Last week FOX producer Alicia Rancilio told me, “Looks like we’re getting you an 8-minute sit-down with Madonna.” My first reaction was fear, followed by joy, and then another wave of fear. Have you ever seen Madonna on Letterman? She tends to give brusque, one-word answers, rather than the fun, informative 15-second soundbites that make the TV world go round. Plus, she’s possibly the most famous celebrity alive right now … so that added just a touch of pressure for me!

The interview was in conjunction with the release of her new album, “Hard Candy,” and so it was fittingly set up at a huge candy shop in Manhattan. I arrived almost two hours early for a 7 pm interview. Then, as 7 pm approached, a publicist for the album told me, “Madonna has to be out of here by 7:30, and we’re running really late, so your interview is probably getting cancelled.” I spent the next half hour begging for one minute, one question, anything. In return, everyone gave me apologetic looks and sympathetic head shakes. Not promising.

Then suddenly, I was escorted into the room where the interviews are happening. I was greeted by Madonna’s longtime publicist Liz Rosenberg, who gave me a big smile and said, “OK, you have 8 minutes.”

As I approached Madonna, I did my usual move of giving a little wave, rather than reaching for the celebrity’s hand. I figure, if she sticks out her hand first, great, its handshake time.

But I’m not going to start grabbing at Madonna or any other star, because celebrities have people trying to touch them all day, and I want to give them as much space as I can (it’s the least I can do, before I started pelting them with personal questions!). So I did my little wave and she just smiled back, as a team of makeup people did a quick touch-up. Then the crew started adjusting the lights and setting up new lights and I realized I wasn’t going to just dive into the interview — this would take a few minutes. It was time to make small talk with Madonna.

She said she was tired, then added “I’m sorry, it’s not you, I just didn’t sleep last night.” And in a shocking burst of boldness I said, “Yeah, you were out doing shots with Justin Timberlake all night!” (Click here for full story on that) She smiled and said, “I’m paying for it now.”

My bold streak continued when we talked about that fact that she and I are both from Michigan. She told me her dad lives near Traverse City. I said, “I know, I got married near there and my Mom was praying you wouldn’t come to town that day and take all the attention away from the bride!” Did I just tell Madonna she was unwelcome at my wedding? Yup. Luckily, she seemed to find my cheeky comments amusing.

Finally, they finished perfecting the lights and we started the interview. It was so fun. Check out the video:

As the interview ended, I thanked her and started walking away, then I noticed something. Madonna had extended her hand. I turned back, shook the Material Girl’s hand, and walked out smiling. I love my job.

Every year around my birthday, I drop lots of hints that I’d love a collection of DVDs of all of Gwyneth Paltrow’s movies. I love her work, I love her fashion sense, I love the way she handles fame and success with grace and class.

I still don’t have the collection (I know, I know, DVDs are expensive… and she’s done a LOT of movies). But this week I received a much greater gift: the chance to meet Paltrow in person.

But with opportunity, comes risk. Several worries ran through my mind:

–What if she’s mean to me? The experience could haunt me throughout every Paltrow flick for the rest of my life!
–What if I humiliate myself in front of her? Again, another too-painful-to-forget scenario.
–What if I do a bad interview and come back to FOX News with nothing worth reporting? (OK, I have this fear before every interview, so this one is nothing new).

As I walked into the junket room at NYC’s Waldorf-Astoria, Gwyneth looked up with a huge smile. She greeted me with such enthusiasm that it seemed like she was overjoyed to meet me. (Great acting, I know, but I totally fell for it). Her warm demeanor immediately put me at ease. From there, the interview was smooth sailing.

Check out the clip to see for yourself.

Some of her statements ended up on the editing room floor, so I’ll share a couple of them with you here. Her film “Ironman,” in theatres May 2nd, is one of her first big films since having children Apple and Moses. She told me, “I had taken off a long time to be with my kids and when this came along it was just the right kind of thing that I was looking to do. Really good people, a good part, but not too big of a part because I didn’t want to be work 5 days a week, I thought that would be way too jarring for my kids. It was just like the perfect part for me.”

As Pepper Potts in “Ironman,” she had strawberry blonde hair. She told me it was wig and said, “I did enjoy being a redhead. I like doing something for a part that really changes the way I look.”

