{blackbabes} Caught in the Act!

• Mom-to-be Kate Hudson was "relaxed, smiling and in good spirits," during a dinner out with two friends at Indochine in N.Y.C. Though her rocker beau Matthew Bellamy wasn't there, the actress was enjoying the company of her pals. "It was a nice, quiet, happy dinner among friends," the onlooker says. When it was time to leave, Hudson's server pulled out the table for her.

• Julianne Hough, updating her wardrobe just in time for awards season – and she took her sister Katherine shopping with her at Sen, a boutique in L.A. The sisters dove right in, checking out jewelry and handbags and trying on dresses. According to an onlooker, they were putting on "an impromptu, private laugh-filled fashion show." Hough bought her sister a black cocktail dress and left the store with four dresses for herself.

• Sarah Jessica Parker shared a simple lunch with girlfriends at 75 Main Street, a restaurant in Southampton, N.Y. The actress munched on a chopped salad with shrimp, and was laughing and talking excitedly with her pals.

• Mary J. Blige, entertaining the crowd at her own birthday bash. The R&B star's hubby threw her a surprise tropical-themed 40th birthday bash at New York's Skylight West – and Blige teamed up with Anita Baker for a tearful duet on "Caught up in the Rapture" after saying how much Baker's music touched her growing up.