at his Lebanon shop, told The Smoking Gun that he did not initiate the hair sale, but rather was approached by Todd Mueller, a Colorado memorabilia dealer.

Brad!

Brad! -- Eagerly in search of the Artful Dodger

Not Everyone is Sold

Hollywood's hottest couple is having difficulty persuading the public their romance is real. Not only did nearly two thirds of people questioned by People magazine about the Tom Cruise, 42, and Katie Holmes, 26, coupling believe the relationship was a stunt, but even the couple's peers are questioning their sincerity.

PageSix reports that Saturday Night Live funnygal Tina Fey mocked Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes' high-profile romance last week in front of a host of celebrities, including Gwyneth Paltrow, Whoopi Goldberg and Diane Sawyer at the Robin Hood Foundation's fundraising gala in New York. In a send-up to Cruise's appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show earlier this month where he jumped on the talk show queen's couch to prove how crazy he was over Holmes, Fey gaveSNL co-star Amy Poehler a high five, before raising her fist in the air, saying, "I love this woman! This woman is so hot..! She's a woman!" and then slapping herself, saying, "Oh my God, I'm so gay."

But the real story is that amidst all of the naysayers, Holmes says that her love for Cruise is real. "I couldn't be happier. I'm so happy," Holmes told Reuters on her way into the world premiere of her latest movie Batman Begins in Tokyo. "He's the most amazing man in the whole world."

Breakfast Club Reunion

The stars of cult 1980s movie The Breakfast Club are set to reunite at the upcoming 2005 MTV Movie Awards this weekend.

Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson and Anthony Michael Hall have agreed to reunite for the awards show at the Shrine Auditorium. Emilio Estevez wasn't confirmed for the Movie Awards get together as we went to press.

Meanwhile, pop punks Yellowcard will perform Simple Minds' hit single "Don't You Forget About Me," which was the theme from the 1985 John Hughes movie.

Big Bucks in Acne Prevention

Sean Combs knows how to hustle. Many were shocked when the music impresario decided to help hawk ProActive acne solutions along with Jessica Simpson — but what they didn't know was that Combs got a cool $3 million for it.

An insider says, "Bad Boy Records might not be making money, but Puffy is. He asked for $3 million and he got it. He drives a hard bargain." Combs also got the use of a free private plane to fly him to and from the shoot.

--$3M to do a zit commercial? Damn.

Backstreet Boys Run Over Fan With Bus

Reunited boy band Backstreet Boys kickstarted the lone European date of their comeback tour in unfortunate fashion yesterday, by running over a fan at Dusseldorf Airport.

The five-piece, Nick Carter, Aj Mcclean, Howie Dorough, Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell, jetted into the German city ready for their gig in Cologne tonight - their first performance in Germany for five years. But the Boys' return ended in pain and a trip to the hospital for 19-year-old fan Julia Wagner - who suffered a fractured leg when she was struck by the band's bus as it fought its way through a huge crowd at the airport.

But the band did what they could to make up for the accident - Carter and Richardson visited Wagner in hospital, where she was treated, and promised to make her a Vip guest at tonight's concert. Carter said, "We are so sorry for what happened. We'll make up for it."

Kidman's New Man?

Nicole Kidman might have to drop her Chanel gowns in favor of Gucci.

Kidman, who has a passion for billionaires, has ditched Los Angeles real estate scion Steve Bing after almost a year of dating for French billionaire Francois Pinault — who owns PPR, which owns Gucci. An insider says: "They just started dating."

Fergie to Act?

Black Eyed Peas star Fergie is considering a career as an actress following the release of the group's latest album Monkey Business.

The singer - real name Stacy Ferguson - made her acting debut in 1984 as the voice of Sally Brown in TV show It's Flashbeagle, Charlie Brown.

But the 30-year-old star still has reservations about picking a suitable movie for her comeback. She says, "Yes I'm definitely reading scripts, but I'd need enough time to do it and it would have to be the right project." "There are a few things I'm looking at so watch this space."

Baldwin Singin' on Broadway

Who knew Alec Baldwin was so musically inclined?

