Nicole Kidman's latest maternity outfit is nothing if not daring.

The Hollywood star stepped out in a bizarre black frock with large sheer panels to promote her film The Golden Compass in Japan yesterday.

The see-through dress momentarily distracted from her emerging bump, which she nursed carefully during the photo call.

During the press conferance, the five-month pregnant star revealed she had deliberately chosen The Golden Compass script because it's child-friendly.

She said: "My Bella and Connor are 13 and 15. So they have seen the film and they loved it... my child inside won't see the film for a long time."

"But I think once you have children you want to balance the work you do because they give up so much of you to your work. So occasionally you want to make films that they can take their friends to, they can go to the premiere of, that they celebrate.”

Nicole is scheduled to return to the US later this week ahead of the Academy Awards on Sunday night, where she will resent an Oscar along with fellow Hollywood luminaries Helen Mirren, George Clooney and Katherine Heigl.

While in the US, she is expected to be reunited with Keith after spending much of this month apart.

The pair were on separate sides of the globe on Valentine's Day, but Nicole was clearly not far from Keith's mind.

During a performance at Madison Square Garden on February 13, the singer dedicated his song, "Got it Right This Time," to his wife, who was in Australia at the time.

He said: "It's Valentine's Day here tomorrow, but today it's already Valentine's Day in Australia."

Meanwhile, Nicole has made no secret of the couple's hopes for more children, saying: "Keith and I would really love to have a big family. But I'm so happy at the moment, I couldn't ask for anything more."
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Nicole Kidman nice see through top in Tokyo

Kirstie Alley may have parted ways with Jenny Craig after a three-year relationship, but the actress is not leaving the weight-loss field, she tells PEOPLE exclusively.

In fact, Alley, 57, hopes to "develop and pilot my own weight-loss brand that I hope to launch in 2009," she has announced in a statement.

Though she called her experience with Jenny Craig "extraordinary," she says: "I want to create something new that will help millions of people end the seemingly never ending fatty-roller coaster ride."

Scott Parker, VP of marketing for Jenny Craig, said Tuesday that "we are sorry that she did not accept our offer" to continue appearing in the company's ad campaign, "but we wish her all the best in her future endeavors."

Statement from Kirstie
No word yet on what, exactly, Alley's new program would entail, but here's Alley's complete statement to PEOPLE:

After lengthy negotiations, regretfully, the Jenny Craig Company and I did not come to an agreement to continue as their spokesperson.

My relationship with the Jenny Craig Company was nothing short of extraordinary. The people I worked with at Jenny were first rate. The program spoke for itself as the world watched me lose 75 pounds. The last three years have been a win-win for all involved, especially all those other Jenny clients who took the journey alongside me. Just having them there with me was an inspiration and a motivation to continue. Thank you to all of you from the bottom of my heart.

J.C. now has two talented pros on board, and I have no doubt that Valerie Bertinelli and Queen Latifah, along with the excellent products in the J.C. program, will steer the ship to continuing success. I personally wish them the same excellent results and amazing adventures that I experienced as the J.C. spokesperson.

Somehow, I've also fallen into the position of "accidental" role model for, apparently, millions of people out there losing weight by whatever means. This was something I did not bargain for, or foresee happening. Nevertheless, it is something I've grown to embrace and something I intend to continue to pursue.

As for me, I am from the school of "you may not be able to reinvent the wheel but you can sure try to better it," which has proven to be a very successful attitude for Michelin tires. Even my own mentor left a major weight-loss company when she was 51 years old and struck out on her own to create her own brand that we now know as "the Jenny Craig weight-loss program." I had not intended to make this announcement at this time, but after an online PEOPLE magazine article ran last Friday, announcing that I had stepped down as Jenny's spokesperson, I found myself bombarded with inquiries from the media and fans. So I guess it's as good of a time as any to announce that I intend to develop and pilot my own weight-loss brand that I hope to launch in 2009.

The weight-loss field is wide open and not immune to new ideas and improved solutions for the fat problems that plague many of us Americans every day. I want to create something new that will help millions of people end the seemingly never ending fatty-roller coaster ride. I am especially passionate about seeing to it that our next generations are not struggling with the same weight issues that my generation has struggled with.

There was a time when America was not fat, and that was in our not-so-distant past. I'm confident that I can create something exciting and innovative: something that if all goes well, will help change a fat America back into a fit America and will offer this country the healthiest, yummiest, easiest and most effective weight-loss program on the market.

