BITS AND PIECES 07/08
agcbli...@yahoo.com
--VETERAN TV producer Steven Bochco is taking another swing at a
baseball series. He has set up an untitled comedy at Fox revolving
around a minor-league baseball team. Bochco tackled the minor-league
milieu in the short-lived 1983 NBC drama "Bay City Blues." The project,
on which Bochco is partnered with comedy writers Mitchel Katlin and Nat
Bernstein, is in the early development stage, with a script commitment
from Fox. Bochco is preparing for the July 27 premiere of the new drama
"Over There," set against the backdrop of the Iraq war, on Fox's
sibling cable channel FX. In March, Bochco's groundbreaking ABC drama,
"NYPD Blue," wrapped its 12-season run. He also fielded the short-lived
ABC crime drama, "Blind Justice," this past season. Reps for Fox and
Bochco declined comment.
--Ashton Kutcher's "Beauty and the Geek" went out a winner Wednesday
night. The WB reality show snared 4.3 million viewers - an increase
of 1.1 mil lion view ers over its premiere - and topped its timeslot
(8-9 p.m.) in adults 18-34 and persons 12-34. Wednesday's season finale
also increased its viewership by 800,000 viewers in its final
half-hour. "Beauty and the Geek: The Aftermath," airs next Wednesday at
8 p.m.).
--MTV's "The '70s House" scored some decent numbers in its debut,
averaging 2.9 million viewers Wednesday night. The show features 12
people living in a '70s-era house and competing for - what else? -
cash and prizes.
--Tool- kit guru Barbara K. (Barbara Kavovit), who'll be on "GMA" next
Wednesday, came to the rescue at her July 4th Hamptons barbecue - by
using her handy screwdriver to stab some hot dogs that had fallen
through the grill.
--Tomorrow: Faith Evans per forms the National Anthem as part of the
WNBA All- Star "Shoota round" pre- game show (3:30 p.m./ ESPN2).
--"Law & Order" cast members Christopher Meloni, Ice-T, Dennis Farina
and Jesse L. Martin at The Carnegie Club shooting a piece for the
October issue of Best Life magazine.
NY POST/PAGE SIX...
--THE "Fantastic Four" premiere on Liberty Island the other night might
have been the most beleaguered cinematic kick-off in recent memory. It
started to pour just as guests stepped off the ferry onto the island.
Then a brief fireworks show was "blocked by the outdoor movie screen,"
says our spy. Next, after just 10 minutes of the film, the projector
broke. There was no escape from the ineptitude. Guests were not allowed
off the island until 11:30, when the ferries were slated to start
picking people up. Amazingly, Jessica Alba and the rest of the
critically savaged movie's cast made it to Marquee for the after-party.
--BARRY Diller left the AIDS Community Research Initiative of America
benefit in East Hampton last weekend for an impromptu "boys' night out"
aboard his yacht. The InterActive Corp. billionaire left the bash early
on a dinghy with hunky model/artist Chris Beckman, formerly of MTV's
"The Real World: Chicago," and a gaggle of guys. While the fun-loving
mogul, a major donor to ACRIA, partied on his yacht, his wife Diane von
Furstenberg got a chilly reception. The legendary designer, who showed
up late, had to argue with a clueless event staffer before she was
allowed in.
--MIKE Myers, Rachel Wiesz and Francesco Clemente at Hiro catching
Citizen Band - the cabaret act featuring model Karen Elson, Rain
Phoenix and Sarah Sophie Flicker - and staying to hear former
Lemonhead Evan Dando deejay.
--EVE, Shannon Elizabeth and Nicky Hilton toasting Jai Rodriguez at his
birthday bash at Marquee.
--ERYKAH Badu posing naked except for a pair of $3,000 Moss Lipow
sunglasses at a Trace magazine cover shoot at L.A.'s Smashbox Studios.
--MARTHA Stewart eating duck with her hands, from a dish cooked by Paul
Kirk at R.U.B. barbecue in Chelsea.
--BRAD Pitt and his pal George Clooney just inked a deal with nightclub
nabob Rande Gerber to build a new Las Vegas hotel and casino. But while
the stars don't have to put in a dime, they'll get a hefty slice of the
proceeds. "George and Brad are not putting in any money, but they will
be getting a percentage of the profits," our well-placed insider says.
