BITS AND PIECES 12/07
agcbli...@yahoo.com
--Part One of SCI FI's original miniseries, "The Triangle," averaged
4.3 mil lion viewers (9-11 p.m.) Mon day - the network's highest-
rated telecast since 2003 and its most-watched miniseries premiere
since "Steven Spiel berg Presents Taken" in 2002. Sam Neill, Eric
Stoltz and Catherine Bell co-star; the miniseries wraps tonight.
--Lifetime's "Recipe for a Perfect Christmas" became the network's
most- watched December original movie (that's a niche qualifier, but
whatever) since 1997, averag ing 3.3 million viewers. It also tied the
aformentioned "The Triangle" (women 18-49).
--The second installment of "Beauty and the Geek" premieres Jan. 12 on
The WB.
NY POST/PAGE SIX...
--HOLLYWOOD party monster Brandon Davis is said to have exacted
vengeance on the Hard Rock Hotel/Casino by winning $100,000 playing
blackjack and craps at the Las Vegas playpen last weekend. Davis, the
former Mischa Barton boy toy and grandson of late Beverly Hills
billionaire Marvin Davis, was banned from the Hard Rock back in 2002
after he blew through a $150,000 credit line and didn't pay his
gambling debt fast enough. Harry Morton, the son of Hard Rock owner
Peter Morton and a childhood friend of Brandon, allegedly arranged for
the credit line after Brandon turned 21. But when Brandon didn't pay
up, he and Harry stopped speaking to each other, and the resulting
family feud froze relations between the Davises and the Mortons. Marvin
Davis, the oil magnate who once owned 20th Century Fox, used to eat
every night with his wife, Barbara, at Mortons, the L.A. power-dining
spot owned by the Morton family. But the Davises took their business
elsewhere after the Mortons started dunning them over Brandon's bad
debt. Tom Arnold, who was Brandon's sobriety coach, told PAGE SIX after
he was banned from the casino: "He's really turned his life around.
This was a nasty thing for Peter Morton to do to him. Brandon sold
everything he owned to pay this debt back." But Brandon was back in
Vegas last weekend partying with "Girls Gone Wild" guru Joe Francis,
who was in town to catch the Jermain Taylor/Bernard Hopkins
middleweight championship fight on Saturday night. Francis - who was
luxuriating at his mansion in Mexico yesterday and could not be reached
- apparently booked the $10,000-a-night "Real World" penthouse suite
at the Palms Hotel/Casino. It's unclear whether the ban on Davis was
lifted or whether he got around it. But a Hard Rock spokeswoman tried
to cast doubt on whether he actually made that supposed six-figure
score. "The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino has a policy of not commenting on
its customers winning or losing money," she said. "However, with Mr.
Davis, there is usually a disparity between reality and rhetoric." A
spokesman for Davis said he could not be reached for comment.
--NEVER forget that "fan" is short for "fanatic." At Monday night's
benefit concert for Peter Gabriel's charity, Witness, cosponsored by
Best Life, Angelina Jolie stopped to pose for a photo with a striking
young female guest. What Jolie missed moments later was the woman
flashing her backside to revelers, revealing an 8-inch tattooed image
of - Angelina Jolie. Enjoying the show were Ralph Fiennes, Paul
Simon, Tim Robbins, Emmylou Harris, Best Life's Stephen Perrine, Men's
Health's David Zinczenko, and "The Devil Wore Prada" author Lauren
Weisenberger.
--JAY-Z at a table for two at Nobu 57 with Beyoncé's dad, Mathew
Knowles, perhaps asking for his daughter's hand in marriage?
--PAUL Shaffer entertaining David Letterman and the rest of the crowd
at the d.b.a. club on Frenchmen Street in New Orleans by jamming with
the Joe Krown Organ Combo.
--BAD blood continues to boil between hip-hop mogul Damon Dash and
branding guru Steve Stoute. At Naomi Campbell's annual holiday hoedown
at Cipriani the other night, we're told, Stoute turned tail and "ran
out the door" as soon as he spotted Dash. Campbell, who was said to be
upset that her two friends couldn't get along, nevertheless mingled
with Sean Combs, Chris Tucker, Andre Harrell and Zac Posen. In October,
we told you how Dash loudly called Stoute, who once sued Combs for
assault, a "punk ass" and a "rat bastard snitch" on the red carpet of
the Whitney gala.