If not, I'll see you at Central Casting.

Oh, but hey, don't "Call Kirstie" just yet. You'll be on hold too long. Call me next year.
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Pink and her husband of two years, motocross racer and former "Surreal Life" star Carey Hart, have separated, People magazine reported.

Her publicist, Michele Schweitzer, told the magazine, "Pink and Carey Hart have separated. This decision was made by best friends with a huge amount of love and respect for one another. While the marriage is over, their friendship has never been stronger."

TMZ.com spotted Hart over the weekend in Las Vegas posing for photos with an unnamed woman.

Pink, 28, and Hart, 32, met at the 2001 X Games and broke up for a time in 2003, but in 2005, the singer popped the question to her beau as he sped around the track during a competition in Mammoth Lakes, Calif.

They married in January 2006 at a non-denominational ceremony in Costa Rica. Among the 100 guests was Lisa Marie Presley.
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Pink in leather jacket out and about in New York

Not all celebs want to be political opinion-shapers - not if it costs them money!

Many people think that a voting booth is like a confessional, and that their vote is a private matter. But some stars don't want to take a public stance for any candidate for fear they'll alienate their customers.

We asked David Spade who he was backing.

"If I say who I like, I lose half the crowd," he admitted. "I just don't want half my fans to hate me overnight. I'd rather people not think I'm smart, when I'm dumb anyway."

The other night at a party, Billy Joel told us: "I'm very excited about one of the candidates. But I'm not going to say who."

He cast a meaningful smile at his wife, Katie. "You can say whatever you want," he told her. "I still gotta sell tickets."

We told him that people would still probably buy tickets to his Shea Stadium shows - on July 16 and 18 - even if he were for, say ... Barack Obama. Billy would neither confirm nor deny.

Billy's ex Christie Brinkley, Steven Spielberg, Michael Douglas, Toby McGuire, Bette Midler, Rosie O'Donnell and Tom Hanks are among the celebs who've given to both Obama and Hillary Clinton (though not necessarily because they fear for their careers).

Obama may be just as happy, right now, that Hollywood refrains from hugging him. Despite the popularity of the video Will.i.am did for him, Obama's strategists are said to worry that he could become too fabulous for Middle Americans to trust. Some campaign watchers have sensed the Illinois senator distancing himself from his famous supporters.

But some celebs can't restrain themselves from freelance campaigning. On Monday, Spike Lee declared his allegiance to Obama at the University of Dayton. "The months leading up to the election in November will determine which way this country is going to go; forward or backward," the filmmaker told a crowd. "It's up to you to do the right thing."

We asked Paul Rudd who he'd voted for on Super Tuesday. "Huckabee all the way, baby," he deadpanned. Then the "40-Year-Old Virgin" star lifted his jacket to reveal a giant Obama sticker.
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HAS Nicolas Cage been reading the Wesley Snipes handbook on taxes? The actor used his LA-based company, Saturn Productions, "to wrongly write off $3.3 million in personal expenses," and is now fighting the IRS on payment, Forbes.com reports. Cage's business manager called the extravagancies - which reportedly included "limos, meals, gifts, travel" and his Gulfstream jet - "security needs." Cage has filed a US Tax Court lawsuit disputing $814,000 in taxes and penalties while Saturn is refusing to pay the IRS $988,000.
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The 100-day Hollywood writers strike took a $2.5 billion toll on the Los Angeles County economy — less than previously estimated.

The figure includes wages lost by writers and other entertainment industry workers when the strike shut down production, according to Jack Kyser, chief economist of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

His Tuesday estimate also represents damage done to Hollywood-dependent businesses such as limousine services and caterers in the area.

The Writers Guild of America strike began Nov. 5 and ended Feb. 12, after union members reviewed a tentative contract deal and voted to return to work.

Last week, Kyser pegged the cost of the walkout at $3.2 billion. The revised final number reflects a reassessment of data and the fact that entertainment is a difficult industry to track.

The industry typically represents $54 billion of the Los Angeles County economy, Kyser said.

The last writers strike, a 153-day walkout in 1988, resulted in an estimated $500 million in lost wages.
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THERE'S something of a generational and cultural disconnect backstage at "Passing Strange," the hip new musical in previews at the Belasco Theatre.