"Brad will design the hotel and be the face of it with George. After
'Ocean's Eleven,' this makes perfect sense and the three of them are
very good friends." Pitt and Gerber first started talking about the
project two years ago and recently brought Clooney into the deal.
Gerber, who used to have a partnership with Ian Schrager but now works
with the W Hotels, is getting out of the bar business altogether after
"realizing he can make so much more by owning the hotel outright,"
we're told. The deal will be formally announced in November and ground
will be broken on the Strip in January. Pitt's rep confirmed he was
doing "some sort of business with [Gerber]" but declined further
comment, as did Clooney's rep.
--THE bad blood between Madonna and Mariah Carey backstage at Live 8 in
London has been boiling for at least a decade. We reported that Madonna
ordered underlings to keep Carey "far away" from her during the
African-aid concert. Yesterday, gossip Web site Jossip dished that the
ill will stems from nasty remarks Madonna made about Carey in 1995,
when Mariah was a chart-topping juggernaut and Madonna's popularity was
waning. The site posted a video that MTV Europe dug up of Carey hitting
back that same year, saying, "I really haven't paid attention to
Madonna since like seventh or eighth grade, when she used to be
popular."
NY POST/LIZ SMITH....
--PAMELA ANDERSON is joining the colony of show business expatriates
- Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jane Seymour, etc. - who have forsaken
low life in sun-kissed Hollywood for high life in high-spending London.
The famously pneumatic blonde, Ms. Anderson, has commissioned Nicky
Halson, the same Brit who decorated her Malibu house, to find London
digs and do it up "Baywatch"-on-the-Thames style. Summer is usually
great weatherwise in California, but the 2005 unseasonable rainfall,
fires, mudslides and predicted earthquakes have given celebs the right
excuse to say bye-bye to the United States and go abroad. (However,
yesterday's terror attack might dampen stellar yearning for London.)
--THE TALENTED Diane Lane was asked by Los Angeles Confidential
magazine about her mother-in-law, who just happens to be Barbra
Streisand. (Barbra is wed to James Brolin and his son, Josh, is wed to
Diane.) Diane: "Some people have more talent poured on them in the
cards they are dealt in life, and Barbra is one of those people. She's
also very interested in other people. She absorbs people, learns from
them and grows from having met them. Life moves into her and inspires
her like no one I have ever met. A lot of us are very content to just
be affected by things. She wants to go one step further and to be a
woman doing that. In her earlier manifestations, she was very
pioneering and not necessarily popular." Asked if Ms. Streisand is
intimidating, Diane answers: "I'm sure if she chose to be. But with me,
she has only been a really warm and loving person."
--TERI HATCHER was adorable on Jay Leno last week - quick and smart
and funny. She even managed to get her stories in without much
interruption from the host. But this "Desperate Housewife" urgently
needs about 15 more pounds. She still looks beautiful, but so fragile a
strong wind might knock her over. Have a cookie, Teri!
--ARE Kate Bosworth and Orlando Bloom "on again" whereas they were
recently "off"? Very possibly. And, so says my source, "Now it is a
very serious relationship, and getting more serious with each passing
day."
--KATE HUDSON is definitely a chip off the old block (not that mom
Goldie Hawn is old - I guess we should say, a chip off the
mature-but-still-hot block.) Hudson tells Playboy magazine: "I think
marriage should be an open book. You need to talk about everything and
have the freedom to make mistakes. Are two people supposed to be with
each other for the rest of their lives? I don't believe that's
realistic. That's just my own opinion." (Kate is married to Black
Crowes rocker Chris Robinson, and they have a baby son.) "This idea of
a perfect marriage just doesn't exist." Kate says commitment is "a
beautiful thing, but you have to be realistic about it and with each
other." Mama Goldie and Kurt Russell have been unmarried partners for
20 years. They've been "realistic" and are still going strong!
NY DAILY NEWS/LLOYD GROVE...
