LOS ANGELES – Owen Wilson certainly seems to be making a spirited return since his reported suicide attempt in August. But was it a broken heart that caused one of film’s favorite funnymen to consider ending it all?
Wilson’s dramatic downturn coincided with the weekend release of photos showing his ex-girlfriend Kate Hudson getting mushy in Malibu with new man Dax Shepard, and according to an insider, the loss of love sent him spinning.
“Kate and Owen definitely had a very special connection and they will always have that connection, but for a number of reasons the relationship just didn’t work out,” said the source. “Hollywood is a hard place, and the pressure of trying to keep things personal got to them.
"Kate was able to move on but Owen just wasn’t; she’s an amazing woman and Owen really thought he was with 'the one.' Everybody keeps saying it was all drugs, but it wasn’t. Clearly Owen was fighting for love," the insider said.
Earlier this year, the fair-haired pair went public with their passion while Hudson was shooting “Fool’s Gold” Down Under, and an on-set staffer said that Wilson was simply in awe of the “Almost Famous” flame.
“Clearly they were very much in love, and Kate was very conscious about making sure she scheduled plenty of private time with Wilson,” said the spy. “But they way Owen watched her was so sweet — it made you think that there was just nobody else in the world he could ever be with.”
But in recent weeks, Hudson is rumored to have broken up with Shepard (even though we’re told they are still very close pals) and has sparked speculation that she wants to work things out with Owen.
“Who knows what the future will bring for them both? Romance or not, Kate just wants Owen to know she’s there for him and would never forgive herself if anything was to happen,” added our source.
And while Wilson’s reported attempt to end his life came as a worldwide shock as the comely comedian had spent so many years making flocks of fans laugh, our expert believes that depression is even more dangerous among comedians, as it is often disguised by their humor.
“It has been shown through many examples (John Belushi, Chris Farley, Jim Carrey , etc.) that comedians do comedy to overcompensate for a level of sadness or difficulty they experience or have experienced in their lives,” said Sloane Veshinski, a marriage and family therapist who does not treat Wilson or Hudson.
“The ability to laugh helps to reinforce that they are liked and respected, although for many, they are unable to internalize that love others have for them, and they become self-destructive as they feel sad, depressed, unworthy or generally isolated as people always want them to be 'on,' which is impossible for them or anyone else for that matter," she added.
Kristen Bell Turns Virtually Violent; Chris Brown Serenades Snappers; Alli Boots Britney
Pop Tarts has been popping up at all the parties this week, but we were somewhat surprised to discover that Kristen Bell had gone from “Hero” to “Hit Woman” at Maxim magazine’s launch of Ubisoft’s new video game “Assassin’s Creed” on Tuesday night.
“It’s pretty exciting to be a character in a game — it is a dream come true,” Bell told us. “It’s so intense — there [are] phenomenal graphics and you’ve got to be pretty skilled to play.”
Video: Click here to see our chat with Bell
Only time will tell if she’ll ever receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but Bell feels she's already been "immortalized” in the video game.
“It’s pretty fascinating … but seeing myself 3-D means that I do pick myself apart a lot and notice the flaws. I keep looking at it thinking ‘is that really what I look like?’”
But any miniscule flaws on “Veronica Mars” went completely unnoticed by her famous friends Masi Oka, Zack Levy and Michael Rosenbaum , who all took turns getting down and dirty on the dance floor with Kristen (who is on the rebound from a recent rupture with producer Kevin Mann ) and sharing shots of vodka.
But someone we may want to watch a bit more closely is “Southland Tales” star Bai Ling, who seems to be a little too stimulated by slaughtering.
“I play an assassin, which is so cool,” she said. “In real life you can’t really kill anybody, so this is so much fun because in games you can do all kinds of things.”
Meanwhile, it seems “The Hills” hotties have found some new not-so-beachy beaux. Pop Tarts popped Audrina Patridge in a corner booth cuddling and canoodling with model Tyson Paige (while her ex Justin Bobby watched on) while Lauren Conrad wooed, whispered and exchanged numbers with “Desperate Housewife” sensation Shawn Pyfrom .
