Who's in

Spears fails to turn up in court

Britney Spears made a brief appearance on Monday at the Los Angeles courthouse for a hearing to win back visitation rights to her two children -but never quite made it inside the courtroom.

Spears arrived hours late for the hearing in her bitter child custody dispute with ex-husband, Kevin Federline, and was mobbed by photographers as she stepped from a sport utility vehicle outside the downtown Los Angeles courthouse.

But instead of heading into the building where the hearing was under way with Federline in the courtroom, the troubled pop star climbed quickly back in the car and drove off again.

"Move back, I'm scared. Stop it. Stop it. I want to get back in the car. Just stop it. Let me get in the car, please!" Spears shouted at photographers, according to the celebrity website TMZ.com

It was the latest in a series of strange episodes involving Spears since she divorced Federline in late 2006. She lost custody of their two sons, 1-year-old Jayden James and 2-year-old Sean Preston, last year.

Earlier this month, police were summoned to Spears' home when she refused to give the two boys to Federline's representatives after a visit and became distraught. The 26-year-old singer was taken away on a stretcher to be hospitalized for two days.

That incident prompted Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon to suspend her visitation rights with the children until Monday's hearing - which experts considered critical for Spears to attend.

Vaughn 'still great pals' with Aniston

Vince Vaughn is still great friends with ex-girlfriend Jennifer Aniston - and talks to her constantly.

The couple - who appeared together in 2006's The Break Up - ended their year-and-a-half long relationship in December 2006, but remained pals following the split.

And Vaughn insists Aniston is still one of his closest friends, despite their romance not working out.

He tells Parade magazine, "I have such a great friendship with Jennifer. Really, I still talk to her constantly. I have a real, genuine connection with Jen. And I have a real appreciation of her. That continues to this day."

Vaughn adds he likes to keep his love life private, adding, "I always try to keep my relationships quiet and my work at the forefront. I haven't been someone to go and talk about those things, because that's not what I want to be known for.

"In regular life, people date, and sometimes it works out, and sometimes it doesn't. We get more attention because we're more known."

Sex and the City star fancies Mercedes

Actress Kim Cattrall considers a new SUV from Mercedes-Benz to be a perfect fit for her Sex and the City character, Samantha Jones.

Cattrall helped Daimler AG introduce the Mercedes-Benz GLK Freeside Concept during a reception Saturday night in advance of the North American International Auto Show.

"Very passionate people make Mercedes and they're very smart and I've always considered both of those things right down Samantha's alley," Cattrall said. "It's a cutting-edge car."

The compact sport utility vehicle will be driven by Cattrall's sex-obsessed character in the upcoming Sex and the City movie, which is expected in theaters on May 20.

Cattrall said the vehicle "speaks more about where (Samantha is) in her life and her lifestyle."

Cattrall, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon will reprise their roles for the romantic comedy, to be distributed by New Line Cinema in association with HBO. "We are sure that every time we launch a new Mercedes we get the attention," said Dieter Zetsche, Daimler AG's chief executive. "With Kim at our side, we don't know whether it's the product or whether it's her - but that's even better."

Cattrall said she's been thrilled by the high expectations for the film, which reunites Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, Miranda and Mr. Big for the first time since the long-running HBO series ended in 2004.

Agencies

(China Daily 01/16/2008 page18)