Gossip/Celebrity News

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Kevin Spends B-Day with Sons, Shar Jackson

While his ex Britney Spears worked on her dance moves back in Los Angeles, Kevin Federline celebrated his 29th birthday over the weekend in Las Vegas with his kids and ex-girlfriend Shar Jackson.

Returning three weeks after a visit there with the kids while Spears was in rehab, Federline arrived in town Friday afternoon with sons Sean Preston, 1, and Jayden James, 6 months, in tow.

After checking into Caesars Palace, Federline spent the remainder of the afternoon relaxing in a VIP cabana at Caesars' Venus Pool Club, a private somewhat hidden topless pool adjacent to the general public pool, a source tells PEOPLE.

The birthday festivities kicked off Saturday night, with Federline (who turned 29 on March 21) starting his evening at Social House, dining on Asian fare with 14 of his closest friends and family by his side, a source tells PEOPLE.

"He was talking on the phone and texting the whole time," said the source.

Later, Federline made his way to Caesars' Pure Nightclub, where his ex Shar Jackson was already present.

"As soon as his parents got to the club they immediately went to Shar's table on the other side of the club and hung out there for a while," a source says. "They were taking photos with her and catching up. It's pretty easy to see that they still care about her."

Meanwhile, a well-dressed Federline "was clearly having a good time, hanging with his group and singing along to most of the music," says an onlooker.

Drinking Jack Daniels, Federline hung out in his VIP area most the night, waving to the crowd as they yelled for him.

At 2:30 a.m., Jackson again returned to Federline's table to dance with his parents. Federline then grabbed the mic, says a source, and said to the crowd: "'My entire family came out for my birthday. My brothers are here, my mother, my father, my sister and even my ex Shar Jackson came out for this.'"

Just before 4 a.m., Federline retreated to his room at Caesars, the 4,000-sq.-ft "Rainman Suite" – where, yes, the movie of the same name was filmed.

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Jessica Simpson Donates Minivan to Mexican Orphanage

Jessica Simpson was in a giving mood Sunday when she donated a brand new minivan to the Mexican orphanage she supports, PEOPLE has learned.

The pop star, 26, drew cheers when she drove through the gates of the Casa Hogar Elim orphanage in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, in a white 2007 Chrysler Town & Country and handed the keys to Mama Lupita, who runs the home.

"The kids were cheering when she pulled up," Simpson's rep tells PEOPLE. "They surrounded the car and were so excited to see her. They kept saying, 'Muchas gracias! Muchas gracias!' A few of them spoke English and said, 'We love you, Jessica!' "

Mama Lupita, who speaks little English, was the first to give Simpson a big hug.

"I'm so honored and happy to be able to help," said Simpson, who hugged Mama Lupita and the throng of kids who had waited anxiously to see her and presented her with gifts, including an engraved plaque with a photo of the kids and a beaded necklace they'd made for her.

Simpson laughed when a mariachi band burst onto the scene to serenade her (the kids had saved up to hire the group by selling jewelry they crafted themselves).

"What an amazing surprise!" Simpson said, putting her hand on her heart.

Simpson was there with her mother Tina (who rode in the passenger seat when her daughter drove the minivan onto the orphanage's grounds), her manager father Joe and a few others. Boyfriend John Mayer stayed in L.A.

Last fall, Simpson won a Chrysler Crossfire sports car at a swag suite at the MTV's Video Music Awards, but asked Chrysler to exchange it for a minivan so she could help out the orphanage.

A spokesperson for Chrysler confirmed: "Instead of the Chrysler Crossfire, she decided to get a minivan for the orphanage instead. She went for the Chrysler Town & Country."

The van Mama Lupita had been using for the orphanage broke down last year. She borrowed an old truck from a friend, but that broke down too, leaving her with no transportation for the children.

The seven-passenger minivan even has a DVD player so the kids can watch their favorite movies when Mama Lupita drives them around.

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Caught in the Act!

Cameron Diaz, leaving Gym on Nemo Street in West Hollywood with her workout bag in hand. The actress is a frequent visitor to the fitness spot.

