BITS AND PIECES 11/01
PUSSS...@aol.com
--Fox's "24" doesn't return until January, but the show's rabid fans
(including me) can look even further beyond to the "24" movie. That,
too, will star Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer. "I'll be filming '24'
until May, then hopefully we'll have a script for '24,' the film, but
that is the one film that I will do this year," Sutherland tells In
Touch magazine. "Right now, I am solely focused on '24.' I worked with
the writers during the spring break, which is why I didn't do a film
then. And we are cautiously optimistic [for a movie script]."
--CNN anchor Kyra Phillips is at it again - but this time her comments
about her husband are on-the-record. Phillips made headlines in August
for dishing about her hubby (in a good way) and dissing her
sister-in-law as a "control freak" during a visit to the restroom -
comments that aired because she forgot to shut off her mike. She
discusses her hubby again in the November/December issue of Golf for
Women. "When I was dating my husband I'd tease him saying, 'We can't
get married until you learn to play golf,' " she says. "Now he's better
than me. It makes me furious!" Last, but not least: * That was Jodi
Applegate dressed as Jeannie from "I Dream of Jeannie" on yesterday's
"Good Day New York" (Halloween show).
--"Extra" kicks off November sweeps tomorrow with a visit to the set of
"Desperate Housewives."
--'FRIDAY Night Lights" scored some points Monday night, taking over
the timeslot usually reserved for the ailing "Studio 60." "Lights"
snared roughly 8.3 million viewers Monday night, about 1 million more
viewers than "Studio" drew last week. In all, it did not bode well for
the Aaron Sorkin-created series, which was expected to be one of the
high points of the new season. Both "Lights" and "Studio" just received
orders for additional episodes, but given the lukewarm track records
for both shows, they might never air.
--THE Paul McCartney-Heather Mills divorce battle could be heading to
the airwaves. The British press reports that Mills is negotiating a TV
interview to tell her side of the story - and that McCartney may follow
suit and line up his own TV sitdown to counteract her ploy. The couple,
who have a daughter, Beatrice, split in May after being married for
less than four years. Mills charges that McCartney was physically and
verbally abusive in their relationship, which McCartney vehemently
denies. The Daily Express has reported that Mills believes a TV
interview will get her side of the story across to the British public.
McCartney, meanwhile, is reportedly being urged by his daughter,
Stella, to do his own TV interview if the Mills sitdown comes to
fruition.
NY POST/PAGE SIX...
--THE Marines may like to look at Jenna Jameson - but only in private.
The porn star's boyfriend, ultimate fighter Tito Ortiz, was scheduled
to give a speech as a guest of honor in front of 800 men in uniform at
a "birthday" ball at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego
on Nov. 12. But the pugilist was disinvited after the Marine brass
found out he was going to bring Jameson as his date. Ortiz received an
e-mail from Maj. Jason Johnston stating, "There is some serious
consternation here about having your girlfriend attend our ball. Of
course I, and a lot of Marines, are very excited about it, [but] many
of our commanders feel it might be inappropriate for the type of event
we are having . . . it is professionally embarrassing for me to have to
possibly retract our invitation, especially when I am such a big fan."
Ortiz and Jameson are making other plans.
--IVANA Trump's friends are increasingly worried about her hard
partying, and were shocked when she had to be carried out of Barbara
Davis' Carousel Ball Saturday night in Beverly Hills. "Ivana is really
out of control," said a West Coast pal. "She's drinking and partying
more than ever, and we are all really concerned." The bouncy Czech and
her boyfriend, Rossano Rubicondi, had one of their famous fights the
day before, and Ivana was still upset as she dressed for the gala.
According to insiders, Trump, 57, had told several people she would go
to the Carousel Ball with them - but at the last minute called her
agent and longtime pal, William Morris chairman Norman Brokaw, and
insisted on going with him and his daughter. Trump left Rubicondi at
the Beverly Hills Hotel. By the time the Brokaws and Trump arrived at
the Carousel Ball at the Beverly Hilton, Trump was visibly "out of it."
