BITS AND PIECES 12/21
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--REV. Al Sharpton will not appear in a new CBS sitcom after all.
Sharpton says that talks between his office and CBS' sister company,
Paramount, to create a comedy called "Al in the Family" have ended. "I
haven't done the things I've done to be in a sitcom," he said. There
were discussions between Paramount and someone else for a television
series, he told the Charlotte News & Observer, but they have ended.
"I'm not interested in being Archie Bunker, I'm looking forward to
becoming George Bush," Sharpton said, alluding to yet another future
run to be the first black U.S. president. The show was supposed to
feature the rotund reverend as he deals with "being at the center of a
family with conflicting political and social views." Earlier this
month, Sharpton told The Post that filming on the pilot could begin
early next year. "I guess now we'll see if I can be consistently
funny," Sharpton said at the time.
--DONNIE Carroll, the Dorchester rapper and inspiration for the
character "Turtle" in Mark Wahlberg's hit HBO comedy, "Entourage," died
over the weekend, reportedly of an asthma attack. Carroll, 39, who was
known as "Donkey," collapsed in his fiancee's arms Sunday night. He was
rushed to the hospital, where he died.
NY POST/PAGE SIX...
--ALEXA Joel is truly her father's daughter. The Piano Man's progeny
wowed the crowd at the Cutting Room Monday night, playing the piano and
singing original songs with her band. Though she got a standing ovation
from the sold-out crowd which included Gilbert Gottfried and Cyndi
Lauper, time constraints stopped her from playing an encore. Mom
Christie Brinkley proudly ushered her own guests in the room, asking,
"Do we have Alexa's piano teachers?"
--SPIKE Lee and his kids rinkside at the Garden watching Rangers goalie
Kevin Weekes as the home team lost 2-1 to Colorado, and then getting
autographed sticks from Weekes in the locker room.
--REBECCA Romijn snuggling up for a week at the One and Only resort in
Palmilla, Mexico, with a mystery man who was definitely not Jerry
O'Connell.
--MEL Brooks has a "novel" idea for New York Times movie critic A.O.
Scott: Stick to nonfiction. While holding court Monday night at French
Roast, his beloved Greenwich Village eatery, "The Producers" creator
was overheard making mincemeat of Scott's review of the new screen
version of the smash Broadway musical. (That would be the one in which
Scott slams the flick for "its utter lack of taste, charm or wit.") "I
was tempted to send him an e-mail saying, 'I found your review
fascinating. I adore fiction,' " said Brooks. "Then I thought, no, it
should be a real letter - along with a note saying, 'Be sure to save
this because, after you're gone, it'll be the only thing of yours
people want to read.' "
--IT doesn't look like George Clooney is going to make that big
financial score in Las Vegas as he did in "Ocean's Eleven." Sources
tell The Post's Braden Keil that his much-ballyhooed, $3 billion Las
Ramblas condominium and entertainment project on 25 acres in Sin City
is in trouble and may be scrapped. Clooney and partners, who include
Rande Gerber and Miami builder Jorge Perez, made big news last summer
when the plan was announced, with the Hollywood heartthrob saying he'd
donate his share of profits to charity. But the Vegas housing market is
already experiencing a condo construction glut. Calls to the Related
Cos., developer of the complex, were not returned.
--SIZE doesn't matter for Verne "Mini-Me" Troyer, the "Austin Powers"
curiosity who leapt on stage and shimmied with three topless dancers at
Scores on Monday night. Troyer stole the show from model Markus
Schenkenberg, who co-starred with him on TV's "Surreal Life." "They
were throwing $100 bills, cheering Verne on," we're told. Troyer went
on to receive lap dances from over a dozen Scores girls. He joins the
ranks of Demi Moore, Dennis Rodman and Trudy Styler among those who've
shaken their thing at the mammary mecca.
