This and that 7/18/02 Part 1
Jaime Jeske
Beyonce begins solo album
By Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith
SIZZLING HOT singer-cum-actress Beyonce Knowles is finally heading into
the studio to cut the solo CD she'd initially hoped to have out the same
time as her feature debut next week in "Austin Powers in Goldmember."
However, she'll have to wait till fellow Destiny's Child member Kelly
Rowland finishes *her* solo album, reports producer/songwriter Damon
Elliott, who also produced Beyonce's title song for "Goldmember."
"I just started Kelly two days ago, and I'm also finishing Mya's album,"
says Elliott, whose mother is Dionne Warwick. "I'm juggling the two,
racing from one studio to the other."
He expects to wrap Kelly's album in about a month. Then, he says, "I'll
go right to Beyonce's. I have to try to knock it out between a Christmas
project I'm doing and three films I'm working on."
Elliott had already produced nine songs for Bill Cosby's big-screen "Fat
Albert" before the film was put on hold after Forest Whitaker exited as
director. Now, he's juggling "'Suckaz' with Jamie Kennedy, 'Papi Chulo'
with Forest Whitaker and 'Lil' Pimp,' based on an Internet character.
And if 'Fat Albert' comes back around, that'll be four films... I don't
foresee sleep in the immediate future."
KICKS ON ROUTE 66: Newlyweds Julia Roberts and Danny Moder decided to
road trip it back to L.A. - a 900-mile, 14-hour-plus trip - from her
Taos, N.M., ranch. In its forthcoming issue, US magazine reports that
Moder took the wheel and drove straight through, beginning at dawn on
July 14, and that the couple has made such treks before - though she has
a private jet at her disposal. Actually, Julia isn't the only superstar
who likes to indulge in an occasional driving trip. Barbra Streisand and
James Brolin are known for taking to the highway in a low-key fashion,
occasionally turning up in out-of-the-way burgs to take in local sights,
shops and such. Robert Redford, too, has done quite a few cross-country
driving runs. And then there's Harrison Ford, who likes to hop around
the country in his helicopter, touching down here and there for
refueling.
UNLEASHED: Hunting activist and rock 'n' roller Ted Nugent, who had a
two-part "Forever Wild" special on VH1 this year, reveals that "they
offered me a variation of that show to host - a series taking a look
behind the scenes of crazy rockers who have an intense and wild image."
His own image, in case you didn't know, is wild enough "to scare you
into a puddle of snot and hair." Be that as it may, they didn't move
forward because "they ain't got enough money for me," says Ted, author
of the new "Kill It & Grill It" wild game cookbook.
He quickly dismisses a reference to Ozzy Osbourne and his MTV show
success, making it clear he wants no comparisons made. "I am the extreme
polar opposite of Ozzy. I've been clean and sober for 53 years," says
the 53-year-old Nugent, whose "Craveman" album is due in September.
"Respect your gifts from God and they continue to work good - don't, and
you end up a drooling embarrassment. Ozzy is the ultimate poster boy for
why I never touch drugs, alcohol or tobacco - because you either end up
like Jerry Garcia (dead) or Ozzy Osbourne. Which is not to say I don't
love Ozzy. And his new CD rocks royal ass. Just don't hold up your
husband to public ridicule because there's a price tag on it," he adds,
a jab at Sharon Osbourne. Nugent already has far more visibility than
his many detractors would like. On tour now, he's had a hunting show on
cable for three years - and is soon to be the subject of an MTV "Cribs"
episode.
With reports by Stephanie DuBois and Erick Johnson. The Celebrities
column appears Monday through Thursday. To find out more about Marilyn
Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the
Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
[JJ adds: In yesterday's This and that part one post, I mistakenly left
the names of Florence Fabricant and Glenn Collins in the "Boldface
Names" byline. Fabricant and Collins contributed to Tuesday's column,
but not Wednesday's.]
