BITS AND PIECES 11/03
PUSSS...@aol.com
--Busta Rhymes was given a summons last night for rapping on a
cellphone - while driving right in front of the Midtown North Precinct
station house. Rhymes, 34, whose real name is Trevor Smith, cursed at
the cops who stopped his GMC Denali SUV, police said, adding he
crumpled the ticket, threw it away and drove off. Rhymes was arrested
in August for allegedly beating a fan who accidentally spat on the car
of a member of his entourage. Police also believe Rhymes witnessed the
unsolved Feb. 5 murder of his bodyguard Israel Ramirez, 29, but he
hasn't cooperated with authorities.
NY POST/By MICHAEL STARR
--YES, that is Jack Bauer - and it looks like our intrepid CTU agent is
in a heap of trouble. As usual. This first-look image of Jack (Kiefer
Sutherland) from next season's "24" picks up where last season ended -
when Jack was kidnapped by the Chinese in retaliation for his
accidental killing of a Chinese embassy official during a kidnapping.
Last season's "24" finale ended with Jack suffering a savage beating on
a freighter headed for China. By all accounts, Jack has been through a
world of hurt, as evidenced by his bedraggled beard and reed-thin
appearance. But, as "24" fans know, if anyone can pull himself together
- quickly - it's Jack. "24" kicks off its season with a special
four-hour, two-night premiere in mid January.
--Let's applaud Samantha Harris for telling it like it is in the
December issue of FHM. The "Dancing with the Stars" co-host, who also
covers the red carpet for E! (with Ryan Seacrest), was asked about her
many celebrity encounters at awards shows. "I will say that [Katie
Holmes' ex-boy friend] Chris Klein, right after the whole Katie Holmes
debacle, was kind of tacky and really rude," she says. "Jane Fonda can
be a nightmare. She's not friendly and she doesn't have time for anyone
. . . I was disappointed." The issue hits newsstands Tuesday.
--Gretchen Wiker, an Upper West Side writer/tutor, was in the "Oprah
Winfrey Show" audience when Winfrey distributed $1,000 debit cards for
her "Pay It Forward Challenge" (the show aired this past Monday),
challenging her audience to use the money to "make a difference in the
life of one person or many." Wiker has donated her $1,000 to Fountain
Gallery's Glenn Moosnick Scholarship Fund for Artists (Fountain
Gallery, on Ninth Avenue, represents artists living and working with
mental illness). Wiker won the "Oprah" tickets in a school raffle and
took a friend to the show; that friend, in turn, added another $1,000
to Wiker's donation.
--That was Jane Seymour chatting up Grace Jones and Maud Adams at
Wednesday's "Bond Girl Reunion" hosted by Delta Air Lines. Seymour, who
recently guested on "How I Met Your Mother," will also appear on ABC's
midseason sitcom, "In Case of Emergency," starring David Arquette.
--Showtime has renewed "Dexter" (Michael C. Hall) for a second season.
--'AMERICAN Idol" finalist Kellie Pickler, she of the thick Southern
drawl, isn't sure if she'll make a return visit to the show next
season. "I would love to be asked to come back, but I don't think
they've gotten into that part of the show yet," says Pickler, whose
first CD, "Small Town Girl," was released on Halloween and is selling
well. "Right now they're still doing auditions and they haven't even
filmed 'Hollywood Week' yet - what we liked to call 'Hell Week,' "
Pickler says of "Idol," which returns in January. Pickler will,
however, be pulling double duty this Monday for ABC and for Country
Music Television. Not only will she be a presenter on ABC's "40th
Annual CMA Awards" (8-11 p.m.), but, over on the cable side, she'll
host CMT's red-carpet awards coverage. "I don't like having anything
planned," she says of her red-carpet duties. "I like to wing it, to be
natural. I tend to ask the first thing that pops into my head, which
isn't very organized, but it just comes across better when I say what's
on my mind." ("Idol" fans will remember Pickler's astonishment in
describing eating "calamary" for the first time.) However it goes on
Monday, Pickler credits "Idol" with giving her the chops to deal with
TV work - and the media. " 'Idol' prepared us for the industry," she
says. "It was musical boot camp and really helped our communication
skills and performing in front of people."
NY POST/PAGE SIX...