--A year after the normally apolitical Jessica Alba slammed President
Bush's Iraq policy in an interview with me, she's still not a fan. Her
reason is the same: that her beloved uncle Nick Stanisci - a
44-year-old Army reservist who just came home from a long tour - is in
danger of being sent back into harm's way. "He just got back a few
weeks ago, but I think he can be sent back there in 18 months," the
Jacob the Jeweler-accessorized "Fantastic Four" star told me on
rain-swept Liberty Island, where a choppy boat ride had left her -
never mind her movie-superhero status - reeling from seasickness. "I
don't think he should be sent back," the 24-year-old Alba said. "He
should stay home with his family." Alba told me last year that
Stanisci, a father of three and the husband of her dad's sister, signed
up for the Army Reserve in California because "he's Northern Italian,
and he heard he could get a free trip to Italy." Instead, like
thousands of other men and women on active duty and in the Reserves and
National Guard, he got a free trip to a war zone. "I just don't have a
great feeling about what we're doing in Iraq," Alba told me last July.
"I don't know why we're there."
--The terrible carnage in London yesterday inspired Sony Music and R&B
singer Omarion, one of the record label's artists, to set a new low in
shameless flackery. A mass-mailed press release stated: "T.U.G./Sony
Recording Artist Omarion was in London during the tragic bombings that
struck this morning. He would like his fans to pray that he has a safe
trip and a safe return home. He appreciates your support" - and CD
purchases, no doubt.
--Indie actor Steve Buscemi's character has been killed off in more
than a dozen movies and TV shows, but he insists that he doesn't have a
death wish. "I'm not drawn to roles where my characters die - I'm not,"
he told Lowdown yesterday. "I am drawn to good writing and good
directors. But at least I have some pretty good screen time before my
various demises." Buscemi was on hand for the Creative Coalition's 2005
Spotlight Awards for Teachers Making a Difference, at which he honored
Carl Riccobono, his fourth-grade teacher from the Shaw Ave. School in
Valley Stream, N.Y. Riccobono cast Buscemi in his first major role: the
Cowardly Lion in "The Wizard of Oz."
--Is there a more exquisite form of torture than hand-washing Fabian
Basabe's underpants? Brittny Gastineau learned the answer the other day
in Colorado during the filming of E!'s new reality show, "Filthy Rich,"
when Basabe picked her for the unpleasant chore after his team beat
hers in a lasso competition. "It was a scene right out of 'Far and
Away,'" Basabe gloated yesterday. "She plunged, scrubbed, with a bucket
and washboard in the river." Basabe also boasted: "I killed a
rattlesnake, hung it on a hook, gutted it, then skinned it, then cooked
it, then ate it. It was tasteless at first, and then just the worst
aftertaste."
NY DAILY NEWS/BEN WIDDICOMBE...
--It never rains but it pours. Things just kept going wrong after we
told you about the downpour that drenched the "Fantastic Four's"
Liberty Island premiere on Wednesday. After a seasick Jessica Alba
could barely speak to the press, the screening was aborted five minutes
into the film when a reel broke. Those who followed a last-minute
relocation to a Manhattan movie theater didn't get out until 2 a.m.
Celebrity victims included Maria Menounos, who looked close to tears by
the time she reached the party, drenched from head to toe in her
Christian Dior dress and with limp curls sticking to her face. "It was
quite possibly the worst film premiere ever," said one disgruntled
guest. After the disastrous trip to Liberty Island, co-star Chris Evans
ditched the official after-party at Aer to hit Marquee with his family
and girlfriend Jessica Biel.
--Dennis Hof, owner of Nevada's infamous Bunny Ranch, has offered Paula
Jones $250,000 to make a week-long appearance at the world-famous
brothel. He'll bill the booking "Booty Good Enough for a President."
--Josh Hartnett and Alan Cumming crammed into the tiny Red Room Theater
to catch Sam Rosen's one-man show, "Ham Lake."
--A man claiming to be Robert De Niro has been calling Cain at Cabana
owner Jamie Mulholland expressing displeasure that his "niece and
nephew" could not get into the Southampton hot spot. He wanted to be
assured they would never have an issue again. "The guy didn't even
bother with the accent," Mulholland tells us. "He could have done a
better impersonation."
NY DAILY NEWS/RICHARD HUFF...