"The New York Times"
Thursday, July 18, 2002
BOLDFACE NAMES
5th Season, 2 Pregnancies
By JAMES BARRON
Sex? There wasn't much talk about that at a season-premiere party for
the HBO comedy "Sex and the City." The talk was about two pregnancies, a
wedding and - pay close attention now - how Season No. 5 begins for
viewers in the same weekend that it ends for the cast and crew. The
first episode will be shown on Sunday, the day after the final episode
is filmed.
The pregnancy talk, of course, was about SARAH JESSICA PARKER and
CYNTHIA NIXON, who were showing more than they were in the season's
first two episodes. The wedding talk was about CANDACE BUSHNELL, whose
columns in The New York Observer inspired the show. She was at the party
without her husband of 13 days, the dancer CHARLES ASKEGARD. (Busy
performing, the New York City Ballet said.)
Both Mr. Bigs were there - RONALD A. GALOTTI, the vice president and
publisher of GQ magazine ("the original Mr. Big," the show's creator,
DARREN STAR, called him), and CHRIS NOTH, who plays Mr. Big on the show.
So were JENNIFER J. RAAB, the president of Hunter College (her sister,
JANE RAAB, is a producer of "Sex and the City"); BEBE NEUWIRTH;
ELIZABETH ROHM; BRYANT GUMBEL; and such stars of other HBO shows as
LORRAINE BRACCO and ROBERT ILER of "The Sopranos" and CHRISTOPHER MELONI
and B. D. WONG of "Oz."
Like Ms. Bushnell, Ms. Parker was husbandless for the night - MATTHEW
BRODERICK is in Toronto, filming "The Music Man." And as for the
pregnancies and Ms. Bushnell's marriage, Ms. Parker said that they had
not changed the dynamics of "Sex and the City."
"I'm not pregnant on the show, and Candace doesn't work on the show
anymore," Ms. Parker said. Her own routine has yet to change from
16-hour days: "I'm still working the same way as in 1997." And 2003? She
and Ms. Nixon are "looking forward to next season with our small
children on the set," she said.
Movie Conflict
DAVID KUHN, who was most recently the editor of Brill's Content and
Inside.com, says he invited 150 people to the TriBeCa Grand Hotel for a
Tuesday screening of the thriller "One Hour Photo." (It stars ROBIN
WILLIAMS and was produced by Mr. Kuhn's friend, CHRISTINE VACHON, along
with PAMELA KOFFLER.) His invitation promised cocktails at 7 and the
movie at 8:30 in a screening room downstairs in the hotel.
But a 7 p.m. movie had been booked in the screening room. It would not
end until - synchronize watches, please - 8:47.
"A couple of people started wandering downstairs into the screening room
and were like, `I guess Robin Williams is going to appear on the screen
any minute,' " Ms. Vachon said.
Upstairs, Mr. Kuhn and officials from Fox Searchlight Pictures, the
film's distributor, simply kept the bar open - not for as long a
one-hour photo place would take to process a roll of film, but only an
extra 20 minutes or so. Then the first screening-room audience filed out
and Mr. Kuhn's crowd - which included the artist TOM SACHS; the
restaurateur SEAN K. MacPHERSON; the designer ANNA SUI; and the
Warholian acolyte JANE HOLZER - filed in.
Stop Growing, Please
TYLER HOECHLIN, 14, says that playing TOM HANKS'S son in "Road to
Perdition" was a growth experience. Literally.
"I was 4-11 when I started, and I'm 5-6 now," he said. "I actually grew
about three inches during shooting."
That was enough to be noticed. "The producers were kind of getting on
the edge of their seat, and kind of like pushing me down," he said.
An Actor? In Politics?
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER has been talking politics again. He told
Republicans attending a National Governors Association conference in
Boise, Idaho, that he might yet run for governor of California. He said
he decided not to challenge GOV. GRAY DAVIS because of movie-sequel
commitments ("Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," "True Lies 2").