--THE "Sober Chip" worn by Lindsay Lohan as she was trailed by
paparazzi yesterday didn't represent her own sobriety. "It was a
tribute to a friend who's been sober 90 days," said Lohan's rep. The
friend, who turned to Alcoholics Anonymous for help getting off the
sauce, is the one who gave Lohan a red poker chip that reads, "90
Days." An AA rep told Page Six that some other organizations supply
chips but that "there's no such thing as an AA chip."
--"THE Pop-Up Book of Celebrity Meltdowns" cleverly re-creates the
stars' most embarrassing scandals in 3-D - but don't expect to see it
on "Today" or "Good Morning America." The tome, in stores next week,
was deemed too racy for depictions of Paris Hilton making her porn
video, Hugh Grant getting serviced by hooker Divine Brown, and Janet
Jackson baring her boob. A flack for publisher Melcher added that
"Access Hollywood" axed a piece on the book "to preserve its
relationship with Tom Cruise and Michael Jackson," who are shown couch
jumping and baby dangling, respectively.
--FORGET gerbils, the rodents featured in an unprintable urban myth of
the '80s that involved Richard Gere. The actor is now into squirrels.
Gere, who lives in ritzy Pound Ridge, N.Y., last week won approval to
renovate an early 19th-century inn on 14 acres in neighboring Bedford
that he and his business partners bought in January. Until 2000, it was
a popular dining spot - first known as Nino's, then as Hoppfield's. Now
Gere plans to restore the 125-seat restaurant, outfit the barn with a
cafe for horseback riders on bridle paths, add a yoga studio and
resurrect the hotel as a nine-roomer. The name for the development?
Squirrelly Acres.
--DONALD Trump has had his differences with ex-wife Ivana over the
years, but he phoned her after reading our story about her meltdown at
the Carousel of Hope ball in Beverly Hills, and offered his help. "He
told her he'd love to help her quit drinking," said an insider. "But
she told him she just had a bad reaction to NyQuil. She's in denial."
Trump, whose older brother, Fred, died of alcoholism, has always been a
teetotaler. He recently told a friend, "If I drank, it's guaranteed I'd
be an alcoholic, with the life I lead." But while Trump has always
tried to be supportive of the mother of three of his kids, he doesn't
want her using the Trump name in connection with real estate
developments - particularly after two projects she was promoting went
bust, one in Las Vegas and one in Australia. "She's not allowed to use
'Trump.' We stopped her," The Donald told a friend. "I have 72
buildings going up. I can't let that happen." Meanwhile, Trump will
earn $30 million next year by making 20 speeches for the Learning Annex
on a tour that kicks off in Atlanta in February. "It's good money for
20 hours of work," understated Trump.
--PARKER Posey is so over her ex-boyfriend Ryan Adams. Between snapping
photos of friends Wednesday night, the "Superman Returns" star dished
about her former flame. "He is a really talented musician, but he has a
lot of personal demons," she said. Luckily, Adams wasn't there to ruin
the Piperlime shoe launch at the Gansevoort with his melancholy moods.
Happy guests included Rosario Dawson, Lucy Liu, Vanessa Minnillo and
Rachel Zoe. Dawson told guests, "I'm really into cowboys and Indians
right now. It's all about the cowboy boots." Lucky Jason Lewis!
--RACHAEL Ray outmaneuvered Martha Stewart - and got chided for it by
the grand diva herself. Ray had taped a show with Barry Manilow
Wednesday, which was set to air today on ABC - after Manilow appeared
live on Stewart's NBC show Thursday. But Ray's producers found out
about Manilow's appearance with Stewart and aired Ray's Manilow segment
at the same time as Stewart's, prompting Stewart to announce on-air:
"I'd never met Rachael Ray - I think she's fun and lovely - but, you
know, we have Barry Manilow live this morning, and he taped an episode
of the Rachael Ray show that was supposed to air tomorrow. But for some
reason, they pushed the show up to today, and now Barry is on two shows
at once. He's live with us, but it's really not fair to the artist
because these performers deserve to reach as big of an audience as
possible. But anyway, we have him here. Live."
--THE guy who threw a drink at Barbra Streisand during her concert in
Fort Lauderdale the other night wasn't upset by her Bush- bashing. He
was just a rowdy Australian who "had one or more too many beers," she
wants everyone to know. "After a recent stay on a friend's boat near
Miami, Ms. Streisand had given each of the crew members tickets (these
happened to be front row) for the sold-out con cert," her flack, Dick
Guttman, told Page Six. "When one seaman became ill, an Australian
friend was invited, a rowdy friend as it turned out." Only three
hecklers out of nearly 180,000 concertgoers who have seen Streisand's
show have protested the Bush skit, and she "feels it should be made
clear that the person who threw the drink had no political motive or
message."
