Jon steps out

Could it soon be just Kate Plus 8?

The new issue of Us Weekly has pictures of the "Jon & Kate Plus 8" dad leaving a club at 2 a.m. -- with a mystery woman and without his wedding band.

Jon Gosselin, 32, arrived at the club at 11:20 p.m. and by 2 a.m. "could barely walk" as he exited the less-public back entrance of Legends Lounge -- near the family's $1.3-million home in Wernersville, Pa. -- on April 18, a fellow partier told the magazine.

The dad of eight -- the children are twins Madelyn and Cara, 8, and 5-year-old sextuplets, Aaden, Joel, Collin, Hannah, Leah and Alexis -- was overheard yelling, "Hey, babe! Babe! Give me my jacket!" before climbing into his Nissan Nismo. (She complied.) As cameras began snapping, he panicked, urging his female friend to "get in the car!" before speeding off hastily -- without even turning on the headlights.

Where was his wife Kate -- known for her insults and who famously once berated him for breathing on the show? Nearly 2,000 miles away, promoting her book "Eight Little Faces" in Bellevue, Wash.

While TLC had no comment on the story or the couple's marital status, Jon sent an e-mailed statement to Us.

"I went to Legends to speak to the owner. A friend of mine wanted to check out my car, so I let her drive it to her car," he says. "Yes, I have female friends -- but that is all she is."

He later told "Extra," "Like most people I have male and female friends and I'm not going to end my friendships just because I'm on TV. However, being out with them late at night showed poor judgment on my part. What makes me sick is that my careless behavior has put my family in this uncomfortable position. "

In February, he was spotted with coeds at Juniata College and denied any wrongdoing.

Gibson's girl

Two weeks after his wife filed for divorce, Mel Gibson made his first public appearance with his new girlfriend.

A smiling Gibson arrived hand-in-hand with Russian singer Oksana Grigorieva to an L.A. screening of "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" Tuesday. Grigorieva, 39, is signed to Gibson's label, Icon Records, and has reportedly been dating the actor for three years.

"Mel has been single for almost three years and it's nice to see him getting out and enjoying himself," the actor's rep tells People.

Gibson was invited to attend the screening by the film's producers, Richard and Lauren Donner, and star Hugh Jackman, who drew inspiration for the clawed mutant from Gibson's Mad Max character.

Gibson's wife, Robyn, filed for divorce earlier this month after nearly 29 years of marriage. Gibson said in court papers that the couple separated in August 2006, a month after his infamous DUI arrest.

Prison break II

Former "Prison Break" actor Lane Garrison was paroled and picked up from a facility in Tehachapi, Calif., early yesterday morning, the Associated Press reports.

In 2007, Garrison was sentenced to serve three years and four months after pleading guilty to vehicular manslaughter and misdemeanor counts of drunken driving and giving alcohol to a minor.

He was charged after a December 2006 crash in which he rammed his Land Rover into a tree, killing a 17-year-old girl and injuring two others. Garrison was sentenced to four years of parole and ordered to pay around $300,000 in restitution to the victims and their families.

Penns separate

Oscar winner Sean Penn filed for a legal separation from Robin Wright Penn. According to court documents, Penn filed for "legal separation with minor children" Friday, Eonline reports. The duo has two children together, 18-year-old daughter Dylan and 15-year-old son Hopper Jack. (No explanation was given as to why the 18-year-old is listed as a minor, but as her birthday only took place April 13, it seems the filing may have been in the works for a bit.)

Per the Marin County (Calif.) Superior Court filing, Penn requested a termination in the court's jurisdiction to award spousal support to Wright Penn. He is also seeking joint custody of the kids. This is the second time in as many years the actors, who met in 1990 and have been married since 1996, have gone their separate ways.

'Amazing race' auditions

Auditions for CBS's "The Amazing Race" will be held tomorrow between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. at the Meadows Racetrack & Casino in Washington County. Host Phil Keoghan will sign autographs from 3 to 5 p.m. Before that, he will greet fans at the GNC at 550 Wood St., Downtown, from noon to 2 p.m.