• Sarah Jessica Parker, helping launch UNICEF's Tap Project for World Water Day, an initiative inviting Big Apple diners to donate $1 for clean drinking water around the world, at an event cohosted by Esquire magazine at New York City's Hearst Tower. The actress, who's a UNICEF ambassador, told us that she's instilling her passion for volunteerism in her 4-year-old son, James Wilkie. "We weren't allowed out of the house with a pillowcase for trick-or-treating if we didn't have a box for UNICEF," Parker told us about growing up. "And my son has been doing the same thing now for two years and he loves it. It gives him a real sense of pride to be a part of something."

• Mary-Kate Olsen, dancing suggestively with a male friend at Teddy's at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. When she and her companion sat at the table, he kissed her on the cheek. Also making the scene: Paris Hilton, who hung with Brandon Davis, and Kelly Osbourne, who hit the dance floor with a female friend.

• Sean "Diddy" Combs, stopping traffic on Paris's Champs-Elysees during a photo shoot. As the hip-hop magnate posed in front of his burgundy Maybach car, a crowd swarmed around him. "People were stopping cars to to see what was happening, and when they recognized Diddy, some even called his name," says an onlooker. Diddy later joined girlfriend Kim Porter inside the V.I.P. Room club to party with tourmate Snoop Dogg and their crews.

Wilmer Valderrama, doing shots of Patrón tequila in the deejay booth with DJ Vice at Marquee in New York City. And in a scene out of Groundhog Day, the actor headed to new club Arena the following night to do – what else? – Patrón shots in the deejay booth with Vice again.

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Scott Weiland's Wife: 'I Just Lost It'

Rock musician Scott Weiland's wife blamed an imbalance in her medication to treat a bipolar disorder for a weekend blowout that led to her arrest.

"For lack of a better expression I was unstable and just 'lost it,' " Mary Weiland, 41, said in a statement Wednesday.

Mary Weiland was arrested and booked for investigation of felony arson vandalism after allegedly torching $10,000 worth of Scott's prized menswear outside their Southern California home on Saturday.

"The weekend's difficulties were brought on by a reaction to an imbalance in medications used to treat my bipolar disorder," Mary Weiland says. "Scott was simply trying to help calm me down. I want to make it very clear that he did not hurt me in any way."

Weiland, the lead singer for Velvet Revolver and Stone Temple Pilots, and his wife have returned home as a couple, and are taking care of the their two children, Noah, 6, and Lucy, 4, who were staying with family when Weiland was arrested night and did not witness to the fight.

"Scott and I are very involved in our children's lives on a daily basis and we love them unconditionally," says Mary Weiland.

The Weilands were in the process of moving from their Toluca Lake home when the incident took place and still hope to be moving into their new Los Angeles home together.

"After nearly seven years of marriage," says Mary Weiland, "I am truly grateful to have a loving husband, drug-free for 3 1/2 years now, who is able to care for me during this challenging time."

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Paris Hilton May Face Jail Over Probation Violation

Paris Hilton has been found in violation of the terms of her probation and faces a maximum sentence of 90 days in jail, the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office announced Thursday.

Hilton, 26, was spotted Feb. 27 speeding down Sunset Boulevard around 11 p.m. without her headlights on, says L.A. Sheriff's spokesman Oscar Butao.

After pulling over her 2007 Bentley Continental GTC Convertible, officers found Hilton was driving with a suspended license – the result of her DUI arrest last September.

In that case, she pleaded no contest to a lesser charge of alcohol-related reckless driving on Jan. 22, and was placed on 36 months probation.

Hilton's rep and attorney were not immediately available for comment.

Previously, Hilton's spokesman Elliot Mintz told the Associated Press that she was unaware that her license had been suspended.

"When Paris called me (after she was pulled over on Feb. 27), she asked if her license was suspended," Mintz said. "If that's the case, she and I are unaware of it."

But Nick Velasquez, spokesman for the City Attorney's Office, said Thursday: "We have sufficient evidence to prove that Hilton had knowledge of the suspension, and yet continued to drive."

A hearing was set for April 17.

