Celebrity Scoop

Sean Penn's car -- with two guns inside -- was stolen earlier this week from a busy Berkeley street while the actor was eating lunch at a nearby restaurant. The black 1987 Buick Grand National had a loaded 9 mm Glock handgun and an unloaded .38-caliber Smith and Wesson revolver inside, police said. Police Officer Mary Kusmiss said Penn had a concealed weapons permit to carry the guns. The car, stolen Tuesday afternoon, hadn't been recovered by early Thursday. His New York-based publicist, Mara Buxbaum, said Thursday she hadn't spoken to Penn about the theft. "It's unusual to have a car stolen in broad daylight," Kusmiss said. "It was a beautiful day and there was a lot of pedestrian traffic. It's just a bustling area there." Kusmiss said the car had been parked in a metered stall directly in front of a bank. Penn, who had been eating lunch with an assistant at the Venus restaurant, went inside the bank and asked if anyone had noticed his car being stolen, she said, but no one reported seeing anything. Penn, 42, lives in nearby Marin County with his wife, actress Robin Wright Penn, and their two children.

Someone has finally heeded Nelly's advice. The Grammy-winning rapper, whose hit song "Hot in Herre" urges the overheated to cool off by completely disrobing, is one of several musicians who picked up cameras to photograph a bevy of Playboy models posing in the buff. His efforts are chronicled in the home video and DVD "Playboy's Hip Hop & Rock," released in stores Tuesday. Playboy founder Hugh Hefner said the guest photographers "took the work very seriously." Some photos were featured in the magazine's April issue. Other musicians who participated include Ja Rule, Xzibit, DMX, Bret Michaels, Tommy Lee, Korn's Jonathan Davis and Disturbed's David Draiman. Draiman, who photographed model Gina Patrone, said the shoot was easy for both of them, even though he had little experience as a shutterbug. "They gave me an idiot-proof camera that was basically point-and-shoot," he said.

For best-selling author Anne Rice, weight-loss surgery was a matter of life and breath. Before the gastric bypass operation, she couldn't walk more than a few steps without losing her breath. She suffered from sleep apnea and her blood pressure was above normal. "When you're fighting this type of battle your entire life, surgery is a very legitimate answer," Rice, 61, told The Times-Picayune for Wednesday's editions. "For me, it was the best possible choice. I feel like I've already got a big part of my life back." Since her Jan. 15 surgery, her insulin dosage has been cut in half. Her blood pressure is normal and her nurses have told her she breathes well at night. Rice has lost 44 of the 254 pounds she weighed when she decided on the surgery. She wants to lose 100 pounds or more, with a goal of being healthy enough to go on a book tour this fall. A People magazine article about "Today" show weatherman Al Roker's operation made her think about gastric bypass surgery. Now, the author can eat no more than a few bites at a time.

"Dawson's Creek" co-star Joshua Jackson was accepted into an alcohol education program after his arrest at a hockey game. Jackson was placed in the program Wednesday after admitting he was drunk and disruptive at a Nov. 9 Carolina Hurricanes game. The 24-year-old plays Pacey on the WB television drama, which has been filmed mostly in Wilmington during its six-year run. The series' two-hour finale airs May 14. Jackson originally was charged with being drunk and disruptive by fighting and simple assault for allegedly grabbing a security guard around the neck and striking him. After he was arrested, he was tested at the jail and his blood alcohol content showed 0.14. Prosecutors agreed to dismiss the simple assault charge and amend the drunk and disruptive charge by omitting the fighting allegation. As part of the program, Jackson must attend 15 hours of alcohol and substance abuse education, which costs $150, and complete 24 hours of community service.

The two halves of "The Odd Couple" had an emotional reunion at the Newberry Opera House. Tony Randall surprised his '70s sitcom co-star, Jack Klugman, after the second curtain call of "On Golden Pond," in which Klugman stars. The opera house's director, Deborah Smith, said Randall walked on stage Tuesday just as Klugman glanced to see whether he was getting flowers. "The expression on his face was absolutely incredible," Smith said. "I don't think there was a dry eye either on stage or in the audience." She said the two hugged and laughed, getting a standing ovation from the moved audience. "It was one of the most emotional moments I've ever seen in theater," Smith said. It was the first time back at the theater for Randall, 83, since he helped plan its renovations. Klugman, 80, played unkempt sportswriter Oscar Madison, while Randall played fastidious Felix Unger in the series. "The Odd Couple" drew its comedy from the two disparate men who try to share an apartment after their divorces.

The Rolling Stones canceled their concert in Bangkok after a technical snag grounded their crew's plane in Bombay, the band's Indian promoter said. The crew had been set to fly from Bombay on Wednesday to the Thai capital, but their airplane developed a technical problem before they could board, promoter Dilip Doshi told The Associated Press. "The Bangkok concert stands canceled," Doshi said. The Stones had been scheduled to play Thursday at Impact Arena stadium on Bangkok's outskirts. Organizers had said they expected a near-capacity crowd at the 11,500-seat venue. They performed Monday at a sold-out concert in Bombay's Brabourne Stadium, which holds 25,000 people. The Stones canceled their first-ever concerts in China because of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS. The illness has infected about 2,700 people worldwide and killed at least 106.

Lynne Cheney, wife of Vice President Dick Cheney, presented the National D-Day Museum with a check for $25,000. "This museum is such a wonderful place, showing the heroism of those who fought to keep us free," she said Wednesday. "I'm proud to say we're part of it." The donation was from proceeds of her alphabet book for children, "America: A Patriotic Primer." She's donated more than $150,000 to projects across the United States. The Cheneys spent about an hour touring the museum, which honors veterans of World War II, before she presented the check. The vice president was in New Orleans to address the annual convention of the American Society of Newspaper Editors.

Steve Harvey will host the 2003 Essence Awards show June 6 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Calif. The awards, which honor music, film, theater, television, radio, humor and activism, will air June 27 on the Fox cable network. It will be Harvey's third consecutive year as host, Essence Communications Partners said Tuesday. The 46-year-old actor-comedian appeared in 2000's "The Original Kings of Comedy." He also starred in the WB comedy "The Steve Harvey Show" for six seasons. His upcoming films include "The Fighting Temptations" and "If You Were My Girl."