Stars in Top-Secret Mode for Their Capital Visits

A stealthy crew of Hollywood A-listers crept into D.C. this week to conduct covert showbiz operations -- though, face it, it's hard for Robert De Niro, Reese Witherspoon or Matt Damon to stay under the radar.

De Niro and Damon attended a super-secret Wednesday screening of their history-of-the-CIA movie, "The Good Shepherd," at the Motion Picture Association of America. Journalists were officially disinvited from the event hosted by the OSS Society, which celebrates the CIA's precursor. Sources say De Niro wanted it that way and admitted to being nervous about the reaction of the crowd. Milt Bearden, a retired CIA officer who consulted on the movie, even warned the audience that the story is something of a composite, so please don't nitpick the details.

But it seemed to go down well. The society gave De Niro a statue of OSS founder Gen. William Donovan, which president Charles Pinck touted as "much better-looking than an Oscar."

Meanwhile, Witherspoon sneaked into town for a couple of days of shooting "Rendition," a thriller about a CIA analyst who witnesses a violent interrogation by Egyptian secret police. Publicists were tight with details, but sources said filming took place at L'Enfant Plaza yesterday. Witherspoon was spotted in the lobby of the Hotel Palomar Wednesday night, while her co-star Peter Sarsgaard was seen enjoying a cocktail at adjoining Urbana. Sorry, ladies -- co-star Jake Gyllenhaal is not expected for the D.C. shoots.

Higher-Powered Politics on Capitol Hill

When Brian Bilbray won a special election in June to take the seat of disgraced congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham, he also inherited Cunningham's Rayburn Building office. It needed more than just redecorating -- it needed divine intervention.

"I've got new paint, new carpet, new furniture -- and if I can get a priest to do it, I'm going to get this place blessed," the Republican told fellow San Diegan and lobbyist George Braun.

Edward Filardi blessing Brian Bilbray's then-new office this fall.(George Braun)

Bad vibes? Cash in the cushions? "No, not at all," said Bilbray spokesman Kurt Bardella.

But, as mom used to say, a clean house is a happy house. With permission from Bilbray (who is Catholic), Braun invited Monsignor Edward Filardi of St. Stephen Martyr Church to perform his first-ever blessing of a congressional office earlier this fall. Filardi, dressed in his clerical suit and stole, recited a special prayer "blessing any place or home," sprinkled a bit of holy water and blessed Bilbray's staff as well.

"It was fun," said Filardi, who told us he doesn't limit the divine touch to Republicans or Catholics. "If people ask, I usually bless something."

Did it help? Bilbray was reelected in November and now has digs in the Cannon Office Building . . . so we'll have to keep our eye on the new inhabitant of 2350 Rayburn: Rep. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).

HEY, ISN'T THAT . . . ?

Shaquille O'Neal and his Miami Heat teammates powering up with a wheelbarrow-size portion of scrambled eggs, pasta with chicken, and pitchers of orange juice at the Four Seasons yesterday morning. So what if Shaq's sidelined? Still the most important meal of the day.

Bono makes the rounds with Harry Reid.(Brendan Smialowski - Getty Images)

Bono, making his usual rounds on Capitol Hill to lobby for African poverty and AIDS relief and apparently not getting the answers he wanted. After seeing Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, the rock star issued a statement complaining he "could not get a commitment from the Democratic leadership" to maintain $1 billion in funding.

Quote

"I use a pseudonym, and I send it to another address. An undisclosed location."

-- Laura Bush, explaining to MSNBC's Norah O'Donnell yesterday how she does her online Christmas shopping. Quipped O'Donnell: "And then Cheney brings them over, right?"