"It's something that I'm still interested in," he said. "I think that
the greatest thing you can do is serve the people. It gives me the
greatest satisfaction, much more than going down another red carpet to
do a movie premiere, to go and create after-school programs, help
Special Olympians, inspire kids to stay away from drugs and gangs."
"The Chicago Sun-Times"
Thursday, July 18, 2002
Will shock jock buy a rock?
BY BILL ZWECKER SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST
Could the ''King of All Media'' be taking a new queen? Sounds like the
one and only Howard Stern is getting close to walking down the aisle
with Beth Ostrosky, girlfriend of the famous shock jock for past two
years.
The word from New York--and the Hamptons, where Stern is spending a good
bit of his summer--has the duo seriously talking marriage. While
infamous for his outrageous on-air performances, Stern is really a
pretty traditional guy when it comes to his personal life.
''Away from that microphone, Howard is one of the most normal people I
know,'' says a longtime broadcasting associate.
Stern and his ex-wife, Alison, divorced four years ago.
LOVE ON THE ROCKS?: Angelina Jolie admits to US Weekly that she and
hubby Billy Bob Thornton are going through "a difficult time." The
actress, 27, says she hasn't seen her 46-year-old mate in over a
month--before he began a road trip with his band. Jolie, who's caring
for their recently adopted son, told the magazine, "He's focused on his
music career. I'm focused on my baby. It comes down to what's important
to you."
BASS BLASTOFF? While Lance Bass' plan to rocket into space isn't
completely a done deal, the 'N Sync-er does seem one step closer. The
singer has been named by the Russians as a ''prospective'' member of the
Soyuz crew that will be sent to the international space station in
October. However, Bass still has not signed a final contract, nor
shelled over the $20 million to guarantee his flight on the Russian
spacecraft.
Bass has begun his cosmonaut training, but msnbc.com reports the
23-year-old pop star must still be approved by Russia's partners in the
16-nation space project.
WHAT'S IN A NAME? When the folks at Beefeater heard that "Baywatch''
co-star Traci Bingham and the folks at the People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals were on the famed ginmaker's case, they assumed it
was about a pitch to change the ancient distillery's name.
As it turns out, nothing could be further from the truth. Seems Bingham
& Co. had heard there were a lot of veggie-boosters at Beefeater, which
indeed has just signed-on as a PETA sponsor. (At left Bingham boosts
veggies--and PETA's effort--by posing in a salad-motif bikini in
France.)
HUGH'S SLICE? On the heels of his critically acclaimed turn in ''About a
Boy" comes this intriguing casting rumor regarding Hugh Grant. The actor
is said to be close to finalizing a deal with his ''Boy'' directors,
Chris and Paul Weitz, to play a major role in the third installment of
their wildly successful ''American Pie'' franchise.
All this would take place after the Weitz brothers finish their current
project--directing ''Meet the Fockers,'' the sequel to ''Meet the
Parents.''
STAGE STRUCK: If schedules can be coordinated, good buddies Leonardo
DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire may be the next American matinee idols to
slip into starring roles in the London production of ''This Is Our
Youth,'' the play in which Matt Damon, Hayden Christensen and Jake
Gyllenhaal recently made their West End stage debuts. While reps for
DiCaprio and Maguire are mute on the subject, ''Youth'' producer Clare
Lawrence confirmed negotiations with the two actors are
proceeding--looking to an October or November relaunch of the play,
which closed in June.
Set in the 1980s, ''This Is Our Youth'' was written by American
playwright Kenneth Lonergan and tracks the lives of three wealthy New
Yorkers during two days of heavy drug use, failed romance and much
introspection. DiCaprio's interest in the play stems from his work on
the new Martin Scorsese film ''Gangs of New York,'' for which Lonergan
scripted the screenplay.
**Adding to the recent trend of famous U.S. film stars (Madonna, Gwyneth
Paltrow, etc.) trying their luck on the London stage are Kyle MacLachlan
and Woody Harrelson--both making their West End bows in ''On an Average
Day'' on July 25.