Overall, she gave me a great interview and openly answered my questions about her marriage, her kids and her famous friends. A great day at work for me, and now I’m a bigger Gwyneth fan than ever. (But let’s keep that between us – I like to give the impression of an unbiased journalist!)

I don’t know about your neighborhood, but here in Manhattan people are lined up around the block outside of every video game store. Why? They all want to be among the first to grab the just-released “Grand Theft Auto IV” game.

Earlier editions of the game have sold a combined 30 million copies in the U.S. This one has huge buzz and even bigger expectations. I met gamers at a launch party last night who pre-ordered it last fall, then stood in the rain for 8 hours last night, just to get their hands on the long-awaited game.

Before you rush out and get it for your favorite gamer, be warned: it is as violent as it is popular. It’s rated “M,” for mature users age 17 and older, because it may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content and/or strong language.

I talked to some gamers who lined up to buy the game. Check out the video:

With a description like that, of course I tried it out! After hearing years of reports about the violence, I grabbed the controller and immediately asked store employees, “How do I kill someone?” They instructed me, “Push the B button to punch someone, and just keep doing it until they die.” I have to say the blood splatters were pretty realistic. Grand Theft Auto is wildly popular, but it’s not something I’d want any of my nieces or nephews playing.

Tune in for more on this story on FOX Business at 7pm and FOX News at 7:45pm.

And in the meantime, we’d love to hear from you.

–Will you buy this game?
–Does video game violence concern you?
–Should I feel guilty for “killing” a virtual person?

Click on “comments” below and give us your thoughts.

Today I’m covering the Miley Cyrus Vanity Fair photos that have made worldwide headlines. Cyrus appears to be wrapped in a sheet – and not much else – in the photos. She is apologizing to her young fans for the layout.

See the photos yourself at the Vanity Fair Web site. Today I received a statement from Miley Cyrus, via her publicist Jill Fritzo, which said, in part:

“For Vanity Fair, I was so honored and thrilled to work with Annie. I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be ‘artistic’ and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed. The pictures of me on the internet were silly, inappropriate shots. I appreciate all the support of my fans and hope they understand that along the way I am going to make mistakes and I am not perfect.”

Meantime Annie Liebowitz released a statement saying, “I’m sorry that my portrait of Miley has been misinterpreted.”

Today, FOX News crews caught up with another young star who “grew up” on the Disney Channel: Hilary Duff.

Duff is promoting her film “War, Inc.” but took time to express concern for Cyrus. Duff tells FOX News that young stars have to be careful at all the time, because people will always try to “find the bad” in what they do.

I’ll be reporting on the Cyrus photos on Fox Report at 7:50pm, so tune in for more scoop.

In the meantime, we’d love to hear from you.

–Are you a Miley Cyrus fan?
–What do you think of the photos?
–Will this impact Cyrus’ career – and if so, will it help or hurt?

Co-founder of Tribeca Film Festival Robert De Niro and wife Grace Hightower arrive at the Vanity Fair party for the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival (AP)

Tons of stars turned out Tuesday night for Vanity Fair’s kickoff party for the Tribeca Film Festival.

While some of my interviews will air on Fox News Channel today, here’s some scoop you won’t see anywhere else!

Robert DeNiro co-founded the event with the goal to revitalize downtown Manhattan after 9/11. Oprah’s pal Gayle King seemed to think it’s been a success. She told the reporter next to me on the red carpet how impressive and inspiring it is that things are going so well today for the festival and the city. When it was my turn to interview Gayle, I hoped for a similarly moving soundbite, so I asked, “Gayle, what did you say you like about Tribeca?” And she told me, “Because it’s where all the hip and cool people are.” Right. Not exactly the touching tribute to NYC I was hoping for, but hey, at least she was nice enough to stop and talk.

Gorgeous “Top Chef” host Padma Lakshmi told me she’s helping select the Festival winner for best documentary. She seemed pretty calm about the process, saying, “I tell them what I think and the other judges will tell me what they think and we’ll decide. I don’t think it will be that complicated, I’ve made a couple documentaries so I also have the perspective from the other end.”

And lots of people were talking politics.

