Lawrence.com

Song's meaning surprised LaBelle

Patti LaBelle said she didn't know the meaning of the famous French line in "Lady Marmalade" when her group, LaBelle, recorded the hit in 1974.

In the song about a New Orleans prostitute, the group sings, "Voulez vous coucher avec moi ce soir?" Translated into English, that means, "Will you sleep with me tonight?"

"I just knew it sounded cute. Soon after that we found out, but we said, well, let's keep it anyway," LaBelle said. "There's nothing you can do about that. You know, that's someone's lifestyle, and I'm just gonna sing about it."

LaBelle, 57, said she's thrilled with the version of "Lady Marmalade" that appears on the "Moulin Rouge" movie soundtrack. Christina Aguilera, Mya, Pink and Lil' Kim did a cover of the song, which will enter the Billboard singles chart at No. 1 next week.

"The girls who are doing it now, they're doing such a wonderful job," she said. "The video is beautiful and I'm really happy. Whenever I hear it, i get a glow."

Spears: Not a role model

Lots of little girls look up to Britney Spears, but the teen pop diva says she doesn't want to be considered a role model when it comes to sex and relationships.

"I just want to live my life," she said.

She also doesn't want to discuss the intimate details of her romance with Justin Timberlake of 'N Sync, which has been a topic of rampant speculation.

"Have we had sex? That's something that, you know, I'd like to keep personal. I want to try to keep a personal life," she said.

"I want to wait to have sex until I'm married. I do. I want to wait." Then she paused and added, "But it's hard."

Spears, 19, and Timberlake, 20, have been friends since the early '90s, when both were cast members of "The Mickey Mouse Club."

"We were, like, 12 or 13 and it was like, 'Hi, do you like me?"' Spears said. "It was just like puppy love."

Spears' mother, Lynne, allows her daughter to take vacations with Timberlake, as long as a bodyguard accompanies them.

"I approve of Justin and his whole family," Lynne Spears said. "I've known him all his life � at least the important years. I love him."

Kournikova finds solace in store

Russian tennis star Anna Kournikova pulled out of the French Open, but she was busy endorsing products at a sportswear manufacturer's flagship Paris store.

"I'm definitely really disappointed about not playing at the French Open, obviously. But I'm glad to be here in Paris," said Kournikova, smiling at hundreds of fans at the store Thursday.

The French Open starts Monday. The 19-year-old tennis star withdrew last week, due to a foot injury that has kept her out of tournaments since the Gaz de France in February.

"We are athletes and we have to heal," she said.