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Justin Timberlake Named Favorite Male Singer at Kids Choice

Justin Timberlake vowed to "break the slime barrier" at Saturday's 20th Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards – and the show's host sure did deliver the green goo.

Timberlake, who won the award for favorite male singer, was slimed both at the beginning and end of the show.

During the opening number, Timberlake, dressed in a tuxedo and an orange scarf, sang: "You'll never get a drop of slime on old J.T." – but was soon covered with it.

Other stars who got drenched with the green stuff included Mandy Moore, Tobey Maguire, Steve Carell, Vince Vaughn, Chris Tucker, and Jackie Chan. Even Nicole Kidman got slightly slimed when she accepted the award for the animated movie Happy Feet. (The actress, who voiced a character in the film, was there on behalf of the film's director, George Miller.)

The show, which featured performances by Gwen Stefani and Maroon 5, also included a daredevil bungee jump by stuntman Ron Jones, who plunged into a giant vat of green slime from a height of 225 feet.

Early in raucous show, Charlotte's Web star Dakota Fanning won for favorite female movie star and the Black Eyed Peas won for favorite musical group.

"I consider all of you my friends!" said Fanning, who was presented with the award by Blades of Glory stars Will Ferrell and John Heder.

Other awards went to Ben Stiller, who took home the night's top honor, the Wannabe Award, Adam Sandler for favorite male film actor and American Idol for favorite the TV show. Idol judges Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul were on hand to accept the award.

Randy asked Paula, "Where's Simon?" Paula responded, to much squealing from the crowd, "Who cares?"

Sandler, who won for favorite male movie star in 2003 and 2005 as well, accepted the award while speaking in his Happy Gilmore voice and thanked the crowd "for not making fun of me for talking like this every speech I do."

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Hayden Panettiere Has Something to Cheer About

Hayden Panettiere rocketed to fame as the self-healing cheerleader Claire Bennet on Heroes – but the 17-year-old is just getting started.

Since becoming the focal point of the show's "save the cheerleader, save the world" plot line, Panettiere has also started filming the drama Fireflies in the Garden with Julia Roberts and is gearing up to promote her debut pop album this fall.

"With singing I get to be myself," she tells PEOPLE in its new issue.

Later this spring, Panettiere will celebrate another milestone – high school graduation. "Thank God!" says the Nyack, N.Y., native. "School was difficult; when you come and go, you miss out on a lot. Cliques are formed and you're just lingering."

In L.A. Panettiere has found a BFF in Bruce Willis and Demi Moore's daughter Rumer, 18 ("I stole my pink belly-button ring from Rumer," she admits), and a boyfriend in Laguna Beach's Stephen Colletti, 21, whom she's been dating for more than a year.

But Panettiere and Colletti are so low-key (their nights out usually consist of dinner and a movie) that the actress feels guilty about not giving gossipmongers more to work with.

"I had paparazzi on my street for a while," she says. "I think I bored them to tears. I'm no fun to watch."

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Ashlee Simpson & Pete Wentz Cozy Up

They must be really close friends: Ashlee Simpson and Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz spent Saturday night kissing and cuddling at the new L.A. hot spot Parc.

At the club for a pal's birthday, Simpson, 22, and Wentz, 27, got cozy in a semi-hidden booth, holding hands, gazing into each other's eyes and smooching in between Simpson's dance sessions with a group of girlfriends.

"They definitely weren't hiding the fact that they were together," said one onlooker. "They were making out a lot and they were pretty intense."

Wentz told PEOPLE in November that although "Ashlee is the sweetest girl ever," they were "just friends." And in February he told Rolling Stone: "Maybe in a different universe, we'd be some hot couple, but not in this one."

Perhaps Parc is a different universe. After their PDA-filled evening in front of clubgoers including The O.C.'s Adam Brody and Benjamin McKenzie (who at one point gathered with other friends around Simpson and Wentz's booth to sing "Happy Birthday" to the guest of honor), the pop star and the rocker left together, hand-in-hand.

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Justin Timberlake: I Love and Respect Cameron

Although Justin Timberlake and Cameron Diaz broke up earlier this year after nearly four years together, the singer has nothing but kind words for his ex.