Actor/director Matthew Modine told me, “I think if you were going to vote for somebody, you’d vote for somebody that could inspire, if I were on a basketball team and we were a losing team and this guy took the job, I’d want somebody that could excite us and make us proud to be Americans again.” When I asked if he wanted to name his favorite candidate, he simply said, “Well, he’s a gentleman and he’s not in the Republican party.” OK, I guess we can solve that riddle!

Beautiful British import Natasha Richardson is a U.S. Citizen and has been following the election closely. She won’t reveal her pick for President, but did tell me, “I do have a lot of hopes for the next President. I hope the elected next President is someone of their word, who tells the truth, who stands for principle, and who does not let some of the atrocities that have been going on lately go on.”

But we didn’t hear from funny guys Jerry Seinfeld, Billy Crystal or Larry David. They all cruised by the press-line, without talking to reporters.

Superstar Sigourney Weaver did stop to say hello. She tells me she’s proud her New York-centric film “Baby Mama” is kicking off Tribeca. She added, “It was shot here, it has a bunch of great New York actors in it, so I’m delighted, I think it’s great for the festival and great for us.”

We’ll keep you posted on the big films and bright stars of the Festival, which runs through May 4th. And tune in to Fox Report tonight at 7:45pm for more Tribeca Film Festival news.

Last week I gave you a sneak peek at part of my interview with director Morgan Spurlock. In his new documentary, “Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?” he goes in search of the terrorist.

The film touches on several hot-button issues. Whether you agree or disagree with Spurlock’s conclusions, I have to tell you, he seems like a great guy. Halfway through our interview, we had to stop taping — and start over from the beginning — due to a technical glitch, and he handled it like a pro.

He patiently answered all my questions a second time, which not everyone would do. Plus he has a sense of humor, such as when he described his efforts to fit in in the Middle East, saying, “I dressed in local clothes, I grew out my beard. I’m still a 6′2″ white guy, but it made me feel better.” Spurlock says he learned basic greetings and several different languages, so he could communicate with the locals, whether in Egypt, Pakistan or Afganistan. He also talked about leaving his pregnant wife behind while he went out to hunt down bin Laden.

This isn’t the first ordeal he has put his wife through. It started with his blockbuster fast-food documentary, “Supersize Me” and continued through this film and during his small-screen FX series, “30 Days.” As Spurlock says:

“I got incredibly ill eating McDonald’s for 30 days straight, she had to be my health counselor, she hated me for that. I took her to Columbus, Ohio, where we lived on welfare for the series premiere of “30 Days.” She told me after that one ‘you’re on your own.’ I went to jail for “30 Days,” so I was locked up calling her while I was in jail. I just shot this film while she was pregnant while I was traveling throughout the Middle East looking for the most wanted man on the planet.And now “30 Days” is coming back in June where in the season premiere I went back to West Virginia to work in the coal mines, in a not so safe environment, so she’s already told me my next film should be about puppies or flowers or something like that.”

I’ll hold my breath waiting for that puppies and flowers documentary! In the meantime, “Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?” is in selected theatres now.

Osama Bin Laden has had a target on his back since the 9/11 attacks. Now Hollywood is taking aim.

Director Morgan Spurlock (known for his fast food documentary “Supersize Me”) asks audiences to join him in determining, “Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?” Spurlock sat down with me this week to answer that question and many more. Here’s part of my interview you won’t get anywhere else!

FOX News: Why take on this project?

Spurlock: It’s been 6 years, 7 years now since 9/11. In 2005 he had just released a new tape and newscasters were asking ‘Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?’ And I thought, that’s a good question. Let’s find out, let’s go on this trip. And about 2 months into making this film, we were in preproduction, I found out my wife, Alex, was pregnant. At that point the whole film shifted in a real personal direction for me because it wasn’t about ‘where’s Osama, what creates Osama?’, but ‘What kind of world is this to bring a kid into?”

Keep Reading …

What has higher stakes than the Quidditch World Cup?

For “Harry Potter” author JK Rowling, the answer just might be a copyright case happening today in a Manhattan courtroom.

Rowling headed into court this morning, charging a Michigan man with taking his Potter-mania a bit too far.