One red carpet spy said, "She had Norman hold one arm and had his
daughter hold her other arm because she was wobbling so much . . .
Finally, someone heard Norman say, 'You can't stay here like this, you
must go home.' " A good samaritan who was watching the unsteady Ivana
told Brokaw, "I will take care of her and make sure she gets home
safely." "Norman was shocked and looked really embarrassed by the whole
event," said a spy. "I don't think he has talked to her since." Ivana's
rep, Catherine Saxton, said, "Ivana just had a bit of a flu bug. Before
she was in L.A., she had been in the Czech Republic, St. Tropez, Paris
and Palm Beach and somewhere along the way picked up a flu bug. So, on
that night, she took some NyQuil before heading to the ball. She went
home in a friend's car." Sources say the former model and first wife of
Donald Trump sought treatment for her drinking earlier this year. In
August, we reported that an out-of-control Trump was thrown out of
Monte Carlo nightclub Jimmy's after a raging fight with Rubicondi. One
Web site reports, "More recently, she has taken to calling friends late
at night and leaving rambling, incoherent voice mails."
--SUMNER Redstone and Barbara Davis don't like each other. The Viacom
chief and the grandmother of Brandon "Firecrotch" Davis were at her
Carousel of Hope gala honoring Quincy Jones and Clive Davis when
Redstone, who was seated with Barbara Sinatra, Jackie Collins and LAPD
Chief Bill Bratton, complained he had expected to be dining with Larry
King and his wife, Shawn, reports Variety's Army Archerd. "[He] told
Barbara Davis he was leaving. Barbara, unfazed, told him to go ahead
and leave - adding, 'You're very rude.' "
--ONE lady got a bonus in her swag bag after Monday night's N.Y.
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children event. Joan Rivers
told Page Six a guest walked away with her late mother's antique purse,
which she had placed inside her own "goodie bag." After putting the bag
down to take photos with Deborah Norville and Rosie O'Donnell, Rivers
grabbed the wrong bag - sending someone else home with the clutch along
with the normal freebies, perfume and cosmetics. Despite losing an
heirloom, Rivers chuckled, "Some lucky lady is going to say, 'Look at
this! It's got money, Joan Rivers' lip gloss, a compact - this is some
goodie bag!' "
--WHOSE is bigger? That was the question Heat hoop stars Dwayne Wade
and Shaquille O'Neal were heard heatedly discussing at the GQ party at
Mokai in Miami the other night. Some guests got the impression the
court legends were boasting about their sexual prowess, but they were
actually comparing the size of their yachts. Also listening in on the
intense debate were Udonis Haslem, Dontrelle Willis, Gary Payton and
Pharrell Williams.
--THIEVES were lurking in the corners of the ACE awards at Cipriani
42nd Street the other night. Fashion writer Suzy Menkes set her Leiber
award - an actual Judith Leiber jeweled box clutch - down on her table,
and when she looked away for just a second, someone swiped it.
Meanwhile, the emcee, glamorous "Access Hollywood" host Nancy O'Dell,
spent the evening gossiping with Jennifer Lopez while Tom Ford made
sure everyone at his table had a good time by continually pouring shots
of Svedka vodka for his tablemates, including Naomi Watts.
NY DAILY NEWS/RUSH AND MOLLOY....
--Why are the English as enamored of Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis as
Americans are? "Well, she's American royalty, isn't she?" said author
Eve Pollard, who imagines Jackie O as a CIA agent in "Jack's Widow."