--'TIS the season to get hammered for slumming party boys Johnny
Knoxville and Luke Wilson, who were sighted over the weekend at two
downtown dives. On Friday night, our spy reports Wilson hooked up with
Knoxville at the Meatpacking District's Hog Pit barbecue, where they
both "seemed completely out of their minds." Says the source: "On
Johnny's way out, he flipped out on a guy who called him a peach and
threw the guy into a table, which broke in two. He then hit himself in
his own head, as if trying to sober himself up." Sunday afternoon, the
duo hit cocktail hour a tad early at Milady's Bar in SoHo, where they
blended right in. Shades-wearing Knoxville and puffy-looking Wilson
shot pool and kept the drinks coming - until Knoxville cut out with a
short blond woman. Wilson, who's filming "Super Ex-Girlfriend" in New
York with Uma Thurman, looked as if "someone had slipped him a Mickey"
and was "mumbling his words" as he chatted with a slinky, raven-haired
"rocker chick." After the woman left, Wilson wandered out onto Thompson
Street but was ushered back in by the bartender for forgetting to pay
his tab. The typically unfazed blue-collar crowd finally took notice
and camera flashes popped. Wilson made haste from the bar with an
unknown couple.
--Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf have plans to develop a luxury hotel and
residences in Tamarack, Idaho.
NY POST/LIZ SMITH...
--HOLLYWOOD'S MOST glamorous - and talented - tabloid fodder,
Lindsay Lohan, ran into Hollywood's most enigmatic leading man, Keanu
Reeves, the other night at L.A.'s Chateau Marmont. Both stars were
dining with friends, and just happened to get up at the same time to
use the washroom facilities. They made eye contact in the lobby,
chatted, complimented each other's work and finally asked the front
desk for pen and paper to exchange numbers. They returned to their
respective dinner companions. Now, the last time we wrote that Lindsay
had exchanged a number with a sexy man, it was Colin Farrell - "Oh,
my God, she's only 17! It never happened!" despaired her reps, asking
us to retract. Well, Lindsay is 19 now, and I'm sure she and Reeves
were talking business. Or simply becoming friends. What? - it
happens.
NY DAILY NEWS/BEN WIDDICOMBE...
--As if a film about a con man trying to fix the Special Olympics
wasn't offensive enough, at the premiere of "The Ringer," we witnessed
this skeeve-tastic exchange between "Body Heat" director Lawrence
Kasdan and that movie's star, Kathleen Turner, who was with her
18-year-old daughter. "I directed the best movie your mother was ever
in, the hottest movie your mother was ever in," Kasdan told the teen of
his 1981 thriller about an extramarital affair. "What? You haven't seen
'Body Heat'? It is so hot." An uncomfortable-looking Turner replied,
"Nope, I don't think she has seen that one. It was the first movie I
did." Her daughter added, "I blatantly refuse to watch those movies. I
don't want to," before moving on to a more age-appropriate conversation
with a friend.
--Mary J. Blige - who isn't talking to her sister/manager after she
fired her - probably won't be sending Christmas cards to her many
family members this year. But if she did, this is what they would say:
"They'll be mad at me, but it's the truth - they were angry, hateful,
jealous, ignorant, prideful people. My aunts were very, very mean
people. I didn't want to be like that," she told London's Guardian. And
don't get her started on Mom. "It might be that she's living
vicariously through me, but I believe she's gotten real bitter about
it," says Blige. "It's probably why we've never really got along. Even
as a child, she was a little rough on me, because on top of my father
leaving, I was singing as a child, and it was what she wanted but she
didn't use it. She didn't have the courage to use it." And you thought
your family was tense during the holidays.
--Huey Lewis, now starring in "Chicago" on Broadway, popped into
Chelsea karaoke bar Encore on Saturday when he heard owner Alan Philips
singing his hit "If This Is It" from the street. Lewis jumped on stage
and sang along.
--Speaking of "Chicago," actresses from the show threw a baby shower at
Bond 45 for their alum Brooke Shields, who is pregnant with her second
child.
--Paul Rudd took his wife and daughter to a recent J.Crew bash and
spoke enthusiastically about starring opposite Julia Roberts in her
Broadway debut in Richard Greenberg's upcoming "Three Days of Rain."
