So I finally saw Milk after nagging my husband about it for a week and it was worth all the effort.

As expected, Sean Penn’s performance was transformative, moving and sweet. What I didn’t expect was how well-done the movie turned out to be. Gus Van Sant really managed to capture the time and place so that it felt immediate and real instead of nostalgic and trite, as many biopics, even with the best intentions turn out to be.

James Franco and Emile Hirsch were both fantastic. Franco, despite his youth has a deep, wizened sadness in his eyes that just breaks your heart, as if he was born with a weight of regret. And Hirsch-who really impressed me in last year’s Into The Wild- disappears int his role as one of Milk’s “groupies”.

Considering its controversial nature, the film may not be released as widely as some of the other Christmas gold-diggers. If you can make the effort, hit one of your local independent theaters and see this movie. It’s a treat.

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Superstar Will Smith and his Midas Touch can turn any piece of shlock into gold (see Hancock), but did you know he also breeds little superstars? 

Smith, whose film Seven Pounds premiered last night in LA, bragged about his family (which includes wife Jada Pinkett-Smith, son Jaden and daughter Willow) to Access Hollywood, saying, “Put any Smith in there, it’s No. 1″.

He ain’t kidding.

Jaden’s recent film, The Day the Earth Stood Still, opened last week in the #1 spot. Willow lent her voice with Mama Jada to the high-grossing Madagascar sequel, and also appeared in Kit Kitteridge, the first installment of the hugely popular American Girl series. Both kids have also appeared in hit films with their father, Jaden in The Pursuit of Happyness and Willow in I am Legend. 

Kudos to Will and Jada for helping them get this far without becoming crackheads.

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When I hear an extra cheesy stage name, I can’t help but wonder what real-life moniker it replaced.

For your reading pleasure, here’s a list of some of my favorites:

Ryan Seacrest -  John Renold Aufenstein

Bono -  Paul Hewson

Dido -  Florian Cloud De Bounevialle Armstrong

Ellen Burstyn - Edna Gilhooley

Ice Cube - O’Shea Jackson

Ben Kinglsey - Krishna Banji

Michael Caine - Maurice Joseph Micklewhite

Walter Matthau - Walter Matuschanskayasky

George Michael - Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou

And the big winner….

Akon - Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam

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The Tom Cruise/Katie Holmes gushfest continues on Ryan Seacrest’s radio show, on which Emperor Cruise talked up his big plans for Katie’s 30th birthday. ”I’ve been kind of surprising her throughout the week with things,” Cruise told Seacrest. 

Katie Holmes is 30?!? When the hell did that happen? In my mind she’s been 17 for the past decade. 

Little Joey Potter is all growns up.

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Victoria’s Secret babe and Project Runway creator Heidi Klum working it in Miami.

This woman has had three children.

Freak.

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One film I’m looking forward to seeing is the new Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey Jr., currently filming in England. Though the Holmes gig has been done before, I have no doubt that RDJ, being the firecracker of talent that he is, will bring something fresh to it. Holmes’ assistant Watson is played by Jude Law, who is pretty good when he’s too busy being in love with himself. Guy Ritchie is at the helm of the project, and now that he’s just won the divorce settlement jackpot, I’ll bet he’s feeling extra confident to take some risks here. 

All in all, it’s shaping up to be a fun ride.

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New York’s Metropolitan Pavilion is a great place to have a bat-mitzvah. They’ll even kick out charity benefits for you.  

Last night, the Pavilion graciously donated three hours’ use of the place for an event to benefit Charity Water, which was hosted by Adrien Grenier, star of HBO’s Entourage and spokesman for green living. But when the clock struck 10:20, they swapped “green” for “gold” by shutting down the party and booting everyone out to set up for a bat-mitzvah. 

Twelve-year-olds party hard.

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After a quickie divorce, speculation swelled around the amount Guy Ritchie would be awarded in his settlement with Madonna. Two days ago, Madonna’s rep, Liz Rosenberg, told the Associated Press that Guy was in for a payday worth between $76-$92 million.

Now Miss Rosenberg is eating it big time.

Madonna and Guy released a statement today which says Rosenberg’s spillage was bunk. They said: 

“We have tried to maintain a dignified silence regarding the details of our divorce for the last few months whilst accepting the obvious media interest. A misleading and inaccurate statement, specifically in relation to the sums of money involved, was wrongly issued to AP this week. The financial details of the settlement will remain private, save to say that both of us are happy with our agreement. Our primary concern, like any co-parents, is the care and well being of our children.” 

If I was Guy Ritchie, I would definitely be “happy” with their agreement. Before he became Mr. Madonna, he was barely a blip on the Hollywood radar. Now he can take his leprechaun bag full o’ cash and go on his merry way.

As for Madonna, with a few more shows on her tour she’ll make up whatever she paid out to Ritchie. Then she gets to spend the rest of her life being Madonna.

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Caroline Kennedy, daughter of late president JFK and Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis and sister of the late JFK, Jr., has announced that she will be running for Hilary Clinton’s senate seat (to be vacated as soon as Hil gets on the Obama train as Secretary of State).

This is an unexpected move from a woman who is notoriously press-shy. Born into political royalty, she has had to deal with media scrutiny from an early age. However, Kennedy, 51, has built a comparatively press-proof life with her husband, designer Edwin Schlossberg and their three children, Rose, 20, Tatiana, 18, and Jack, 15. 

The Kennedy name is a golden ticket in politics, so I think her appointment is a pretty safe bet. 

Good luck, Caroline!

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Brad Pitt strutting through LAX. The poor man is so tired from chasing around six kids he put on one of Angelina’s sweaters.

That moustache must be stopped.

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