--ABC's "Dancing With the Stars" went out with a Nielsen bang Wednesday
night. The finale of the top-rated show of the summer averaged 22.4
million viewers, up from 18.5 million the week before. Those numbers
were good enough to make "Dancing" the most-watched telecast of any
show this summer, and ABC's strongest ratings in the Wednesday time
slot since September 1994. In the finale, soap star and Playboy
Playmate Kelly Monaco and her dancing partner beat out "Seinfeld's"
John O'Hurley and his dance partner.
--UPN has renamed its fall series "Sex, Lies and Secrets" to "Sex, Love
& Secrets," apparently to reflect the tone and direction of the show.
The drama looks at a group of friends, and includes in its star lineup
Denise Richards and Eric Balfour....The MSG Network and Fox Sports New
York will telecast the remaining Liberty games this season - meaning 29
of the team's 34 games will, or have been, telecast, the most ever by
any squad in the WNBA.
--Big days ahead for NASCAR. Sunday, E! Entertainment will carry
"NASCAR - Life in the Fast Lane: The E! True Hollywood Story," a
two-hour look at the people in the sport, and on Monday, at 8 p.m.,
CNBC will show "NASCAR Gold," a look at the stock car empire.
nday at 9 p.m., the TV Guide Channel will launch "TV Chat: Reality," a
half-hour look at reality shows. It will be hosted by Kimberly Caldwell
and Rosanna Tavarez.
ASSOCIATED PRESS...
--A Saturday concert by rock band R.E.M. at London's Hyde Park has been
postponed in the wake of the bombing attacks in the British capital
that killed more than 50 people. The band was in London when the
attacks occurred during Thursday's morning rush hour. "Our hotel is
overlooking Hyde Park, so we're kind of in the middle of the city. ...
It's been a sad day," said Bertis Downs, the band's manager. The
concert was postponed by the Safety Advisory Group for Hyde Park and
has been rescheduled for July 16. The delay comes at the tail end of
R.E.M.'s tour, which started last fall, and will force the band to
extend its tour an extra week. Though the band is eager to get home, in
the wake of Thursday's attacks, Downs said it was a small price to pay.
Earlier this week, the band played in Hull and Nottingham, cities north
of London, following a performance at the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park
last Saturday.
L.A. DAILY NEWS/By Marilyn Beck and Stacey Jenel Smith
--There's just about a week of production left on "The Scorned," the
supernatural thriller with a twist that many in Hollywood find truly
horrifying - its cast is made up of reality TV "superstars." "The
critics are waiting to tee off on us, but the reality stars are taking
it deadly seriously. All the talk is about who is giving the best
performance," reports producer Scott Zakarin. He lets us know that
Ethan Zohn of "Survivor: Africa" is "blowing everyone away with his
performance. He's playing a slick, whacked-out homeless clairvoyant
named for Jon Murray, creator of 'The Real World.' There are all kinds
of references to reality shows in the movie for people to pick up on -
at least a hundred." Naturally, "Scorned" isn't just a movie in
production. It's a movie in production during which the cast members
have cameras following them around on and off the set, while they live
together in a "sequester house" - and the reality show about the movie
being made, "Kill Reality," arrives on E! Entertainment July 25. "Jenna
Lewis ('Survivor: Borneo') and Steven Hill ('The Real World: Las
Vegas'), who have the leads, have to shoot every day. The other people
have been partying together," says Zakarin. He also says that Johnny
Fairplay, remembered for lying that his grandmother had died while he
was on "Survivor: Pearl Islands," went on "a rampage of destruction at
the house" the other day. Was he overwrought? Answers Zakarin, "It was
more like he was a frat boy with arrested development who started
drinking too early." The plan is for "The Scorned" to show up on E! and
on DVD, but Zakarin, the man behind the reality TV site TheFishbowl.com
tells us he is also "talking to several distributors right now" for a
potential big screen release.
--Amanda Bearse is jetting into L.A. from Georgia to catch her one-time
"Married ... With Children" co-star David Garrison on the Pantages
stage in the hit musical "Wicked." Garrison, who plays the wizard in
the wondrous show that's the hottest ticket in town, tells us that the
46-year-old Amanda has retired to Georgia to raise her daughter, Zoe,
in the hill country where she was raised. He also says that he had had
a phone call from Ed O'Neill's wife, "So I'm sure they'll be coming in.
