Tag Archives: Hollywood
Russell Crowe spots a UFO
Les Mis star Russell Crowe is losing it.
The Oscar winner was flummoxed Tuesday when he spied a mysterious crimson flash floating across the sky near his office in Woolloomooloo (which sounds like a space town but is, in fact, a suburb of Sydney, Australia). He even took a series of time-lapse photos of the phenomenon, which he then posted on Twitter with this not-at-all-crazy-sounding caption: “UFO? Time Lapse Photos Outside RC’s Woolloomooloo Office (THESE ARE REAL!)”
UFO? Time Lapse Photos Outside RC’s Woolloomooloo Office (THESE ARE REAL!): youtu.be/W63K–xUg6o via @youtube—
Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) March 06, 2013
What could be the source of that light, if not straight-up aliens? It’s not his camera’s flash, said Crowe, because his Canon 5D isn’t equipped with one; it also can’t be a lens flare, because the camera was fixed.
Clearly, the invasion has begun. Or, you know, Crowe spotted the lights of a conventional aircraft, a helicopter, a bug, a car, or a yacht, as various YouTube commenters have suggested. One thing’s for sure, though: The truth is out there, and “there,” in this case, means “the Internet.”
‘Grand Theft Auto V’ coming in spring
Gamers can finally start carjacking again.
“Grand Theft Auto V” will be released in the spring of 2013, publisher Take-Two Interactive announced Tuesday. The company’s Rockstar Games subsidiary confirmed earlier this year that the sequel to 2008′s hit “Grand Theft Auto IV” was in the works, but did not disclose a release date.
The spring timing is significant as Take-Two’s fiscal year ends on March 31. With spring not officially starting until March 20, it is very likely that “Grand Theft Auto V” will be released in the company’s fiscal 2014.
Many analysts and investors were uncertain whether the game would come out during the current fiscal year. While the lack of pre-release marketing so far made that appear unlikely, the company’s financial guidance seemed to indicate that it would.
Take-Two had previously told investors to expect net income of between $1.75 and $2 per share for its fiscal 2013, which ends March 31.
“My guess is that they lower guidance to break even… and say that GTA [5] is a Q1 ’14 launch,” Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter wrote in an email. “I don’t think that the stock gets hit unreasonably, but management’s credibility suffers further. People had no confidence the game was coming this fiscal year and they met expectations.”
Take-Two has a reputation in the video game industry for delaying planned release dates. However, it has been on a bit of a roll thanks to the recent hits “Borderlands 2″ and “NBA 2K ’13.”
It was not immediately apparent what investors thought of the news as the stock markets in New York were closed Tuesday due to Hurricane Sandy.
The extreme weather also caused Take-Two to delay the planned release Tuesday of its financial results for the quarter ended Sept. 30.
“Grand Theft Auto V,” which will be playable on Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Microsoft’s Xbox 360, is set in a fictional version of Los Angeles called “Los Santos.” Previous versions of “GTA” have been set in fictional versions of Miami and New York.
Comedy queen Phyllis Diller dies at 95
Before Joan Rivers, Roseanne Barr and Ellen DeGeneres, Phyllis Diller crashed the mostly male comedy circuit party to become an icon in the stand-up field.
The raucous comedian, known for her wild wigs and cackling laugh, died at her home in L.A. at the age of 95. “She died peacefully in her sleep with a smile on her face,” longtime manager Milt Suchin told the Associated Press.
Born Phyllis Ada Driver in Lima, Ohio, Diller studied at Chicago’s Sherwood Music Conservatory for three years before eloping with Sherwood Anderson Diller in 1939.
She didn’t begin her career in stand-up comedy until she was 37, but the homemaker and mother soon made her mark, beginning in 1955 at San Francisco’s Purple Onion nightclub, becoming a mainstay for decades on TV and in nightclubs. By 1961, she had appeared more than 30 times on The Jack Paar Show, the late-night precursor of today’s Tonight Show.
Diller’s comedy career was timed almost as perfectly as one of her jokes. In the heyday of comedy and variety shows, Diller was a guest with all the big names, from Jack Benny and Dean Martin to Red Skelton and Ed Sullivan. But her 1966 ABC situation comedy, The Pruitts of Southhampton, later renamed The Phyllis Diller Show, lasted only one season.
In addition to blazing a trail as a woman in the male-dominated field of comedy, Diller spouted seemingly autobiographical one-liners and anecdotes that paved the way for Rivers’ and Barr’s riffs on similar themes; Diller told of domestic and marital strife with her long-suffering husband, “Fang,” and, of course, self-deprecating jokes about her often-outlandish appearance, which was part of her act.
