The Hollywood 5 & 1 08.23.08

Posted by Steve Gustafson on 08.23.2008

Hef will never die! Ricky Martin adopts! Britain picks a new gay icon! David Carradine has the secret to life! All this and more news that you'll forget in an hour!

Hey! Welcome back to the Hollywood 5 & 1! I'm your host, Steve Gustafson, and I scan through every gossip tabloid, scroll every celebrity related web site, and call my vast network in Hollywood to find the slightly offbeat news you might have missed during the week. Or just ignored. Do you have something to contribute? A celebrity sighting? A funny story? Shoot me an email at [e-mail]. All email answered! Eventually.


Do Me a Favor
If you run into Ray Park, Scott Caan, Rick Springfield, or Jay Mohr, tell them Steve says, "Happy birthday!" Thanks.

Quote of the Week
"Sometimes I get sad, because sometimes I'm out of town a lot. Brian works but he's always in town and I have to travel a lot, and sometimes that's hard, because it'll be weeks and weeks without seeing Cash (Kassius), and that's sad."
Ahh, look everyone. She's trying to talk! Actress Megan Fox commenting about becoming the ideal stepmother-to-be for fiancé Brian Austin Green's son Kassius...Wait. They are still together? How does he do it? And what's up with the usage of sometimes, sad, and a lot?

THE STUFF THAT JUST MISSED THE LIST STARTS...NOW...
WAR HOGAN!...but not the one you are thinking of! Actor Paul Hogan is accused of distorting his residency status to avoid paying tax, in new court documents released this past week. Not really anything to report. I'll use any excuse to put Hogan in the 5 & 1..........File Under: Was Just a Matter of Time: Verne Troyer is to star in his own reality TV show. Didn't everyone call this like...years ago? The actor has already begun shooting the series, and is hoping to attract interest from networks. Troyer tells Us Weekly, "It's about being a dwarf in Hollywood." Remember on The Surreal Life when he got drunk and urinated on the floor?..........This is...weird. An Italian medical group has called for a ban on hospital-themed TV programs such as ER and Grey's Anatomy over claims they are factually flawed. Annalisa Silvestro, president of The National Federation of Medical Colleges, says, "These programs are teaching viewers inaccurate views on medicine. They are spreading misinformation." The Order of Medical Professionals of Rome has voiced its support for the protest. Are they being serious?.........Rebecca Romijn is planning the ultimate tribute to her heroine Dolly Parton, she'll name one of her twins after the country music icon. I've heard of weirder things. Not many. But I have..........That David Blaine is at it again! He is preparing for a new stunt; he will hang upside down above New York's Central Park for three days and two nights. The illusionist will be deprived of food, as he is suspended six stories up on a high wire for his Dive of Death. Rumors say he his preparing to attempt to break the world record for sleep deprivation later in the year. Here's a hint Davie. Don't watch your own specials.........Playboy boss Hugh Hefner has slammed reports he's retiring from his hard-partying ways at the Playboy mansion. You tell 'em Hef! The 82-year-old mogul was rumored to have scheduled his last celebration at the infamous estate with this year's Halloween party. But, according to the New York Post, Hefner's hosting duties, and his libido, are still roaring! Crazy image there!.......... Brad and Angelina are rubbing off on others. Ricky Martin has adopted twin boys, born to a surrogate mother. That is all..........Madonna was left disappointed after her 50th birthday celebration on Saturday when several of her guests failed to turn up. Can you blame them? And what's with the Sad Sally bit? You're freakin' Madonna!..........Tom, this reeks of desperation...and the fact you haven't read a comic in ages. Tom Cruise is reportedly set to become a superhero in an adaptation of comic book "classic" Sleeper. I must have missed that on my pull list. The star is reportedly helping set up the movie as a project for Warner Bros. along with director Sam Raimi, with an option of starring in the film himself. The movie will be adapted from the DC Comics/Wildstorm comic book, which centers on a spy whose fusion with an alien artifact makes him immune to pain........... Here's a surprise. Chris Kattan has reportedly split from his wife of eight weeks, Sunshine Tutt. That's a cool comic book name! A spokesperson for Kattan says the pair is "separated for the moment," adding they have "no plans for divorce at this time".......... Attention area hospitals. Heads up on a million geeks flooding your doors if this comes through! Bosses at Twentieth Century Fox have launched a legal battle to block the release of new comic book movie Watchmen. The film, based on the comic books written by Alan Moore, is due to hit cinemas in March 2009. But the release has now been thrown into jeopardy after chiefs at Fox filed legal papers in Los Angeles claiming they bought the rights to the series in the 1980s, and seeking an injunction against rival studio Warner Bros in a bid to halt the picture. This could be messy. Nothing a little money can't handle though.

