Jennifer Connelly Back with More Beautiful Dark Movies

Posted by Fara Kearnes at 8:02 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

A film about wierdness and gloom and starring Jennifer Connelly? Now who came up with that original idea?

It's been announced that "Little Children" will be a Todd Field film about suburban weirdness and will star Jennifer Connelly and British actress Kate Winslet. And wierd it is, with characters that include: an uptight domestic facist who has sex with her husband but only by appointment, a just out-of-prison pedophile, and an unhappy aging quarterback. I'm thinking Jen plays the facist. Winslet is set to play a bisexual feminist addicted to internet porn.

The novel that the film is based on has a theme that concerns the adults "waking" from their daily druggery to discover they are not happy in suburbia. Whoa! A perfect Jennifer Connelly movie, in other words.
, Busy mom Jennifer has been out of the limelight the last couple of years taking care of her two kids and probably recovering from all the dark films she's done the past ten years... "Requiem for a Dream," "Mulholland Falls," "Pollack," "Waking the Dead," "A Beautiful Mind." Druggy dark. Crime thriller Dark. Artsy boozie Dark. Love story Dark. And the odd schizophrenia Dark.

Hells bells, even "Labyrinth" was kind of kiddie dark, and that was made when she was a teenager. She was last seen in the wonderfully darkly creepy "House of Sand and Fog" in 2003, and recently completed filming -- wait for it -- "Dark Water" which will be in theaters in August.

I hardly ever miss a Jennifer Connelly movie since I love her work -- except for "The Hulk" which must have been due to temporary insanity, or blackmail, or I figure she decided to get that one required career klunker done and out of the way. But I've already forgiven her for it.

Cool fact: Her parents are divorced but her dad lives in Woodstock, New York, and her mom lives in Big Sur, California. "The two hippie outposts," Jennifer once cracked.

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Life Not So Simple for Nicole and Paris, and Kim and Lindsay ...

Posted by Fara Kearnes at 7:01 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 2 )

Since her recent and very public spat and split with Nicole Richie, Paris Hilton is now claiming that Kimberly Stewart was originally her first choice for "The Simple Life" all along.

Hilton is telling people: "When the first installment happened, I wanted Kim. And she was like, 'I'm not doing a reality show.' Nicole was like, 'I'll do it.' I was like, 'All right.' So now it's going to be new and fun, and we're really excited."

But none of this seems to be, like, bothering Nicole who was not only the funny one on "The Simple Life," she was, according to insiders, also a huge support to Paris -- helping her with lines and stuff. Nicole even gave Paris a pet rate for Christmas named Tori Spelling. How will Kim ever be able to fill Nicole's shoes??

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Pimp Your Kid to Michael Jackson

Posted by Fara Kearnes at 4:09 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 4 )

Jay Leno joked during his Tonight Show monologue on Monday night, "This week, Michael Jackson's ex-wife, Debbie Rowe, is scheduled to testify against him at his sexual molestation trial. His ex-wife ... He thought his face was white before ... oh my gosh! ..."

More Leno: "Hey, you know who else is going testify? Macaulay Culkin. Macaulay Culkin is going to testify for the defense. He's expected to say that he was never, ever molested by Michael. How about that? They finally found a kid that wasn't."
, So the judge in the Jacko child molestation trial in Santa Maria has ruled that he will allow the singer's ex-wife to testify in court this week, which could be very damaging to Jackson's defense.

There was a confidentiality clause in their divorce settlement that had prevented Debbie from speaking about paternity issues, Jackson's mental and physical condition, or his lifestyle. But now that a subpoena has been issued by the prosecution, it cancels out the civil agreement and the court was told she will testify. And she's ready to tell all . . .

One of the things, Debbie is expected to talk about is that she was offered visitation rights with her children ONLY if she praised Jackson in a taped interview. Prosecutors say the taping occurred at the same time the accuser's family was forced to make a similar video to make Jackson look good.

Debbie hopes to eventually win custody of her two kids back from Jackson, even though she pimped them to him years ago for big cash and a nice house. But her score was nowhere near the $22 million Jacko gave the family of his first kiddie victim 10 years ago to keep quiet. It's going to be an interesting week ...

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James Spader Empties His Wallet for the Homeless

Posted by Fara Kearnes at 11:42 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 2 )

Who is cooler than James Spader? The National Enquirer reports that when the actor was walking out of the Santa Monica restaurant La Vecchia recently, he saw a speeding car bang into a homeless man's cart, sending all the man's possessions flying out into the street.

Spader ran over to help the distraught man gather his stuff, then he paid for a taxi to take him to a nearby shelter. THEN he gave the man $320 and even apologized, saying, "I'm sorry. That's all the cash I have but please take it."

In the movies and on TV, Jimmy is a delicious guilty pleasure for female fans (okay, and probably a few guys too) and he obviously enjoys making sleazy look eazy in his roles. From his "Sex, Lies, and Videotapes" days to his recent snake-oil practioner work on "The Practice" and "Boston Legal," he's just a pleasure to watch. But his actions with a homeless man shows that his wicked characters are just an act and he's a regular guy away from the set and on the street.

What a great gig it must be being James Spader. You so rock, Jimmy!

Elijah Wood: from Hobbit to Hooligan

Posted by Fara Kearnes at 11:17 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 )

Are you ready to rumble!! Former hero hobbit Elijah Wood has fallen hard for the "passionate" atmosphere at English soccer matches so much so that he secured financial backing to make a film about it.

