August 08, 2006

Sets to produce a biopic on sci-fi author Philip K. Dick through his newly established Touchy Feely Films, Paul Giamatti is likely to also take a starring role in the project as well. The actor is reported by Variety to be in talks to portray the writer who passed away on March 2, 1982 due to heart failure after he was disconnected from life support following a stroke.

Along with Touchy Feely Films, Anonymous Content will also produce alongside the Philip K. Dick Estate through its Electric Shepherd Productions with Tony Grisoni writing the screenplay. The picture itself will interweave Dick's life with his fiction and incorporate elements of his last unfinished novel, "The Owl in Daylight."

Bad news comes from Dixie Chicks. The music act has to, unfortunately, cancel several concerts on their "Accidents & Accusations" tour due to slow ticket sales.

What's different from the original schedules released in May earlier this year is that the gig will no longer include stops in Kansas City, Houston, St. Louis, Memphis and Knoxville.

It's about time for Adrian Lyne to carry out a new big screen work. The Hollywood Reporter has learned that the filmmaker has been tapped to helm Warner Bros. Pictures' latest project of "Prince of Thieves" after Initial Entertainment Group successfully optioned the film rights to Chuck Hogan's novel of the same title.

Assigning Sheldon Turner to pen the script, the picture follows the story of four men who are thieves, rivals and friends as they are being hunted by a tenacious FBI agent and a woman through the streets of Boston. No word yet about the film cast.

Legendary rock group The Rolling Stones will undergo such a hectic schedules for sure as they are about to play at the Louisville, Ky. track on the evening of September 29th later this year.

There are about 50,000 tickets will be available for the event with those for the general public will range in price from $60 to $300 and be available for sale beginning Monday, Aug. 14, at 10 a.m. EDT at all TicketMaster locations, through www.livenation.com, or by phone.

Constructing a good cast ensemble, Allan Ball has finally put the names of Aaron Eckhart, Toni Collette, and Maria Bello in the list for his untitled drama feature which will be his directorial big screen debut, Variety has reported. Apart from the three stars, newcomer Summer Bishil has also been included in the list along with TV actor Peter Macdissi.

Set to begin filming process by mid September in Los Angeles, pic will be produced by Ball alongside Ted Hope and Steven M. Rales with Scott Rudin, Peggy Rajski, and Anne Carey to executive produce. The story focuses on the life of a girl named Jasira as she struggles with identity and sexual issues for being the daughter of a Lebanese-American father and an American mother during the Gulf War.

American actress Kristy Swanson, better known for her portrayal in the 1992 movie "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", and her husband Lloyd Eisler are expecting their first child together on Valentine's Day next year.

The husband-and-wife, who previously denied pregnancy rumors, have through publicist Cheryl Kagan, explained "We wanted to wait until I completed the first trimester to officially announce our pregnancy. Lloyd and I are thrilled and wanted to share the wonderful news."

A new big screen project is on its way to be developed by writer-director Rian Johnson. The indie filmmaker has revealed to CHUD.com through an interview that the feature is entitled "The Brothers Bloom" and tells about two guys who grow in and out of foster homes during their childhood while learning to survive by becoming con men.

While either cast or crew has not yet been unveiled, Johnson is eyeing the beginning of 2007 to start the film's production with aim to release it around 2008.

It is said on Pamela Anderson's Web site and has been confirmed by the actress' representative that the busty blonde and beau Kid Rock wed, again.

The August 2nd posting headlined "Just Married" on Anderson's Web site read "It's official. Just left the courthouse!!!! Mr. and Mrs. Ritchie have left the building. Off to honeymoon in Detroit! Go Tigers!"

British band Duran Duran manages to become the first major musical act to create its own virtual universe inside Second Life, an online 3D digital world, which is imagined, created and owned by the residents. Their going virtual was first announced Monday August 7th on the band's Website.

There are more than 370,000 people have Second Life characters, called Avatars, who exist in the world. Once you create your avatar (your online persona) on the privately owned, partly subscription-based site, you can own land, start a business, go to a dance club and, of course, meet others just like you.