RANDOM LIST OF THE WEEK
Hmm...I give the nod to Miracle but a good list nonetheless. Chariots Of Fire has topped an apt new list of Olympics-related films. The celebrated 1981 Hugh Hudson movie, starring Nigel Havers and Ben Cross, beat out a slew of other contenders to top the new Access Hollywood movie poll. Here's the top 10:
1. Chariots of Fire
2. Miracle
3. Cool Runnings
4. The Cutting Edge
5. Munich
6. Prefontaine
7. Olympia
8. One Day in September
9. American Anthem
10. Blades of Glory

Hey, I'm in a good mood. How about another list? Steve loves ALL his readers! Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo has toppled Kylie Minogue as Britain's top gay icon. The Manchester United and Portugal star landed ahead of Minogue and actress Judy Garland on the new list compiled by website GayGolddiggers.uk.com. That's a real website by the way.
The top five is:
1. Cristiano Ronaldo
2. Kylie Minogue
3. Judy Garland
4. Elton John
5. Liza Minnelli


STEVE SALUTE!
To Hollywood legend Martin Sheen! He has slammed leaders of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) for exploiting its A-list members' names to gain support for a controversial revision of its voting policy. Sheen says: "If you're one of the tens of thousands of SAG members who don't work enough or earn enough as an actor, you're in danger of losing one of your fundamental rights as a union member. They've proudly and publicly touted their list of supporters, including the names of very high-profile actor-producers. They and their supporters have signed a petition that would end democracy in the Screen Actors Guild and create a 'class system' between the 'haves' and the 'have nots'." Sheen keeps it real!


Alright, let's get down to business. What's the Hollywood 5 & 1? It's real simple; I go through 5 things out of Hollywood this past week that made me scratch my head and 1 item that's not so bad. Got it? Good. Let's go!

The 5

Secrets...of the STARS
All sorts of advice to plod through. My main man, David Carradine has found the secret to eternal youth...younger women! He's got a point, folks. The 71-year-old movie star insists he's in the shape of his life and it has everything to do with the fact his fifth wife is 24 years younger than him. He explains, "Women are at the top of the list with what keeps me alive and young, and I don't hang around with old people. Everybody that I know is at least 10 or 20 years younger than I am. My wife Annie is 24 years younger than I am. My oldest daughter once said, 'Dad, how come you don't hang around with women your own age?' and I said, 'Listen, women my age are usually a lot older than me!' Part of the secret to staying young is don't hang around with people your own age because you'll get old with them. Hang out with the young people and you'll stay young. I discovered that life begins at 60. The reason is, by the time you get to be 60, you just don't care what happens. You've done it all and you suddenly feel free about everything." Amen brother. Amen. How about some advice for those with a sweet tooth? Megan Fox has such a craving for candy that she has to guzzle vinegar to regularly cleanse her system. The actress swears by the quick-fix method, because it flushes out everything that's bad for her body, and helps her to stay in shape. Ew. She explains, "It's just water and raw apple cider vinegar, and it just cleans out your system entirely. It will get rid of, for women who retain water weight, from your menstrual cycle and all that, it gets rid of it really fast (sic). I'm not one for dieting or exercising, 'cause I'm lazy and I have a really big sweet tooth, so I have to do cleanses every once in a while 'cause of the amount of sugar I take in." UGH! That just sounds gross. Vinegar? Whatever. And final word goes to Mr. Bale. Seems Christian Bale has put his successful acting career down to skills he learned riding horses. Say again. The actor is a keen horse rider and insists he has gained his most vital acting technique from the activity, confidence. He says, "I love horses. I've learned from them. Once you master a horse, but it also masters you, you gain more confidence in yourself. When you can mount it and move it and move along with it, that is a hard-won and very real accomplishment." What wise words to end with!

Love...Hollywood Style
Let's punch these out! Luke Wilson has found love with a beautiful former basketball star. The 6 foot 2 inches tall actor will be able to see eye-to-eye with 6 foot tall Meg Simpson, after meeting her at a sporting event at the University of Pennsylvania in July. Wilson went along with Hollywood pal Morgan Freeman...that's a crazy pair...but spent the whole time chatting with the 28-year-old blonde. Next, grab your checklist for this one. Winona Ryder has found love with Drew Barrymore's "comedian" ex-husband Tom Green, according to reports. The pair was spotted cuddling up at a Hollywood bar last week, and pals insist an odd romance is blossoming, just weeks after Ryder split with rocker boyfriend Blake Sennett. For those keep score: Green was married to Barrymore from 2001 to 2002. Ryder has a long list of exes, including Johnny Depp, Christian Slater, Dave Grohl, Dave Pirner and David Duchovny. Heck, I might be in there somewhere. Look at this! Sharon Stone has a new man, and he is less than half her age. Nothing wrong with that! Stone, 50, is reportedly dating a 24-year-old Chase Dreyfous. And we can't have a week go by without mentioning Lindsay Lohan. She embarked on a secret lesbian affair with aspiring actress Courtney Semel before meeting Samantha Ronson, it has been claimed. Semel, the daughter of Yahoo! CEO Terry Semel, insists she was the Mean Girls star's first gay love. But she claims they kept their affair secret because of the actress' fear of coming out to the world. Ok then!