I've got a stack of phone calls to return from people who want tickets.
I've become a very popular guy - there's nothing like being connected
with a hit show." This hit show has its final performance in Hollywood
on July 31, then moves on to San Francisco, Denver, Dallas, St. Louis,
Houston and Washington, D.C.
--"Rescue Me" regular Natalie Distler is reaching far beyond her years
for the new album she's recording. "I didn't want it to sound like
Lindsay Lohan or Avril Lavigne, that's just not me," says the
15-year-old, who plays Denis Leary's troubled daughter on the hit FX
series. "My sound is kind of weird ... It's a Green Day-No Doubt mix."
Distler, who started out in musical theater as a tot, says, "My main
passion is music. I love to sing, and I write all my songs." The second
season of "Rescue Me" just started airing last month, and Distler says
the troupe is almost halfway through the shooting schedule. She tips
that in upcoming episodes her rebellious lesbian character will be
"still getting into trouble, which is awesome. She teams up with her
father on some of his evil schemes; and she's still trying to get the
family back together."
--Tommy Lee seems to be taken with a T-shirt he has that bears a
replica of an old Russian prison tattoo that roughly translates as
"Take Out B--es, Traitors and Stool Pigeons." He also wore the same
shirt, by Topless California, at the Live 8 concert in Canada over the
weekend, and at the Rokbar opening in Hollywood - where we're told he
partied with Courtney Love and ex-wife Pamela Anderson till the wee
hours of the morning - a couple of days earlier.
L.A. DAILY NEWS/By Elizabeth Snead and Joel Stratte-McClure
--Being a big man on the court isn't easy. For one thing, it can take a
toll on your wardrobe. Basketball biggie Reggie Miller admitted he has
to get all his James Perse duds custom-made. "Unfortunately, I'm 6-foot
7 and I can't walk into his stores and buy off the rack," said the
former Indiana Pacer at the opening of Perse's new boutique in the
Malibu Country Mart last weekend. At the party, Miller kept eyeing
Perse's white linen pants and planned to schedule a fitting for a
super-long pair. Miller's not the only one with a special relationship
with the California-casual designer. Shaquille O'Neal also gets the
same VIP tailoring. Other fans include Sharon Stone, Matthew Perry,
David Schwimmer, Ashton Kutcher, Demi Moore and Ellen DeGeneres, who
also has her cotton tops custom-made. Young actress Michelle
Trachtenberg jokingly revealed her plan to get more Perse clothes:
"James (Perse) is my future husband." Oh, the lengths some people will
go to for an employee discount. In reality, she's happily attached to
Canadian actor Shawn Ashmore, who'll soon start shooting "X-Men 3."
Former party girl (yeah, right) Shannen Doherty dashed in and out while
"Entourage" star Jeremy Piven showed up at the tail end of the evening
with his own entourage of one: a bearded and wild-eyed Woody Harrelson.
So is Perse feeling the pressure of his growing empire? No way. After
all, he grew up in the rag trade. His first Melrose boutique is located
across the street from Maxfield, the hyper-trendy boutique owned and
operated by his fashion-famous father, Tommy Perse. "I'm on my second
beer and I never drink so I'm feeling good," he admitted. But don't let
his L.A. laid-back 'tude fool you. The native Angeleno plans two more
stores and a hotel with his surfer aesthetic. Expect Perse-designed
bedding, furniture and architecture. "The hotel will probably be here
in L.A.," says Perse. "But whether it's at the beach or in town, it
will be a lot of fun." Just what L.A. needs, another hip designer hotel
--Director/actor Vincent Gallo ("Brown Bunny") having a late Fourth of
July lunch with a male friend on the Newsroom Cafe patio on Robertson
Boulevard.
--Tori Spelling, wearing a pink top and tight jeans, enjoying a Fourth
of July sushi dinner with pals at Yamashiro in the Hollywood Hills.
--Britney Spears was recently spotted in Malibu wearing A Pea in the
Pod's belly-baring turquoise and black tie-dyed skirt by 3 dots.
Britney was also seen in Beverly Hills wearing Pod's chocolate
charmeuse printed camisole from their fall collection.
