Ashton & Demi cutting ties with Kabbalah?

Courtney Hazlett The Scoop

With the recent brouhaha surrounding Scientology and its followers, Kaballah’s golden couple Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore have fallen off the radar. Sources close to the couple say the timing is good, because the couple’s relationship with the religion has been called into question as of late.

“Ashton and Demi used to have an impeccable attendance record,” says one source with close ties to the Kabballah Centre in L.A. Another source close to the couple says it’s been “months” since the two attended services or participated in the Shabbat dinner after Friday services. Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that Kutcher was just last week spotted shopping on Robertson Blvd. without his trademark red string.

What’s to blame for the couple’s flagging attendance?

Definitely not Moore’s kids, because they’ve never been active. “It’s something that Bruce Willis never allowed,” says the source with ties to the Centre. Others say that Kutcher was “tired of being dragged there on Friday nights.” Whatever the case, the sudden change in routine strikes those who know the couple, who were married in a Kabbalah ceremony, as worrisome. “It’s just odd,” says the source with ties to the Centre, “something must be up.”

Britney Spears shops for baby

Slideshow   Celebrity sightings Chrissie Hynde is a long way from Ohio, friends and family remember Ed McMahon, Kiefer Sutherland takes a New York stroll and more. more photos

Despite Britney Spears’ flagrant disregard for most standards of etiquette, the pop star did manage at least one appropriate gesture in the past week. To congratulate Christina Aguilera on the birth of her new baby Max, Spears ordered up the entire collection of onesies from huddybuddy.com. As sure sign that Spears chose the gift herself, consider the slogans on the tiny garments: “I don’t play well with others,” “I didn't nap today,” “I know I’m gorgeous,” among others.

Celeb sightings
Dennis Quaid and his wife Kimberly hung out at the Fuse TV Lounge at Harry O’s during Sundance ... Adrien Grenier hit the Imawake.com party after he and his band The Honey Brothers played at the Celsius Lounge ... In Las Vegas the members of Maroon 5 played blackjack at the Playboy club at the Palms Casino ... In L.A., “Dirty Sexy Money” darling Samaire Armstrong was spotted in the new limited edition Cartier sunglasses all the celebs are clamoring for while shopping at H. Lorenzo.

Weekend box office
Does it still have to count as a loss if you come really, really close to being right? “Rambo,” earned $18.2 million its opening weekend, not enough to beat out spoof comedy “Meet the Spartans,” which earned a surprising $18.7 million. Another surprise is that “Cloverfield,” which set a Martin Luther King Day record last weekend saw ticket sales drop by 68 percent this weekend. While it’s normal for most movies to experience a dip in sales after a blockbuster weekend, the comparatively paltry take of $12.7 million says something about how word-of-mouth might be affecting ticket sales for the action-horror flick.

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

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