"But we rarely hear about her now. Poor [Princess] Diana, there's an
article every month. But Jackie has remained a mystery." Pollard, who
launched Elle magazine and has been chief editor of two British
newspapers, says Jackie was in the catbird seat as the chic young wife
of President John F. Kennedy. "As First Lady, she would know who's
moving up, who down. She did so much entertaining, and was always next
to the most important man in the room besides her husband." After his
assassination, Pollard wondered, "What if the CIA had asked her to
marry Aristotle Onassis so that they could use his island, Skorpios, to
spy on the Russians?" Ruminating on these questions at Peter Brown's
carbohydrate-shaped spread on Central Park West were British cabinet
minister Sean Woodward, People mag editor Larry Hackett, writers Melik
Kaylan and Paige Peterson, artist Sacha Newley and his mother, Joan
Collins, who gave her daughter Katyana the middle name Kennedy, after
JFK. Collins, who's touring in "Legends" with former "Dynasty" co-star
Linda Evans, had just left a signing of her own new book, "The Art of
Living Well: Looking Good, Feeling Great," at Borders in the Time
Warner Center, and wouldn't drink the bottled water, which old-school
women find unladylike. She kept repeating, "I would like a GLASS of
water," to no avail.
--Jennifer Lopez's publicist made sure baby-bump watchers took notice
of her client's svelte figure Monday night at the 10th annual ACE
Awards. Teetering on fierce 6-inch Louboutins, Lopez posed for photogs
as her flack whispered, "For all you journalists who keep writing she's
pregnant, just look at her."
--Liev Schreiber has been fending off flirty Southern ladies at the
Savannah Film Festival, where he was honored. Naomi Watts' boyfriend
politely turned down a sweet blond thing who offered herself up after
the screening of his film "Everything Is Illuminated." Meanwhile, Tommy
Lee Jones managed a veneer of Texas charm, even when telling pesky
lensmen at the fest to "[bleep] off." Jones joked that he was "too
young to accept the Lifetime Achievement Award." What does he still
hope to achieve? "To change the tide of human thought toward
benevolence," he replied. "I would like to do everything I can to
overcome y'all's ills, and thereby, my own."
--Queen Latifah was so moved by Cambodian activist Somaly Mam at
Glamour's Women of the Year Awards Monday that she pledged $150,000 on
the spot to Mam's organization, Acting for Women in Distressing
Situations, which has rescued 3,000 girls from brothels in Southeast
Asia. Barbara Walters matched the pledge.
--Katie Couric killed at the Museum of Television and Radio dinner
Monday in L.A., where CBS honcho Leslie Moonves and uber-producer Jerry
Bruckheimer were honored. Congratulating Moonves and Bruckheimer, "not
in alphabetical order" but "in order of who signs my paycheck," Couric
got the first of her many laughs. She added that, while she hasn't yet
found the perfect way to sign off on the "Evening News," she said
goodnight to the Hollywood "Entourage" by urging them to "Hug it out,
bitches!"
--Maureen Dowd discovered that being a star New York Times columnist
doesn't cut it in the world of fake news. Profiling Jon Stewart and
Stephen Colbert in a must-read Rolling Stone cover story, she says, "I
thought Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert might be a little nervous to
meet with me. But when I walked into Colbert's office ... the two
barely acknowledged me." Even so, Stewart admits that he's a gnat to
President Bush: "Bush has uranium bunker busters, I have puns. I think
he'll be okay."
NY DAILY NEWS/RICHARD HUFF....
--Rap impresario Irv Gotti, who last year was acquitted of
money-laundering, will have his comeback documented in a VH1 reality
show called "Irv Gotti Project." The show, from the producers of "The
Surreal Life" and "Flavor of Love," will launch early next year.
Besides Gotti's show, VH1 will air "Man Band," a series that brings
together former members of Color Me Badd, LFO, 'N Sync and 98 Degrees
to create a new group. Another still-untitled series follows Cisco
Adler, best known as Mischa Barton's boyfriend.
--NBC has quietly pulled "Kidnapped" from the schedule. Starting this
month (the crucial November sweeps period), the little-watched drama
will be replaced on Saturday at 9 p.m. by reruns of "Law & Order:
Criminal Intent."
--Brooke Hogan and Michael Bolton have been added to the list of
celebrities appearing in the Hollywood Christmas Parade. The event will
air locally on WPIX/Ch. 11 in December.