Asked about the split by British GQ, Timberlake, 26, says, "It's hard for me to talk about because we're talking about a person that I love and respect."

Timberlake, known for being mum about his personal life, makes it clear that he'd never speak badly about Diaz – and wouldn't tolerate anyone else doing it either.

"If I hear anyone say anything bad about Cameron then I'll have something to say to them," he tells the magazine in its May issue.

When it comes to the subject of his other ex, Britney Spears, Timberlake tells the magazine, "Honestly, I am so far removed from that situation."

Timberlake's best friend, Trace Ayala, seconds that, saying, "She just isn't part of his life."

As for the rumor that Timberlake sent a veiled message to Spears while accepting a Brit Award for best international male solo artist in February, the singer is mystified.

At the awards ceremony Timberlake told the crowd, "Stop drinking! You know who you are. I'm speaking to you. You are going to get sloppy," which some tabloids guessed was a reference to Spears, who entered rehab later that month.

Timberlake says he "didn't know anything" about the rumor and shakes his head in disbelief, asking, "A coded message to Britney?"

He clearly has other things to think about: He's midway through his FutureSex/LoveShow tour, which wraps up in China in September, and stars in Black Snake Moan with Christina Ricci and Samuel L. Jackson, currently in theaters.

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Snoop Dogg Faces Felony Gun and Drug Charges

Snoop Dogg was charged Tuesday with felony gun and marijuana charges, the Los Angeles County District Attorney announced.

The 35-year-old rapper, whose real name is Calvin Broadus, faces up to four years in state prison if convicted. His arraignment was set for Wednesday.

Snoop was arrested Oct. 26 at Burbank's airport after a handgun and marijuana were found in his car, police say.

Police executing a search warrant at his suburban Los Angeles home in November allegedly discovered another gun.

Because Snoop is a convicted felon from a 1990 cocaine trafficking bust, he is forbidden from possessing a gun for life.

His attorney, Donald Etra, tells PEOPLE: "These are the charges that were fully expected, and they will be dealt with in court."

The musician also has a standing case in Orange County for a felony charge of knowingly possessing a dangerous weapon. On Sept. 27, Snoop tried to board a plane in Santa Ana, Calif., while carrying a 20-inch collapsible baton in a computer bag, police say. He faces up to three years in prison if convicted.

"Snoop's not guilty plea (in that case) says it all," Etra previously told PEOPLE. "The item he's charged with was a movie prop, not a weapon. Snoop never intended it to be used as anything other than a prop."

This was the latest trouble for Snoop, who last month canceled his British tour with rapper Diddy after Snoop was denied a visa into the country.

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Marc Anthony to Pay $2.5 Million in Back Taxes

Marc Anthony has agreed to pay $2.5 million in back taxes and penalties after failing to file returns for five years, New York prosecutors said Wednesday.

Anthony, 38, the husband of Jennifer Lopez, wasn't prosecuted because an accountant handled his returns and Anthony thought the taxes had been paid, according to Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau.

Lopez, 37, wasn't implicated in the investigation because the couple didn't file jointly, the Associated Press reports.

Morgenthau said Anthony didn't file returns for 2000 through 2004 on $15.5 million in income, according to AP.

Two of Anthony's associates, including his brother, who managed Anthony's businesses, have pleaded guilty to tax felonies and will pay back taxes and fines, AP reports.

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Madonna Heads to Malawi for Charity

Madonna is on her way to Malawi for charity work – not to adopt another child, the singer's rep tells PEOPLE.

"Madonna is indeed going to Africa to continue her work with the Raising Malawi organization," says her rep Liz Rosenberg. "She is overseeing the building of a children's health care center. "

Her adoption of David Banda from Malawi last year caused a worldwide stir. A judge in Malawi has permitted a coalition of 67 human-rights groups to move forward with their legal challenge to the adoption and allow them to help decide if the singer is a fit mother.

Although Madonna says her efforts to adopt David were so difficult that she repeatedly considered giving up, her return to Malawi sparked new rumors that she was planning to adopt another child.

