Celebrity Romantic Travel News, Feb. 26, 2006

Big Names in Britain

Tinseltown twosomes Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams, Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy and bride-to-be Rachel Weisz and Darren Oronofsky were just a few of the luminaries to receive the royal treatment at a party for BAFTA (Britain's equivalent of the Academy Awards) award nominees at Spencer House, an 18th century mansion in London which was once the home to Princess Diana's forbearers. The neoclassical masterpiece is open to the public for guided tours every Sunday, with the exceptions of January and August.

Cameron Diaz will share the screen with St. James Church when the upcoming romantic comedy The Holiday arrives in theaters in late 2006. The house of worship in the community of Shere, Surrey is a star in its own right, having appeared in the movies The Wedding Date with Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason with Renee Zellweger.

Hawaii Getaways for the Stars

Several A-listers recently escaped the winter doldrums with a Hawaiian holiday. Before rehearsals for her Broadway debut commenced, Julia Roberts and husband Danny Moder watched surfers hang ten at the Monster Energy Pipeline Pro Surfing competition held on the island of Oahu. The 112 miles of white sand beaches of Hawaii's most popular island also attracted singer Ashlee Simpson, who met boyfriend Braxton Olita's family during a romantic Valentine's Day getaway.

Lovin' Las Vegas

As his years in the long-running family drama "7th Heaven" come to a close, actor David Gallagher began the next chapter of his life with a milestone 21st birthday fete alongside friends Sophia Bush and JC Chasez at Tao, the new nightclub located in The Venetian.....Also in Las Vegas, actor Ross McCall helped his lady love Jennifer Love Hewitt blow out the candles on her birthday cake, which was served at the Little Buddha restaurant in the Palms Casino Resort.....Paris Hilton celebrated her 25th year on the earth with a bevy of bashes, including one party at The Spanish Kitchen in L.A., which featured guests Steve-O, sister Nicky Hilton and her beau Kevin Connolly, and Paris's on-again/off-again boyfriend Stavros Niarchos, and another swinging soiree at Las Vegas hotspot Pure, inside Caesar's Palace.

Return to Capistrano

The swallows will soon be returning to Mission San Juan Capistrano, the 18th century adobe chapel in San Juan Capistrano, California which served as a dramatic backdrop to Sean Lennon's latest music video. The "birthplace of Orange County" is open to the public year round.

New York, New York

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were transformed into high fashion femme fatalles for Badgley-Mischka's latest ad campaign, which was shot at The St. Regis, New York's turn-of-the-century Beaux Arts beauty featuring 256 rooms embellished with furnishings that evoke images of Old World European elegance.

Royal Ramblings

Wigeons and pintails flying overhead had a bird's eye view of Britain's Prince William as he trekked across Brecon Beacons National Park in South Wales along with the other young men in his regiment during a three day hike to test the mettle of Sandhurst Academy students......The Netherlands' Princess Maxima enjoyed the palette of colors on display in the greenery at the Holland Flowers Festival, an annual event held in the Dutch town of Wervershoof.....Valentine's Day can be a lonely holiday when you are far away from the one you love. Battling the blues with a little help from her friends, Prince Harry's sweetheart Chelsey Davy spent an afternoon chatting with her gal pals at a picnic lunch held at Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, 528 hectares of floral finery in Cape Town, South Africa.....Princess Stephanie of Monaco soaked up the sun on the island of Mauritius recently with her ex-husband Daniel Ducruet and their children. The free-spirited royal's heart still belongs to her current love Mathieu, however. The canoodling couple were spotted on the island of Phuket recently.....July 29, 2006 will mark the 25th anniversary of the wedding between Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, and through June 11 of this year avid anglophiles can relive the fairy tale magic of that day at the Dayton Art Institute in Dayton, Ohio, in an exhibition of 150 of Princess Diana's personal effect, including the Spencer family tiara and the ivory silk Emanuel gown the People's Princess wore as she walked down the aisle of St. Paul's Cathedral. At the close of the US tour the items will return to Diana's childhood home, Althrop House, which opens its doors to the public annually from July 1 through August 31.

Caribbean Cuddling

Before heading to Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts to receive the Hasty Pudding Man of The Year Award, Richard Gere enjoyed a little fun in the sun with wife Carey Lowell at Flamingo Beach on the island of St. Barts.

Dining with the Stars

Several celebrities embarked on an epicurean odyssey during the month of love. In Berlin to attend the Berlinale Film Festival, George Clooney was spotted savoring a meal at The Regent Hotel, a 195-room retreat just moments from the Friedrichstrasse.....Vegetarian vision Natalie Portman, also in Germany's capital for the festival in support of her latest cinematic work "V For Vendetta", was spotted dining at VAU, an elite eatery which has earned a coveted Michelin star.....Soccer star Ashley Cole and singer Cheryl Tweedy of the Britpop band Girls Aloud took time out from planning their upcoming wedding to enjoy a Valentine's Day dinner at Ken Lo's Memories of China in London.....When you're in love every day is Valentine's Day. On February 14th Elvis Costello and his wife, contemporary jazz musician Diana Krall, sampled the fare at New York City's Italian seafood eatery, Esca.

Angelina and Brad in Paris

The City of Light has become The City of Love for parents-to-be Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who have been spotted strolling through the Invalides Esplanade and riding the carousel which spins below the Eiffel Tower along with little Maddox and Zahara. The "Tomb Raider" temptress has also introduced her young son to the wonders of the art world with a tour of the Musee d'Orsay, the home to masterpieces of the Impressionist movement created by Renoir, Monet, and Toulouse-Lautrec.

Skiing Stars

Several stars left their footprints in the snow at Baqueira Beret ski resort in the Pyrenees in recent weeks, including Victoria Beckham, who bundled up her little ski bunnies Romeo and Brooklyn in designer ski duds, and Latin singing sensation Paulina Rubio and her beau Nicolas Vallejo-Najera, who were also seen sliding down the slopes of Spain's largest ski resort.

Australian Getaways

Australian movie buffs may be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of German actress Franka Potente of "Run Lola Run" fame and Eric Bana, star of "The Hulk" and "Troy" as filming commences on "Romulus, My Father," the directorial debut of "Van Helsing" actor Richard Roxburgh. Scenes for the upcoming drama are scheduled to be shot in Castlemaine and Maldon, Victoria and Maryborough, Queensland.

During a promotional tour, sex symbol Pamela Anderson could enjoy the sights of Australia's Harbor City from her suite at the Shang-Ri La Hotel, a 5-star, 563-room venue which offers views of Sydney Harbor and the Sydney Opera House.

Rolling into Rio

The Rolling Stones gathered no moss as they made their way along the southern hemisphere on their sold out tour. While in Rio de Janeiro, Mick Jagger and the rest of the legendary band stayed at the Copacabana Palace Hotel, a Flapper era retreat overlooking the sands of Copacabana Beach, where the group performed a history-making concert. Moving on to Buenos Aires, the Stones converged on the terrace of a Four Seasons Hotel suite to wave to their fans.

Related Pages:

• Celebrity Engagement News
• Celebrity Wedding News