--BODE Miller at Marquee in a bright orange prison inmate Halloween
costume with his brother Chelone dressed as a cop.
--KENAN Thompson of "Saturday Night Live" playing a tough doorman at
The Plumm, although he did admit several castmates, as well as John C.
Reilly and Paul Rudd.
--ELVIS Costello getting water for his pregnant-with-twins wife Diana
Krall at the George Jones concert at Carnegie Hall, also attended by
Shooter (son of Waylon) Jennings.
--Gossip maven Janet Charlton reports "American Idol" judge Simon
Cowell is about to finalize a deal with a New York- based cosmetics
giant to launch a signature line of grooming products - packaged in
black, of course, to match his manly T- shirts.
NY POST/CINDY ADAMS...
--GORGEOUS, talented Bob Woodruff who, before a roadside bomb in Iraq
stopped him, was on track to be ABC's No. 1 anchorman, is doing A-OK.
Walking, talking, looking great. Beautiful hair grown back perfectly.
Face 100 percent, except for maybe a pockmark as a memento of some
shrapnel. And he's sharp. And joking with friends. And eager to return
to work in whatever capacity. Temporarily, his only lingering
limitation is memory. When tired he sometimes might forget something.
Hey, me, too.
--A SET of Andy Warhol-ish silk screen pictures of Kate Moss' face,
done by Brit graffiti artist Banksy, was put up for auction. A modern
art sale at Sotheby's in London. They fetched $100,000, or what she
gets per hour. The amount was five times the estimates. For some reason
the bidding was intense, and the lot went to a private person in the
U.S.A. Kate Moss is now not only a collectible, she is an idol. An
icon. Hey, it beats Rembrandt.
--THE Earl and Countess of Wessex (that's Prince Edward and the missus)
went to the Kwandwe Private Game Reserve in South Africa. Saw lion,
cheetah, elephant and many rhino but, as I always say, seen one rhino
you've seen 'em all.
--Rod Stewart sent Paul McCartney the message that he, too, had it
tough when Rachel Hunter left him. But, "Hold fast, and you'll love
again."
--NOVELIST Christopher Buckley on the female star of the movie "Thank
You for Smoking," which was based on his book: "Katie Holmes [pre-Tom
Cruise] was one of the less-satisfying bits in the film. She did the
best she could." Also: "Mel Gibson, before his 'Braveheart,' said he
wanted to do the film. That was the last anybody ever heard from Mel
Gibson. Finally no one was speaking to anyone. It took 18 months of
negotiating to get it away from him and become Mel-less."
NY POST/LIZ SMITH...
--WHEN MADONNA appeared on Oprah's show to explain the details of her
adoption of little David Banda she was tense. It seemed to me she was
torn between weeping or losing her temper. The result was fascinating
but slightly jarring. But her sit-down with "Dateline" 's Meredith
Vieira was more the M of old: matter of fact, not begging for
understanding, not gushy and warm. She adopted a child, is trying to do
a good thing in an impoverished area of the world - what's your
problem? She presented her "on-the-cross controversy" well, but again,
as her recent song goes, "This is who I am/like it or not." I wish the
public could have seen Madonna as she was last Monday at the Warner
Records offices. She was interviewed, attended the company's Halloween
party, and read to children from her "English Roses" book. She was
fine. But she is only truly relaxed away from professional obligations.
She told some adorable tales of family life, making herself warm,
charming, and yes - vulnerable. But don't expect Madonna ever to unload
the real deal. Actually, we know very little about the most publicized
woman in the world. That's how she wants it. Vieira asked the
inevitable "retirement" question. Who asks male stars, family men with
responsibilities, if they're ready to give it up? Madonna is only 48.
What would she retire to? Nobody asks Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt
or Clint Eastwood that question. Is Meredith Vieira - mother of three -
ready to retire?
NY DAILY NEWS/RUSH AND MOLLOY...
--Talent in Hollywood has really gone down the toilet - literally!
