Articles | Film / Television
Beyoncé Celebrates A-Rod's B-Day
Plus: Get the gossip on Charlize Theron, Benjamin Bratt, Ashlee Simpson and more
People Magazine
She was "looking gorgeous as usual," a source tells us of the star, who hung out in the custom-made casino room and feasted at a sushi bar where Megu chefs made spicy tuna and salmon avocado rolls. "It was probably the best party we've ever thrown at the 40/40 club," says the source. "It was really classy." The Cristal and Dom Perignon were flowing and Dominican cigars were hand-rolled by an expert.
Later, a cake shaped in the numbers "3" and "0" was brought out for Rodriguez. And the sports star danced side by side with Jay-Z as "Encore," the rapper's duet with rockers Linkin Park, blasted from the speakers. As for Beyoncé, she was "hanging," says the source. "She's really good at blending in." Now that would be a first.
Boot-Camp Diet
For Benjamin Bratt, who's starring in the upcoming World War II movie The Great Raid, the hardest part of having to do a stint in boot camp to research his role wasn't the physical exhaustion from the rigorous training – it was the meager menu. "The food sucked. I just want to be very clear about that," the actor told us at a WWII memorial event on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
To combat their cravings, Bratt's costars Joseph Fiennes and James Franco "developed a bartering system" during their basic training in the Australian outback. "I would always trade in my canned Vienna sausages for peanut M&M's."
And Fiennes probably had the roughest undertaking: For his part as a prisoner of war, he had to lose 15 lbs. At times, "We were given a bowl of rice and a cup of water to survive for 12 hours," he says. "It was tough, but it brought the group together. Really, we were like family."
Caught in the Act
• Ashlee Simpson, having lunch with a pal at Chinese restaurant Chin Chin in Studio City, Calif. The singer enjoyed a meal of steamed pot-stickers.
• Dancing with the Stars's Rachel Hunter, hanging out with a group of female friends at a Starbucks in Santa Monica.
• The O.C. star Eric Balfour, surfing at Nicholas Canyon Beach in Malibu. At one point during his water ride, a female surfer's board went careening toward him when she fell off it. Luckily, no bones were broken and the two exchanged niceties.
• Charlize Theron and fiancé Stuart Townsend, dining with friends at Japanese hot spot Nobu in Malibu.
• By TIFFANY MCGEE, KRISTEN MASCIA, JESSICA VOELKER and CLARE KLEINEDLER
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