--PARIS Hilton called Monday to warn us: "I have so many enemies. There
are a lot of jealous people." She particularly took issue with our
story about ex-fiancé Paris Latsis chatting with current beau Stavros
Niarchos at Teddy's lounge in L.A. last week. "We had one [tequila]
shot. They never had any conversation at all," Paris said. "They've
never dated the same girls . . . Paris is happy for me, and I'm happier
than I've ever been." As for the 24-carat cubic zirconium she wears?
The real diamond engagement ring is in the vault for safekeeping, Paris
explained: "I offered to give it back to Paris [Latsis], but he said,
'No, I want you to keep it.' " Last week, Hilton hit Henri Bendel with
four bodyguards and an MTV camera crew in tow, and worked her way from
floor to floor, tossing her spoils back for her entourage to carry. All
told, she bought dresses from Matthew Williamson, Collette Dinnigan,
Diane von Furstenberg, Heatherette and Pollini; 10 cashmere hat, scarf
and glove sets; a Michael Kors bikini; four Felix Ray handbags; several
boxes of Dylan's Candy Bar truffles and three Femmegems necklaces -
charging it all on her "plastic," as she called it. "It was like
something out of a movie," said a bystander.
--IN a recent item about Brittany Murphy, we erroneously stated that
she'd been "dropped" by her manager when, in fact, Murphy herself
decided to release manager Joanne Colonna of Brillstein-Grey. We also
included part of a radar.com story on this subject that said Murphy may
be "Jordache Junky," the subject of a nasty "blind" item in Ted
Casablancas' E! Online column. We're happy to report that Murphy never
used heroin or had sex with a strange man in a stairwell.
--BEFORE fashion designer Kenneth Cole is heaped with more praise for
his "We All Have AIDS" campaign, which is supposedly raising awareness
of the disease, maybe he should consult with Tom Bethell, author of
"The Politically Incorrect Guide to Science" (Regnery), which is on
amazon.com. Elizabeth Taylor, Tom Hanks, Sir Elton John, Richard Gere,
Natasha Richardson and Sharon Stone should read it, too, since they are
appearing in ads under the "We All Have AIDS" banner. Bethell claims
AIDS in Africa has been vastly over reported since 1985, when the World
Health Organization decided "a combination of the following symptoms
would suffice for an AIDS diagnosis: weight loss, fever, diarrhea,
swollen glands, a cough, prolonged fatigue." Bethell reports in The
American Spectator that the real problem is lack of clean drinking
water in sub-Saharan Africa, which leads to a horrifying smorgasbord of
infections, parasites and disease. Such conditions render HIV tests
unreliable. "About 70 conditions have been shown to trigger a false
positive, so the test is essentially useless in countries where
bacterial contamination is endemic," Bethell writes. "Therefore, AIDS
in Africa has never been shown to be the same as AIDS here . . . The
sheer dishonesty of the New York Times and other media in not reporting
these facts is hard to take."
--The "Doctor" is out - to declare his innocence. Actor Omar Sharif
- who starred in such films as "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Doctor
Zhivago" - tried to shoot down allegations of battery against him
yesterday when he pleaded not guilty in Beverly Hills court to striking
a valet in the face and calling him a "stupid Mexican." The incident
occurred last June when Sharif became upset when the parking attendant
at Mastro's Steakhouse, Juan Anderson, took too long to fetch his
Porsche SUV. Anderson claims in a suit that Sharif was drunk and
belligerent after Anderson refused to accept a 20-euro note.
--MAZEL tov to "Entertainment Tonight" stud Kevin Frazier! The weekend
anchor and correspondent finally worked up enough nerve last week to
propose to his girlfriend of several years, public defender Yasmin
Cader. The two plan on marrying next fall and then may hop over to
India for a honeymoon. By then, Cader may have forgiven Frazier for the
bizarre proposal he uttered while shaving. Frazier made up for it by
presenting the sometime Court TV commentator with a huge yellow diamond
ring surrounded by two more white diamonds.