So while all the drama was happening in Hollywood, across the coast, Target was presenting Chris Brown ’s album release party at NYC’s Tenjune.
And Brown can't stop his dancing feet. The music man got restless on the red carpet and suddenly started slamming his signature steps for the surprised press.
“He just couldn’t wait to get in there and party hard — he was way too pumped up to concentrate for interviews so he started dancing," a pal told Pop Tarts. “And of course, Chris has to be the center of attention.”
Speaking of attention-seekers, perennial party princess Britney Spears must have decided to lay low on Wednesday night, as she was not boogying with her “cousin” Alli at the “Young, Fabulous & Broke” bash at Hollywood hot spot Crimson.
And while Alli has more than enough paparazzi photos of her pretty face, the wannabe pop princess partied alongside the likes of Danny Masteron and Bijou Phillips while snapping lots of self-portraits with her pals.
Pop Tarts wanted to celebrate the occasion with a Spears song, but unfortunately, our DJ wasn’t down with any “Toxic" tunes.
Britney Is Having a Party!
While Britney Spears wasn’t partying Wednesday night, the songstress is still up for a good time, and we’ve been told she’s planning a big, posh party.
Spears paid a visit two weeks ago to one of Hollywood’s hottest restaurants, Mirabelle on Sunset, where she made queries and got quotes to host her own function sometime this month.
And because we know how particular Spears is with what she eats (will it be Taco Bell, Starbucks or McDonald's?) Brit dropped her kiddies off with Kevin Federline on Tuesday, went chandelier shopping and then had friend/manger Sam Lufti, her "cousin" Alli and another mystery “friend” all join her for dinner at the dashing digs.
“Britney stayed in our VIP room where she was totally protected from the paps,” said a restaurant insider. “She had a Classic Angus Boneless Beef Short ribs and Tuna Tartar and was laughing and seemed so relaxed without all the snappers around her.”
Britney is said to have behaved beautifully — she stayed away from the booze and went for OJ and water all night long.
And is it at all possible that our pop princess has finally found out how fab it is to have a healthy menu as opposed to her usual fried feast?
“Britney came back again on Wednesday evening,” said our source. “She was in great spirits and was strangely excited when her meal came out.”
So we’re assuming the venue has Spears' seal of approval. Now Pop Tarts is waiting patiently for the party invitation!
Snipped Swank: Hilary Carries Her Chopped-Off Ponytail
She will always be a "Million Dollar Baby," but now Hilary Swank is a little more hair-free.
The Academy-Award winner allowed Oprah Winfrey to perform the honors last week of hacking off her hair — but unlike Britney, Hilary’s reasons are a little less “Crazy."
“I’m donating my ponytail to the Pantene Beautiful Lengths Campaign,” Swank said before making the hairy-scary move. “Cancer is something which is very close to my heart, and I love the idea of cutting off my hair to help somebody else as my hair will be used to make wigs for women suffering with cancer.
“As a woman who has seen friends and family battle cancer, I understand how deeply upsetting their loss of hair can be,” she said. “It is so often the most upsetting aspect of cancer treatment, and this just seems like a really easy way for me to give back.”
Hilary made sure her hair was as "Swanky" as ever the morning before she made the move.
"I always take great care of my hair, but the morning before I cut it I took extra care," she said. "I wanted to make sure it was — I knew somebody really special was going to be wearing it."
So now Swank has a cool crop — and she doesn't mind if everyone copies her dazzling 'do.
"My aim is really to inspire everyone to do the same as me," Swank said. “I want to spread the word; I’m trying to inspire thousands of women to cut off their hair like me.”
Video: Click here to watch Swank strut with her lump of locks
Spotted or Snapped a Star? Got a Good Scoop? E-mail poptartstips@gmail.com.
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