Steven Vander Ark has been publishing the Harry Potter Lexicon since 1999. The Associated Press even quotes Rowling praising the website back in 2004. But she’s not a fan anymore. The site’s creator is working with publisher RDR Books to publish parts of the site in the form of a $24.95 book. Rowling calls the book “nothing more than a rearrangement” of her ideas. Those ideas have helped her sell 400 million books and earn another $4.5 billion dollars from film rights.

Rowling headed into court this morning wearing a dark pinstriped jacket, dark skirt and a big smile. She didn’t comment on the case.

Vander Ark has said that his website gets 1.5 million hits a month, but publishers had to convince him to write a book, because he feared it would be copyright infringement.   However, the judge could rule that the book is legal because it is used for scholarly pursuit.  But Fox Legal Analyst Lis Wiehl tells me Rowling has a strong case.  Wiehl says, “Scholarly purpose means just that… a professor using it in class to teach.  In those instances courts are more lenient.  But this guy is looking to make a 25 buck profit on every book he sells of her work.”

We’ll soon hear what the judge decides.  In the meantime, we’d love to hear from you.
–Does Rowling have a case?
–Should Vander Ark be permitted to publish his “Harry Potter Lexicon” book?
–Would you want a “Harry Potter” encyclopedia?  And would you pay $24.95?

While we wait to see what the judge decides, we’d love to hear from you. Stay tuned to Fox News Channel for my updates on this story at 1:30pm and 7:45pm.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF AP: Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling arrives at Manhattan federal court, Monday, April 14, 2008

 Britney Spears hasn’t given the paparazzi much to photograph in recent weeks. The pop star has been out of the spotlight and on the road to recovery. But Saturday, Spears was on another road – California’s 101 freeway – and had an “Oops, I Did it Again” moment.

The driving-challenged Spears was involved in another minor traffic incident. This time, she apparently rear-ended another vehicle in stop-and-go traffic. www.CelebTV.com got exclusive video of Spears being questioned by police.

This comes after previous traffic accidents, including a parking lot hit-and-run captured by the paparazzi last year, followed by a citation for driving without a valid California license. In 2006, Spears was famously photographed driving with son Sean Preston on her lap, rather than in a car seat.

The good news this time, the California Highway Patrol told crews on the scene that no one was injured, and no vehicles were damaged. CelebTV says Spears reportedly was given a sobriety test on the scene, and passed. The crash is just a minor speed bump for Spears, as she continues to get her life back on track.

Interesting behind-the-scenes note: Fans are always happy to see Spears, even when she’s being questioned by police at an accident site. www.Celebtv.com captured fans screaming, “Britney!” and “Britney, Britney is that you?” out their car windows at the pop star.

Click on “comments’ below to tell us what you think of this story, and tune in to America’s Newsroom at 9:20amET to see the footage.

Did you tune in last night to Idol Gives Back?

We want to know what you thought of the show. Our FOX News crews behind the scenes got some amazing celebrity interviews.

Paula Abdul told our crew: “We have such a big platform to raise awareness, and last year was unbelievable, we were hopeful for fifty million and we got over seventy, and this year, I think we are going to top it, and if not, it doesn’t matter, because every bit that we are giving and raising awareness, makes me feel proud.”

Last year’s American Idol winner Jordin Sparks was glad to be involved in the event, telling us, “It has just become this huge thing, and I feel so honored to be a part of the first one, and now the second one, I went to Africa on a trip, there’s a little clip that played… it was amazing.”

Reese Witherspoon told FOX News: “”I think it’s just a unique opportunity for them to show that giving is just as important as all the entertainment we get we have to give back and help each other.”

It was night for giving, but Simon Cowell was on the receiving end of several jokes - and found himself caught in an overzealous embrace from Robin Williams.

Simon Cowell told us: “I didn’t have the best night if you think about it, I was roasted, I was manhandled by a comedian, it wasn’t one of my better evenings.”

But it was a great evening for important causes in the U.S. and Africa - and the giving continues. If you’d like to donate, you can still do so by clicking here.

And if you tuned in, we’d love to hear from you.

– Were you inspired to help people in need?
– Which performance was your favorite?
– Did you make it through the entire two-and-half-hour show?

Click on the comments link below and tell us what you think!

PHOTO COURTESY OF AP