--DONNA Karan bought herself an early gift for the holidays. The
designer, in Miami over the weekend for the Art Basel gathering, looked
unassuming in a floppy sun hat when she dropped by a preview for
design.05 Miami, a new fair for high-end decorative arts. But she
apparently liked what she saw. Karan bought a one-of-a-kind Pierre
Szekely ceramic screen made of 136 individually sculpted and
handcrafted pieces for $375,000, a source shared. The purchase, and its
price, ended up being the talk of the fair.
NY POST/CINDY ADAMS...
--Jim Carrey, your Xmas plans? "Brawls. Balls. Broads. Booze. I'll hide
out in the Canadian Rockies with my family. I'll drink. I'll make as
much noise and trouble as possible and do my best to scare off anyone
else I meet. I mean, that's how we folk from Canada do it." Right.
Saint Shtick. Well, at least it's a change from Natasha, Renée and Ron
Howard and Edie Falco and those others who are not from Canada do it.
--Producer Bob Balaban's Doris Duke movie - Susan Sarandon as
glamorous Doris, Ralph Fiennes as butler Bernard - wraps Friday in
Long Island.
--Anne Hathaway read for her "Brokeback Mountain" loveless-wife role
the day she'd been shooting the "Princess Diaries 2" coronation scene
and feared the piled high hair and heavy makeup would kill director Ang
Lee's image of the character. However, it amused him, and so she got
that part, and I got this item.
NY POST/LIZ SMITH...
--'EFFIE, WE all got pain!" So goes the lyric in "Dreamgirls," the 1981
Tom Eyen musical loosely based on Diana Ross and the Supremes. The
character Effie, was based on Flo Ballard, who felt mighty mistreated
by "Diana." After so many false starts, "Dreamgirls" is finally hitting
the big screen with Oscar winner Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé and Eddie Murphy
in the cast. In the pivotal, tragic role of Effie - played to
Tony-winning acclaim by Jennifer Holliday - there is now Jennifer
Hudson, one of last year's "American Idol" contestants. (She beat out
thousands of hopefuls, including fellow "Idol" alum Fantasia Barrino.)
Now DreamWorks, the studio bringing the show to screen is taking a page
from the original Broadway production, and hopes to introduce the
musical to a new generation of theater-goers by paying licensing fees
for all high schools and colleges to mount productions nationwide.
Director Bill Condon is thrilled with the program, and Beyoncé says,
"I have been performing since the age of 9, and I know how music can
change the lives of young people. This is a wonderful way to help
schools and community groups revive a chapter of theater history." And,
as I remember, Michael Bennett, the director of "Dreamgirls" on
Broadway, made theatrical history when he filled the Imperial Theatre
every Wednesday matinee with New York's needy children who had never
been to a show on stage. IT WILL be interesting to see how "Dreamgirls"
plays out for a brand-new movie audience that retains a somewhat foggy
memory of Diana and the Supremes and the Berry Gordy-generated power
struggle to make Diana Ross the supreme Supreme, much to the
unhappiness of Flo Ballard and Mary Wilson. Of course, fans won't need
to go back that far. Beyoncé herself is the breakout goddess of girl
group Destiny's Child. She knows all about resentments and jealousies.
"Dreamgirls" is expected to transform the luscious singer/dancer into a
huge movie star. P.S. And speaking of Diana Ross, she was spotted
recently at Pavillions supermarket in West Hollywood, around midnight.
In sweats and sans makeup, the pop icon was still recognizable to
late-night shoppers. She strolled through the aisles for about a
half-hour picking up various delicacies. Maybe she was on her way to
preparing a romantic dinner for herself and new sweetie Jon Voight?
NY DAILY NEWS/RUSH AND MOLLOY...