In his new film "Hooligans" he plays a young American who is expelled from Harvard, moves to London, and joins up with a gang of violent soccer fans. Elijah says he fell in love with the appeal of English soccer, calling American baseball and American football crowds "too relaxed."

(Phft. I agree baseball is anemic and brain-deadening, but he's obviously never been to a Raiders-Broncos football game.. . relaxed? My ass, Elijah!)

, Elijah said the soccer film is "fascinating, something very different from anything I've ever done. Sport is big in the States but I've been to three or English soccer matches and I've never felt that kind of energy in the crowd before." He adds that, "I didn't see any actual violence, but it was definitely in the air. It was infectious, you could feel it."

Elijah will flash his gorgeous blue eyes in the film due out soon in the US and this summer around the world. For more info, check the official website for "Hooligans."

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No Kidding Around For Legally Blonde Reese on the Set

Posted by Fara Kearnes at 10:55 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

Maybe now we can understand why all those paparazzi photos show Ryan Philippe with a scowl on his face and it's not just because of the hounding the shutterbugs do to to Philippe household. It sounds like his wife, perky blonde actress Reese Witherspoon, can be something of a real party poop to be around when the cameras aren't rolling.

According to contractmusic.com, Robin Luketic, the director of her hit 2001 film "Legally Blonde" says the he won't cast Reese in any more of his films because she takes filmmaking too seriously.. . to the point of taking the fun out of it for everyone else.

Claiming that "movie-making is suppose to be fun" Luketic says he was "staggered" by Reese's serious attitude on the set, and even claims working with divas Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda on his latest movie "Monster-in-law" was easier than coping with the blonde star.

, He recalls, "Reese would come out of her trailer and ask, 'Why is everyone laughing?' "She would want to know why we all had smiles on our faces. Movie-making to her is a serious business." He even fessed up that, "I did not bond with her like I did with J.Lo and J.Fo. there is something impenetrable about [Reese]."

Despite her excessive work ethic (director Kevin Smith called her "self-important" in his book), Reese has a good sense of her strong box office appeal. And it sounds like she knows she can be demanding and difficult to deal with, too -- she named her film company "Type A Productions."

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Ozzy & Sharon Pass Swearing Test. Can Host Show

Posted by Fara Kearnes at 5:55 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

In a sign of the coming apocalypse, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, every rock generation's favorite parents, are set to guest host an afternoon talk show on British TV.

The two apparently survived a "grueling" two-hour long test where cuss words were strictly forbidden. TV executives are sort of convinced that the pair could actually talk for an hour without saying "f**k" every other word. (Right. And monkeys will fly outta my butt) They are now being primed by producers at British network ITV to replace "The Paul O'Grady Show" when the host goes on vacation.

One source gushed to the Daily Star: "Sharon and Ozzy agreed not to swear during their interview and kept their word. They didn't say a single F-word or any swear word - during the whole two hours they were at the studios!"
, In fact, the beloved mumbling Prince of Darkness DOES make great conversation even when he's understood not swearing. Witness his appearance on the Carson Daly's show when he offered up this TMI, "I don't drink, I don't do drugs, I don't smoke. In fact I'm boring now and my only vice is masturbation." You see? No cussing -- but Too Much Information.

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Stephenie Rocks! Survives "Survivor" Challenge - Again!

Posted by Fara Kearnes at 3:30 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 )

Thanks to Janu making a stunning personal sacrifice and quitting the game -- "Survivor" player Stephenie once again outwitted and outlasted another nail-biting tribal challenge. Or was Janu talked into giving up by host Jeff??

Next week, Stephenie may lead the other women in a 4 chicks-to-3 studs revolt on the island and pick off the males one by one. Because it's obvious that the only way one of these women will win is if they band together and vote Tom off the island ASAP.

Once that happens, then it's anyone's pot of gold to win and I think the other three vapid chicks know that. (The three together couldn't come up with a personality.) It will be up to Steph to win Immunity and make the others her bitches if she wants to stay and play.
, It was obvious Janu would have been out soon anyway because she was weak, tired, and couldn't care less. So her decision to quit, knowing the others were scheming to vote off Steph, was a bit of classy revenge on them. Too bad she was such a basket case -- panicking and giving up in the tide water challenge after only 6 minutes while the other seven easily lasted over an hour!

At the tribal council Janu fumbled through the early half of the meeting. But after a little "encouragement" by Jeff, she finally admitted she'd had enough and wanted off. How much of that was set up? It must have been obvious when they were filming that Stephenie was something special ... made for prime time TV in the mold of Amber and Rob . . .

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Mind Games on American Idol: "Dude, They are Cruel"

Posted by Fara Kearnes at 10:18 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 1 )

"There's some psychotherapy madness going on there," said Nadia Turner, who was eliminated from American Idol last week. She was referring to the mind games played by Ryan Seacrest as he teasingly made it seem like he was sending Bo Bice packing, before telling her she was out. "It's crazy," she added.

And cruel and unusual punishment. As they dumped on last night's loser, Anwar Robinson (left), he was not only shown the door but his farewell song was CUT OFF in mid-song as the credits rolled. Yeah, they need to get the show done in time, but they wasted too much time on Ryan's Star on the Walk of Fame (for RADIO achievements! HaHa!) and forgot about 7 contestants and their music.

"Dude, they are cruel," Mikalah Gordon recalled of her elimination night. "I was literally going to faint on the floor. I made myself sick. It's like, 'I'm gonna throw up now. Thank you.' "

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Avril Lavigne To Play Possum for Dreamworks

Posted by Fara Kearnes at 5:38 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 )

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