Angelina Jolie took the time yesterday afternoon to visit her mom, French actress Marcheline Bertrand, at L’Ermitage Hotel in Beverly Hills before leaving the country. (Marcheline is reportedly battling cancer and undergoing chemotherapy sessions.) Angelina will be traveling to India within the next few weeks for a reported month-long trip to shoot the upcoming film A Mighty Heart — she plays Marianne Pearl, the wife of the slain Wall Street Journal journalist Daniel Pearl.

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were out for some fine dining last night at CUT, Wolfgang Puck’s steakhouse at the Beverly Regent in Beverly Hills. Tom and Katie took the night to hammer out details for their upcoming nuptials. Here are the reported deets: Katie has tapped Carolina Herrerra to design a one-of-a-king A-line dress with a mile-long train and Tom will have his 11-year-old son Connor as his best man.

Life and Style Weekly also speculate that Tom and Katie will star in an upcoming film together: “Tom is looking for a movie that will make the most of their chemistry. He’s devoting himself to putting together a project that will not only make Katie a bona fide star, but will put him back in the good graces of the movie-going public.”

Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons is trying to sell his 10-bedroom New Jersey mansion for more than $20 million.

The sprawling, 35,000-square-foot house includes a great room with 35-foot ceilings, a dining room with gold-leaf ceiling, a gym and a "Versace room," which features a Gianni Versace-designed bed and a 16-foot-high fireplace in the shape of a lion's mouth. The house, built in 1996 by apparel executive Arnold Simon, includes a movie theater built by Mr. Simon and modeled after the Loews Pitkin, an old Brooklyn, N.Y., picture palace, complete with popcorn and candy counters, a brightly lit marquee and a wax figure selling tickets. The four-acre property, with indoor and outdoor pools, a waterfall and a koi pond, is about 25 miles north of Manhattan in Saddle River, a Bergen County suburb that was home to Richard Nixon in his later years.

Anna Nicole Smith married her long-time attorney and close confidante, Howard K. Stern, this morning at 10:30 am in Nassau, Bahamas. The wedding occurred only 18 days after the death of Anna's son Daniel, 20, from an accidental drug overdose in her Nassau hospital room on September 10.

In a world-exclusive report, an eyewitness tells Star that Anna, 38, and Howard, 37, tied the knot at 10:30 am on the morning of September 28, on a 50-foot catamaran anchored off Blackbeard's Cay in Nassau! "There was heavy security around the yacht, plus extra speedboats to deliver more supplies as needed (including unlimited Dom Perignon champagne) from the island to the catamaran," says the eyewitness, who adds that the wedding party celebrated the union afterwards by having a swim party around the yacht — "and Anna was wearing a pink bikini!"

Two days before, on September 26, Stern appeared live on the Larry King Show via satellite from the Bahamas, to announce that he was the father of Anna's newborn daughter Danilynne Hope, that he and Anna "love each other" — and that the duo would get married "at some point."

Apparently, that point arrived much sooner than later. A source adds: "Stern was making all the arrangements in the days before the wedding."

This is apparently Stern's first marriage, but the third for Smith. She was a teen bride with Billy Wayne Smith (Daniel's father) in Texas in 1985; they divorced two years later. Smith then married 89-year-old oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall in June 1994. He died in 1990, and Anna — who recently became a legal resident of the Bahamas — is still battling in court for her share of his estate.

Avril Lavigne is worse than an angry llama. The singer took out yet another photographer with a deadly shot of spit last night -- this time hitting the man square in the face.

After celebrating her 22nd birthday at Hyde, the wannabe punk-rocker unleashed a torrent of "f*** yous" to the paparazzi and autograph seekers, even signing the pleasant greeting on some pictures.

Avril and her entourage then made their way to the safety of their SUV, where she rolled the window down and loaded up a liquid projectile in her mouth. Moments later, she displayed her masterful sharpspitting skills by hitting one photographer in the face while laughing hysterically and screaming, "bitch!"

This is the second night in a row Avril has used her saliva as a weapon against photographers. She hit our own cameraman's lens outside the very same nightclub late Tuesday night.

Russell Brand has admitted he auditioned to be in a boy band - but failed thanks to his "rubbish" performance.