Hugh Jackman and Kate Winslet, who both voice characters in the new
animated movie "Flushed Away," arrived at the film's New York premiere
by sliding down a giant inflatable toilet. When asked how he prepared
for the role of Roddy, a mouse who takes a trip down the loo to
London's seedy side, Jackman admitted he has had some recent experience
in and about the porcelain throne. "I have a 15-month-old daughter
who's really in the habit at the moment of flushing everything down the
toilet! We've lost a cell phone and I've retrieved two pairs of shoes,
pencils and food!"
--Don't worry that the $6,500 versions of Peter Beard's photography
books are all sold out. Come December, Taschen will put out the $2,500
versions - full of Beard's characteristic eyefuls of beautiful nudes
with elephants and rhinos - in Beard's second home, Kenya. But you
can get a sneak peek at the work of the man who discovered Iman on
www.mensvogue.com.
--Dave Chappelle made a surprise appearance at Gotham Comedy Club last
week, referencing his recent trip to Dubai and our current political
state in a number of his jokes. At one point an audience member yelled
out, "What do you think of Bush?" The comedian laughed and said, "I
think politics are like pro wrestling - for entertainment purposes
only"
--The Dixie Chicks celebrated the premiere of their racy documentary,
"Shut Up & Sing," with a celeb-studded after-party at Ultra last week.
The girls mingled with Harvey Weinstein, Sandra Bernhard, Stanley
Tucci, Jeffrey Wright, Olivia Wilde and Richard Belzer, while others
were kept at bay by a wall of security guards.
--Eva Mendes and her longtime beau, filmmaker George Gargurevich,
danced the night away at Atlantic City hot spot mur.mur at the Borgata
last Friday after the Rolling Stones concert was canceled at the last
minute. As the happy couple geared up to leave around 2 a.m., Mendes
noticed her favorite scarf was MIA. Luckily, a fellow reveler spotted
the accessory on the dance floor and promptly returned it to the
"Hitch" actress.
--Robert De Niro, with one of his sons, picked out a watch for the lad
at the Swatch store on W. 72nd.
--She's still got it: Lauren Bacall was at the center of a sexy
sandwich formed by Liam Neeson and Alan Rickman, headed into Da
Silvano.
BY BEN SMITH/NY DAILY NEWS POLITICAL COLUMNIST
--Former and perhaps, future First Daughter Chelsea Clinton is getting
a new job - and probably a big raise. Clinton is taking a post at the
Avenue Capital Group, a hedge fund run by supporters of her mother,
according to a person familiar with the company's decision. The
26-year-old Chelsea has been a consultant at McKinsey and Co., and the
move to the hottest sector of finance would almost certainly mean a
raise. Annual bonuses for junior hedge fund staffers can exceed the
entire salaries of consultants of Clinton's vintage, which run in the
$100,000 to $150,000 range. Her move will also embed the Clintons'
family fortunes even deeper in the booming, controversial and lightly
regulated hedge fund industry. The funds, which pool the money of
wealthy investors, are battling to maintain freedom from the government
scrutiny attached to more pedestrian money managers. Bill Clinton
reportedly stands to make tens of millions of dollars as an adviser to
hedge funds managed by Ron Burkle's Yucaipa Cos. Avenue Capital claims
$12 billion under management. The firm specializes in buying the bonds
and stock of troubled companies at a discount and selling them at a
profit when the businesses recover. The fund's founders, Marc Lasry and
Sonia Gardner, are major Democratic Party donors who have contributed
the maximum to Hillary Clinton's reelection campaign.
3 A.M. GIRLS/Eva Simpson & Caroline Hedley...
--KATE Moss has fuelled civil war in Colombia by glamorising cocaine,
the country's vice president claims. Francisco Santos believes the
model, whose cocaine addiction was exposed by the Mirror, had caused
"pain". And he said he is puzzled why her profile and earnings rose
after the revelations. He fumed: "To me, it's baffling that someone who
helps cause so much pain in Colombia is doing better than ever, winning
more contracts. I never once heard her say 'I'm sorry', when in
Colombia people die every day because of cocaine consumption - that
hurts." Around 3,000 people are killed each year by paramilitaries and
terrorists fighting to control the drug trade. More than three million
Colombians have been driven from their homes and landmines kill three
people every day. Mr Santos believes celebrities in Europe and America
who take cocaine are responsible for deaths back in Colombia. Launching
the "cocaine curse" campaign in London yesterday, he said: "Their line
of coke is tainted in blood."
--SINGER Tom Jones was yesterday axed from the biggest gathering of
Joneses - for being a fake. Bosses banned the star when they found he
was born Woodward and never officially changed his name.Tom, 66, was
due to be a guest at the S4C TV event in Cardiff tonight, which hopes
to set a new record for a get-together of people with the same name.
