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JENNIFER GARNER and BEN AFFLECK are expecting a very special delivery this winter: a sibling for their 2-year-old daughter VIOLET. The Juno costar—who last year told the U.K. edition of Marie Claire, “I’m assuming we’ll have at least one more [child]”—is four months pregnant. Garner has said that raising a child in Hollywood can be difficult (once joking, “if anyone has any ideas, let me know”), but she clearly cherishes playing mom. “She’s very protective of her daughter, just really nurturing,” says Joey Parsi, owner of the indoor L.A. playground Giggles N’ Hugs, where Garner, 36, visited July 9 with Violet. “She’s the perfect mom, and trust me, I’ve seen hundreds of mothers in here.” A friend of the couple’s says they’ve been eager to add to their household: “They enjoy being parents.” Adds pal and former Alias costar GREG GRUNBERG: “Jen and Ben know what’s important. They enjoy and love each other.”

Britney & Kevin

FINALLY A TRUCE

SHE GETS: MORE TIME WITH THE KIDS

HE GETS: $20,000 A MONTH

Britney Spears and Kevin Federline reached a custody settlement on July 17. “She’s thrilled,” says her lawyer Laura Wasser. “More time with the kids is her motivation to get well.” Though her ex has sole custody, a source says Spears, 26, will get an extra sleepover on top of her two visits and one overnight a week. Federline, 30, gets $20,000 a month in child support—a $5,000 increase—and his $250,000 in legal fees covered. “It’s been a two-year ordeal,” says his attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan. “It’s great to get this behind us.”

Heather Locklear
OUT OF TREATMENT

A month after she headed to a facility in Arizona to cope with anxiety and depression, Heather Locklear is back home and “feeling really great,” says a friend of the actress’s. The time away—during which she had two visits from beau Jack Wagner—has done Locklear, 46, a world of good. “She got help, and she’ll continue doing what she needs to do to feel well,” says the pal. The best part about being home? “She’s back with [daughter] Ava, making plans for the rest of the summer,” says the friend, adding that Ava, 10, spent the last few weeks with her dad, Bon Jovi’s Richie Sambora. “It’s so nice,” says the source, “how Heather and Richie support each other.”

RUMOR PATROL

IS KIRSTEN DATING DREW’S EX?
Despite reports of flirting at New York City’s Beatrice Inn July 15, a friend of Kirsten Dunst‘ s insists the actress, 26, and Drew Barrymore‘s ex Justin Long, 30, are just friends: “There’s nothing going on.”

Balthazar Getty

‘MY WIFE AND I HAVE SEPARATED’

Breaking his silence for the first time since his affair with Sienna Miller, 26, became public, Balthazar Getty, 33, says photos of his steamy Italian vacation have “caused myself and my family great embarrassment.” In the same statement, the Brothers & Sisters star and father of four added, “My wife and I have separated.” But friends of his wife, Rosetta, 38, say the separation is not legal—and dismiss claims the pair have been leading separate lives for some time. “Simply not true. Until this, they seemed very happy,” says a pal. “She was blindsided. Her life and her marriage have fallen apart.” For now, says the friend, “she’s putting her kids front and center; they are her first concern.”

Lance Bass

HIS NEW HUNK

Former ‘N Sync band member Lance Bass, 29, has a new flame: Brazilian personal trainer Sebastian Leal. “They met through friends a few months ago,” a source tells Scoop, confirming reports that Leal is married but the relationship is over. “They call each other ‘baby.'” At a July 17 bash at Malibu’s DKNY Jeans House, an eyewitness says the couple lay around the pool with face masks from the Face Shop and “were very affectionate.”

BRENDA’S BACK!

Shannen Doherty is “looking forward to returning” to 90210 in the CW’s new spin-off, her rep confirms. In the Sept. 2 premiere, she’ll play a visiting drama teacher while Jennie Garth reprises her role as Kelly Taylor, now a guidance counselor. Says former costar Tori Spelling of Doherty’s return: “It’s probably the best news fans could get.”

Insider

Chace Crawford’s

BIRTHDAY WEEKEND

How did gossip guy Chace Crawford celebrate his 23rd birthday? With a weekend-long celebration in the Hamptons (where Gossip Girl recently filmed). Crawford partied at the Casa El San Juan in Water Mill, starting things off July 18—his real b-day—with a barbeque where he introduced his hometown Texas pals to his New York City friends. “It’s just good to see my worlds collide,” Crawford told Scoop. Saturday, the birthday boy hosted Bridgehampton’s Mercedes-Benz Polo match and later that night back at the Casa the gang (including PDA-heavy costars Blake Lively and Penn Badgley) downed mojitos, munched on 200 cupcakes and a white-chocolate cake and played quarters. A wild b-day? Not to Crawford: “It was low key.”

VEGAS OPENING: CAREY HART’S WASTED SPACE

Las Vegas’s Wasted Space at the Hard Rock opened July 19 with co-owner Carey Hart rocking to a midnight acoustic show from Gavin Rossdale. Paris Hilton and beau Benji Madden (an investor) sang along; absent was Joel Madden (also an investor), who was home in L.A. with Nicole Richie and daughter Harlow. Hart said his ex-wife Pink is welcome anytime: “I told her we’d throw her a party.”

FAST TAKES

7/14-7/15, L.A.: Robert Downey Jr. played foosball backstage at the Coldplay concerts, Katherine Heigl sipped cocktails, Miley Cyrus went with pals and Eva Longoria Parker fell asleep! 7/14, N.Y.C.: Susan Sarandon bonded with Leighton Meester at Longchamp’s 60th-anniversary bash. 7/18, L.A.: Sean Penn and on-again wife Robin Wright Penn ate at Locanda Portofino. 7/18, Sag Harbor: Aretha Franklin hit VH1’s Summer of Soul at the Estate to see Solange Knowles and Ne-Yo. 7/19: East Hampton: Nicky Hilton hosted a Singer22.com-sponsored clambake—Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson joined the fun.

David Duchovny

Returning as Agent Fox Mulder, the star of The X-Files: I Want to Believe chats about aliens and snow fights on the set

Q&A

It’s been six years since the series finale of The X-Files. Was it tough getting back into the Mulder mode?

I thought it was going to be just like riding a bike, and I’d be able to get into it just like I used to for eight or nine years. But as soon as I got on-set, I started to feel self-conscious, so it took a little while.

Why do you think The X-Files is still so popular?

It was a show that opened up possibilities. It’s scary and fun, in a Twilight Zone way.

It is a spooky film. Will you let your kids [Madelaine West, 9, and Kyd, 6, with wife Téa Leoni] watch it?

No, they’re a little too young. It’s PG-13, so I think not. It’s kind of creepy and scary.

Mulder believes in extraterrestrial life. Do you?

I don’t know if we’ve been contacted by intelligent life. It seems unlikely that we wouldn’t all know it if it happened.

Did any of your costars act up behind the scenes?

[Rapper-actor] Xzibit felt the need to start snowball fights every day. I never quite understood that!

You’re also in Showtime’s Californication. How does acting in a comedic series differ from The X-Files?

It’s less physically demanding. But a comedy is only as good as its laughs—and that’s a lot of pressure.