HEARTTHROB CENTRAL: Fans of ''General Hospital'' star Ingo
Rademacher--the man they love to call ''Jasper Jax''--will greet his
public this weekend at two area appearances. The actor will be at
Zanies/Vernon Hills at 1 p.m., Saturday, moving on to the Zanies in St.
Charles for a 5 p.m. gig.
"The Boston Globe"
NAMES
Time running out for film office; humor magazine comes back to life
By Carol Beggy and Stephanie Stoughton, Globe Staff, 7/18/2002
GOING DARK? Things are looking bleak again for the Massachusetts Film
Office, the state agency that boosts movie production in the
Commonwealth. A state official confirmed to us yesterday that the
office, which won a brief fiscal reprieve last month, has been cut out
of the state budget entirely and will shut down a week from tomorrow.
''As of now, they are gone by the end of the month,'' the official said.
Notice to the office's seven employees arrived in certified letters
because the union members among them must get 10 days' notice that they
are losing their jobs. The news was released days after the film office
basked in the news that Clint Eastwood and a load of stars would be
coming to town in two months to film ''Mystic River.'' Robin Dawson, the
bureau's executive director, wouldn't say much yesterday about the
budgetary turnabout, except to confirm that she received notification
Tuesday night that the letters were going out, signaling that the
agency's $490,000 budget would be zeroed out by legislative conferees
struggling to close a $600 million budget gap. Still, there remains a
trace of hope for Dawson & Co. ''In this process, nothing's done until
the governor signs it,'' the official said. ''The entire roster of who's
in and who's out could change.'' Dawson said she keeps working on a
number of pending film projects, despite the budget chaos, but it's
hard. She's been scrambling to line up some combination of public and
private funds to carry on. ''I wish they had given us more time or
notice,'' Dawson said of the Legislature, ''There's not much time to
deal with it.''
REINCARNATED HUMOR The first issue of the revived Editorial Humor hits
news boxes today with cartoons whacking snoozing government watchdogs,
bungling Major League Baseball, and the ongoing war on terror. The
24-page issue includes some cartoons from other countries - Egypt, the
Netherlands, France, and Germany. We think a few jokes got lost in the
translation. But for real chuckles, turn to the sports page, where Major
League Baseball takes a few spankings. In ''Another sign MLB is in
trouble,'' a cartoonist has fans bypassing an entryway marked ''overpaid
players on steroids'' and flocking to ''Ted Williams on ice.'' Ouch.
Also in the tasteless-but-let's-giggle-while-no-one's-watching category
are: Ted Williams's head in an Alcor cryonics bottle and Martha Stewart
preparing a bread-and-water meal from prison. This is Editorial Humor's
second incarnation. The locally based publication, led by former
publisher Dean Wallace, folded earlier this year. The new owners are
Robert Deutsch, a former editor of Editorial Humor, cartoonist John
Klossner, and editor-writer Derek Gerry.
FROM TEMPTATION TO TRAP DOORS We always wondered if smiling game-show
host Mark L. Walberg(*not* actor and Dorchester native Mark Wahlberg)
really wanted to knock some sense into a few ''Temptation Island''
contestants. Our imagination? Not really. In the second season of the
two-timing reality show, Walberg said one contestant tested his
patience: Genevieve. ''I had a hard time with her,'' he said,
complaining that she was not very authentic. We concede that the show
host exhibited loads of patience with other contestants, like the two
banished from the island after it was discovered that they had a child -
a violation of the Fox show's rules for the couples. But now Walberg can
get his revenge. In ''Russian Roulette,'' his new hosting gig on the
Game Show Network, losing contestants fall through trap doors. However,
no one gets shot in the head, and pads will break the losers' falls, he
said. ''I can't go from breaking up people to shooting people for
picking the wrong chamber,'' he cracked. ... While in town for this
week's cable and telecom conference, Walberg got a chance to hit a few
local institutions: Kelly's Roast Beef on Revere Beach and Anthony's
Pier 4, where he met founder Anthony Athanas. ''We were waiting for our
table, fooling around,'' he said. ''He's 91 years old and very spry. He
punched me ... and almost dislocated my rib.'' Good thing Athanas was
just joshing.
