Who knew seeing royalty geek out over movie props would be so adorable? Prince William, Duchess Kate and Prince Harry stepped out on Friday to tour the new "Harry Potter" and "Batman" exhibits at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden near London ...

The royal trio, who were joined on the outing by hundreds of kids (and their parents) from the various charities they support, got hands-on with some wands, toured the Hogwarts facilities, visited Diagon Alley and met with "Potter" creator J.K. Rowling. William and Kate also received a private spell-casting lesson in the Gryffindor common room, during which the heir to the throne enthusiastically yelled, "Expelliarmus!" Alas, he did not manage to disarm Harry ...
"It's not fair," Harry said of facing off against the royal couple. "They've had a lesson!"

While the royal parents-to-be learned how to duel, Prince Harry communed with his fellow gingers with a tour of the Weasley family homestead …

Duchess Kate, showing off her swelling belly in a budget-conscious polka-dot dress from Topshop, peered up at a faceless Hagrid. All eight "Harry Potter" movies were filmed at Leavesden Studios. Since 2010, Warner Bros. has spent $155-plus million turning it into the largest filmmaking complex in Europe ...
Duchess Kate indulged Prince William with a smile as he hopped on the Batpod from the "Dark Knight" films. "I'm a very happy man," he said ...

He and his little brother also peeped out the Batsuit. "To be honest, I'm over the moon just to have seen the real Batmobile and Batpod -- you don't do baby seats for those cars, do you, by any chance?" Prince William quipped. "On the other hand, Harry's just excited to see a real life talking owl in the Harry Potter studios. I haven't told him yet that Harry Potter is fictional, so please keep the secret for a little longer."

Visionary that she is, Rowling wore a complementary polka-dot skirt during her meet-and-greet with the royals. "The journey to today began most obviously with the now-legendary story of an aspiring author, J.K. Rowling, translating her phenomenal imagination on to paper in the form of the 'Harry Potter' series," Prince William said in a speech (he's also sponsoring an arts-related scholarship program). "But in another sense, the journey to today began way before, as this country has a long and proud literary and visual arts history -- a history unmatched in the world for its variety, commercial success and longevity."

Watch a video of the royal visit below ...

 

There’s at least one point in Katie Couric’s interview with Joan Rivers from her pre-Oscars edition of "Katie" in which both interviewer and guest appear to get serious: Couric asks what drives Rivers, Rivers describes how her humor has helped people dealing with personal tragedies, and Rivers worries that the show will “cut this when you edit.”

But that’s not what got cut -- and things allegedly got way more . According to a new report from The Daily News, a different segment of the interview was removed prior to the Feb. 22 air date.

“Joan left the show furious with Katie and her producers, vowing to never return,” a source close to WE-TV tells the paper. “It was meant to be a funny, silly, Oscar-themed party, but instead Joan felt the usually perky Katie got nasty.”

Asking questions like why Rivers is “self-absorbed” and “why Joan said ‘nasty’ things about celebrities,” Couric reportedly went way too far for the comedian, who later contacted the show’s producers and Couric, demanding that those parts be cut.

Another insider said “It is no secret that Katie hates doing gossipy type interviews,” and that “when Katie is asked to do something she doesn’t want to do, the mean girl part of her personality comes out. Unfortunately for her, Joan is the same way.”

Although Rivers’ rep did not comment on the situation, the end result was an interview in which Couric appeared to give up her tough line of questioning, letting Rivers conclude that she does what she does because, as she said, “my job that God gave me ... is to make people laugh.”

Watch the clip below and tell us in the comments if it looks like Couric was heading somewhere else with her questions ...

 

Will this GOOP of a week never end? After People magazine crowned Gwyneth Paltrow the World's Most Beautiful Woman, she seized the spotlight moment by stepping onto the "Iron Man 3" red carpet in a daring gown with sheer side panels that made underpants an impossibility. The dress had everyone talking, which was the point. Unfortunately, Paltrow is also flapping her gums about the thigh cleavage, and she's sharing far, far too much information.

 

"I kind of had a disaster," she tells Ellen DeGeneres of slinking into the peek-a-boo Antonio Berardi creation. "I was doing a show and I changed there, and I went and I couldn't wear underwear. I don't think I can tell this story on TV. Well, let's just say everyone went scrambling for a razor, and so I went from being the most beautiful to the most humiliated in one day."

 

Ellen verbalized what we're all thinking at this point: "Oy."

 

Like us, DeGeneres must have assumed that Gwyneth grooms her perfect parts with wax collected from her own personal bee-keeping operation, so she pressed on: "I really have some questions now. You certainly don't take care of yourself. It was just the side of your leg. What is going on with you?"

 

Explained Paltrow,  "I work a 70s vibe. You know what I mean?" She then quickly added, "I don't, I don't, I don't. And cut!"

 

Watch the exchange below, then check out the next clip of Gwyn's good pal Cameron Diaz talking about an unnamed friend who also works a 70s vibe (kudos to Lainey for noticing), and how she was forcibly primped by her girlfriends …

Please don't let this be Gwyneth ... Please don't let this be Gwyneth ...


 

Dixie Chick Maines has no regrets over bashing Bush

Bradley Cooper-Rachel McAdams brunch: Eggs over 'touchy-feely'

Stun gun! Weed! Just another day on the road with Justin Bieber

 

'Most Beautiful' Gwynnie wears 'Most Gross' dress

Hindu leader to Selena Gomez: Enough with the bindi ...