By Cindy Clark, USA TODAY
--Irish rock group U2 will release a 3-D concert film next year,
according to TheHollywood Reporter. The untitled film will feature
footage pulled from more than 700 hours of film shot in February and
March during the South American leg of their Vertigo world tour. It is
expected that the film will screen using the Real D technology put in
place by theaters that are showing the current digital 3-D release of
Tim Burton'sThe Nightmare Before Christmas.
--The family road-trip movie Little Miss Sunshine is on board for a DVD
debut Dec. 19. The DVD (Fox Home Entertainment, $30) includes four
alternate endings with optional audio commentary. The film, starring
Toni Collette, Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell and Abigail Breslin, has
grossed more than $57 million.
--Saxophonist Kenny G has been named the best golfer among musicmakers
by Golf Digest. The Grammy-winning horn player outshot country stars
Vince Gill, Marty Roe and Steve Azar, and No Doubt drummer Adrian
Young, who round out the top five. The full list is on the magazine's
website, as well as in its December issue, out Tuesday. The list also
includes Bob Dylan (No. 63), Snoop Dogg (No. 44) and fellow sax player
Branford Marsalis (No. 29).
--Randy Owen, lead singer of Alabama, and country star Blake Shelton
will join the judging panel for Season 5 of American Idol country
knockoff Nashville Star, beginning Jan. 11 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on USA.
Owen and Shelton join returning judge Anastasia Brown. Jewel will serve
as host, and Cowboy Troy returns as co-host.
--Al-Jazeera Network said Tuesday it will launch its new
English-language channel, Al-Jazeera International, on Nov. 15. The
network will now have "the chance to reach out to a new audience that
is used to hearing the name of Al-Jazeera without being able to watch
it or to understand its language," the network said. The Arab network,
based in Doha, Qatar, did not disclose what cable and satellite outlets
in the USA will carry the channel, but said that information would be
announced near the launch. Critics, including the U.S. government, have
viewed the Arab-language Al-Jazeera with suspicion ever since it aired
video statements from al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
--Plans for a sequel to the R-rated horror flick Saw III have been
announced by the film's distributor, according to The Hollywood
Reporter. The fourth installment of the franchise is set for next
Halloween.
--Folk artist Mose Tolliver, a leader of the modern-day "outsider art"
movement, died Monday of pneumonia at Baptist Medical Center East in
Montgomery, Ala. The self-taught artist, who signed his work Mose T,
was known for using house paint to create self-portraits and vivid
images of nature and the female form.
3 A.M. GIRLS/Eva Simpson & Caroline Hedley
--IMAGINE that... John Lennon's piano is off to foreign shores. George
Michael, who owns the £1.45m instrument, is allowing it to feature in
an exhibition at his man Kenny Goss's gallery in Dallas. Closer to
home, George's 25 Live tour hits the UK later this month. We can't
wait.
--BRITNEY Spears' husband reckons their children would be far better
off living on a farm than in the bright lights of Hollywood. Would-be
rapper Kevin Federline says the world he and his 24-year-old pop star
wife live in is no place for youngsters, even though it has made him
"filthy rich". Federline, 28, adds: "If that means I take my family out
of LA to grow up on a farm, then that's what I've got to do. "I'm
normal. I've had ups and downs. I know what it's like to be dirt poor
and I know what it's like to be filthy rich. "I've seen both sides and
it's been a crazy road getting here." On over-indulging their two
children, aged one and seven weeks, Federline says: "My wife spoils
them. I'm the enforcer."
--NEW James Bond star Daniel Craig has revealed he once shoplifted as a
child - but got collared and took the rap for his pals. He said: "I was
a crap thief. I got caught straight away ... I never did it again."
Daniel, 38, whose Casino Royale debut as 007 can be seen from November
17, explained: "Me and my mates were in a shop and they grabbed a
packet of crisps and ran. "Nobody told me the plan so I was slow. "I
grabbed a pack too but was nabbed. "I was like, 'What? I was going to
pay for it!' But I had to take the rap for everybody." Daniel also
tells Loaded mag he turned down a friend's offer to see his Liverpool
FC idols play at Chelsea "from the Blue seats". He recalled: "I said,
'If Liverpool scored I'd have to jump in the air. Then I'd get killed."