--Hotel maids shouldn't be alarmed if they hear screams coming out of
the honeymoon suite of rocker Marilyn Manson and burlesque artist Dita
Von Teese. They're probably just indulging in their usual slap and
tickle. "I'm into bondage," Von Teese said shortly before heading to
her nuptials last weekend in Ireland. "I think it's really fun, and I
love playing the part of the damsel in distress. ... The feeling is
amazing when someone [spanks me] right." She also admitted "dabbling"
in the sort of erotic asphyxiation that cost INXS singer Michael
Hutchence his life in 1997. "I think it's exciting when you do it with
someone you trust," the new Mrs. Manson told Steppin' Out magazine's
Chaunce Hayden. "I know there are different gadgets people can buy to
do it to themselves safely, so that when they pass out they can breathe
again. You just have to do it safely." She also sanctions the sort of
aquatic activity Ricky Martin recently discussed. "It doesn't gross me
out or scare me," she said. But she has her limits. "I don't want to
bleed on anyone, and I don't want anyone bleeding on me," she said
firmly. Okay, here's another question: Does Marilyn wear his creepy
glass eye around the house? "I won't answer that." Von Teese denies
that their marriage is built on anything but love. "I get accused a lot
of using him for my benefit. But the truth is I got a lot of hate mail
when I first started to date him. I actually had people who didn't want
to be members of my Web site anymore because they felt he tarnished my
pristine image or something. So it works both ways. "There are things
that I gained and things that I lost because of our relationship. But
what it all comes down to is that I'm in love with Marilyn Manson, so
there's no other choice in the matter. Plus, if I were looking to date
someone to further my career ... I don't think I would have picked the
Antichrist!"
--Sticks and stones may break his bones, but Jeb Bush won't let Fidel
Castro's fat jokes hurt him. Cuba's maximum leader stuck it to the
Florida governor during a recent rant in which Fidel speculated that
Jeb may have helped suspected anti-Castro terrorist Luis Posada
Carriles enter the U.S. Students at the University of Havana cackled
when Castro dubbed Dubya's sibling "the fat little brother in Florida."
"Forgive me for using the term 'fat little brother,'" said Castro. "It
is not a criticism, rather a suggestion that he do some exercises and
go on a diet, don't you think? I'm doing this for the gentleman's
health." A Jeb spokesman initially told The Miami Herald that he
wouldn't "dignify" Castro's comment with a response. But yesterday Jeb
announced that he was "flattered" by the dig. "I will take any
criticism from Fidel Castro, of all people, as an honor, given the fact
that, you know, 8 million [Cuban] people ... are repressed." Bush, 52,
has put on a few pounds since taking office in 1999. During a Monday
press conference, a reporter asked if there was anything in this week's
special legislative session that gives him "heartburn." Joked Bush: "I
thought you were talking about my diet. I didn't have breakfast today."
--Guys at Naomi Campbell's holiday party were as excited as kids on
Christmas morning when the strap of her brown minidress snapped. But
the supermodel managed to repair her couture, much to the
disappointment of P. Diddy, Harvey Weinstein, Damon Dash and Andre Leon
Talley. Also at the Downtown Cipriani Bellini-guzzle was Chris Tucker,
who did a perfect crotch-grabbing impersonation of Michael Jackson when
deejay Cassidy spun "Don't Stop Till You Get Enough" ...
--Howard Stern exchanged high-fives with Martha Stewart and 50 Cent
when they all ran into each other at the offices of Sirius Satellite
Radio. Stern tells Bill O'Reilly tonight on FNC that Sirius is paying
him "a lot of money," but nowhere near the reported $500 million. Stern
also reveals psychotherapy has "made me a much better dad," but admits:
"I don't have any friends. I don't want any friends. ... I think it's a
real personality flaw" ...
--Kate Moss shopped at Dior in Aspen ...
--Angelina Jolie wasn't talking about Brad Pitt's adoption of her
children at Monday's Supper Club benefit for Peter Gabriel's Witness
organization. She did admit finding it "very strange" to be back on the
well-catered set of Robert De Niro's "The Good Shepherd" - where
"there's so much of everything" - after visiting starving earthquake
victims in Pakistan.
--Former "American Idol" contestant Julia DeMato was busted for alleged
drug possession and drunken driving in Brookfield, Conn., Saturday.
--"Big Daddy" star Adam Sandler and wife Jackie are expecting their
first child in the spring. Sexy actress Rachel Weisz, who's engaged to
director Darren Aronofsky, is three months along with her first child.
And Australia's Daily Telegraph hears that Russell Crowe and wife
Danielle Spencer have a second child on the way.
NY DAILY NEWS/LLOYD GROVE...
