Planet Pop

British pop star Robbie Williams promised Irish fans a free concert after kicking off the summer leg of his world tour in Dublin with what he said was a disappointing performance.

The 32-year-old, who said he wished he'd opened his sell-out Close Encounter tour in a village hall rather than in front of 90,000 screaming fans, made the promise after a stunt at the end of the show on Friday failed to come off.

Williams was meant to descend on a gondola from a rig above the stage during his song Let Me Entertain You, but the device didn't work and Williams was forced to rush back down to the stage.

After the song, Williams admitted what had happened and said he didn't feel he had performed as well as he could. His pledge to host a free gig was greeted with huge applause and cheers from an already animated audience packed into Dublin's Croke Park stadium.

"I'll be back before the end of the year," he said.

Meanwhile, Alec Baldwin is doing what he can to be a better dad. The actor will have a week to decide whether to allow a court-approved psychologist to evaluate if he is fit to see his 10-year-old daughter more often, as part of an ongoing custody battle with former wife, actress Kim Basinger.

California Superior Court Commissioner Maren Nelson said during Friday's court hearing that she wants a psychologist to talk to Baldwin to determine whether he is attempting to turn the couple's child, Ireland, against Basinger.

``Whether that is taking place or not, I cannot determine,'' Nelson said. ``Someone, an evaluator, needs to spend time with Ireland and the parents to work on that issue.''

Nelson said she would name a replacement on Thursday if Baldwin rejects the psychologist she selected.

In October, Basinger's attorney said Baldwin suffered from ``severe emotional problems'' and that he had been accused of domestic violence in the past.

Baldwin, 48, countered in court documents that the 52-year-old Basinger ``has a pathological need'' to turn their daughter against him. He also sought a psychological evaluation and parenting classes for Basinger.

The acting duo married in 1993. They separated in 2000 and divorced in 2002.

Happily married Hollywood star Angelina Jolie has recorded a television message for World Refugee Day and stations have rushed to air the 30-second footage, the UN refugee agency said last week.

Jolie, a goodwill ambassador for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, recorded the appeal in April in Namibia, before her daughter with Brad Pitt, Shiloh, was born on May 27.

"I'm Angelina Jolie. For the millions of displaced persons around the world, please help keep their hope alive and remember World Refugee Day," the American actress, sporting a tank-top and light-brown headscarf, says in a brief message.

The annual day, honoring some 20 million people who have fled conflict or persecution, is being observed at events in more than 100 countries under the theme of "Hope" on June 20.

The Geneva-based agency has been deluged with calls from stations seeking to air the spot, which shows refugees and aid convoys in several field operations, including Afghanistan.

It can be viewed on the site www.unhcr.org, but is also available in beta film for stations, officials said.

"We just started offering it yesterday (Wednesday), and a lot of TV networks have been asking for it," UNHCR chief spokesman Ron Redmond said.

Shannon Boyd, who manages the agency's goodwill ambassador program, told reporters: "One station in Spain started running it twice an hour. We are very pleased."

Since joining UNHCR in early 2001, Jolie has travelled to some 20 countries, drawing attention to refugees' plight in hotspots from Cambodia to Kosovo and Sudan's Darfur region.