Sculpted in organic body-armor of glinting copper, acrylic or leather, a cast of graceful aliens stepped out in their finest attire at the Iris Van Herpen haute couture show in Paris on Monday.

The avant-garde young Dutch designer draws much of her inspiration from the natural world, using computer-assisted design to create intricate 3D patterns that are then painstaking assembled by hand.

Jessica Kahawaty, a Lebanese, has won the 2012 Miss World Australia crown at a ceremony held at Uluru over the weekend, news reports said.

Jessica, 23, a former Miss Lebanon 2010 candidate and Miss Lebanon Emigrant, beat 23 other stunning Australian beauties.

With all the star power at the BET Awards — Kanye West, Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, Beyonce and Samuel L. Jackson, to name a few — the most stirring moment came not from a superstar, but from the mother of one.

Whitney Houston's mother Cissy provided the emotional highlight of Sunday's ceremony as she sang "Bridge Over Troubled Water" in tribute to her late daughter, leaving audience members like Beyonce and Soulja Boy in tears.

"Ted," a comedy starring Mark Wahlberg and his raunchy teddy bear pal, topped the North American box office this weekend, besting the male strippers of "Magic Mike," industry estimates showed Sunday.

"Ted" -- a film directed by "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane in which Wahlberg's childhood toy comes to life -- earned $54.1 million in its debut, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Versace got the haute couture ball off to a bold start Sunday night in Paris, as the Italian house sent out creations of aerial chiffon, body-hugging leather and rich crystal embroidery.

For the first of two dozen haute couture shows taking place until Wednesday night, the platinum blonde, perma-tanned designer Donatella Versace said she drew inspiration from the imagery of tarot cards.

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch weighed in on the Tom Cruise-Katie Holmes divorce story Sunday, saying he thinks Scientologists are "creepy" and possibly even evil.

The News Corporation chief urged his Twitter followers to watch the story, which broke on Friday when Holmes announced she was filing from divorce from Hollywood A-lister Cruise, a prominent member of the Church of Scientology.

Pierre Cardin, the man who invented Paris menswear shows back in the 1950s, has staged a long-awaited comeback.

The legendary designer, famed for dressing the Beatles in collar-less jackets and taking high fashion to communist China, celebrated his long career on Sunday with his first menswear catwalk show in several years, showcasing his signature space-age designs.

He says he was one of late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il's favorite propaganda artists, singing the praises of the Dear Leader in dozens of poems. But these days Jang Jin-sung says he prefers to tell the truth about North Korea.

The former state poet, who defected to South Korea in 2004, now writes to tell the world about what he calls the brutality of everyday life in the North.

Alec Baldwin and his yoga instructor fiancee tied the knot Saturday in a New York City church, with a guest list that included family and famous Hollywood pals.

Baldwin, 54, and Hilaria Thomas, 28, married at St. Patrick's Old Cathedral in a Catholic ceremony performed by the Rev. George Deas. His "30 Rock" co-star Tina Fey, actress Mariska Hargitay, director Woody Allen, environmental lawyer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Baldwin's actor-brother, Stephen, were among those in attendance.

Kenzo whisked Paris to the jungles of Southeast Asia on Saturday with a retro-tinted men's look of safari suits and animal prints cut out for the urban adventurer.

Design duo Humberto Leon and Carol Lim took their cue from the 1970s jungle period of the house's Japanese founder Kenzo Takada, travelling to Thailand on a sensory immersion trip to find their own modern take on the theme.