One show chief said: "Tom was on our list. But we heard he wasn't born
a Jones but took it as his stage name." The record for a gathering of
folk with the same name is 583 Norbergs in Sweden. But the Joneses
should beat that. As a name, it's not unusual.
LAS VEGAS JOURNAL/NORM CLARKE...
--Looks like Bill Clinton is off his diet. His takeout order Thursday
from Il Mulino, in Forum Shops at Caesars, included branzino,
pappardelle Bolognese, mozzarella caprese, chicken parmigiana and II
Mulino's special salad.
--Shanna Moakler, Miss America in 1995, is holding her divorce party
tonight at Light, in the Bellagio. She's in a messy split from Travis
Barker, the tattooed Blink 182 drummer, who is firing shots at her
party plans on his myspace.com.
--Prince's headliner deal with the Rio launches Nov. 10, with the
Grammy winner taking over Club Rio and a restaurant to be called 3121
Jazz Cuisine. The club, where Prince will appear when his schedule
allows, will be known as 3121, the title of his most recent CD. A
Prince show will cost $125 per person or $312.10 for the dinner and
show package. On Wednesdays, Prince's special guest performers will be
featured for $31.21. Thursdays will be Latin Libido Night, with a cover
charge of $31.21. Doors will open at 10 p.m. The restaurant will open
daily at 5 p.m. With Prince, there's always a bit of mystery, and he's
created more with the many 3121 references. But a member of Prince's
camp, said it is not a biblical reference, as some have speculated.
Prince converted to Jehovah's Witness about five years ago. Psalms
31:21 reads: "Blessed be Jehovah: For he hath showed me his marvelous
loving kindness in a strong city."
--Jackie Chan, Hulk Hogan, Tyson Beckford and Billy Lane, the custom
motorcycle builder, at OPM on Wednesday in Forum Shops at Caesars
Palace.
--NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr., joining ultimate fighter Tito Ortiz
and Jenna Jameson on Wednesday night at Tabu in the MGM Grand
--Erin Brockovich, with a large group of friends Wednesday at the
Eiffel Tower Restaurant in Paris Las Vegas.
--Baseball Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, dining Wednesday at Social
House in Treasure Island.
--Jenny McCarthy, welcoming Prince to her VIP bed section at Pure in
Caesars Palace, where she was celebrating her 34th birthday Tuesday in
a French maid outfit. Also there: Criss Angel, Carrot Top, baseball
sluggers Gary Sheffield and Mo Vaughn, Earnhardt and Robby Gordon, and
movie director Brett Ratner. Earnhardt and his buddies won third place
in Pure's costume party, dressed up as characters from "Reservoir
Dogs."
--Prince, in The Lounge at the Palms to watch his keyboard player,
Renato Neto, perform Monday with special guests of Santa Fe & The Fat
City Horns.
http://janetcharltonshollywood.com/...
--As we left the theater, after laughing ourselves senseless watching
the movie Borat, my companion raised the question of how much of the
movie was staged and how much was spontaneous. It never occurred to me
that ANY of the situations were staged - the victims seem so real.
After investigating, we have decided that almost all the embarrassing
encounters with innocent Americans were real. In fact, people
victimized and humiliated in the film have started coming forward,
calling themselves "Victims of Borat. " The Veteran Feminists of
America are particularly talkative about their "interview." Borat's
"secret" is to have an apparently normal young woman make arrangements
to pay victims and have them sign releases in advance. The feminists
endured many hilarious jabs - Borat referred to one as "he" and at the
end of the interview asked the women to lift their skirts. Pat
Haggerty, the Washington DC public speaking coach who reeled when Borat
mentioned having sex with his mother-in-law, simply said "They paid me
money and deserved an hour of my time." And he admits he's enjoying his
newfound fame. But, according to Fox's Roger Friedman, TV news anchor
Dharma Arthur claims Borat ruined her life. She was producer of the
Jackson, Miss noon news show where Borat wreaked havoc and she ended up
fired for booking him. It looks like Borats victims are very real and
destined for notoriety themselves.
--Last night Jennifer Aniston flew in from London and she was greeted
by dozens of paparazzi at LAX. She's just spent a few days with the guy
she's STILL seeing, Vince Vaughn, who's working there. They must have
had a good time in his penthouse suite because she returned home
looking very blonde and in a good mood. It looks like she bought a cap
while she was there but it did nothing to disguise her. Jen caused such
a stir in the airport that police had to escort her out.
http://www.popbitch.com/....