Justin Timberlake says the right thing about his marriage

Rest easy, you won't be seeing Hulk Hogan's sex tape anytime soon

'I'm so in love I'm annoying myself,' says Kelly Clarkson and everyone else

La Toya Jackson says Michael's tap-dancing ghost haunts family home

F-bomb anchorman's 15 minutes of fame wind down

Country singer yells at boat, lands in big trouble

Gird(le) your loins for Jessica Alba's weight-loss secret

 

"Singing in the New York subway? That is when you know you've made it."

There may be some struggling buskers out there who would beg to disagree, but when those words come from the puppy dog-eyed and golden-voiced Michael Bublé, we can't help but smile.

The Canadian singer-songwriter surprised New York straphangers Thursday morning when he showed up in a suit and (requisite skinny) tie at the West 67th St. station, flanked by the members of Naturally 7. An audience quickly formed around the ensemble as they launched into an a cappella version of "Who's Lovin' You."

Yeah, yeah, so the track appears on his new album, "To Be Loved," and maybe the performance was a wee bit planned. But given the choice between catching some good, live music and staring listlessly at the tracks on our morning commute, we'll gladly go with the tunes.
And if Michael Jackson or beatboxing's more your speed, check out what Naturally 7 gets into when they're not backing Bublé:



 

 

She looks pretty great at 71, but in her early 20s, Martha Stewart was something of a bombshell. With her wide-set eyes, strong jaw and trim figure, young Martha began her career in the public eye not as a home living entrepreneur but as a model.

And a pretty hot one, at that:

In this weekend's Parade, Stewart, 71, looks back on her life's highs -- like her new book, “Living the Good Long Life: A Practical Guide to Caring for Yourself and Others” -- and lows -- like her tenure in prison -- as well as what lies ahead.

Asked if she knew how gorgeous she was as a model, Stewart humbly replies that she had no idea.

“I knew I was good enough to get $60 an hour, which was the going rate at the time,” she says. “I wasn’t the cover girl. I wasn’t Suzy Parker. But I should’ve been. Maybe if I had had somebody encouraging me ... But then I got married when I was 19.”

As for those lows, Stewart maintains she's innocent regarding the stock sale that landed her in prison for insider trading in 2004:

“I don’t consider that a mistake. It was a normal thing that people do every day. They sell stock. What was a mistake was the way it was handled. I’m not supposed to say this, but I was not guilty of any crime. I became a target because I was a strong and a rich woman who had been very successful.”

RELATED: How does Martha feel about Internet dating sites?  And has she ever met a man online?

Her comments about personal hero Hillary Stewart are even more surprising. After lauding Clinton’s “inner strength” and work as secretary of state, she says “the best thing of all was the way she treated her husband.”

Say what? Yep. Stewart was 100% behind Hillary’s decision not to end her marriage to Bill Clinton in the wake of the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Ever the pragmatist, Stewart explains her perspective in terms of both the personal and the political:

“Hillary was married to the president. Walking out on him when he’s stupid would’ve shown weakness and self-centeredness. She saved him, her self-respect, and her daughter. She didn’t cut the family asunder. As a result, she gained his respect forever.”

Looking ahead, Stewart hopes to continue building her empire. She wants to “build a freestanding store” to avoid more potential disputes like the one between J.C. Penney’s and Macy’s over the right to sell her products.

And she already has a title for a forthcoming autobiography. “I’ve led such an interesting and complicated life, she says, “that it’s getting to be time to record it.”

 

With only "a few snakes and two donkeys” as his neighbors, Matthew McConaughey set out on a solo mission into the Arkansas woods to prepare for his role as Mud, the Southern wilderness-exiled fugitive title character in his dark new film. 

He recounted the experience in a recent New York Post interview -- one of many new press opps in which the actor is praised for taking on meatier roles and reinventing himself as a serious actor.

But before we agree that "Mud" made Matthew a new man, let's take a closer look at what he's said about the buzz-y flick. 'Cause we don't know about you, but something around here smacks of déjà vu.

Take, for example, the end to the Arkansas expedition story, as relayed to the Post via "Mud" director Jeff Nichols: "He spent two or three nights out there," noted Nichols. Eventually, “We had to go get him.”

Now, why does that sound familiar ...

Oh, right. "Failure to Launch."

In an appearance on NPR's "Fresh Air" this week, the 43-year-old thespian discussed with typical introspection what his character, Mud, goes through internally in the film.

“[Mud is] really getting his knowledge from the stars, from the river, from Mother Nature," he told Terry Gross.

Nope. Never seen that before. ... Except for in "Fool's Gold."

He continued: “[It's] inevitable that's where you're gaining your knowledge of how the world works, because you're just engrossed in the middle of Mother Nature."

... Even when you're engrossed in a "Magic Mike" strip-tease.

And earlier this year at Sundance, Matthew described his character thusly to Moviefone: "There was a lot of superstitious speak. For Mud, his logic was astral. It was signs. Here’s a guy who’s been stepping in s--- for so long, he thinks it’s good luck to step in s--- now. And here’s a guy who doesn’t live in the logical world -- he lives in the clouds."

Yet when those astral beings in the clouds last came down to Earth-- in the "Angels in the Outfield" remake -- guess who was right there on the precipice?

Ultimately, though, Matthew said it best to Elle: “Mud’s an aristocrat of the heart."

And, well, yeah. We have a déjà vu for that deep thought, too.