Jolie, Pitt rent French villa; twin births denied

Correns, France – The Brangelina clan began settling into a villa in the south of France as a report that the couple’s twins had been born were denied by other celebrity news outlets.

“Entertainment Tonight” first reported on its Web site Friday that Angelina Jolie had given birth in France. Then People magazine posted a story online saying that Jolie had not given birth, and E! and US Weekly followed with their own stories saying the babies remained unborn. All of the reports cited anonymous sources.

Representatives for Jolie and her companion, Brad Pitt, did not respond to phone and e-mail requests from The Associated Press.

“Entertainment Tonight” did not return a call for comment. On Friday night, the TV show stood by its story, with host Mary Hart saying that “just this morning, a source who says she was inside the delivery room tells us yes, the babies were born and yes, mother and babies are fine.”

Jolie has said previously that her twins are due in August. She and Pitt have four other children: 6-year-old Maddox, 4-year-old Pax and 3-year-old Zahara, who are adopted, and 2-year-old Shiloh.

Condoleezza Rice joins Kiss Army fan club

Stockholm, Sweden – The Kiss Army fan club has an enthusiastic new recruit: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Rice was in the Swedish capital this week for an international conference on Iraq. Kiss had a sold-out concert to play Friday.

“I was thrilled,” Rice said of her late-night encounter with Kiss frontman Gene Simmons and bandmates Paul Stanley, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer in the executive lounge of the Sheraton Hotel where they signed autographs and handed out backstage passes and T-shirts to her staff.

“It was really fun to meet Kiss and Gene Simmons,” she told reporters, noting that they seemed well-informed about current events. The band had asked if she could stop by after she finished dinner with the Swedish foreign minister and Rice readily agreed, she said.

Rice, a classically trained pianist, said she has eclectic musical tastes ranging from Beethoven to Bruce Springsteen.

Hard rockers such as Kiss are included in the mix, and Rice said her favorite Kiss tune is “Rock and Roll All Nite.”

But, Rice conceded, she has never seen the band in concert.

Amy Winehouse late for post-rehab concert

Lisbon, Portugal – Amy Winehouse showed up late for her first concert since leaving rehab, giving an underwhelming performance in front of 90,000 people Friday at a Lisbon music festival.

The Grammy-winning jazz-pop diva turned up almost an hour late for the outdoor show. She apologized for having a sore throat, and her voice cracked during the 55-minute set.

Winehouse, wearing a short dress, appeared distracted during her performance. She paused to talk to members of her band, fiddled at length with her microphone, sucked throat candy and at one point dashed offstage but quickly returned.

She had cuts on her left arm, and her right hand was bandaged.

Winehouse’s musical career has flourished despite her erratic behavior, missed concerts and stints in drug rehab.

Cosby sweaters to raise money for charity

Los Angeles – Not everyone can be Dr. Cliff Huxtable, the quick-with-a-quip dad that Bill Cosby played on TV for eight years. But for the right price, you could dress just like him this Father’s Day.

Cosby’s daughter, Evin, said her mother and father were cleaning out a closet recently when they came across a batch of the sweaters her dad wore when he played Huxtable on NBC’s “The Cosby Show” from 1984 to 1992.

“I pounced on these sweaters,” she said this week, adding she figured they could help a charity named for her brother, Ennis, raise a substantial amount of money.

Now three of them are going up for sale on eBay, with the proceeds earmarked for the Hello Friend/Ennis William Cosby Foundation.

The nonprofit organization is named in honor of Cosby’s only son, who was murdered in Los Angeles in 1997.

The auction is scheduled for June 2-12, with minimum bids set at $5,000.

Melissa Gilbert cast in ‘Little House’ musical

Minneapolis – Melissa Gilbert is returning to “Little House on the Prairie” – but this time playing the mother of her character from the popular television series.

Gilbert, 44, will play “Ma” Ingalls in a musical version of the “Little House” books that will open at the Guthrie Theater this summer. The actress portrayed Laura, the signature character in the ’70s TV series that starred Michael Landon.

The musical is based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s stories about her homesteading family.

Previews start July 26, with opening night set for Aug. 15.