--Abbie Cornish is the Australian actress linked to the separation of
Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon. Some of Abbie's past co-stars
aren't that surprised. The blonde likes to get close to the important
people on set. In The Golden Age, which she has recently filmed, Abby
seemed to spend much of her time cosying up to the Director, Shekhar
Kapur.
--Ryan Adams and Bryan Adams have the same birthday - 5th November.
--A recent conquest of Entourage's Jeremy Piven says that, alas, TV's
Mr 10% is, in reality, still Mr 10%. She says unfortunately it "was not
even fun size."
--Bonanza's Lorne Greene had one of his nipples bitten off by an
alligator.
--The co-writer of Victoria Beckham's new book, That Extra Half An
Inch, was invited to take afternoon tea with Victoria to "celebrate".
When she arrived she was told excitedly by Victoria's people that
Skeletor had a present for her. Waiting for her was... a signed copy of
the book, which she had co-written anyway, and a bunch of flowers.
Which was nice.
--Now Michael Jackson is staying in Dublin there have been tonnes of
supposed sightings of him in recording studios (eg Metropolis, London)
but a few days ago Jacko did actually visit the US Embassy in Dublin to
conclude some business. He arrived at the building's back entrance,
then got out of the car with his face hidden, pleading for no pictures
to be taken. It was only when he got inside the building that he saw
there was no-one at all waiting for him outside the Embassy.
--Paris Hilton has been staying at the Chicago Peninsula Hotel under
the name Ms Heimen.
--P Diddy has been staying in a Paris hotel under the name Frank Black.
--P writes: "A friend of mine used to go to the same gym as Heather
Mills. One day they were both in the sauna when Heather's leg fell off
on to my friend. Heather didn't bat an eyelid and just said 'Sorry,
that's mine.' Then took it back."
--It is illegal to carry ice cream in your pocket in Kentucky.
--The Russian version of Candid Camera recently set up a Russian pop
star, Inna Gomez, to film a fashion shoot at an army base. At the end,
the army commander offers her the chance to shoot a Kalashnikov. Inna
shoots in the air as directed. At that moment a helicopter goes past,
and begins to descend rapidly. "Oh my God!" shout the crew, "You've hit
a chopper! There were people on board." Totally shocked, Inna clutches
her heart, having a panic attack or heart attack. They ring for an
ambulance. Later on in hospital the producers tell the pop star it was
only a joke. Sadly, Inna didn't see the funny side and refused to give
permission for the sketch to be shown on TV. Tsk, we can't imagine
Girls Aloud being such spoilsports.
--Be afraid. Lindsay Lohan's 12 year-old sister, Ali, is here. Her
first step to world domination? Er, an album of Christmas Classics,
Lohan Holiday.
ASSOCIATED PRESS...
--GREENSBORO, N.C. - Five Greensboro police officers involved in last
year's arrest of The Game have filed a defamation lawsuit against the
rapper and his associates. Officers Hien Nguyen, Matthew Brown, Ryan
Childrey, Romaine Watkins and David Gregory said they were libeled and
slandered and had their images misappropriated, according to the
lawsuit filed at the Guilford County Courthouse this week. The lawsuit
stems from comments made to a TV interviewer by the rapper, whose real
name is Jayceon Taylor, after his arrest at a shopping mall on Oct. 28,
2005, in which he compared his treatment to that of Rodney King and
claimed he was arrested for signing autographs. It also takes issue
with the distribution of a video of the officers during the arrest. A
Web site promoting the DVD claims it shows Taylor "being wrongfully
arrested and brutalized by the police in North Carolina." The officers
are each seeking more than $10,000 in damages. One officer says in the
lawsuit that he lost $7,500 in off-duty pay because he was afraid of
returning to work at the mall. Taylor and others named in the lawsuit
could not be reached for comment Wednesday. Mall security officers said
Taylor was wearing a full-face Halloween mask and cursing loudly, and
refused to leave at their request, police said. When police arrived,
Taylor continued to act up and was arrested on charges of disorderly
conduct and resisting arrest, officials said. Other members of the
group were sprayed with pepper spray when they surrounded the officers
in a threatening manner, police said. The incident was captured on
videotape by a member of the group and is available on the Internet.