One the one side of this cultural divide are the show's creators: STEW, an Afro-Baroque cabaret ensemble more at home in a Berlin nightclub such as Ex 'n' Pop, where Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds once strutted their stuff, than in the Belasco, where Katharine Cornell and John Barrymore once strutted theirs.

On the other side, you have the show's producers: the mighty Shubert Organization, which recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, and its partner, Elizabeth I. McCann, who, though not 100, has presented nearly 50 Broadway shows.

This is, to be sure, an odd mix of people - and it's being closely watched by Broadway insiders curious to see if the old guard of producers can usher in the vanguard of musical theater.

" 'Passing Strange' is my obsession," confesses a veteran producer. "What do Liz and STEW talk about?"

Says another: "It's really bizarre. The Shuberts producing a black rock musical? Are they 'getting down' in the executive offices?"

There certainly have been some amusing moments.

The other day in the green room of "Theater Talk" (the talk show I host on PBS), Stew, the founder of the band that bears his name, said he's often baffled by the Broadway argot.

For example, the term "button": the big finish to a song that's supposed to get the audience to applaud.

Shubert chairman Gerald Schoenfeld (who, even when he's on his cellphone, still says "hold the wire" when another call comes through) thinks there should be more "buttons" on Stew's songs.

"I had no idea what he was talking about," Stew confesses. "In the rock world, you don't necessarily expect applause at the end of every number. Sometimes, songs just flow into each other."
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This week comes news that Cynthia Lennon, Julian’s mom and John Lennon’s first wife, is endorsing a new book by May Pang.

Pang was Lennon’s mistress/girlfriend during 18 months in 1973 and 1974 routinely described in Beatle mythology as the Lost Weekend. In an episode that widely has been reported over the years, Pang was sent by Ono — her employer — to take care of Lennon when Ono sent him packing.

The result was an affair in which Lennon worked hard and partied hard. Several classic records also were produced, including Lennon’s "Rock and Roll" album and his hit singles "Whatever Gets You Through the Night," "Mind Games" and "#9 Dream."

Now Pang, whom Ono has systematically tried to erase from Lennon’s history in her Broadway musical, tributes and films, is publishing a collection of photographs she took during her time with Lennon.

"Instamatic Karma," published by St. Martin's Press, hits stores next month. It’s Pang’s second book about Lennon, but the first with these unpublished pictures.

More importantly, the book’s jacket carries an endorsement from Cynthia Lennon sure to rile Ono.

Cynthia writes: "My first meeting with May, in the early seventies, was fraught with tension and uncertainty. My efforts to reunite Julian with his father after four years could [have] gone one way or another. May was wonderful, even though she was young and inexperienced in having to deal with such sensitive and emotional issues.

"Before long we became close friends. May was open, caring and compassionate to me and my son, Julian.

"For all that May has done in the past and hopes to achieve in the future, Julian and I will be her greatest champions. She is a lovely, vibrant lady. She was a good friend when my son and I needed one, and a dear close friend now.

"This book of photographic memories is very special and evocative of times remembered. May, We wish you all the success in the world."

Cynthia is such a fan of "Instamatic Karma" that there’s a rumor she’ll turn up in New York for Pang’s book party in the early part of March.

Meanwhile, I’ve had a quick look at some of the pictures, and all I can tell you is they are phenomenal. There’s one picture, in particular, from that '73-'74 period, that Beatle fans are going to cherish as if it were the Holy Grail.

You can read all about May, by the way, at her Web site. She’s also an accomplished jewelry designer.
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Lawyers for Britney Spears and her ex, Kevin Federline, appeared in L.A. Superior Court on Tuesday, Feb. 19, for a hearing on their ongoing custody battle over their two sons, Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 17 months.

Commissioner Scott Gordon ruled that there would be no changes to the existing custody arrangement. Britney has had no visitation rights with her kids for nearly two months, however, she does have telephone contact with them.

While neither Spears or Federline were present for the hearing, Britney's father, who is her co-conservator, was on hand.

Earlier in the day, one of Britney's lawyers, Anne Kiley from Trope and Trope, requested a gag order on the case to prevent the media from crowding outside the court. The motion was denied by Commissioner Scott Gordon.

According to TMZ, Britney will also be switching lawyers. Trope and Trope law firm is out. Stacy Phillips is now on the case.
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