NEW YORK — After weeks spent on opposite sides of the country, Jennifer Lopez reportedly made a brief appearance at Ben Affleck’s intimate birthday party amid speculation the pair are headed for divorce.

The Bronx-born pop star, 55, swung by the 52-year-old Oscar winner’s “small birthday celebration at home” on Thursday — which also included ex-wife Jennifer Garner and their three kids, an insider told People.

“It’s exactly what he wanted. He didn’t want to go out to celebrate,” the source said. “Jennifer [Lopez] stopped by to congratulate him.”

But for J.Lo, the day didn’t totally revolve around celebrating her estranged husband. On Friday, she posted multiple Instagram stories showcasing all she’d done the night before, posing with gal pals and enjoying the Bruno Mars concert at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

Last month, Affleck and Lopez were still wearing their wedding rings even as they spent their second wedding anniversary and her birthday on opposite coasts. The “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” singer was in the Hamptons with friends for her birthday on July 24 — the same day she finalized the sale of her NYC penthouse and Affleck closed escrow on a new$20.5 million Pacific Palisades estate.

News broke in May that the A-listers — who were engaged in the early aughts, reconciled in 2021 and wed the following summer — were living under separate roofs.

By June, it was reported they were trying to sell their $60 million marital mansion in Beverly Hills, California, leading many to speculate divorce was forthcoming.

Last week, TMZ reported the couple weren’t even speaking to one another as their respective business managers attempted to hammer out a divorce agreement.

“[Ben] will always care for Jen, but he knows the marriage is done,” an insider told Us Weekly, while another source said the move into his new home marked “the closure of the relationship.”

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Madonna will fund a youth art project to celebrate her 66th birthday

ROME — Madonna will fund an artistic project involving youths, she announced during her 66th birthday celebrations in Pompeii.

While touring the Pompeii archeological park Friday with its director, Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the American pop star met a group of teenagers involved in “Sogno di Volare,” or “Dream of Flying."

As part of the project now in its fourth year, hundreds of young artists perform re-adapted comedies by Aristophanes, starting from Pompeii’s amphitheater, Teatro Grande, and then touring other Italian theaters. Madonna announced she would fund “Dream of Flying" for one year — about $275,000.

“This project generously supported by Madonna is strategic for Pompeii, because it is directed to the people who live in this marvelous and complex territory, in particular youths,” said Zuchtriegel. He noted that many of the kids involved live in poor southern towns where rates of school dropout and unemployment are higher.

Zuchtriegel announced that the show financed by Madonna’s foundation will be on stage at Pompeii’s Teatro Grande in May 2025.

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Keith Urban plays free pop-up concert outside a Buc-ee's store in Alabama

ATHENS, Ala. — Country singer Keith Urban gave just a few hours' notice before performing a free concert Friday night in the parking lot of a large convenience store and gas station in north Alabama.

Hundreds of people turned out for the show in Athens, about 100 miles south of Nashville. It was outside a Buc-ee's, a chain of roadside stores known for barbecue.

“I came down to this Buc-ee's about a month ago. And when I left, I went, ‘It’d be kind of fun to do a show there,'” Urban told the crowd during the concert, according to an Instagram video posted by WAFF-TV in Huntsville, Ala.

Urban said his “cave man brain” told him it would be fun to set up a little stage for a small audience.

“I swear to you, I thought maybe 100, 200 people,” Urban said as a video showed a larger crowd.

People started gathering hours before the show, news outlets reported.

“I was at work and we heard it on the radio that there was going to be a surprise concert,” Cindy Wilson told FOX 54 WZDX-TV. “And I was like, ’Oh my God, it’s on my way home.' And it’s 15 minutes from my house. So I couldn’t believe it.”

While he was at the store, Urban also worked behind a food counter.

From combined wire services