Tired Jackson wows the crowd

Janet Jackson took the stage to exploding fireworks, clouds of smoke and the sounds of some early hits Wednesday in her first concert since she was sidelined for two weeks by a bout of vertigo.

Sporting a huge mohawk and light-colored body suit, the Grammy-winning performer opened with “Pleasure Principle,” followed by “What Have You Done for Me Lately” from her 1986 album “Control.”

“It feels so good to be back after being down just a little bit,” Jackson told the crowd at the less-than-full arena in Washington, D.C.

The two-hour show went smoothly, but Jackson did appear winded at times. At one point, she paused to admire her backup dancers, and the crowd roared its approval.

“She was perfect. If she was sick, she’s not sick anymore,” said Maurice Bell, 28, of Washington. “She can still do it at 42.”

He commuted there by train

DJ AM, aka Adam Goldstein, joined Jay-Z at a special concert Wednesday celebrating the reopening of the Hollywood Palladium. The concert was 35-year-old DJ AM’s first performance since surviving a Sept. 19 plane crash with former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker at the main airport in Columbia, S.C.

O’Neals not high about arrest

Ryan O’Neal, 67, and his 23-year-old son, Redmond O’Neal, were charged Wednesday with possession of methamphetamine. Both face felony drug possession charges, deputy district attorney James Garrison said.

Call him Secretary of Dance

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell brought the house down Tuesday at the Africa Rising Festival at London’s Royal Albert Hall. The former Secretary danced and rapped with Nigerian hip-hop star Olu Maintain. Pundits speculate Powell will endorse Barack Obama.

Britney’s life a real ‘Circus’

Britney Spears, on trial in Los Angeles for a 2007 traffic violation, has made history of a different sort: Her tune “Womanizer” from her coming CD, “Circus” leaped from No. 96 to No. 1 on Billboard’s singles chart. Billboard reports that Britney will mount a national tour in the spring to back up the CD, due out Dec. 2.

Will real Simon please stand up?

“American Idol” judge Simon Cowell uses three cushions to make himself look taller on TV, says Piers Morgan, who sits next to Cowell on the Brit show, “Britain’s Got Talent.”

They are, how you say, happy?

French celeb Vanessa Paradis, Johnny Depp’s steady for a decade and mother of their children, Jack, 6, and Lily Rose, 9, told British Elle that she doesn’t need marriage. “Maybe one day, but it’s something I can really do without,” she said, adding, “He’s got me, and he knows he’s got me.”

The birthday bunch

Actress Julie Adams (“Creature From the Black Lagoon”) is 82. Actress Beverly Garland (“Scarecrow and Mrs. King”) is 82. Singer Jim Seals of Seals and Crofts is 66. Singer Gary Puckett is 66. Actor Michael McKean (“This Is Spinal Tap”) is 61. Actress Margot Kidder is 60. Actor George Wendt is 60. Country singer Alan Jackson is 50.Comedian Norm Macdonald is 45.Reggae singer Ziggy Marley is 40. Rapper Eminem is 36. Singer Wyclef Jean is 36.