She also joked about a mother-in-law called “Moby Dick” and a sister-in-law called “Captain Bligh.” All were fictional, she said, drawing a contrast between her stage persona and her real personality: She pointed out that though she carried a cigarette holder in her act, she didn’t smoke.
In real life, Diller didn’t shy from plastic surgery. In a 1992 profile, the Orlando Sentinel described her “plastic surgery résumé, which is printed on rainbow-colored paper and, after 22 years of work and 17 procedures done by nine surgeons, is threatening to spill onto a second page. There was 1985, a particularly busy year: She had a brow lift, nose job (the second), under-eye lift, cheek implants, eye-liner tattoo and she had her teeth bonded.”
Her devotion to makeovers even resulted in a special award from the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery.
But despite the surgeries, Diller insisted, “I like myself. I knew I was kidding.”
Diller branched out with varying degrees of success to the stage and big screen. She appeared in three movies with her comedy idol, Bob Hope, who also included her on his trips overseas during the Vietnam War to perform for the troops. She appeared in 23 of his TV specials. Throughout her career, she also took on guest-starring roles on TV shows, including The Love Boat; CHiPs; Blossom; 227; Love, American Style; and, more recently, Boston Legal.
From 1971 to 1981, Diller performed as a piano soloist with 100 symphony orchestras, as the comic character Dame Illya Dillya. But her musical prowess was no joke. The San Francisco Examiner said, “As demonstrated in Beethoven’s piano concerto and several selections by Bach, Miss Diller is also a fine concert pianist with a firm touch.”
Diller retired from nightclubs and touring in 2002 at age 84 because of ill health. Her final stand-up performance at the Suncoast Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas was chronicled in a 2004 documentary, Goodnight, We Love You.
In recent years, she lent her voice to animated characters in films and TV shows, such as A Bug’s Life, King of the Hill, Animaniacs, Scooby-Doo, The Wild Thornberries and Family Guy. In 2005, she published a memoir, Like a Lampshade in a Whorehouse.
And in July 2007, she fractured her back, an injury that caused her to cancel an appearance on NBC’s Tonight Show With Jay Leno to celebrate her 90th birthday. But she did appear as part of a “Queens of Comedy” panel with Anderson Cooper on CNN in early 2011. “You’re so white,” she told Cooper. “You look like somebody put too much bleach on you.”
Director Tony Scott Jumps to His Death From Los Angeles Bridge
Tony Scott, the director of high-octane blockbusters like “Top Gun,” jumped to his death from a Los Angeles bridge on Sunday. He was 68.
The authorities are investigating his death as a suicide, said Lt. Joseph Bale of the Los Angeles County coroner’s office. Lt. Bale said Mr. Scott jumped from the Vincent Thomas Bridge over Los Angeles Harbor at about 12:30 local time Sunday afternoon.
It was not immediately clear what would have driven Mr. Scott to commit suicide. The Los Angeles Times reported that investigators later found a suicide note in Mr. Scott’s office.
Lt. Tim Nordquist of the Los Angeles Police Department told The Associated Press that several 911 calls were made around 12:35 p.m. on Sunday to report that someone had jumped from the Vincent Thomas Bridge, which connects the San Pedro district of Los Angeles to Terminal Island. Lt. Nordquist said that a police dive team was dispatched and retrieved Mr. Scott’s body, which was transported to the county coroner’s office.
With his brother the director Ridley Scott, he ran a production company called Scott Free Productions. Among his most recent work was the 2010 action film “Unstoppable,” starring Denzel Washington, with whom he often worked.
Tony Scott, who was known for sporting a weathered red baseball cap, will likely be remembered most for his seminal action adventure films of years past, especially “Top Gun,” which starred Tom Cruise and was one of the highest-grossing films when it was released in 1986, earning nearly $345 million worldwide, according to IMDb.
His other films included “Enemy of the State,” “Déjà Vu,” “Days of Thunder” and “Crimson Tide.” He and his brother were working on a film adaptation of Bill O’Reilly’s book “Killing Lincoln,” set to be released next year.
Mr. Scott won an Emmy award as the executive producer of the 2002 television movie “The Gathering Storm” about Winston Churchill in the years leading up to World War II.