"That's pretty cool to get to 50", Tiger Woods said on his achievement in winning his 50th PGA Tour title on Sunday August 6th at the Buick Open in Grand Blanc, Mich. "Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd get to 50", he continued.

And so, the American golfer has become the youngest player ever to hit the milestone with the predicate in hand at his mere 30 years age, beating Jack Nicklaus' record pace who reached the title in 1973 at age 33.

Ending the speculation on the involvement of Vin Diesel in "Babylon A.D.", the VinXperience site and MNP Enterprises, the company making the film, have just revealed that the actor has indeed been attached to the project as its lead role. Diesel positively will play Thoorop, a toughened war veteran and mercenary who learns that a woman he escorts has carried a synthetic virus within her which could doom the human race.

An adaptation from Maurice Dantec's futuristic French novel entitled "Babylon Babies", pic is helmed by "Gothika" director Mathieu Kassovitz based on the screenplay he himself sets to develop. Production is scheduled to start this November and will take some locations in Prague as well as Canada to meet a 2007 release.

Singer Barry Manilow has been forced to take a temporary break from his regular gig at the Las Vegas Hilton as he's about to undergo surgery to repair torn cartilage in both hips.

Manilow's publicist Carol Marshall released the statement Monday August 7th. The operation reportedly will take place at an unidentified hospital in Southern California after Manilow's August 27 appearance at the Emmy Awards.

Forget about the possibility of their reunion that has been all over the news lately. Just face the fact that Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie won't ever reconcile, not on neither off screen.

Paris has been quoted as saying she wants Nicole Richie replaced before "The Simple Life" goes into Season 5. "I don't know what happened to her. She just let fame get to her head. I look forward to doing a new Simple Life with someone else," so Paris said on her former best friend Nicole.

Well, this could possibly be a great collaboration to watch for. Production Weekly has reported that Ewan McGregor has given his agreement to accompany Australian actor Hugh Jackman in thriller project "The Tourist." Here McGregor is billed to portray an accountant who becomes the primary suspect in a woman's disappearance also a 20 million dollar theft after being introduced by his new friend, played by Jackman, to a mysterious club called The List.

A 20th Century Fox production, "The Tourist" will mark the directorial debut of Swiss filmmaker Marcel Langenegger. Mark Bomback, Patrick Marber and Jason Keller are assigned to pen the scripts while Arnold Rifkin is set to produce. Production is slated to begin on October 9 in New York.

Being famous has its ups and downs. As of Clay Aiken, the American Idol is now facing the down one. The singer has been sued by Jeannie Holleman, the author of an "unauthorized tribute" to Aiken, claiming he defamed her and conspired to stifle sales of her book.

In her lawsuit filed Friday August 4th in Wake County Superior Court, Holleman claims she's lifelong friend and neighbor of McGhee family, a Raleigh resident that were friends with Aiken's mother, Faye Parker, and took her in when Parker and her young son left her abusive husband.

Will Ferrell is in the brink to have one more reunion. Recently signed to re-team up with John C. Reilly in "Step Brothers", the funnyman now reportedly is engaged in talks on blooming another with screenwriter Scot Armstrong for "Semi-Pro." The two previously had worked together in Todd Phillips' 2003 flick of "Old School" which boosted up Ferrell's film career.

A sports comedy that takes place in the world of basketball during the 70s, the project is planned to start production by next February in Minneapolis. Apart from Ferrell and Armstrong, there is no word yet about other film crew or cast.

It's been two years, so let us just forget the Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction. Enjoy Janet Jackson's naked pose for the September issue of Vibe magazine and see how she changed drastically, now looks much more sexier than ever after losing some 60 pounds.

Know how to make use her newly sexy figure, Janet appearing on the cover of the publication wearing a skimpy bikini bottom and a necklace made of large shells with her right arm covers her breasts. Being asked will she ever stop posing for sexy photos? The singer tells Vibe "Of course. When I'm 80. That's when I'll call it quits."

Could Britney Spears expecting a baby girl? Well, it is possible as the pop superstar was spotted shopping at a toy store for a girl.

TMZ reported Spears was spotted out in Malibu Sunday August 6th, shopping for toys at Toy Crazy at Malibu's Country Mart and looked great while she did it.