The comedian and host put the choice down to a mixture of youth and chemicals and said it was embrassing as could be.

“I did audition for a boy band," he confessed. "That was pretty bad. I was only 20, I didn’t know what I was doing and I was on drugs. I did some pretty crazy things on those drugs.

“We had the choice of singing Robbie Williams’ 'Angels' or that George Michael song, 'Faith'. I’d been in the toilet drinking to calm my nerves so I was probably all red and blustery and a little plump and rubbish.”

“I decided I’d be less self-conscious if I held a water bottle and pretended it was my mic," added the star. "It really was terribly embarrassing.”

But Brand added that he had now recovered and could not seem himself along the likes of the newly-reformed Five. He commented: “Imagine me with Abs, Doc, Sneazy and the other guys.”

More rumours have emerged surrounding George Clooney's relationships.

One report in the New York Post has suggested the actor is back with Renée Zellweger, with whom he had a relationship several years ago.

The pair were spotted having a romantic meal at the Los Angeles Sunset Tower Hotel, according to the report. A witness told the paper: "They cuddled, held hands and then slow danced to piano music."

Another recent report had suggested Clooney was dating another actress, Ellen Barkin, but that rumour has been strenuously denied.

"She couldn't possibly have time for that," her spokesman said, joking: "She hasn't finished dating the rest of the cast of Ocean's Thirteen yet."

A source told the Daily Mail that Barkin was actually seeing a former model and bouncer called Johnny Zander.

Naomi Campbell has been warned she will be arrested if she fails to attend a court hearing next month.

The supermodel missed an appearance at Manhattan Criminal Court regarding the allegation that she threw a phone at her housekeeper.

Her lawyer David Breitbart refused to explain the no-show and said he understood the risk if she did not make it to her next court date.

"She could not turn up at court today but I am not at liberty to divulge why. She is very concerned at the outcome of the case," he said. "And she understands that if she does not appear at this court in November a warrant will be issued for her arrest."

Campbell has denied second degree assault over the alleged incident. Ana Scolavino claims the model accused her of theft then threw a jewel-encrusted Blackberry mobile phone at her head.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Reese Witherspoon are in final negotiations to star in the next film from the director of the Oscar-winning South African feature "Tsotsi."

"Rendition" revolves around a CIA analyst based in Cairo whose world spins out of control after he witnesses the interrogation of a foreign national by the Egyptian secret police. Gyllenhaal will play the analyst, while Witherspoon will play the pregnant American wife of the national.Gavin Hood will direct the New Line Cinema project from a script by Kelly Sane. Shoots are planned for Los Angeles, Washington, Morocco and South Africa starting in November.

Gyllenhaal most recently appeared in "Jarhead" and next stars in "Zodiac," directed by David Fincher.Witherspoon won a best actress Oscar this year for starring as June Carter Cash in "Walk the Line." She next appears in "Penelope," a fable on which she served as a producer.

Hood's urban crime drama "Tsotsi" won the Oscar this year for foreign-language film.

Charges against Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje were dropped yesterday in District Court after defense attorneys proved the actor in the ABC television series "Lost" has a driver's license.

Akinnuoye-Agbaje was charged with driving without a license and disobeying a police officer after he was taken into custody Sept. 2 in Waikiki.

Following his arrest, Akinnuoye-Agbaje, who plays Mr. Eko on "Lost," spent about six hours in jail before being released on $500 bail.

Two other "Lost" cast members, Michelle Rodriguez and Cynthia Watros, were arrested for drunken driving in November 2004. Both pleaded guilty last year.

The blonde star, the sister of "Dukes of Hazzard" actress Jessica, admits she goes weak at the knees for guys from the UK, because they are so charming.

She said: "They are really sexy, I like their accents."

It seems her father and manager Joe approves of her taste in men and has given Ashlee, 21, the green light to pursue a guy from across the pond.

Joe said: "I certainly approve of Englishmen."

Ashlee, who is currently starring in "Chicago" in London's West End, is determined to embrace all aspects of English culture and not just the men while she is in the capital.

The sexy star is most looking forward to visiting one of the city's many pubs.

Ashlee said: "The cast are going to take me a traditional English pub where the floors are sticky."