By Chloe Schneider
Most of the action this weekend was in Venice where celebs are celebrating film. Madonna, who is there to promote her latest directorial venture, has announced she will be releasing a new album this year, much to our delight.
Meanwhile, Keira Knightly and Gwyneth Paltrow have been showing us all how the red carpet is done.
Finally, over the weekend Mel B welcomed her very own baby spice. We see how the third time mum is doing.
Madonna’s New Album
The queen of reinvention is set to do it all again. While promoting film W.E in Venice over the weekend, the Material Girl let it slip that she’s “started a little bit of work in the studio” and is planning to really dig into it when she returns to New York with a single set to be released in February or March 2012 and a new album set for US spring 2012.
This will be Madonna’s twelfth album, her first music release since 2008’s Hard Candy and her very first since leaving Warner Bros.
While the 53-year-old is clearly skilled when it comes to making music, her directorial skills are more than a little questionable. W.E. has not been very well received by critics at all who already weren’t expecting much after the complete flop that was her directorial debut.
Bring on the new album, music is clearly where her strengths lie!
Keira Knightley and Gwyneth Paltrow Turn Heads
Two sirens of the screen caught everyone’s eye at the Venice Film Festival over the weekend.
First up, the English rose Keira Knightly walk the red carpet for her new film A Dangerous Method in a floor-length Valentine couture gown with lace detailing and golden appliqué. She nailed it in the beauty stakes too with a simple up-do and perfect smokey eyes.
In the film Knightley stars as a sex-starved psychiatric patient in the story of psychologist Carl Jung’s relationship with Sigmund Freud.
It’s a far cry from her usual role but it seems the change has done her good with critics calling it a great, gutsy performance.
Gwyneth Paltrow was another star of the weekend in Venice, appearing in a gorgeous blush pink organza gown with a baby pink clutch and huge platforms.
The 
entire outfit was designed by Prada and left the 38-year-old star looking youthful, feminine and prettier than ever.
Paltrow was there to walk the red carpet for her new film from director Steven Soderbergh called Contagion.
The film has a stellar line up of A-listers including Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Matt Damon, Elliot Gould and Marion Cotillard
Mel B Gives Birth
Former Spice Girl and current The X Factor judge and mentor Mel B gave birth to her third daughter over the weekend, sharing the good news with her fans via Twitter, saying, “Finally our baby arrives, Stephen nearly passed out, Phoenix screamed, I laughed so hard the baby popped out!!! She is just sooo amazing!!”
The newborn is Mel B’s first with husband Stephen Belafonte.
Eldest daughter Phoenix Chi, 12, is going to be the one to pick the newborn’s name; Mel tweeted, “My daughter Phoenix wants to pick her sisters baby name, so fingers crossed she picks a good one!!”
Later on, she teased fans with the tweet, “Phoenix has named our baby girl the cutest name, can’t wait for you guys to hear it, soon ma peeps!!”