--Leave it to Howard Stern to come up with the solution to America's
troubles in Iraq. "We give Saddam Hussein a nice shave, hand him back
his old uniform, and put him back in office," the Sirius satellite
radio-bound shock jock says in Esquire mag's upcoming "What I've
Learned" feature. "Let him tame that f- place. We need this guy. He's
the only one who can calm everybody down. Who else is going to do that?
This guy was unbelievable. Stern goes on: "Sure, he had to zap a few
guys on their [testicles] to get them in line, but, man, look at what
he did. He was no problem. In fact, he kept the Iranians at bay. He
helped keep the balance over there. He was more afraid of the Taliban
than we are." Among others sharing their insights, Sen. John Kerry
defends the women in his life. "Teresa is a total contradiction to the
public perception," the failed Democratic presidential candidate says
about his wife. "If I had to describe her in one word? Nurturing." And
apparently Alexandra Kerry's nipple-revealing red-carpet appearance at
the 2004 Cannes Film Festival was more painful than I'd imagined. "My
daughter got blindsided by the flashbulbs," he says. "Her dress was
terrific without the illumination. What happened was that all these
flashbulbs going off simultaneously created a see-through effect. She
was mortified and terribly upset. Hey, these things happen. As a
father, there's nothing you can do but be there for her." Meanwhile,
Arianna Huffington muses: "The qualities I look for in a man are the
qualities I look for in a blogger: passion, relentlessness, risk-taking
and a light touch." Salman Rushdie confides: "You can smell a
slimeball."
--The name George Lucas is synonymous with high-tech moviemaking, with
his "Star Wars" series and his special-effects company, Industrial
Light & Magic. But at Monday's "King Kong" premiere, Lucas claimed he's
personally a technological troglodyte. "I don't do E-mail," he told me
and "Law & Order" star Richard Belzer. "And when I write, I don't write
on a computer. I write on a yellow pad - and I use a pencil."
Apparently Lucas shares his Internet aversion with "King Kong" director
Peter Jackson.
--Did NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon's loss at Saturday's Race of Champions
in Paris have anything to do with his partying like a champion just two
nights before? A Lowdown spy at the Parisian nightclub Neo reports: "He
was drinking, dancing and holding court, literally surrounded by women.
By the time he left with his female posse, it was almost 3 a.m. and
obvious that the party was just getting started." Yesterday Gordon's
flack, Jon Edwards, blamed Gordon's ouster in the semifinals on a
technical failure, adding: "I don't think that what may have happened
Thursday night would have affected Saturday night."
--That was jazz pianist Herbie Hancock cooling his heels waiting for
Sting to show up last night at the Apollo Theater so they could
rehearse their performance of the Brit rocker's "Sister Moon" on
today's "Good Morning America." While he waited, Hancock told me:
"We'll probably only need to practice an hour once Sting gets here.
It's his song." Their collaboration is among the tracks on Hancock's
latest CD, "Possibilities."
NY DAILY NEWS/RICHARD HUFF...
--NBC's "Today" this week marks its 10th consecutive year as the No.1
show in the morning news race. That's 520 straight weeks. The closest
morning streak? A mere 87 weeks set by ABC's "Good Morning America" in
1990-1991.Speaking of "Today," host Katie Couric tells TV Guide's Steve
Battaglio she hasn't made a decision about her future - yet. "I'm very
fortunate to have some opportunities," she says in the Dec. 12 issue.
"It's something I'm thinking long and hard about."
--Ahmad Rashad will host and executive-produce a new "NBA Access" for
ABC. The show, which debuts Jan. 28, will look at the lives of the
NBA's biggest stars.
--Donald Trump will be at Trump Tower today at 10 when InTouch magazine
gives away $1 million to a reader.
USA TODAY/JIM CHENG...
--Arlo Guthrie famously sang about the train called the City of New
Orleans. Now he's riding the rails himself, performing in cities along
the route to benefit musical venues and musicians who suffered in the
wake of Hurricane Katrina.
--Legendary Hawaiian crooner Don Ho was recovering Tuesday at a
hospital in Thailand after undergoing an experimental stem cell
procedure on his ailing heart.
--Rap superstar Eminem told a radio show Tuesday that he is back
together with his ex-wife - and may remarry. Eminem, born Marshall
Mathers III, went through an ugly divorce and custody battle over his
young daughter with Kimberly Mathers. They had married in 1999, and
their divorce was finalized in 2001.
