October 13, 2006

Landing another deal, Screen Gems is set to develop a new film project titled "Armored" as it has successfully secured rights to this James V. Simpson's spec script.

Intended to be a gritty drama, the feature takes a look on a young armored car guard who gets persuaded by his veteran cohorts to empty a truck containing $10 million. So far, there are no confirmations yet dealing with the cast members and director.

Apparently Simon West has his attention focused on book-based film project this time. The English filmmaker has recently picked up the movie rights to a Mark Haskell Smith's novel via his Simon West Productions with an eye to direct.

Titled "Salty" just like the book's name, the picture will revolve around a reformed sex-addicted bass player who is dragged by his ex-supermodel wife for a vacation in Thailand. While spending time there, his wife unexpectedly gets abducted by Thai pirates raising money to buy a new boat. So far, there is no word yet on cast lineup.

No body's perfect and Nick Lachey is just one among the many people who once make a mistake in their life. The singer, during an appearance on "The Late Show With David Letterman" on Wednesday Oct 11th, admitted MTV's "Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica" was a mistake.

Slammed the reality show as a "dumb idea", Lachey insisting it was partly responsible for breaking up his marriage to Jessica Simpson. "It was among the dumber ideas I think I've ever seen executed in history", he told Letterman. "For a while we actually enjoyed doing the show (but) it just got to a place where it was so invasive, it became a problem."

Piling up more new film projects, New Line Cinema has satisfyingly optioned a spec script written by Justin Haythe entitled "Snitch", The Hollywood Reporter has revealed.

Taking inspiration from the true events chronicled in a PBS "Frontline" documentary, the picture concerns a devoted father who goes undercover in the drug world when his son is sent to jail for 30 years after being set up in a drug transaction.

New rumors surface by the hour that Natalie Portman is dating British billionaire Nat Rothschild. According to the Daily Mail the actress and the 35-year-old man were spotted dining at Wilton's restaurant in London earlier this week.

The evening the couple was seen having dinner together, a source stated that, "Natalie and a female friend pulled up in a chauffeured Audi at around 9 pm and went into the restaurant. Nat (Rothschild) arrived on foot five minutes later."

Nicole Richie has found new love and so does ex-boyfriend Brody Jenner. The model is hooking up with "The Hills" star Lauren Conrad.

It is just one week after his break up with Richie that the hunk was spotted with Lauren, who also is his ex-girlfriend Kristin Cavallari's nemesis.

Director John Moore is eyeing his next directorial stint. According to Variety, the Irish filmmaker is now engaged in negotiations to helm a Regency Enterprises' new project of "Pilgrim", which formerly titled "Splinter Cell."

Depicting a story of a former CIA agent who takes one last mission while being haunted by the murder of his mentor, the picture has already enlisted "Exorcist: The Beginning" writer William Wisher to pen the script. Meanwhile Jeffrey D. Apple will seat as one of the producers.

Just a week after breaking up with Brody Jenner, her beau of two months, Nicole Richie has reportedly found love again, this time in a French magazine editor Samuel Plouchart.

Richie was photographed with Plouchart, the fashion editor of French magazine Citizen K, dining and shopping in Beverly Hills, California.

Getting deeper into acting field, former dancer Jenna Dewan has landed another starring role in "Revenge of the Nerds", a film remake of the 1984 comedy flick of the same title.

Lining up together with Chris Marquette, Katie Cassidy, and Efren Ramirez, among others, the beauty is set to play a teen who catches the eye of a nerd named Max, played by Marquette, as they both encountered their first day at the college.

Sara Evans is quite good at making sensation. The country singer comes up Thursday Oct 12th with two shocking news. The first one is that she filed for divorce from husband Craig Schelske, while the other one is that she has decided to pull out of the "Dancing with the Stars" competition.

Question why is answered by the music star's publicist who on that same day released a statement, saying "Recent events that shed light on the status of her marriage prompted Ms. Evans to make the filing, which was registered today (October 12) with a court in Tennessee, where Evans resides."

Recently finished shooting "Evan Almighty" for Universal, John Goodman has already got another acting job to do. The "Roseanne" star has signed on to take part in 20th Century Fox's vigilante drama "Death Sentence", an adaptation of Brian Garfield's novel of the same title.

Joining the likes of Kevin Bacon and Kelly Preston, Goodman will play an arms dealer named Bones Darly who is also the boss of a drug ring which includes his two sons, played by Garrett Hedlund and Matthew O'Leary. The story itself takes its focus on Bacon's character, a vengeful father who chases down criminals responsible for the assault on his wife and son.

Oprah Winfrey and Bono are expanding AIDS project, hit the Chicago's "Magnificent Mile" on Thursday Oct 12th for a shopping spree to promote a new line of clothing, accessories and gadgets, including a special-edition iPod, all of which aimed to raise money to be used to fight AIDS in Africa.

Dozens of "(Product) Red" items will go on sale in the coming weeks by Gap Inc., Apple Computer Inc., Motorola Inc., Converse Inc. and Emporio Armani with portions of the product sales will go to The Global Fund, an organization that fights AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

British singer and actor Will Young has secured a lead role in West End Wizard Of Oz spin-off "Wicked".

