Yesterday marked the first full day of the Tribeca Film Festival. Independent film fans flocked downtown to attend the first panel of the celebration: 100 Years of Universal, which was offered exclusively to American Express cardmembers via its Premium Access program. The panel featured the festival’s founder and film icon Robert DeNiro and director Judd Apatow with moderator Mike Fleming of Deadline Hollywood.

It opened with a video that featured clips from Universal’s most iconic films, including Cape Fear, a film that oddly contributed to Judd Apatow’s start. “One of the first important milestones in my career was I created The Ben Stiller Show with Ben, and the sketch that got us picked up was our Cape Fear parody, Cape Munster,” he explained. “We studied that movie shot for shot with Ben dressed up as Eddie Munster, and that’s how we got the show picked up.”

The group focused on DeNiro’s films with the studio, including The Deer Hunter, as well as comparing the independent spirit of the movie market between the ’70s and today. “I see a lot more independent films now than when I started out,” DeNiro said. “There were hardly any independent films, like Greetings and Hi, Mom! – I did those. There was Robert Downey, Sr., some I can’t remember, and Shirley Clarke who were independent filmmakers, but it was not like today. Now you can get decent financing for independent films.”

Apatow had been criticized for creating weak female characters in his films, but he noted that there were stereotypes for both genders. Because of this, he wanted to ensure both genders were equally flawed in his films. With his work on Bridesmaids, he beat the stigma but didn’t realize the film would have such an impact on audiences and critics. “I never thought, ‘Oh, we’re doing a movie with all of these women in it, and this is a ground-breaking idea,’” he said. “I just thought, ‘I want to make a movie with Kristen Wiig.’ There’s tons of hilarious women, there always has been, so it didn’t connect with us that anyone would think we were doing anything. I mean I like Private Benjamin as much as the next guy.”

With DeNiro’s iconic dramatic roles, one would believe the transition to comedy was a difficult process, but no so. “Well, Taxi Driver had a lot of funny things in it,” he said. “Mean Streets, The King of Comedy – they weren’t obvious comedies, but it was funny because of the situation or the irony. With Analyze This, Billy [Crystal] felt that I would be okay with it, and I never had a problem with being funny, especially with that character – he’s bigger than life anyway.”

For more information on the rest of the Tribeca Film Festival events, please visit TribecaFilms.com.

Designers. Models. Celebrities. Musicians. New York and Los Angeles may be the locations for fabulous parties and celebrity spotting during the rest of the year, but when Coachella rolls around, the desert is where everyone wants to be.

With an impressive lineup of artists from Childish Gambino to Florence + the Machine to Girl Talk to Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre, not to mention surprise performances by Rihanna, Eminem and (a holographic version of) Tupac, Coachella celebrated yet another successful weekend. Celebrities like Jared Leto, Rose McGowan, Josh Duhamel, and Fergie; models including Karlie Kloss, Dree Hemingway, Chanel Iman, and Raquel Zimmermann, along with music lovers, came together for a three day festival of fun, dancing, and adventures from the Coachella Valley to Palm Springs and everywhere in between.

From the Lacoste L!ve Pool Party presented by HTC to the Hard Rock Hotel Music Mansion, the sun, tunes, and excitement kept going all day and all night. Corey Monteith, Lea Michele, and Lauren Conrad hung out with the label’s iconic crocodiles at Lacoste’s soiree. Over at the Guess Hotel, a more laid back crowd including Joy Bryant and Vanessa Hudgens took to the grassy backyard of the hotel, peering out over the lake, tanning, and resting from an eventful day and night of dancing. Always the Coachella fan, Vanessa dressed in full festival attire, from her feather headdress to her asymmetrical skirt, snacking on a snow cone to stay cool in the warm temperatures.

As the sun went down, and the final acts finished their sets on stage, the parties continued late into the night. Despite the rain on Friday night, the Hennesy VS and Details @ Midnight party was filled – providing the perfect escape from the chilly desert night. A performance by Asher Roth at midnight started the evening off, which continued until the early morning hours with Katy Perry, Josh Henderson, and guests dancing the night away.

Come Saturday night, it was clear that Coachella fans were ready for another late night, and the Armani Exchange and T-Mobile Neon Carnival gave everyone just that. Carnival games, rides, and a full dance floor took over an airplane hanger in Thermal, California, setting the ideal backdrop for an evening of bright lights, brilliant music, and neon excitement. Spotted amongst the crowd was Alexander Wang, who clearly appreciated the event given his own penchant for throwing after party carnivals, Emma Roberts, Gerard Bulter, Kellan Lutz, and Ashley Madekwe. With endless fun available between the rides and games, revelers embraced Neon Carnival’s delights all evening long dancing to their heart’s content, hardly wanting another memorable Coachella weekend to end.