GENTLE-PEOPLE, START YOUR ENGINES Some 18 lucky people will have a
chance to test their driving skills today against Robby Gordon, the
NASCAR racing champ, at the F1 Boston racing track in Braintree. The F1
track features miniversions of Formula 1 racing cars. The drivers who
will challenge Gordon were chosen through a radio station promotion.
Gordon, who drives the No. 31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet Monte Carlo,
is in the area for this weekend's New England 300 at the New Hampshire
International Speedway in Loudon. ... While Gordon will be rubbing
elbows, as it were, with the public, Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the
No. 8 Budweiser Monte Carlo, will be stopping by R. J. Valentine 's F1
track in Braintree for a private meeting with media and race sponsors.
END NOTES That was Camryn Manheim, who plays an attorney on ABC's ''The
Practice,'' in Beantown for a visit. She stayed at the recently opened
Nine Zero hotel in a one-bedroom suite. We hear she dined with the hotel
operations director, Jeffrey Brezovar, at the Spire restaurant inside
Nine Zero. ...
Names can be reached at names at globe.com or at 617-929-8253. This
story ran on page D2 of the Boston Globe on 7/18/2002.
"The Atlanta Journal-Constitution"
Thursday, July 18, 2002
Thursday Peach Buzz
Mayberry R.F.D.
Andy Griffith will have a portion of U.S. 52 in North Carolina -- near
his hometown of Mount Airy -- named in his honor.
The 76-year-old actor starred in the popular '60s TV sitcom "The Andy
Griffith Show." The series was set in the fictional town of Mayberry,
widely believed to be based on Mount Airy.
Although it's been awhile, this isn't the first time officials in his
hometown have paid homage to its favorite son. Forty-five years ago, on
June 1, 1957, the city proclaimed Andy Griffith Day after the young
actor had made a splash on Broadway in "No Time for Sergeants". He was
honored with a parade and a key to the town.
Griffith and his wife Cindy now live in Manteo, along the North Carolina
coast.
Speedway.
"The Denver Post"
Thursday, July 18, 2002
'Sleeper' house up for $10 mil
By Bill Husted
Want to spend the night in the Sculptured House?
You're in, as long as you have $10 million.
Denver's most famous residence, the house that starred in the Woody
Allen movie "Sleeper" and overlooks Lookout Mountain, is for sale. The
space-age clam is listed by agent Rollie Jordan at Kentwood Cherry Creek
for 10 big ones.
And Jordan will allow qualified buyers to spend the night in the house.
You'll get a limo ride up and back, a catered dinner and a chance to
watch "Sleeper" on a plasma screen in the den.
"Everyone in the world wants to see this house," says Jordan. "But we're
going to check people out, totally, financially, before they go up
there."
At $10 million, the 7,500-square-foot house is fetching $1,333 a square
foot. But it sits on 15 acres, your own little mountain, and it's more a
work of art than a crash pad. Architectural Digest will feature it as a
notable property this fall. The Robb Report is set to hype it too.
Software mogul John Huggins owns the house. He bought it for $1.3
million in 1999, and spent a lot more than that rescuing it from
neglect, adding 5,000 square feet and turning it into a "futuristic"
showplace.
He married L.A. transplant Patricia Dreier there last Saturday. About
200 guests gathered on the patio to celebrate the nups. On the wedding
cake were statues of George and Jane Jetson.
Asked why he was selling the place, Huggins said, "I found it was more
fun creating it than having it."
Some people say the same thing about marriage, I told him, but he just
laughed like the happy newlywed he is.
I'm going to take the house for a sleepover test drive in August. If you
have $10 million, you can join me.
Jaime