--Who's next on the baby brigade? Rumor is that the rumors about Demi
Moore being pregnant are way more than rumors. Don't be surprised if
you start seeing Demi wearing A Pea in the Pod very, very soon.
LAS VEGAS JOURNAL/NORM CLARKE...
--Ten female "Zumanity" cast members appear in an eight-page pictorial
in Playboy's August issue, which hits the newsstands today. Nine of
them were guests Thursday on NBC's "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno."
The pictorial, shot last July at New York-New York, features Olga, the
Russian aerialist; Agnes, the French-born beauty who plays "Miss
Salsa"; Elena of the Ukraine, who appears in the "Dance on TV" segment;
Jonel of British Columbia, who stars in the "kitten with a whip" scene;
and Wassa of Senegal, who is an explosion of dancing energy. Also
appearing are hoops artist Julia of Moscow, "waterbowl" contortionists
Gyulnara of Moscow and Bolormaa of Mongolia, and Vanessa, the French
Canadian stunner who performs the "midnight bath" in milk. The tenth
participant in the pictorial, aerial strap artist Laurente, is no
longer with the show. Dozens of gallons of homogenized milk were used
for Vanessa's shoot because it provided a "more creamy white
consistency" for the camera, said the former ballerina, who has
performed in 25 countries. "It was great for my skin. I felt like
Cleopatra," she said by telephone Thursday. Many of those featured in
the pictorial will be signing copies of the magazine from 4:30-6:30
p.m. July 15 at the "Zumanity" boutique at New York-New York and from
3-5 p.m. July 16 at the Playboy Concept Boutique.
--Johnny Depp, wearing his Willy Wonka costume from the upcoming
"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" while making a stop at Aquaknox
restaurant (The Venetian) on Thursday. Shutterbugs went wild.
--At the World Series of Poker finals kickoff party Thursday at Flirt
nightclub (Rio): actors James Woods, Jennifer Tilly, Brad Garrett and
Shannon Elizabeth. Nicole Richie was seen at the celebrity tournament
area with her boyfriend, DJ AM, who provided the party vibe.
--At the Poker Party bash at Tabu (MGM Grand): Dallas Mavericks general
manager Don Nelson, country music star Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn and
Mike Sexton, the voice of the World Series of Poker.
--Steve Wynn and comedian David Brenner, having lunch Thursday at Corsa
restaurant (Wynn Las Vegas).
--Denver Nuggets coach George Karl, sharing pizza with some pals at
Metro Pizza on Tropicana Avenue. Karl is in town for the NBA's Vegas
Summer League.
--NFL Hall of Famer Mike Ditka, dining at N9NE Steak House (Palms) on
Wednesday.
--Former NBA center Bill Cartwright, asked who he was by a tourist in
the Palms casino Thursday, answered, "My friends call me 'The Big
Ponderosa' " -- a reference to the Cartwright family in the hit TV
series "Bonanza" (1959-1973). Cartwright is an assistant to New Jersey
Nets coach Lawrence Frank, and he's coaching the Nets' entry in the
Vegas Summer League.
SyVyN11
<agcbli...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1120830010.6...@z14g2000cwz.googlegroups.com...
>
> --"Law & Order" cast members Christopher Meloni, Ice-T, Dennis Farina
> and Jesse L. Martin at The Carnegie Club shooting a piece for the
> October issue of Best Life magazine.
>
room full of rocking chairs. I feel that if any of them get fired (but
really, would dick wolf really do that <snicker>) with the performance of
Christoper Imporelli in the last four eps. gives Wolf a solid replacement
for anyone that gets the boot in any of the L&O series.
I would be especailly nervous if I were Vincent D'Orfenio. One more
meltdown and Wolf will do something. Either with Imporelli or with Chris
Noth replacing him.
PUSSS...@aol.com
meltdown and Wolf will do something. Either with Imporelli or with
Chris
Noth replacing him. >>
Anything would be an improvement from Vincent's overacting.
Billie
CliffB
> "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" while making a stop at Aquaknox
> restaurant (The Venetian) on Thursday. Shutterbugs went wild.
Oh yeah. He's a shy one, doesn't like to draw attention........
It's a lovely restaurant though.