October 05, 2006

Veteran actor Michael Douglas has been slated to receive an honor, not for his movie work, but for his role as a United Nations Messenger of Peace.

As UN Messenger of Peace, Douglas has campaigned for nuclear disarmament and the control of small arms. He has also been vocal about America's massive debt to the UN.

Farrah Fawcett is battling cancer. The TV legend has been diagnosed with intestine tumor and has been undergoing intensive radiation to shrink it.

Per the National Enquirer, "Doctors discovered a malignant tumor in her lower intestine and blasted it with radiation to shrink it. After surgery to remove the deadly cancer, the 59-year-old former "Charlie's Angels" star faces chemotherapy and more grueling radiation treatments."

Rumors are abuzz that Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn have split. Despite the fact that they never officially confirm whether or not they're dating, the twosome has created media frenzy when they are reported going separate ways.

A source close to Vince told US Weekly the split happened just before the actor left for London to begin work on his upcoming film project. Also it is said that Vince told the source, "It's not common knowledge, but we're not together anymore. We've split up."

Talk is heating up that Nicole Richie and Brody Jenner call it quit. Report on their break up was first confirmed by US Weekly Thursday evening Oct 4th.

On their split, sources said Jenner confronted Richie at breakfast and expressed concern over her "overbearing, manipulative and jealous ways."

David Hasselhoff has become the latest actor joining numbers of celebrities invading the world of fashion.

The hunk has ventured into fashion business, launching his own clothing line, dubbed "Malibu Dave".

A seemingly promising book-based film project is being set up at Fox 2000. The company has been confirmed to develop "Garlic and Sapphires" based on food writer Ruth Reichl's memoir of the same title with Cary Brokaw's Avenue Pictures producing and Jeremy Leven penning the script.

Intended to be a romantic comedy which follows Reichl's evolution from chef to what she has become now, Brokaw described that the film's premise "has a great hook -- it's a columnist who has to don disguises so she won't be known, and is in one of those disguises when she meets the man she falls in love with."

Attached to a double duty job, David Ayer has been confirmed to be in charge to rewrite and direct police hitman saga "Mafia Cop", an action drama coming from Mandalay and Universal Pictures.

Intended to be made based on the life and story of Louis Eppolito, the project was secured by Mandalay after the company managed to win the rights to film his life account as well as to "Mafia Cop: The Story of an Honest Cop Whose Family Was the Mob", the novel he wrote with Bob Drury. The first draft of the film initially was penned by Dan Gordon with David Zelon serving as producer.

Not guilty or innocent, either one. That's the decision taken by L.A. County Superior Court Judge Maren E. Nelson on Wednesday, ending the long battle between former couple Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin over their 10-year-old daughter Ireland.

In the hearing, with neither parties attended, Oscar-winning actress Basinger pleaded innocent to 14 charges of violating child custody orders in her divorce case with Baldwin. "The charges are outrageous and my client is not guilty," the actress' attorney Neal Hersh told People. "She will be vindicated."

Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, who made her name in the 2002 movie "Secretary", has given birth to her first child with actor fiance Peter Sarsgaard.

"Mom, dad and baby are healthy and happy", Gyllenhaal's rep, Amanda Silverman confirms. This is the first child for either Gyllenhaal or Sarsgaard.

Making a turn into comedy genre, teen star Ellen Page has reached a deal to take part in a coming-of-age comedic feature entitled "Juno", Variety has reported. Along with her, Michael Cera of "Arrested Development" fame has also been signed to the project.

Coming under direction of "Thank You for Smoking" helmer Jason Reitman, Page will play the title character, a quick-witted teenager faced with an unplanned pregnancy while Cera is billed as her loyal best friend who is responsible for her pregnancy.

For those who are curious on everything about the follow-up to Eli Roth's 2006 flick of "Hostel", Lionsgate as the production company of the project has just delightfully provided new details about the picture, officially titled "Hostel: Part II."

Scheduled for a January 5, 2007 release, the flick once again sees Eli Roth taking triple jobs as the writer, director, and producer, the latter still being conducted alongside his producing partners Chris Briggs and Mike Fleiss. Apart from Jay Hernandez who will reprise his role, cast includes Lauren German, Bijou Phillips, Roger Bart, Richard Bugl, and Heather Matarazzo.

Film Movement gets a real deal for sure. The company has successfully secured the rights to distribute "A Simple Curve", an acclaimed Canadian family drama which has been nominated for DGC Team Award in Outstanding Feature Film category by Directors Guild of Canada this year.