But her rep says: "She is absolutely not adopting another baby. I know that has been a rumor ever since she began the adoption process for her son David but it just isn't true. "

Madonna, meanwhile, has been back to the recording studio – this time working working with Justin Timberlake, who is producing, says Timberlake's rep.

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Alicia Silverstone: My Diet Was Steak and Doughnuts

Clueless star Alicia Silverstone is into healthy eating and living close to nature – but that wasn't always the case.

"Steak and doughnuts" were among her staples before she cleaned up her eating habits and went vegan, she tells the new InStyle Home.

"Now I'm a total health nut," says Silverstone, 30. "I don't get sick very often and when I do it's for a short period."

She attributes her health to her diet and active lifestyle. "It's empowering to know that you're responsible for how you feel each day because of the way you treat your body."

One of her favorite workouts? Jumping on the trampoline in the backyard of the Los Angeles home she shares with her husband, musician Christopher Jarecki, 36. "It's great exercise and really makes you giggle," she says.

She's also passionate about being environmentally responsible. She drives a hybrid car, uses energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs and has solar panels on the roof of her house.

"I love living this way," she says. "It's so satisfying and inspiring."

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Prince William, Kate Middleton Split Up

Prince William has split from his girlfriend Kate Middleton, PEOPLE has confirmed.

The breakup was "amicable," according to a friend of the couple.

The prince, 24, and Middleton, 25, have been dating for nearly five years, after meeting at St. Andrews University in Scotland.

A spokesman at the prince's office at Clarence House says they will not be commenting. "We don't comment on Prince William's private life," the rep says. Britain's The Sun newspaper first reported Saturday that the pair had reached an "amicable agreement" to separate.

The pair are said to have grown increasingly independent of each other since their university days. William is currently taking an armored corps commander course in Dorset, around 125 miles west of London, and it has kept him from Middleton and her new life in London.

Middleton, who is an accessories buyer for the British fashion chain Jigsaw, also was having difficulties with the media pressure that came with being his long-term girlfriend. (Speculation continued over whether the couple would get engaged.)

Although she has been "brave," as one friend tells PEOPLE, the attention was an ongoing source of trouble. Earlier this month she won a public apology from a British newspaper after it printed a photograph of her heading to work.

The engagement talk peaked in December, when she appeared at his graduation from military college, sitting in a prominent seat along with her parents and two of his closest friends.

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Meg Ryan Says She's 'So Compatible' With Adopted Daughter

Meg Ryan believes it was fate that brought her together with her 2-year-old adopted daughter, Daisy.

"I am convinced, completely convinced that there was nothing random about [the adoption]," the actress, 45, tells Redbook in its May issue. "She is the daughter I should have."

Months after applying to adopt a child in China, Ryan flew there to bring her baby daughter home to Los Angeles, PEOPLE reported in January 2006. Ryan initially named the girl Charlotte, but quickly realized that name didn't fit her and changed it.

"I thought she was Charlotte, and she's just not," Ryan said on The Oprah Winfrey Show in March of last year. "She's a Daisy. She's got the most open, beautiful, honest face you'll just ever see."

Of the adoption, Ryan tells Redbook, "I never felt like I was on a rescue mission or anything like that. I just really wanted a baby; I was on a mission to connect with somebody, and Daisy and I got to meet each other in this way at this time. We are so compatible."

Ryan also has a son who turns 15 this month, Jack Henry, whose father is her ex-husband, Dennis Quaid.

"This is the best time in my whole life," says Ryan, who is back on the screen in In the Land of Women after an absence of a few years. "I'm happy in my skin, I'm happy in my home, I'm happy in my career. I'm just very satisfied all around. I don't feel like I'm living anybody else's life, or anybody else's idea of what I should be doing, and it just feels very good."

She adds: "I know I'm very lucky. I feel that I've positioned myself in this way, to have a full life, and I'm doing it."

Things were not so easy when she began her career. "When I first because famous, it was kind of traumatizing, actually. You just constantly feel like you're getting hit, you know?" she says. "I would say there's no real upside to fame. No really measurable one. There's money, but that doesn't necessarily come along with fame.

"People always say that they can get dinner reservations, but c'mon. You could always figure out some other way to dinner reservations."