The Donald says ‘I do’ again

By Jill Barton

Associated Press Writer

Palm Beach, Fla. — The bride’s gown was worth more than most American homes. Her diamond-studded ring cost more than many yachts. But the groom’s hair? Self-styled.

Donald Trump married Slovenian model Melania Knauss on Saturday night with all the glamour, glitz and gold that money and star power can buy.

Knauss walked down the aisle to “Ave Maria” and guests broke into applause when the real estate mogul-turned reality TV star kissed the bride.

The couple slipped into Trump’s Mercedes-Benz Maybach parked near a side entrance after the 30-minute ceremony and drove past hundreds of cheering spectators with the help of a police escort.

“Oh, it was beautiful. It was all just lovely,” singer Tony Bennett said.

And when The Donald kissed the bride? “There was a spontaneous combustion of love,” said boxing promoter Don King, another guest.

The setting for the opulent reception was Trump’s newly unveiled $42 million Versailles-inspired ballroom at his Mar-a-Lago estate and club.

The guest list offered a mix of European royalty, Hollywood celebrity and Palm Beach money, including “The Apprentice” producer Mark Burnett. Other guests included television personalities Barbara Walters, Star Jones, Matt Lauer, Kelly Ripa, Regis Philbin and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

The nuptials marked the third trip down the aisle for Trump, 58, and came just days after the start of the third season of his TV show.

Knauss, 34, posed for a traditional pre-wedding portrait in the gown and her $1.5 million engagement ring and untraditionally shared it with the world on the cover of Vogue magazine. The Christian Dior original, which reportedly cost $200,000, had 300 feet of satin and a 13-foot train that took 550 hours to embroider.

Report: French actress tapped for ‘Da Vinci Code’

Paris — Winsome French actress Audrey Tautou of “Amelie” fame has been chosen to play Tom Hanks’ partner in cracking “The Da Vinci Code” in the film adaptation of the best-selling novel, the newspaper Le Parisien reported Saturday.

According to the daily, Tautou is to play the role of Sophie Neveu, the investigator who helps Robert Langdon (Hanks), a symbologist, solve the murder of an elderly member of an ancient society that has protected dark secrets since the early years of Christianity.

Oscar-winning director Ron Howard opted for Tautou last week, then confirmed his decision in a Wednesday meeting with her in Paris, Le Parisien’s cinema writer Alain Grasset reported without citing sources.

Celebrity online auction to benefit victims of tsunami

New York — Celebrities including actress Eva Longoria and singer Avril Lavigne will auction personal items on eBay to raise money for survivors of the Asia tsunami.

Beginning Feb. 7, 40 items will hit the Web site, including “Desperate Housewives” co-star Longoria’s cheerleading uniform, and a signed skateboard from rocker Lavigne.

The drive, with proceeds going to Save the Children’s Asia Earthquake/Tsunami Relief Fund, is sponsored by Us Weekly magazine.

Also up for bid will be designer handbags signed by Paris and Nicky Hilton, a guitar autographed by Maroon 5 and a designer dress from “Bachelorette” Jen Schefft.

The eBay auction will end Feb. 24.

Alda attracts attention with ‘West Wing’ role

Los Angeles — Alan Alda says he’s constantly approached by people surprised at his portrayal of a conservative Republican senator on the TV show “The West Wing.”

“I was never asked that when I played a murderer,” Alda said Friday.

The NBC drama is setting up a long-running story line in which Alda will run for president against a Democrat portrayed by Jimmy Smits. The winner will be inaugurated on “The West Wing” a year from now.

John Wells, the show’s executive producer, said it had not been decided who would win. He said the show would resist an interactive game in which viewers decide the winner because the production schedule must be set too far in advance.

Journey gets Hollywood star

Los Angeles — Journey, the power ballad rock group that dominated the charts in the 1980s, stopped traffic on a stretch of Hollywood when hundreds of fans turned out to see the band unveil its own Hollywood Walk of Fame star.

Present at the sidewalk ceremony were guitarist Neal Schon and bassist Ross Valory, who were in the group’s original 1973 lineup, as well as keyboardist Jonathan Cain, drummer Deen Castronovo and lead singer Steve Augeri, who replaced Steve Perry in the mid-1990s.

Perry was not scheduled to appear but showed up on his own, organizers said.

Over a 30-year period, Journey released 18 albums with hits such as “Don’t Stop Believin'” and “Open Arms.”