Anthony David Scott was born in North Shields, a town on the northeast coast of England, on June 21, 1944. As a teenager he made his movie debut — as an actor — in a short film, “Boy and Bicycle,” directed by Ridley Scott. After studying at many of the same schools that Ridley attended, Tony Scott graduated from London’s Royal College of Art and joined a television production company that Ridley had started. Tony Scott earned some of his earliest directing credits on TV commercials, episodic series and music videos before overseeing his first feature, the vampire movie “The Hunger,” in 1983.
Mr. Scott’s death on Sunday led to an online outpouring of emotion and remembrances from performers and filmmakers who had worked with him or were inspired by his work.
David Krumholtz, an actor who starred on the CBS television series “Numb3rs,” wrote in a post on his Twitter account about being directed in an episode by Mr. Scott, who was also a producer of the series.
“I had come to know Tony as a warm, enthusiastic and whimsical general with great vision and pride for his work and for the art of action,” Mr. Krumholtz wrote. He added:
After a few takes, I still couldn’t get it right. It felt odd to look up while I was talking to the seated F.B.I. agents in the room. Finally, Tony walked in and said, “David, just imagine that you’re talking to God. And God has all the money. In order to get the money, you gotta talk to God. GOD AND MONEY!!! GOD AND MONEY!!!” He skipped off set, in the way that he did, keeping me energized, and firmly strapped into his roller coaster ride of film making.
Duncan Jones, the director of films like “Source Code” and “Moon,” and who got an early career break doing camerawork for Mr. Scott’s television series “The Hunger,” wrote in a Twitter post: “Tony was a truly lovely man who took me under his wing & ignited my passion to make films.” Mr. Jones added: “Wish you had felt there was a way to keep going.”
Edgar Wright, the director of “Shaun of the Dead” and “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” wrote on his Twitter account: “Tony Scott was a rambunctious cinematic spirit.” He added: “As I hope was evident in my work, I was big fan of his. Rest In Peace, sir.”
Fred Willard Arrested at Porn Theater
Actor Fred Willard was arrested at a seedy Hollywood adult movie theater called the Tiki Theater for lewd conduct, Fox News reports.
It’s not clear what type of lewd conduct Willard was allegedly engaged in at the time of his arrest, but XXX movies with titles like “Step Dad No. 2″ were reportedly playing at the theater. You probably won’t want to create a mental picture.
Perhaps someone should tell the 72-year-old actor about the Internet, where one can watch limitless amounts of XXX movies and engage in all sorts of legal lewd conduct in the privacy of one’s own home. That may have saved him from this embarrassing arrest.
Hollywood undercover vice officers were conducting a routine inspection of the adult movie house Wednesday night when they arrested Fred Willard, reports Fox News. The arrest happened shortly before 9 p.m.
Willard was taken to a police station where he was booked and released, reports Fox News. Generally, in California, someone arrested for lewd conduct is charged with disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor. So Willard could potentially face up to a year in jail if convicted.
However, given the nature of the crime, Willard’s age, and his high-profile status, it seems unlikely that he’ll be locked up. As comparison, actor Pee Wee Herman famously exposed himself in an adult theater over 20 years ago and did not go to jail.
Despite being caught with his pants down, Fred Willard’s criminal defense team may be able to argue that his arrest was a giant misunderstanding. After all, he is rumored to be in pre-production for a movie called “The Yank,” writes Fox News. So his lewd conduct could simply be method acting.
The Game Beats Up G-Unit Member 40 Glocc
The Game beat the crap out of former G-Unit rapper 40 Glocc recently, while filming some of the ass whomping himself on an iPhone. Talk about multitasking.
The cellphone video below shows Game confronting 40 Glocc in the middle of a Hollywood street, saying, “You wanna finish it? You wanna finish it right here?”
As you can see, The Game calls 40 Glocc a “punk ass n!gga” during the fight. During the footage, 40 Glocc tells the camera, “I just got jumped, n!gga.”
As 40 tries to flee the scene, Game shouts, “There ain’t gonna be another one, n!gaa.” Game points the camera at his shoes, which show blood stains.
After the fight, 40 Glocc tweeted that the aggressor “chased me down with a pistol … n!gga has to have a gun drawn on me.” The Game denies this.
Glocc says he will NOT pursue legal action against him, however. Guess it’s true what they say, snitches get stitches. Or in his case, more stitches.
Charlie Sheen leaving Hollywood
Charlie Sheen has had a long Hollywood career filled with many ups and downs, but it seems his new FX show “Anger Management” really will be the last time we see the once highest-paid actor in television do his thing in front of the cameras.