*Reporting by Bianca Posterli

No one can satiate fans’ craving for The Hunger Games as it once again took the top spot at the box office. Check out what other films made it big this weekend:

1. The Hunger Games $21.5 M
2. The Three Stooges $17.1 M
3. The Cabin in the Woods $14.9 M
4. Titanic 3D $11.6 M
5. American Reunion $10.7
6. Mirror Mirror $7.0 M
7. Wrath of the Titans $6.9 M
8. 21 Jump Street $6.8 M
9. Lockout $6.3 M
10. Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax $3.0 M

Christie’s played host to the likes of Susan & David Rockefeller, Glenn Close, Nina Garcia, Coco Rocha, Amanda Hearst, Lauren Bush, Monika Chiang, and others for its 3rd Annual Green Auction: BID to Save the Earth. Collectors, philanthropists, and environmentalists mingled with the celebs for the world-class auction to bid on fantasy lots curated by each of the auction’s environmental beneficiaries: Oceana, Conservation International, Central Park Conservancy, and the Natural Resources Defense Council. Oceana’s Sail Aboard Hemisphere – The World Largest Luxury Sailing Catamaran swept the sale with a bid of $150,000 bringing the total to over $600,000 raised in the auction.

Between the bids, guests were able to relax and sip custom Grey Goose cocktails like the Cherry Noir and Midnight Highball from the JW Marriott Lounge that served as the VIP area. Grace Potter of Grace Potter and the Nocturnals tickled the ivories with four songs, including the appropriate “Nothing but the Water.” The initiative will continue to raise funds online through April 19th with lots like a day with President Bill Clinton, the chance to meet Harrison Ford on set, a collection of bespoke Stella McCartney and more, while Susan Rockefeller’s custom necklaces crafted exclusively to benefit the Green Auction will be available for purchase.

For more information, please visit BidtoSavetheEarth.CharityBuzz.com.

Planning a wedding isn’t easy. From the venue, to the guest list, to the dress, to the DJ, the stress can take its toll no matter how far ahead you plan.

Shannen Doherty is looking to have all the details of her big day perfected in just seven weeks to walk down the aisle with her fiancé, famed photographer Kurt Iswarienko. To ease her stress, she enlists My Fair Wedding’s David Tutera to help with all of the preparation. The road to wedded bliss is sure to be a bumpy but hilarious one. Because while everything may go awry, love always finds a way in the end.

Tune in to the series premiere of Shannen Says on Tuesday, April 10 at 10:00 PM/9:00 PM on WE tv.

Celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson has worked with a slew of A-listers to get their bodies in shape, but those stars are now helping her prep for motherhood. Over the weekend the mom-to-be was treated to a baby shower like no other hosted by Hollywood producers Karyn & Joel Silver. Nicole Richie, Jessica Capshaw, Catt Sadler, Sally Pressman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Lopez, and Courtney Cox were among the many celebs to spoil her with gifts for mom and baby. Tracy immediately took to the Cybex 3-in-1 System in Candy Colors Pink, naming the stroller her favorite gift of all. With its lightweight frame and rotational suspension, it will be perfect for her when she takes her new little one for a walk. Congrats, Tracy!

Photo Credit: Heather Kincaid

She’s ba-ack! And oh how we’ve missed that nasal voice and obnoxious laugh.

Fran Drescher is back on the boob tune in season two of her comedy Happily Divorced. We’re excited to see what awesome antics she’ll be up to this time around in the show about florist Fran, a woman returning to the wild world of dating after discovering that her realtor husband of 18 years (played by John Michael Higgins) is gay. Fran has to learn to juggle potential new relationships all while still living in the same house as her now ex-husband.

Catch the season two premiere of Happily Divorced at 10:30 PM/ 9:30  on TV Land.

The night before the Oscars would be faced with anxiety by anyone else, but presenters and attendees of the 2012 Independent Spirit Awards were a lot more relaxed after breezing through the Official Presenter Gift Lounge. Dancing With the Stars‘ Kim Johnson may be gearing up for the upcoming season but was already picking which stars should take to the floor next. Her choice? George Clooney, of course! The ballroom all star stopped by the Wella Professionals Beauty Bar with DWTS alumnus Carson Kressley and picked up a pair of New Balance sneakers and a few packs of Emergen-C to keep her going through the rigorous rehearsals. Clooney was still the hot topic backstage as co-star Shailene Woodley stopped by after winning best supporting actress for The Descendants. The starlet snapped up a pair of New Balance 1400s before stopping at Fashion Forms and the AMC Entertainment booth and complimented the Hollywood heartthrob by saying, “George Clooney is a phenomenal super human.”

The topic soon turned to fitness as Garcelle Beauvais and Anna Kendrick revealed their secrets for staying svelte at the Wella Professionals Beauty Bar. Garcelle said she mixes up her routine with cardio bar exercises, boxing, Pilates and the occasional cardio striptease class at Crunch while she’s anticipating the release of her film Flight with Denzel Washington. Anna is a yogi happily practicing in her hometown of Los Angeles after working on seven movies last year! Hopefully, she’ll take time to pamper herself with the Tree Hut body butters she picked up at the lounge.

Kristen Wiig was photographed by Annie Leibovitz (along with fellow SNL cast member Seth Meyers) for the March issue of Vogue, on newsstands nationwide. From the disarming oddballs she plays on Saturday Night Live to the likable loser in her breakout hit Bridesmaids, Kristen Wiig is the face to watch in female comedy. Read the full profile on HERE.

Photo: Annie Leibovitz/VOGUE