L.A. DAILY NEWS/By Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith
--Country music's hottest women showed up in Hollywood the other night
for the taping of the Nov. 18-airing "CMT Giants" honoring Reba
McEntire -- but many had Keith Urban on their mind after he recently
checked into rehab for problems with alcohol. "I know Keith so I've
sent him my well wishes," Faith Hill told us, before fellow singer
Dolly Parton chimed in. "I love Keith and I'm sure he's going to be
just fine. He's very passionate and very deep and it's easy to get off
track when you feel so many things. He'll be back soon," assured Parton
with a smile. Deana Carter, who was hanging with her high school
friend, James Denton of "Desperate Housewives," had the same sentiment.
"I know that he's going to be fine. He's just going through a tough
spot right now. We all go through them. He's just in a lot more public
position right now so he's in the spotlight with what he's dealing
with. I love him, I have faith in him, and I pray for him." It wasn't
long before all attention was turned back on the legendary McEntire,
who sat with her family as Kelly Clarkson, Trisha Yearwood, Martina
McBride, LeAnn Rimes, and Wynonna Judd sang some of her most famous
songs. Faith Hill, who also performed on the show, told this column,
"In more ways than I could possibly speak about tonight, Reba has paved
the way for so many female singers. Not only has she paved the way, but
she also continues to create paths for us to walk down because she does
so much. She's the classiest lady I know."
--Gwen Stefani snagged super producer/songwriter Sean "The Pen" Garrett
to do the last song on her new album. And that took some doing because
the four-time Grammy nominee - dubbed "The Pen" by hip-hop mogul
Jay-Z - has been working nonstop. "I did a crazy record for
("American Idol" winner) Fantasia," says Garrett. "I got the next
single called Hell No' on Monica's new album. I'm working with Twist on
Eve's new CD, and I did a tune called Bang It Up' on Ciara's album."
The Atlanta-based artist, who's penned/produced such hits as "Yeah" for
Usher and "Good Woman Down" for Mary J. Blige, has remained at the top
of the charts in recent months with Beyonce's "Ring the Alarm,"
Fergie's "London Bridge" and Pussycat Dolls' "Buttons." And now, he
says, Nicole of the Pussycat Dolls is about to drop her own solo album.
"Her new project is crazy, crazy," declares Garrett. "We're doing
something a little different on her, and the first single is going to
be an eye-opener."
--When "Two and a Half Men" talks about a "very special" Christmas
episode, they're not kidding. They have Steven Seagal coming onto the
Charlie Sheen-Jon Cryer show as guest star in the soon-to-shoot
episode, which you've just got to know will be touching. Wonder if
he'll beat anybody up.
http://janetcharltonshollywood.com/...
--In 2003 Eddie Murphy was still up to his old tricks and setsiders
have coined a phrase for it: "Eddie Time." (as in "call time is 8 AM -
Eddie Time is 12 noon) The heck with the schedule- Eddie shows up for
work when he feels like it. While shooting Daddy Day Care, the cast and
crew reported for work at the crack of dawn and were set to roll by
8AM. They have to hurry up and wait anywhere from ten minutes to eight
hours for their star to appear. The same thing happened on the set of
his upcoming film The Haunted Mansion Eddie and that's why Eddie's
movies are often delayed. But no one complains, because Eddie's nice
when he DOES arrive, and everybody's handsomely paid to wait.
--Bruce Willis is getting worried that his daughters are spending too
much time in Hollywood. Rumer is eighteen and not only is she
interested in acting, but she's palling around with Lindsay Lohan. The
last thing Bruce wants is for Rumor to turn into a party girl and
forget about school. He's much more at ease when the girls are living
quietly in Idaho with their mother Demi Moore. But Demi and Ashton
Kutcher have obligations in Hollywood so the girls are spending more
and more time here- and LOVING it. To counteract some of the negative
influences of LA, (like sexy designer clothes, parties, and bad boys)
Bruce is spending more time with each daughter separately, to keep the
communication flowing. Recently he was seen at the Westfield mall food
court with fifteen year old Scout, who's growing up fast. An observer
told us "Scout's big fat CHANEL handbag was on the table and she and
her dad were having a sweet conversation and tasting off each other's
plates. They're obviously very close."