--Kanye West's first album is titled The College Dropout and his lyrics
often extoll the benefits of a real-world education. But Monday found
the 27-year-old rapper at Santa Monica High School, performing a
rousing, six-song set and answering questions after students won a
local radio contest.
--As the holidays near, 19 Christmas classics are in the top 100
national radio airplay hits, led by Brenda Lee's Rockin' Around the
Christmas Tree at No. 34. At the top, Chris Brown's Run It loses 4% of
its national radio audience but still comfortably leads Mariah Carey's
Don't Forget About Us (which gained 10%). Following in the top 10 are
hits by Young Jeezy, T-Pain, Kanye West, Kelly Clarkson, Ray J, Sean
Paul, Nickelback and, making its debut, Dem Franchize Boyz' I Think
They Like Me.
--Sugarland, Chris Brown, Sean Paul and the Pussycat Dolls will ring in
2006 on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. The lineup for the ABC
special (11:35 ET/PT) also will include The Bangles, 3 Doors Down and
311. As previously announced, Ryan Seacrest co-hosts with Clark from
New York, while Hilary Duff will perform and preside over the Hollywood
segments of the show. ABC's New Year's programming also includes a
prime-time special (10 p.m. ET/PT) reviewing highlights from the year's
top concert tours.
--Musicians and New Orleans natives Harry Connick Jr. and Branford
Marsalis are teaming with Habitat for Humanity to build a "musicians'
village" for Crescent City artists displaced by hurricanes Katrina and
Rita. A centerpiece will be the Ellis Marsalis Center for Music, named
for Branford's father, a jazz pianist and patriarch of the Marsalis
family. The center will include classrooms and performance spaces. More
than $2 million has been raised, including seed money from the From the
Big Apple to the Big Easy benefit concerts. Habitat is deciding on a
location.
By Karen Thomas, USA TODAY
Bo Derek's most memorable fashion statement may be the braids she wore
in the 1979 film 10. Derek, 49, hosts I Can't Believe I Wore That on
WE: Women's Entertainment network tonight and Thursday (10 ET/PT) in
which celebrities discuss the wacky fashions of eras past. So we had to
ask: What is Derek's personal worst fashion moment? "I wore a poncho to
the Academy Awards the first time I went (in 1980). Everything there
was big, big hair and big, glamorous dresses. I thought I was going to
be beautiful and exotic, but I didn't feel that way."
3 A.M. GIRLS/With Kiki King, Eva Simpson And Caroline Hedley...
--JUST last week gorgeous Kelly Brook was flaunting her curves for all
to see on a Caribbean beach but back in Blighty, her figure's for
fiance Billy Zane's eyes only. Kel, 25, joined George Michael and some
of his showbiz pals for dinner at Morton's in London's Mayfair after
the VIP screening of his documentary A Different Story. "She looked
very prim and proper in a sober grey outfit - with not an inch of flesh
on show," said an onlooker. "She was tanned and seemed very happy, even
if Billy was nowhere to be seen." He must be in-Zane to let her out of
his sight. But if we were surprised to see Kel go undercover, we were
stunned by George's latest revelation. Earlier on at the screening, the
42-year-old singer - who arrived with his boyfriend Kenny Goss -
revealed that he and Andrew Ridgeley often stage secret Wham! reunions
for their own amusement. "Andrew and I have regular Wham! karaoke
singalongs at my house," he said. "He comes over and we perform songs
like Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go. "But as for a Take That-style
reunion, well, even if I wanted to Andrew wouldn't agree to it." Have
Faith, George.
--HE'S got all the money and all the bling - but hardman rapper 50 Cent
still doesn't always get the girl. The 30-year-old skulked out of a hip
Paris nightspot after just an hour on Monday night, when the local
girls totally ignored his charms. A reveller in the VIP room tells us:
"Fiddy came in at about 10pm, with a pair of bodyguards. "The party was
thrown in his honour but instead of getting into it he just sat there
looking sulky, drinking his free champagne. He looked as if he was
waiting to be surrounded by gorgeous girls vying for his attention. But
the girls pretty much ignored him. "After a while, one of his goons
approached two good-looking girls and ask them to join Fiddy at his
table, but they seemed nonplussed. "Parisian girls tend to be pretty
aloof and are just not the sorts to fawn over a rapper like that and so
after being knocked back 50 left, very stoney-faced."
