March 24, 2008

When Paris Hilton was released from the pokey last June, she pledged to use her ill-gotten fame for good, even announcing her intention to make a charitable trip to Rwanda.

While her image-boosting mission of mercy to the poverty-stricken region never materialized (she did, however, find time for such altruistic endeavors as writhing with the Pussycat Dolls and lap-dancing for Jared Leto), she has inched a wee bit closer to her philanthropic promise.

Paris Hilton signing autographs in South Africa on March 20

Last week, the self-adoring starlet, 27, made it as far as South Africa as she tagged along on tour with her likely me-time-needing beau, Benji Madden, and his band, Good Charlotte.

And instead of merely gazing adoringly at second-banana Benji from the audience, Paris found her own crowd of admirers during a March 20 visit with some disadvantaged youth at the Jakaranda Children's Home in Pretoria.

Hilton, wearing a white dress and affecting an expression bordering on compassion, posed with the tykes, who seemed excited if a little confused as to why the dead-behind-the-eyes blond lady was autographing pictures of herself wearing an eensy-weensy bikini.

It remains unclear if Paris left the kids with anything more useful than cheesecake shots and a photo op.

Not surprisingly, the spotlight remained trained in her direction the following evening, with People reporting how she organized an 11th-hour "VIP party for herself" in Johannesburg.

Alas, while a bodyguard-surrounded Hilton was "greeted by a throng of fans" as she arrived, Madden "walked by the crowd virtually unnoticed."

Inside, the suctioned-on squeezes did their usual PDA thing in the VIP section, with Paris untangling herself long enough to soak up the screams from her fans below whenever she waved from the balcony.

At one point, she got on the microphone and announced that she "loved South Africa, the accent and everyone."

Eloquence, thy name is Paris.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt at the Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, Calif., on Feb. 23

In other altruism news, it's nice to know Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's benevolent reputation is no act.

The 2006 federal tax filing for their Jolie Pitt Foundation (obtained by FoxNews.com) reveals the philanthropic flames forked over plenty of moolah to fund their humanitarian venture.

Brad coughed up $4,402,317 to their organization, while Angelina gave $4,123,613, with the largest grants (a million bucks a pop) going to Doctors Without Borders and the Global AIDS Alliance.

Other contributions were more personal, including $137,935 to the Namibia Red Cross Action Program (Shiloh made her debut in the African nation in May 2006) and $100,000 to the Daniel Pearl Foundation (the actress played Mariane Pearl, the slain reporter's widow, in "A Mighty Heart").

Jolie also bestowed $5,000 each on two orphanages she visited, a charitable act we hope against hope Paris Hilton emulated during her flashbulb-filled meet-and-greet last week.

Meanwhile, Justin Timberlake is getting charitable a little closer to home. The Memphis-born chart-topper made two $100,000 pledges last week to the Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum and the Memphis Music Foundation, reports People.

"Music education and keeping the legacy of Memphis Music alive has always been important to me," said Timberlake, who is back in his old stomping grounds to shoot the drama, "The Open Road." "That is why I will always continue to support my hometown the same way they have always supported me."

The donations will fund music education for local students and help ensure the Memphis music legacy continues.

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