ASSOCIATED PRESS...
--ORLANDO, Fla. - One of two men indicted with actor Wesley Snipes on
eight counts of tax fraud charges was scheduled to appear in a Florida
federal court Wednesday, federal authorities said. Eddie Ray Kahn was
detained in Panama on Tuesday and flown back to Florida. Kahn, who once
lived in Sorrento, is accused of promoting tax-evasion schemes through
his now-defunct entities, Guiding Light of God Ministries and American
Rights Litigators. According to the Oct. 17 indictment, Snipes used
Kahn's tax packages to unsuccessfully claim nearly $12 million in
refunds for taxes he paid in 1996 and 1997. Snipes had his taxes
prepared by accountants with a history of filing false returns to reap
payments for their clients, reports said. As part of the deal, the
indictment alleges, the firm, American Rights Litigators, would receive
20 percent of refunds from clients. Snipes, who had a home in
Windermere near Orlando, remains a fugitive. He is apparently in
Namibia working on a film. Federal officials have said they are
negotiating with Snipes' attorneys to have him surrender. Douglas
Rosile, a Venice, Fla., an accountant who worked on Snipes' taxes, was
released by a federal judge in Ocala after he surrendered to
authorities Oct. 17. All three men face conspiracy-to-defraud charges.
--NEW DELHI - Bollywood's top actress, Aishwarya Rai, turned 33 on
Wednesday and was planning a quiet day with her family to celebrate, a
news report said. The former Miss World-turned movie star was to begin
the day with a visit to a Hindu temple in Mumbai, India's financial and
entertainment capital, with her family - something which she does every
year, The Times Of India newspaper quoted Rai as saying in an
interview. "There will be no loud parties ... my birthday is a very
private affair," she said. "Considering I have to leave for Dubai on
Wednesday, it will be over early too," Rai said. Earlier this week, she
denied newspaper reports of an impending marriage with popular actor
Abhishek Bachchan. "For now, could Abhishek and I be allowed to
concentrate on our individual careers, please?" Rai was quoted as
asking in the Mumbai Mirror newspaper. "I've absolutely no plans for
marriage in the near future." "When there is a marriage, I won't hide
it," she said. "I'll stand on the rooftops and talk about it." On
Wednesday, The Times Of India quoted her as saying that Bachchan is "a
friend for sure and we get on really well." "He's fantastic at what he
does and deserves the acknowledgment he is getting now," she said. The
couple star in "Umrao Jaan," a remake of a Bollywood classic about a
courtesan named Ameeran, or Umrao Jaan Ada, kidnapped from her home and
sold to a brothel. The movie is slated to be released this month.
Mumbai, formerly called Bombay, is home to Bollywood, India's prolific
movie industry.
--PALM BEACH, Fla. - Donald Trump's display of patriotism is apparently
too flamboyant for this chic oceanside town. Palm Beach officials cited
Trump for hoisting a large American flag atop an 80-foot pole at his
lavish Mar-a-Lago estate and club. Town officials said the real estate
mogul has violated zoning codes with a flagpole taller than 42 feet and
for erecting it without a building permit and permission from the
landmarks board. Trump has until Nov. 27 to apply for approvals or face
a Dec. 21 code enforcement hearing that could result in $250-a-day
fines. "You don't need a permit to put up the American flag," Trump
said Tuesday. "The day you need a permit to put up the American flag,
that will be a sad day for this country." Lee Hanley, vice chairman of
the town's landmarks commission, previously said the 15-by-25-foot flag
makes the town look like "we have an Okeechobee car dealer," referring
to a strip of auto dealerships along Okeechobee Boulevard in West Palm
Beach. Trump responded in a letter last week saying that "anyone who
objects should not, in my opinion, hold a public office of any kind -
at least not in this country." The flag appeared outside the estate
Oct. 3.