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Sideshow: House of country star Trace Adkins burns

It was a catastrophe but not a calamity this weekend for country star and Celebrity Apprentice finalist Trace Adkins. His 5,000-square-foot home in Brentwood, Tenn., burned to the ground Saturday. Both he and his wife, Rhonda, were out of town.

It was a catastrophe but not a calamity this weekend for country star and Celebrity Apprentice finalist Trace Adkins.

His 5,000-square-foot home in Brentwood, Tenn., burned to the ground Saturday. Both he and his wife, Rhonda, were out of town.

Alert house guests were able to lead the Adkinses' two children away from the blaze safely.

Rhonda was on her way back from a trip to Atlanta when a neighbor called to say: "Your house [is] on fire."

The singer's wife told the Nashville newspaper, "I'm just numb. I'm sad because we lost irreplaceable things like all Trace's awards and our family photos. [But] you can replace things, not people. I'm just glad that my children are safe."

Maybe Trace, who has hits like "(This Ain't) No Thinkin' Thing," can start refurnishing quickly. He's scheduled to appear at Wednesday's CMA Awards.

Quick turnaround

Presto pronto! The Jersey Shore party beasts are still taping their exchange program in Florence, Italy, and MTV has already announced that the footage will be ready in time to start the new season Aug. 4.

It's a real culture clash. Italy has it, and Paulie D and his posse don't.

The kids won't get much of a break from their grueling schedule of tanning, drinking, and fighting. When they return from Italy later this month, they will go right to their summer stomping grounds in Seaside Heights to begin taping a scheduled season five.

Whoa! The Situation is not ready for another close-up. He's still bruised from that beat-down Ronnie put on him in Florence. Maybe J-Woww can lend him some cover-up.

Not as heroic

Mutants rule. The weekend box office was dominated by X-Men: First Class, which took in $56 million in its launch.

That was good enough to dominate the Hollywood tally, but still somewhat disappointing. The prequel to the films about the comic-book superheroes trailed its predecessors considerably.

The Hangover Part II would not go away, finishing second with $32.4 million. The rest of the top five consisted of Kung Fu Panda 2 ($24.3 million), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ($18 million), and Bridesmaids ($12.1 million).

Run, Pippa, run!

Pippa Middleton, who, in some people's eyes, stole the Royal Wedding from older sister and bride Kate, showed off her figure again this weekend, competing in a triathalon in Woodstock, England.

Part of a relay team, Pippa, 27, handled only the running portion of the event, covering the 5-kilometer course in 25 minutes, 30 seconds.

Dubbed "Her Royal Hotness" in Britain, Pippa showed strong form. No surprise there. She has an athletic background, having played field hockey and tennis through college.

While Pippa was running in a tank top, shorts, and sneakers, her sister sported far more formal attire.

The newlywed Royal Couple made their first public appearance Saturday at the Epsom Derby horse race.

As is traditional, Prince William and his bride, Kate, were dressed to the nines - he in a top hat and tails, she in a white hat with matching coat and skirt.

The only cloud on the day was that Carlton House, the horse owned by the Queen, was beaten to the finish line by Pour Moi and Treasure Beach.