With a little help from Carol Burnett, Matthew Morrison from the hit TV show "Glee" and other top entertainers, political Washington saluted five of the nation's top artists with the Kennedy Center Honors during the weekend.

A surprise list of star performers honored Robert De Niro, Bruce Springsteen and comic genius Mel Brooks last night during a show attended by President Obama and other power players from Washington and Hollywood. Also receiving the honors — which recognize individuals who have defined American culture through the arts as a living memorial to John F. Kennedy — were jazz pianist and composer Dave Brubeck and opera singer Grace Bumbry.

QUEEN WARNS AGAINST INTRUSIVE PHOTOS

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has warned newspapers not to run unauthorized paparazzi photos of the royal family, Buckingham Palace said yesterday.

The palace said a lawyer for the British monarch wrote to newspaper editors about six weeks ago telling them not to publish intrusive photos of the family at home. The tough new stance was not triggered by any individual event, but comes just before the Christmas holidays, when the royals relax at their Sandringham estate in eastern England.

GIBSON EXPECTED TO FILM AT MEXICO PRISON

A Mexican governor says Mel Gibson will make a movie at a prison in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz next year.

Veracruz Gov. Fidel Herrera says part of the Ignacio Allende prison will be emptied in January "because a grand production will be filmed there with our friend, the actor and producer Mel Gibson."

Gibson visited the prison in April 2008. He filmed his 2006 movie "Apocalypto" in Veracruz. Herrera gave no details yesterday on the film. Gibson's publicist could not be reached for comment.

ALEXA RAY JOEL RELEASED AFTER OVERDOSE

Alexa Ray Joel, the daughter of pop singer Billy Joel and supermodel Christie Brinkley, was released from a Manhattan hospital yesterday after being rushed there Saturday for treatment of an overdose of pills.

Sources close to the family said Joel had taken Trau-meel, an antihistamine. Claire Mercuri, Joel's publicist, confirmed Joel was released from St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan a few hours after being admitted. Police sources said they responded to a report of a suicidal female at Joel's Greenwich Village apartment.

'BLIND SIDE' FINALLY TACKLES 'NEW MOON'

The football-inspired drama "The Blind Side" has become the underdog hit of the season with a $20.4 million weekend and a box-office victory over "The Twilight Saga: New Moon." The sports tale had been runner-up for the previous two weekends to the vampire romance, which fell to second place with $15.7 million.