With her divorce settlement behind her, Britney Spears took time out on Saturday night to do something for the kids, adding star wattage to Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey's fundraiser for Generation Rescue, an organization dedicated to researching autism.
"She looked great and seemed really happy," says a partygoer of the Snow Queen Vodka-sponsored shindig at the couple's home in Brentwood. Though she kept close to her assistant Brett and didn't speak to other guests, "She smiled and clapped during the video about autism. She was very into the information and watched a little bit of the dancers from Dancing with the Stars, sneaking out during one of the performances."
Also at the bash were newlyweds Charlie Sheen and Brooke Mueller ("The honeymoon isn't over!" remarked one guest), a "lovey-dovey" Robert Rodriguez and Rose McGowan, who kissed and danced all night, and of course the host couple.
"Jenny and Jim were adorable," says the guest, "She kept saying, 'I love you honey' to him when she thanked him from the stage." Carrey, not to be outdone by the DWTS folks, soon took to the dance floor, even challenging another guest to a playful dance-off.
...Its awesome to see Britney starting to slowly get back to her old, pre-Kfed self. Here's hoping she continues her treatment, and becomes the responsible pop star Mommy we all want her to be. I know it's a tall order, but a girl can dream, can't she?
From People.com...By Dana Kennedy and Peter Mikelbank,
Angelina Jolie and her twins left the hospital early Saturday - a week since she gave birth to Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline.
"Angelina Jolie left the Clinic Santa Maria of Fondation Lenval early in the morning of July 19th," hospital rep Nadine Bauer confirmed to PEOPLE. "The mother and babies are doing very well."
There were only a few journalists camped outside the Fondation Lenval hospital in Nice, France, early Saturday morning but even they didn't know for sure when Jolie slipped out of the hospital with her twins at 4 a.m. local time.
Jolie and the newest Jolie-Pitts left Lenval to join their excited siblings - Maddox, 6; Pax, 4; Zahara, 3; and Shiloh, 2 - at Chateau Miraval, the enormous and luxurious chateau in Correns, France, that Jolie and partner Brad Pitt rented in May.
"We saw the cars and we thought it was her but we didn't see anything," one observer said.
Photographers had been stationed on nearby roofs of the hospital, hoping that Jolie would leave as she had arrived nearly three weeks ago - by helicopter.
Bauer added Saturday that hospital staff wanted to thank their own personnel for the attention and care they gave the Jolie-Pitt family. She also released a statement from the hospital, which thanked "those journalists around the hospital who did their best to respect their privacy."
Secret Getaway
Jolie's departure began at about 3:50 a.m. when, according to an eyewitness, a grey Volkswagen minibus with darkened windows arrived outside the hospital on its Promenade des Anglais.
"There was a sudden spray of light out of the hospital's garage way and then four or five people came out of that through a rear doorway," the witness said. "They stood behind the hospital in a small courtyard in the dark."
The courtyard entrance, a gated area for emergency access has been closed during Jolie's stay, "was suddenly opened by someone who was waiting in the bus stop beside the hospital," the witness said. "This group of people got into the van, very quickly. . . . It was all done in a hurry. And they were very quick organizing themselves inside. Very rapid. And then 'Pouf!' they were gone.
"With all the press attention around them, a constant watch on the front of the hospital, they managed to leave so quickly, my hat's off to them," the witness added.
At 9 a.m., Dr. Michel Sussmann, who delivered the twins by Cesarean section on July 12, confirmed the family's departure, telling reporters, "You can go home. The story is over."
Added Bauer: "We enjoyed having her and her family here very much."
...Kudos to Bragelina! Doing it their way. I know I can't wait to see the twins. You know they have to be adorable!
From UsWeekly...Jessica Simpson's first country concert was met with mixed reactions.
Audiences booed and clapped as the singer, 28, opened for Sara Evans on Satturday at the Country Thunder USA festival in Randall, Wisconsin.
"I don't know what your perception is of Jessica Simpson or what tabloid you buy, but I just want you to know that I'm just a girl from Texas," Simpson told the crowd. "I'm just like you. I'm doing what I love and dating a boy."
She dedicated the tune "You're My Sunday" to beau Tony Romo, who was in the audience, and performed a slew of covers - including Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again" - as well as her new single "Come On Over."
One concertgoer told the local paper: "I'll have to drink a lot of beer to sit through her concert."
Added another: "She's an embarrassment to country music."
Not all were haters.
One fan told the paper, "I actually like her country songs better. She has a great voice, plus, she's adorable."
Despite the lukewarm buzz, her father Joe recently told Usmagazine.com his daughter - whose album drops September 9 - is ready for country.
"It feels really good," he said of her album. "She is extremely happy."
...Eh. I'm all for the girl finding her place in the music world... but she needs to remember that Country Fans are the most loyal and fickle. They LOVE them some Carrie Underwood, and it seems like Jessica is trying to step into those shoes. The song, the look, the boyfriend. Jessica just needs to keep plugging away at this...proving that this is where she really wants to be. If she does that, and delivers good music too... she just may have a chance. Good luck.
In case you haven't heard - or witnessed at any cineplex this weekend - The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan's dark sequel about the Caped Crusader, took in $155.4 million since Friday.
Speaking on Britain's GMTV Monday morning, the star of the picture, Christian Bale of the impressive box-office take: "It's Monopoly money to me - I can't even comprehend it."
Along with a hearty $27.6 million opening take for Mamma Mia - the best ever for a musical, topping last year's Hairspray opening - this turned out to be the best three-day weekend in Hollywood history.
Previously, a $218.4 million weekend in July 2007 held that distinction, largely thanks to Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.
The Dark Knight's haul also exceeds the $151.1 million Spider-Man 3 made its May 2007 opening weekend. Buoyed by mostly rave notices - including PEOPLE's review - and Oscar buzz about Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker, Bale's second outing as Batman is expected to make $220 million in its first week alone - already more than Nolan's first reboot, Batman Begins, made in its entire U.S. run, reports Variety.
Among the other records broken by The Dark Knight: biggest midnight release ($18.5 million), biggest weekend on IMAX screens ($6.2 million), top single-day take on a Friday ($67.9 million), and most screens (4,366), the Los Angeles Times reports.
Overseas, the movie was on track to perform similarly, making a strong $40 million on 4,500 screens in 20 territories, breaking the Australian weekend opening for a superhero movie ($13.1 million) and Brazil's best opening this year ($4.3 million).
Women Went to See Streep
As expected, Mamma Mia, starring Meryl Streep, appealed to women - who made up an estimated 75 percent of its audience - making the bubbly ABBA musical a excellent complement to The Dark Knight's brooding action flick.
There just wasn't enough for two blockbuster superhero sequels in theaters, though. Hellboy II: The Golden Army dropped a precipitous 71 percent from last weekend's top spot to fifth place, while Will Smith's Hancock stayed in the fight at third place. And Star Chimps took in a relatively measly $7.1 million for its opening, earning it seventh place.
...I'll admit to not making it to the movies this weekend, but Andy and I will catch the Dark Knight soon. Did you see it? Leave a comment and let us know how it was.