This is Here as Reminder That I Will Fight Him...For Charity...and the Good of Mankind
The Hills "personality" Spencer Pratt has been caught lying about his girlfriend Heidi Montag's purity, he insists she's still a virgin. Typical. Pratt was promoting the new season of the reality TV show on Los Angeles Ryan Seacrest's morning show, when he cooed about Montag's no-sex-before-marriage promise. He told the radio host, "She's still a virgin... We don't sin over here," adding that he and Montag place pillows between them in bed at night, to help them fight temptation. The reality TV guy went on to state his girlfriend is so religious, she's considering recording a Christian album. What the? But website HollyScoop.com have unearthed footage from the first season of The Hills, when Montag has a heart-to-heart chat with Pratt after taking a pregnancy test. The website asks, "Last we checked, if you're a virgin, you wouldn't need to take a pregnancy test." Seriously, Me vs. Pratt. In the octagon. All money goes to charity. Book it!

Copyright Infringement? In Hollywood? SHOCK!
What a sad day for tinsel town. The producers of the soon-to-be movie classic Death Race have been accused of copyright infringement. Writer Adam Stone claims producer/director Paul W.S. Anderson and producer Jeremy Bolt have been using his ideas for their movie. Stone claims the film is based on a script he previously pitched to Anderson and Bolt. According to the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles federal court on Tuesday, Stone is seeking a court order to stop the film's release. Death Race is purported to be a remake of the 1975 film, Death Race 2000, but Stone claims it is based on his movie, Joust. Sheesh, I'm already falling asleep. AND in other news that may involve an infringement of ideas: Jack Osbourne features in a new reality TV show, documenting life in prison. The 22-year-old son of Ozzy Osbourne was sent to Shelby County Jail, in Alabama to experience the life of an inmate for the Prisoner: X series. Osbourne joined a host of celebrities; including former British sprinter Linford Christie, to see what life was like behind bars. The show will be broadcast later this year in the U.K. Wow, that sounds just like the show I, Steve Gustafson, pitched years ago called Celebrity Prison and have mentioned several times in the column. I'll let them slide. This time.

Tyra the Terrible
I knew it! Model-turned-talk-show-host-turned-monster Tyra Banks has been branded a 'phony' by infuriated audience members who waited more than two hours for her to appear in the Tyra Banks Show studio. Tyra reportedly ignored fans waiting to film the show on Tuesday in New York while she joked and chatted with staff backstage. And Banks' actions further angered the audience as they could hear her laughing behind the stage curtain, according to New York gossip column PageSix. A source tells the publication, "You could hear her going on and on because she was standing right behind the stage curtain. She's talking and talking. Meanwhile, you have the entire audience waiting almost two hours for the taping to start." And fans were said to be unimpressed when the star made it onto the stage, accusing Banks of acting "so cold" towards them. The source continues, "She leaves us waiting, and everyone is sitting there complaining, and then she comes out and doesn't say a word about it. She didn't even say hello, she got right into her script. She acted so cold towards everyone. She's a phony." The star reportedly further upset the disgruntled audience by taking them outside the studio to release balloons in honor of black models. The source adds, "She had the audience prance down the street and then release black balloons. It was so disorganized, people fell over the press outside and almost trampled two little girls." I admit I would be peeved as well, but reading this made me laugh. Balloons!


& 1

My Kind of Offer
I own the trilogy on DVD and VHS. What! The first two Godfather movies have been restored and are returning to the big screen. Cleaned-up 35mm versions of the mafia epics, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Marlon Brando, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, will be screened at September's Gotham Film Forum in New York before hitting movie theatres across the U.S. The work has been carried out by Robert A. Harris, under the direction of Coppola and original cinematographer Gordon Willis. Harris, who also worked on a Lawrence of Arabia restoration, claims his job was made tougher because high demand for prints of the movies had left the original negative in poor condition. He tells Daily Variety, "(It was) the worst I've ever seen in a picture from the modern era." The first two Godfathers are among the most successful and critically acclaimed movies ever made. Bottomline, this is way cool.

Thanks again and be safe out there.

Courage!