--Poor Johnny Knoxville might be the only Hollywood star who takes
drugs and puts on weight. "My character is out of shape, so I didn't
have to get in shape," he told us at the premiere of "The Ringer." "I
did gain a little weight for the role and then I gained another 15
pounds because I hurt my back and I took this anti-inflammatory stuff
and it broke me out in a rash and I had to take an insane amount of
steroids, so I gained another 15 pounds."
NY DAILY NEWS/LLOYD GROVE...
--An unidentified Russian oligarch has just given two $9,000 furs to
Mariah Carey - a Saga mink and another coat - but the songstress
happens to be an animal-rights fan. So she immediately sent them to
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' New York office.
"Christmas came early," said PETA's Dawn Carr, noting that the group
will use the coats in grisly presentations to high school students
around the country on how animals are cruelly trapped in the wild or
strangled and electrocuted on fur farms just for a frivolous fashion
item.
--I hear that producer Tracey Edmonds, estranged wife of R&B crooner
Kenneth (Babyface) Edmonds, is hot and heavy with top entertainment
lawyer Londell McMillan. Word is they've been close since September -
before the Edmondses announced their formal separation - when Tracey
was working on a reality show for Lil' Kim, McMillan's client. Neither
of the lovebirds responded to detailed messages.
USA TODAY/By Mary Cadden
--Consumers who pre-order a DVD copy of the controversial documentary
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room can get a downloadable replica of
an Enron stock certificate. Advance orders must be placed through a
special website, www.enrondvd.com. The DVD ($27) will be out Jan. 17
through Magnolia Home Entertainment, a venture of entertainment moguls
Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner, whose 2929 Entertainment advocates same-day
releasing of movies across theatrical, DVD and electronic platforms.
The company's first day-and-date release is Bubble, a Steven Soderbergh
murder mystery due Jan. 31. Enron is Magnolia Home Entertainment's
inaugural home video release. The film is one of 15 documentary
features shortlisted for Oscar consideration.
--The fifth annual Bonnaroo Music Festival is set for June 16-18 in
Manchester, Tenn. The three-day camping and music event will be held on
a 600-acre farm about 60 miles southeast of Nashville. The lineup of
artists hasn't yet been announced, but past acts have included The
Black Crowes, Bob Dylan, Alison Krauss, Neil Young, Sonic Youth, The
Roots and Norah Jones.
--ABC's Commander in Chief has joined the roster of TV programs that
are available through Apple's iTunes Music Store. New episodes of the
series, which stars Geena Davis as the first female president of the
United States, will be available for download the day after they air
for $1.99. Previous episodes also will be available. Commander joins
other ABC hits Desperate Housewives and Lost. NBC also has a separate
deal with iTunes for series including The Office and Surface.
--CBS' Cold Case will feature nine Bruce Springsteen songs Jan. 8 (8
p.m. ET/PT). The episode concerns the team reopening a case from 1988
involving a group of high school friends who are brought in for
questioning after one is found dead. The "8 Years" episode uses
Springsteen songs from The River, Nebraska, Born in the USA and Tunnel
of Love to evoke the years 1980-1988.
--Fox's That '70s Show moves from Wednesdays to Thursdays (8 p.m.
ET/PT) beginning Jan. 12, joining The O.C., which takes the 9 p.m.
slot. Back-to-back episodes of '70s will air for the remainder of the
season, except when it bows out for three weeks to make room for the
American Idol semifinalists results show Feb. 23, March 2 and March 9.
--APink Floyd fans on this side of the pond will be able to catch
singer/guitarist David Gilmour's first solo trek in more than 20 years.
A week after he announced plans to tour Europe in March, Gilmour said
he would play 10 shows in five North American cities (New York,
Toronto, Chicago, Oakland and Los Angeles) beginning April 4 with a
two-night stand at Radio City Music Hall in New York. Gilmour's album,
On an Island, is due March 7.
