Celebs help Britney celebrate her 27th birthday

December 2 was a big day for Britney Spears: she performed live on “Good Morning America,” her new album “Circus” dropped, and it was her 27th birthday. Spears celebrated in a way that came as a surprise to some: with a party at Tenjune, a rather trendy Manhattan nightclub.

“She’s been so careful with her image lately, it came as a surprise that she’d turn around and have her party at a club,” said one person in the Spears inner circle. “We don’t expect anything bad to happen, but it just sounds like trouble on the surface.”

That said, “Everyone’s really excited that Britney’s back,” says another person who was privy to some of the party planning. “And it’s not about it (the party) being at a nightclub, it’s about what’s going to happen in the space.”

At about 10:15 p.m., Spears, her parents Jamie and Lynne and manager Larry Rudolph arrived at Tenjune. Some of the VIP friends in attendance: Lance Bass, Rob Buckley from "Lipstick Jungle," Josh Lucas, Heidi Klum, Jeremy Piven and Will.i.Am.

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A source inside says that Spears didn't drink, “There was only water on the table,” and that she was in good spirits. “She had a great time. It was nice to see.” Spears and her entourage left a little after 1 a.m.

Before Spears made it to the club, she taped a spot that will air during NBC's Rockefeller Center Tree lighting special, then she and her family had a celebratory birthday dinner at the Rainbow Room.

Nicole and Keith on more kids
“She’s amazing,” Nicole Kidman told Us magazine of her and husband Keith Urban’s 5-month-old daughter, Sunday. “She’s an easy baby.”

When the subject of more kids came up, though, Kidman wasn’t as direct. The magazine reports that her answer to the question of adding days of the week to the clan was a playful gaze toward the heavens, and “It’s not up to me. ...”

When Kidman discovered she was pregnant while shooting “Australia,” she confided in director Baz Luhrmann and costar Hugh Jackman, both longtime friends of the actress. “She said, ‘I’m pregnant,’ and honestly she burst into tears, and so did I,” recalls Luhrmann. “And then there was a whole secret that Hugh and I had to keep.” Urban supported Kidman at her “Australia” premiere in Paris on Dec. 1.

The ‘How I Met Your Mother’ baby boom
Slideshow: Celebrity Sightings Something seems to be in the water on the set of “How I Met Your Mother.” Show co-star Alyson Hannigan is pregnant and due this spring, and now comes news her co-star Cobie Smulders is pregnant, too. While it’s not clear yet whether the pregnancies will be written into the show’s storylines, show creator Craig Thomas is good natured about the announcements.

“If you're trying to start a family, please come visit the set of ‘How I Met Your Mother.’ Just come by and hang out for a day or two. We can't legally guarantee anything, but by the time you leave, you will almost certainly be pregnant,” Thomas told TV Guide.

Van Halen’s backstage rider
Van Halen’s backstage concert rider isn’t as salacious as it was decades ago, when the band was demanding various and sundry controlled substances, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t some fodder to be found in the band’s 2008 rider.

TheSmokingGun.com unearthed said rider, and it stipulates that Diamond Dave's dwelling “SHOULD BE AS FAR AWAY FROM” dressing rooms occupied by bandmates Wolfgang, Alex, and Eddie Van Halen. And while alcohol isn’t stocked in individual dressing rooms, (it's all Red Bull, Gatorade, fresh fruit, and Japanese Apple Pears), Eddie's onstage cooler contained "mini bottles" of “Gallo Twin Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (red & white label, red cap).”

You can check out the details here.

Courtney Hazlett delivers the Scoop Monday through Friday on msnbc.com.

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