Details are finally emerging about Steven Soderbergh's latest folly, "Cleo," the bizarre 3D musical about Cleopatra he's planning with Hugh Jackman and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
"Our version [of the Cleopatra story] will be like an Elvis musical in 3D. It's a total rock 'n' roll, 1966 aesthetic - like 'Viva Las Vegas' meets 'Tommy,' " Soderbergh tells Britain's Independent. "I've wanted my whole career to make a musical. And the 3D makes it more challenging but makes it more fun." Soderbergh's most recent work was the 4½-hour, critically slammed "Che."
Back in June, the maker of Botox was seeking FDA approval of its eyelash-boosting drug. Now, Allergan got its wish: the FDA has approved Latisse, an eyelash-thickening agent meant for people who have hypotrichosis of the eyelashes — in other words, too few lashes.
Latisse's active ingredient is bimatroprost, which happens to be the same ingredient used in glaucoma treatments. Side effects may include itchy eyes, eye redness, a change in skin color, and a potentially permanent darkening of the iris. (Ha--makes you want to run out and buy it, doesn't it?)
The magic man - who once spent 63 hours in a block of ice - then stood in Bryant Park, wearing only a T-shirt and slacks in 15-degree weather, collecting coats and autographing his custom playing cards. "If you really want to understand why the Coat Drive is important, try standing outside for an hour without a coat," Blaine explained. He apologized that he couldn't do magic for the coat donors - his hands were too cold.
"Real Housewives of New York" star Alex McCord is best known for nude photos of her that hit the Internet, but she's now putting her talents to better use: The Brooklynite and her husband, Simon van Kempen, are writing an urban parenting book.
First-season viewers of the Bravo show might find it ironic, since her two sons weren't par ticularly well-behaved, but McCord tells us she's well- equipped for the job. "It's not about how to discipline. It's about things like how to get a passport for an infant when you don't have a birth certifi cate yet," she says. "It's gonna be fun."
It's hard being Brad Pitt. The star repeatedly tried buying the complete works of Hungarian cult director Bela Tarr from a small DVD store in Budapest as a Christmas present for Angelina Jolie, but whenever he called the place, they thought it was a joke and hung up on him. "He tried several times on the phone but had to give up. They just didn't believe him," an aide to Pitt tells Britain's Daily Mail. Finally, he got a friend in the city, opera singer Laszlo Domahidy, to buy the collection for him.
Jeremy Piven's doctor is speaking out about the actor's decision to quit Broadway's Speed-the-Plow due a high mercury count.
Dr. Carlon Colker says a major symptom of mercury poisoning is extreme fatigue. Colker tells Entertainment Tonight the actor, 43, has been an avid sushi eater for many years, regularly eating sushi twice a day. Piven has also taken certain Chinese herbs that, along with the sushi, could have led to elevated mercury levels.
Last week, Piven began experiencing neuro-muscular dysfunction, which led to extreme difficulty in lifting his arms and legs. On Sunday, he felt dizzy - and now he is ordered to rest. "He'd like to continue his role in Speed the Plow," his rep tells Usmagazine.com, but "his doctors have advised him that he should end his run immediately." Piven, who was hospitalized for three days recently, is no longer in New York.
After playwright David Mamet expressed some skepticism about Piven's condition, Colker says the actor is disappointed the cast of the play has not rallied behind him. The play, which opened Oct. 23, is still scheduled to run through Feb. 22. Tony-winner Norbert Leo Butz and William H. Macy will replace Piven (Butz starts Dec. 23; Macy begins Jan. 13.)
I don't even know what to say about the below video. It's Mr. Belding and Brooke Hogan singing "Mustang Sally" at some karaoke bar. It's so random. And, Mr. B's put on about 40 pounds. And, he's totally flirting with Brooke. Totally creepy.
Eddie Murphyhas signed on to play The Riddler in the next Batman installment.
A source said the movie is being developed under the working title of Gotham. It's set to be released in 2010. Christian Bale will be back as Batman and Michael Caine will also play Alfred for a third time. The source went on to say that the movie ends with Batman possibly not surviving an explosion at Wayne Towers.
Eddie isn't the only new cast member on board. Shia Labeouf will play Robin and Rachel Weisz is in talks to play Catwoman.
Bettie Pagedied yesterday at the age of 85. Her agent, Mark Roesler, said that she passed away yesterday evening at a hospital in Los Angeles after suffering a heart attack over a week ago which left her in a coma.
Mark wrote this message on Bettie's website:
"With deep personal sadness I must announce that my dear friend and client Bettie Page passed away at 6:41pm PST this evening in a Los Angles hospital. She died peacefully but had never regained consciousness after suffering a heart attack nine days ago. She captured the imagination of a generation of men and women with her free spirit and unabashed sensuality. She is the embodiment of beauty."
Macaulay Culkin's older sister Dakota has died. According to TMZ.com, she passed away Wednesday after she was hit by a car in West Los Angeles.
Dakota, 29 -- who recently worked as an art production assistant on the 2009 thriller Lost Soul -- was walking Tuesday when she stepped off a curb and was struck, the Web site reports. She was then taken to UCLA Medical Center after suffering massive head trauma.
"We can officially confirm that the victim is Dakota Culkin," the actor's rep tells Usmagazine.com. "This is a terrible tragic accident. We have no further comment at this time." The Los Angeles Police Department is currently investigating, according to TMZ. No arrests have been made.
"She's the last legend working on Broadway," gushed one hyperventilating fan as Liza Minnellidrew repeated standing ovations Tuesday at the Palace. There wasn't a dry eye in the house when the mascara'd moppet belted her mother Judy Garland's anthem, "When you play the Palace, you know you've got it made."
Backstage after the show, Liza and her brain trust, Billy Stritch and Ron Lewis, accepted air kisses from Candice Bergen and Marshall Rose, Jane Krakowski, Tommy Tune, Denise Rich and Richard Turley.
--I'm sure the show was amazing, but I can't stop staring at the picture.
"I'll smoke anything that comes around. It doesn't matter to me what type it is. People like to give me it. They feel that I shouldn't be without it. The vaporizer makes it easier on my lungs, because I was coughing and wheezing a lot"
Hugh Hefner’s daughter Christie, who has sat at the helm of the $300 million Playboy Enterprises empire for the last two decades, stepped down from her post yesterday.
The self-described feminist has faced a myriad of challenges on the job in recent years, including falling subscription rates for the company’s flagship magazine, in part due to the increasingly widespread availability of adult content on the internet. Most recently, there was talk of selling her father’s Playboy Mansion residence to raise cash for the corporation’s nose-diving portfolio. Three years ago, Christie was named one of the world’s most powerful businesswomen. Now, inspired by the Obama campaign, she’s making noises that suggest a shift into politics.
Nothing warms the heart like Ellen Degeneres and Britney Spears coming to your door singing carols and dressed like madrigals. "Deck the halls with boughs of crazy...Fa La La La La..."
Earlier this week, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that Houston and Brown had been spotted "looking very romantic" during recent dinner dates in Georgia and that their teenage daughter, Bobbi Kristina, was eager for her parents to remarry.
But a rep for Houston tells The Associated Press that the report is "a complete fabrication." Houston and Brown divorced in April 2007 after 14 years of marriage.