The actor, who recently voiced a part in "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie," has been cast in an upcoming concert version of the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, "South Pacific," Variety reports. Baldwin has been cast as Luther Billis, a womanizing entrepreneur, for the special performance to benefit Carnegie Hall on June 9.

Another Project for Barker

Travis Barker has another band.

The Blink-182/ Box Car Racer/ Transplants/ Plus-44 drummer has teamed up with DJ AM, Nicole Richie's fiance, to form an as-yet-unnamed duo.

"We're just gonna play clubs every once in a while, it's gonna be pretty crazy, DJ versus drummer," Barker said of the still-developing project. "We're like 40 minutes into the routine. ... We just jam."

Stylemakers Strut for a Good Cause

Carmen Electra, Tori Spelling, Brittany Murphy, Courtney Peldon, Bai Ling and Nikka Costa were among the lovely ladies to step out Thursday night for "Stylemakers 2005," presented by Life + Style, a popular celebrity magazine.

From the world of music, Nikka Costa and Nate Dogg made an appearance while Fonzworth Bentley arrived with the lovely, Faune Chambers. From the world of fashion, designer Kevan Hall, make-up and America's Next top model judge Jay Manuel and former fashion model (and Angel forever) Cheryl Tiegs smiled for the flashing photo gauntlet.

Many of Hollywood's most lively and stylish participated in a runway and auction event for "Clothes of Our Back," a fundraising effort. Actors Jane Kaczmarek ("Malcolm In The Middle") and Bradley Whitford ("The West Wing") founded the organization. "Clothes Off Our Back," bestows the proceeds from auctioned famous and designer clothes to worthy children’s charities like, among others, the Children's Defense Fund, Smile Train and the Cure Autism Now Foundation. For this particular auction, the focus was on the Cure Autism Now Foundation.

--Courtney Peldon got an invite? Please. She's the worst-dressed woman I've ever seen. The ladies at Go Fug Yourself have an entire category dedicated to her.

Times Are A-Changin'

New statistics suggest a downtrend in the number of women looking to marry Mr. Moneybags — and, surprisingly, an upswing in the number of men who seem to be seeking Mrs. Moneypenny.

Click here to read the entire story.

No Filming at Westminster

Producers of the upcoming movie based on the blockbuster novel "The Da Vinci Code" were not allowed to film in Britain's Westminster Abbey after church officials denounced the book as "theologically unsound."

The 940-year-old London Abbey, where British monarchs are crowned, features in the international murder mystery by U.S. author Dan Brown which has been condemned by the Vatican and Anglican Church leaders for distorting the Christian message. The novel alleges Jesus married Mary Magdalene and had children, whereas Christians are taught that Christ never married and was childless when he was crucified.

"Although a real page turner, 'The Da Vinci code' is theologically unsound and we cannot commend or endorse the contentious and wayward religious and historic suggestions made in the book -- nor its views of Christianity and the New Testament," the Abbey said in a statement. "It would therefore be inappropriate to film scenes from the book here."

Last week officials at Lincoln Cathedral in eastern England said they had agreed to allow their building to be used by the makers of the forthcoming film, which stars Tom Hanks as the book's central character Professor Robert Langdon.

The statement from Westminster Abbey, which appears in scenes toward the end of Brown's novel, also insisted some of the book's details were factually inaccurate. It said it would be providing the Abbey's marshals with information to clear up the mistakes for visiting tourists drawn to the church by its appearance in The Da Vinci Code. "We are already receiving regular, daily inquiries related to the book and we expect these to continue and even grow in the next couple of years, even with no effort on our own part, simply because the book is so popular," its statement said.

Another Talk Show

Ellen and Oprah, move over: Will & Grace Emmy winner Megan Mullally is set to host her own syndicated TV talk show debuting in fall 2006, NBC announced Tuesday.

Mullally, 46, who plays the freewheeling Karen Walker on the prime-time sitcom, would base her one-hour show from Los Angeles.

In her own statement, Mullally, who has an extensive stage background, said: "I'm hosting a what? Oh, okay. Well, if I am, I want it to be different and I want the viewers to play an active role and actually get something out of watching it. I think it will be fun. Jeff Zucker is going to play drums in the band."