LAS VEGAS JOURNAL/NORM CLARKE...
--At the National Finals Rodeo on Tuesday: Baseball Hall-of Famer Nolan
Ryan, and LeAnn Rimes, singing "Amazing Grace." Donald Trump Jr. and
his little sis, Ivanka Trump, 24, attending a hotel-condominium
symposium on Tuesday at Man-dalay Bay. From there they took a tour of
Papa Trump's project, the Trump Inter-national Hotel & Tower Las Vegas
sales office and models, with Jack Wishna, who brokered the real estate
deal between Donald Trump and New Frontier owner Phil Ruffin.
--At Monday's private unveiling of the Palms recording studios: Carmen
Electra; Hulk Hogan and his pop singing daughter, Brooke; Howie Dorough
from Back Street Boys; Lance Bass of 'N Sync; Jason Giambi; Carey Hart;
The Scintas; Delisco; Ryan Cabrera; David Keuning and Mark Stoermer
(who waved off photographers, saying "no photographs") and their
attorney, Ron Reynolds; NBC sports reporter Jim Gray; and Britney
Spears' father, Jamie, and her former manager, Larry Rudolph. Britney
had planned to attend (she reserved rooms at the Wynn, a Wynn rep
confirmed), but, with her marriage reportedly crumbling, changed her
mind.
--At the Billboard pre-party at Lure on Tuesday: "Surreal Life" cast
member Ryan Starr.
L.A. DAILY NEWS/ By Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith
--Nick Cannon may have looked quite confident presenting Lindsay Lohan
with the VH1 Big in '05 "It" Girl Award this weekend, but earlier, when
asked about rumors of a romance, he was a bit more demure. After a few
nervous laughs, Cannon told this column, "I'm very fond of her. She's a
very beautiful person and a great friend of mine. And I probably
wouldn't be here tonight if she weren't here." Well, then. The pair are
currently filming the movie "Bobby," which is being directed by Emilio
Estevez. "It's about the assassination of Robert Kennedy at the
Ambassador Hotel and what happened in the course of that day. It's
going to be really cool," claimed Cannon. And what a cast. "It's got
Demi Moore, Elijah Wood, Sharon Stone, Anthony Hopkins - it's crazy."
So what's next for Cannon? "My album drops at the top of the year.
Kanye (West) produced it. It's going to be ridiculous."
--The young actor is prepping for a boxing movie currently titled "The
Hawk." "It's a father-and-son story that I wrote. I'm still training,
but I don't start filming till next year," he explained. "I always
liked boxing. I got into boxing because Will (Smith) was doing 'Ali,'
and I was hanging out on the set with him. I got with the boxing
trainer who trained Will for that, and we just kind of came up with the
idea."
--Judge Reinhold reports from the set of "Santa Claus 3" that "there
was an elfin uprising the other day. Someone introduced too much sugar
into their environment, and they were having a meltdown. It led to
production meetings about elfin nutrition." He's referring to some 375
children between the ages of 6 and 14 who are portraying Santa's elves
in the second sequel to Tim Allen's hit, "The Santa Clause." Other than
that, Reinhold reports shooting is going well on the L.A.-based
production that is expected to continue into February. Reinhold is
taking Saturday off to participate in the Magic Castle's star-packed
benefit for hurricane relief, "Magic Aid," hosted by Jason Alexander.
"I think they're going to saw me in half," he says, speaking of the
open-to-the-public event at the illustrious magician's club. Proceeds
will be split between the American Red Cross, the Salvation Army and
the Humane Society. "It's the first time in its history that the Magic
Castle has opened its doors for a nonmember event, which is really
cool," he adds. Reinhold reports that his obnoxious psychologist
character "has gone from being a cynical nonbeliever in the first
'Santa Clause' to being a Christmas fanatic in this one. They've turned
him into a new-agey, touchy-feely guy who teaches an elfin yoga class
at the North Pole." This "Clause" pits Santa against the nefarious Jack
Frost, played by Martin Short. "He's hilarious in the role. Watching
him and Tim is like seeing King Kong and Godzilla of comedy playing off
each other," says Judge.