The star was spotted receiving VIP treatment at the London show recently. "They (show bosses) are really trying to woo him and he seems keen to get started with rehearsals", said a source.

Good news apparently comes in twos for Josh Turner. For one thing, the country singer is celebrating the arrival of his first child with wife Jennifer Ford Turner, while at the same time also is cheering his No. 1 hit.

Turner and Jennifer welcomed their first child, a baby boy, last Friday Oct 6th at Baptist Hospital in Nashville. Hampton Otis Turner weighed 8 lbs. 12 oz., the singer's label MCM announced, adding that both mother and child are fine and now at home.

Here's another potential candidate to direct "Tonight, He Comes." TMZ has learned that New York-born filmmaker Peter Berg is in the brink to reach a deal to helm the project, an action drama revolving around a tortured superhero who causes waves in a small town as he falls for an alluring housewife.

If everything goes well, Berg then will be the fourth director to handle the flick after Michael Mann, Jonathan Mostow, and Gabriele Muccino. Mann, the first choice to direct the movie when it was set up at Artisan, quitted the project to make Miami Vice followed by Mostow who exited duo to creative differences while Muccino simply walked out upon feeling that the film's story did not suit him.

These days are tough for Hilary Duff to pass. The actress claims she is fearing for her life, alleging in a court documents she and boyfriend, Good Charlotte frontman Joel Madden, are being stalked by two men, one a paparazzi and the other a homeless man.

Papers filed Thursday Oct 12th in Los Angeles Superior Court stated that a 19-year-old Russian emigre named Max "Doe" came to the United States "for the sole purpose of meeting and becoming romantically involved with Ms. Duff." The man "admitted to being 'obsessed' with her, has stated his intention of 'removing' his 'enemies' (i.e. those who prevent him from being with her)."

Still preferring to evoke tension among moviegoers after her latest role in "The Grudge 2" which opens in theaters today, October 13, Amber Tamblyn has given positive sign to take a starring role in "Blackout (II)", an indie thriller focusing on three people trapped in a hospital elevator.

Billed opposite "The Wire" star Aidan Gillen, the starlet is cast as a young woman trying to get to her dying grandmother in the hospital while Gillen will play a doctor who turns out to be a psychopathic killer. Filming is slated to start early next month in Spain with Rigoberto Castaneda to direct based on script penned by Ed Dougherty and Morabito.

Being famous has its ups and downs and apparently those things never come easy for Justin Hawkins, the lead singer of glam rock band The Darkness. The 31-year-old man is quitting the band that made him famous, blaming problems with alcohol and cocaine as the reason.

Confirming his decision to leave the band, the singer told the Sun newspaper Wednesday Oct 11th "it's time for me to move on" while adding "It would be damaging to my recovery to stay on. I'm not blaming the band for my problem -- I am an addict."

Jennifer Aniston breaks her silence, so you better listen to her carefully. Contrary to rumors, the actress, during a taping for a forthcoming episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on Wednesday Oct 11th, said she has not broken up with Vince Vaughn.

One of the show audiences tells People that Jenn did indicate to the talk show queen that she and Vince are not engaged and yet "still on".

It's official, Madonna filed for adoption. The pop superstar and husband Guy Ritchie were granted an interim order to adopt a one-year-old boy from the impoverished African country Malawi, a senior court official said on Thursday Oct 12th.

The singer took custody of a motherless 1-year-old boy from Malawi named David Banda. Reports on the adoption was confirmed by the child's father, a Malawi village chief, the director of the orphanage, and the secretary for the Ministry for Gender and Child Welfare among others, while there has yet any official statement released by the London-based singer.

Back to the market after being dumped by Warner Bros. Pictures, it delightfully did not take long for "The Three Stooges" to find another home. Variety revealed that the picture has safely been placed under First Look Studios following the deal reached between the company and the film's rights holder C3 Entertainment.

Amidst this move, however, it is reported that Farrelly brothers who have been tapped to both write and direct are no longer attached to the flick. Though so, their script for the movie will likely still be used as C3 honcho Earl Benjamin said he loves the contemporized screenplay they penned with Mike Ceronne for Warner.

Bad news for you boys, Mary-Kate Olsen is single no more. The so-called fashion icon is dating Max Snow.

The actress' publicist confirmed their romance to In Touch Weekly, saying "The pair first hooked up at Bungalow 8 in NYC on September 14".

They're not the first same sex couple to walk down the aisle. Though so, their wedding will surely be one of that making the headlines. Ellen DeGeneres and partner Portia de Rossi are currently planning a summer wedding.

DeGeneres and Rossi have been together for nearly two years and now they're ready to tie the knot, which reportedly will take place in June next year in their new home in Montecito, a Spanish-style villa. Per The Enquirer, "They're going to have a late afternoon outdoor wedding, possibly catered by Portia's favorite hotel, the San Ysidro Ranch."