Pic is both written and directed by Aubrey Nealon who previously carried out the same duty in his 1998 work of "House Arrest" and 2003's "Abe Manhood." Meanwhile, cast includes Kris Lemche, Michael Hogan, Matt Craven, Sarah Lind, and Ben Cotton.

This time around Justin Timberlake has to nod his head to fellow musician, Ludacris, whose latest effort "Release Therapy" ends his two-week reign at the top of the US album charts. The rapper's set, which is his fifth, is a new entry at the charts, sold 309,000 copies for the week ended Sunday October 1st. With such attainment, "Release Therapy" obviously leads Luda to score his third No. 1 album, after that of his 2003 "Chicken -N- Beer" and 2004 "The Red Light District".

Janet Jackson's "20 Y.O.", which is also another new entry, debuts at No. 2 with 296,000 copies, followed after that by Tony Bennett's "Duets: An American Classic" at No. 3 sold 202,000 copies, and Alan Jackson's "Like Red on a Rose" opens at No.4, taking in 149,000 units. Former chart-topper Justin's "FutureSex/LoveSounds", in the meantime, falls to No. 5 sold another 147,000 copies.

Noticed for his works in horror genre, Alexandre Aja now is heading towards different turn for the first time. Variety learned that the 28-year-old filmmaker has been assigned to helm "The Gospel According to Jimmy", an English-language big screen adaptation of the Didier Van Cauwalaert's acclaimed novel.

Rights to the book were recently obtained by Alexandre Films, a French production company owned by Aja's father, Alexandre Arcady. The story revolves around a pool cleaner in Los Angeles who shockingly finds out that he is in fact a clone of Jesus, made from DNA taken from the Shroud of Turin.

Paris Hilton and Shanna Moakler involved in a club fracas which led both parties to file police reports, accusing the other of battery. Did the incident have something to do with "their man", Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker? We'll soon find out.

Tensions between Paris and Shanna got worse Wednesday night October 4th at Los Angeles hot spot Hyde Lounge. Speaking on the incident, Officer Sandra Escalante of the Los Angeles Police Department, said that Paris told police she was the victim of a battery after getting into an unprovoked fight with Shanna at Hyde around 1:30 a.m.

That Madonna is in the African country of Malawi on a mission to try to help orphaned children living with HIV and AIDS is true. But that the pop superstar had adopted a one-year-old orphan boy there, it's not true.

The adoption report first sparked as Malawi government spokesperson Adrina Michiela told reporters on Wednesday Oct 4th that Madonna had chosen a 1-year-old orphan boy to adopt, saying "She asked us to identify boys only, which we have done after visiting four orphanages in Lilongwe".

Simon West is laying his hands on true crime adventure flick this time. The British filmmaker has agreed to direct "Crazy Love" as well as to produce alongside Brian Presley's Freedom Films, so Variety has reported.

While there is no word yet about cast lineup, Geoffrey and Marcia Blake have been confirmed to work hand in hand in penning the screenpaly. West's partner in his Simon West Productions, Jib Polhemus, is set to produce with Lisa Kearns executive producing.

The auction of Cher's items went more than success. The singer and actress held an auction at the Beverly Hilton with hopes to raise an amount of $1 million for charity.

Hundreds of personal items belonging to Cher came under the hammer during the auction, kicked off Tuesday October 3rd. The many items included her high school yearbook, various wigs, jewelry, furniture, sketches of her many costumes, plus a pair of fur boots which belonged to ex-husband Sonny Bono.

Set the record straight, Eva Longoria, in an interview with Ryan Seacrest, says her relationship with boy toy Tony Parker is not officially over.

The actress furthermore said that she's flying to Paris to join Parker in France, where the NBA star is playing some exhibition games.

A bunch of bright talents are going towards "The Spiderwick Chronicles." The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that names like Nick Nolte, Martin Short, Mary-Louise Parker, and Joan Plowright are currently in talks to take part in the project while Izabella Miko and Andrew McCarthy have already been included in the lineup.

If everything goes smooth, both Nolte and Short will work together to voice a couple of otherworldly characters named Mulgrath and Thimbletack/Bogart, respectively. Meanwhile, Parker will be the mother of children who become the primary characters in the story and Ploywright the kids' aunt who is thought to be crazy for being able to see the creatures.

He has just completed his rehab stints. But Mel Gibson was spotted drinking beer, again, in a bar in Austin, Texas.

The upcoming issue of the National Enquirer quoted a musician named Steven Smith as saying, "I couldn't believe my eyes. Mel Gibson was swigging a Bud with two adoring young women hanging on his every word".