Taylor released his debut album, "The Documentary," last year.
--Two blonde stars may unite, if Jessica Simpson gets her way. Simpson,
26, tells "Access Hollywood" that she "loves" Dolly Parton's 1986 flick
"9 to 5" and dreams of working with the country legend. "That is just
something that after that I could die and go to heaven and be just
fine," Simpson says. Parton, 60, says Simpson "seems like a sweet
girl." "I've been asked to do a couple of things with her and someday
I'd like to," she said. Simpson was last seen on screen in the movie
"Employee of the Month." Parton will receive a lifetime achievement
award in December from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
honoring her four decades in entertainment.
By SOLVEJ SCHOU/Associated Press Writer
--Mel Gibson was honored by a Latino business organization Thursday for
his upcoming film "Apocalypto." Enthusiastic applause greeted the
Oscar-winning actor and director as he walked onstage at the Beverly
Hilton Hotel to receive the Latino Business Association's Chairman's
Visionary Award. Gibson answered questions from association Chairman
Rick Sarmiento about the film, a Mayan-language epic filmed in Mexico
chronicling the decline of the native civilization. No mention was made
of Gibson's recent troubles with the law. He made headlines for
anti-Semitic comments to police in Malibu when he was arrested in late
July on suspicion of drunken driving. He publicly apologized. In
August, he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor in a deal that included
alcohol rehabilitation, probation and fines. After watching a screening
of "Apocalypto," Sarmiento said, he and the association's board
unanimously decided to grant the honor to Gibson. The scandal did not
affect the 30-year-old Los Angeles group's decision, he said. "Hearing
him tell the story about using Latino actors, it was a no-brainer,"
Sarmiento said. "It's not really a Hollywood production. It's a film
made by Mexico, in a way," Gibson told the audience, citing the movie's
crew of Latino makeup artists and set designers, and a cast of unknown
actors. He said that casting unknowns was "tantamount to being at the
Super Bowl and getting your quarterback from the audience." Gibson
originally traveled to Mexico City alone to search for potential
actors. He cast one man after spotting him in a juice bar. Of eating
the food in Mexico, Gibson said: "I have the gringo gut. I was crawling
around on my hands and knees some days." Trails of laughter met his
comment. Gibson said that his film, scheduled for release by Disney on
Dec. 8., is a "badge of honor for the Latino community."
By DOUG GROSS/Associated Press Writer
--Denzel Washington says his path to becoming an Academy Award-winning
actor was paved by people like an English teacher and a barber he knew
as a child. Washington's new book, "A Hand To Guide Me," gathers
together essays by more than 70 entertainment, sports, business and
political leaders who tell the stories of their own childhood mentors.
"It's a celebration of the people behind the people - those who don't
get the recognition who influence the Bill Clintons or the Jimmy
Carters or the George Steinbrenners of the world," Washington said
Thursday in a phone interview from New York, where he is promoting the
book. Both former presidents and the New York Yankees owner are joined
in the book by celebrities from rocker John Mellencamp to actress
Whoopi Goldberg to Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick. The book
is a fundraiser for the Atlanta-based Boys and Girls Clubs of America.
In Washington's own story, he writes that he took inspiration as a
child from a counselor at the club - then just the Boys Club - in his
hometown of Mount Vernon, N.Y., a high school English teacher who had
students read the New York Times every morning. He also found a mentor
in a barber at a shop where he earned money sweeping. He said he hopes
the book will inspire adults to "find themselves in it and reach out"
to a child who may need a similar guiding hand. "We all have the
potential to help out and inspire young people and to make an
impression upon them," Washington said. Washington, who is making no
money from the book, said 60 percent of the proceeds will go to the
Boys and Girls Clubs, with a quarter of that going to his childhood
club in Mount Vernon. Washington, who won the Oscar for Best Actor in
2002 for "Training Day" and for Best Supporting Actor in 1989's
"Glory," next appears in "Deja Vu," a science fiction thriller that
opens Nov. 22.
eveni...@yahoo.com
PUSSS...@aol.com wrote:
>- -P.Diddy writes: "A friend of mine used to go to the same gym as Heather
> Mills. One day they were both in the sauna when Heather's leg fell off
> on to my friend. Heather didn't bat an eyelid and just said 'Sorry,
> that's mine.' Then took it back."
ROFLMAO!!!
Maybe it came a loose after a brisk workout on the stairmaster...