N o w - H o l l y w o o d . b l o g s p o t .c o m

On Wednesday, we learned that Britney Spears' latest album, Circus, has topped the charts - and her strange friend Mel Gibson couldn't be more proud.

"She's doing great," good ol' Mel told Us Weekly at the Ninth Annual Global Green Sustainable Design Awards in NYC on Wednesday. "She's a sweet girl."

Mel Gibson, who has helped celebrities with sobriety issues over the years (and gone through some interesting incidents himself), privately reached out to Britney Spears - they're former neighbors in Malibu, Calif. - earlier this year.

After her much-publicized public meltdowns, Brit was taken under the wing of Mel and his wife, Robin, and not as any sort of PR stunt, which is pretty cool.

The star's devoted fans may recall that Britney and her father, Jamie Spears, vacationed with the actor and his wife at his ranch in Costa Rica back in May.

Gibson and Spears were also seen at a Beverly Hills cigar bar in June. On an unrelated note, here's Britney - whose Christmas greetings we brought you earlier on this day - singing that timeless holiday classic, "Silent Night," on Ellen ...

Britney Spears Singing Silent Night