3 A.M. GIRLS...
--BLACK Eyed Peas singer Fergie had an unlikely admirer during their
party for MTV on Sunday. The Prince of Brunei got his flunkies to ask
the 30-year-old for a dance at the swanky Kabaret's Prophecy club in
Soho. But it didn't last long, we're told. 3am's royal reporter tells
us: "The party was jumping. Kid Rock and Estelle had grabbed the mic
for fantastic impromptu raps and everyone was up dancing. "Fergie was
sitting chatting with pals when the Prince got his aides to beg her for
a dance. She finally gave in, but when he started flinging his arms
about and making some crazy shapes, she made her excuses and legged
it." The singer was seen popping in and out of the loos, praising the
cartoons by Gorillaz artist Jamie Hewlett. She told fans as she
powdered her nose: "They're really funny. I'm having an amazing time
tonight. It's wild." Needless to say she didn't try to go on to the
dancefloor again.
--REHAB is doing Colin Farrell a world of good, according to his mates
anyway. The badboy's pal Jonathan Rhys-Meyers - star of Woody Allen's
Match Point - told us at the movie's premiere at posh jewellers Asprey:
"I'm glad he's looking after himself. He is well and happy now and
getting better every day - so I'm very happy for him." The Mirror
revealed last week how the Alexander star, 30, checked into rehab after
completing filming on Miami Vice. Fellow Irish hunk Jonathan, 29, who
played Elvis in an award winning mini-series, has had his own troubles,
too. In January he was arrested for possession of a Class C drug and on
suspicion of assault. A sober New Year due for these two, we reckon.
L.A. DAILY NEWS/ Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith
--Comedic writer/actor Bruce Vilanch toured with Cher to write jokes,
and now he's losing weight with her daughter - competing with Chastity
Bono and various other celebrities in "Celebrity Fit Club 3," which
debuts Jan. 1. "With Chastity, there are far fewer clothes to worry
about - not as many costume changes," jokes Vilanch. "I've known her
since she was a baby, so it's interesting to watch her evolution. She's
a born leader, like both her parents." Chastity is his team captain on
the show. When asked what made him want to participate in the
weight-loss challenge, the wild-haired comic responds, "I've tried
everything else, but I've never been paid to lose weight before, so I
thought, 'Jeez, this is motivating.'" Vilanch wasn't too concerned
either about being associated with reality television. "I've been a
public personality, so I thought, whatever's out there is out there.
It's kind of late in the game to be worried about image." So far he's
lost 20 pounds. "I didn't realize how much better I would feel with 20
pounds off. It's less to carry around."
--"Desperate Housewives'" Marcia Cross, who is set to marry money
manager Tom Mahoney this summer, admits, "I feel like I'm 40 years old
and I've just been asked to the prom. You say to yourself, 'Wasn't I
supposed to do this a long time ago? I never thought I would get
married, so it's really weird. Now I'm really excited at the thought of
commitment," she adds. The 43-year-old actress opens up about her
matters of the heart in the 2006 winter issue of InStyle Weddings, due
on stands next week. She also says, "I've never been happier. Being
single is really hard for me. I think we're social creatures that
aren't meant to be alone all the time."
--Despite talk earlier this year that John Travolta was the most likely
suspect to play the well-upholstered Edna Turnblad in the film version
of John Waters' hit Broadway musical "Hairspray," other star names are
now being sought for the movie. And you know what that means: Potential
Ednas now have the ideal excuse to wolf down as much eggnog and cookies
as they want to over the holidays. Harvey Fierstein, you'll recall, won
a Tony for playing Edna, a role essayed later by gents including Mr.
Vilanch, above. Things look pretty wide open for casting of Tracy
Turnblad as well - that's the 1962 optimistic fat Baltimore teen part
that won a Tony for Marissa Jaret Winokur on stage. In fact, they'll be
casting for all the characters after the New Year with plans for
rehearsal to begin in late spring, and shooting to commence in summer
on the New Line Cinema film.