“Thirty years in, I mean come on. There’s this whole ton of stuff to do that involves my children and the rest of my life that’s not about like worshipping fiction,” Sheen told Fox411’s Pop Tarts column at the FX Summer Comedies party in Hollywood this week, after confirming that after this series he was parting ways with the acting profession.
But in his latest project, the controversial screen star plays a successful, non-traditional therapist specializing in anger management – and the concept of helping others was what drew Sheen to the role.
“He doesn’t judge anybody. He’s just a guy trying to get by,” he continued. “He’s all about atonement, giving something back… He’s cool and he’s smart.”
And it seems Mr. Sheen has learned a valuable lesson since his very public firing from hit CBS sitcom “Two-And-A-Half Men” last year.
“When you get traded, come back and kick ass,” he enthused.
“Anger Management” premieres Thursday June 28 at 9pm on FX.
Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes getting a divorce
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are getting a divorce.
After nearly six years of marriage, a lawyer for Holmes said Friday that the pair are calling it quits.
“This is a personal and private matter for Katie and her family,” attorney Jonathan Wolfe said in a statement to People, which broke the story. “Katie’s primary concern remains, as it always has been, her daughter’s best interest.”
The couple had not yet filed papers with the L.A. Superior Court, officials told L.A. Now on Friday. Wolfe’s office confirmed the news to L.A. Now.
The Ministry would be remiss if we didn’t give TomKat a “well played” for burning off this bombshell on the Friday before a major national holiday, a tactic deployed last year by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver.
Tom and Katie’s romance sparked in 2005, after she split with actor Chris Klein. Tom had been four years divorced from Nicole Kidman, with whom he shares two children, and had recently split from actress Penelope Cruz.
Cruise’s, um, excitement over his love for Katie led to his infamous couch-jumping incident on Oprah Winfrey’s show the year their courtship began. Shortly thereafter, Holmes announced she was pregnant, and baby Suri was born in April 2006.
After their November 2006 Italian wedding, the family made their official debut, a water-cooler moment, on the cover of Vanity Fair.
Reps for both actors did not respond immediately to Ministry requests for comment.
Drew Barrymore & Will Kopelman – Just Married
They’re on the road to wedded bliss!
Drew Barrymore and Will Kopelman made a romantic exit from their wedding Saturday, snuggling in the back of an old classic convertible Mercedes (with the top up) that was decorated with blush and hot-pink roses as well as pink ribbons.
The newlyweds left the reception, held at the actress’s Montecito, Calif., home, at about 1:30 a.m., and spent their first night as husband and wife at a hotel.
“Drew and Will sat in the back of the car,” a source tells PEOPLE. “They would not stop kissing and looked very cute. Drew was beaming and looked extremely happy. She was still in her wedding dress.”
Barrymore, 37, is expecting her first child with Kopelman, an art dealer.
John Travolta is “stayin’ alive”
An anonymous male masseur is suing John Travolta for sexual harassment, claiming that he has “proof” the actor tried to have sex with him during a massage session.
According to papers filed in a Los Angeles court and obtained by TMZ, “John Doe” says that the “Grease” actor touched his legs and genitals and made unwanted sexual advances towards him.
The suit claims that Travolta responded to an online advertisement for massage services, and picked up the masseur in a black SUV and drove him to the actor’s private bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
Travolta allegedly took off all of his clothes, and rubbed the plaintiff’s legs and genitals. The masseur, an aspiring actor, told Travolta that he would not have sex with his clients. Travolta supposedly told the man that the only way he would make it in Hollywood is if he performed sexual favors.
“Hollywood is controlled by homosexual Jewish men who expect favors in return for sexual activity,” Travolta allegedly said.
Travolta then masturbated in front of the masseur, offered him a “reverse massage” and said, “Come on dude, I’ll jerk you off.”
In a statement to E! News, Travolta’s lawyers say that the claims are “fiction”: “This lawsuit is complete fiction and fabrication. None of the events claimed in the suit ever occurred. The plaintiff, who refuses to give their name, knows that the suit is a baseless lie.”
The statement continues, “Plaintiff’s attorney has filed this suit to try and get his 15 minutes of fame. John intends to get this case thrown out and then he will sue the attorney and plaintiff for malicious prosecution.”
John Doe told RadarOnline Tuesday that he has “proof to support the truth that I’m telling,” but would not reveal any specifics.
In 2010, Los Angeles-based interior designer Robert Randolph wrote explicitly about Travolta’s supposed secret gay sex life in his book, “You’ll Never Spa In This Town Again.”
Randolph claimed that starting in 1995, he saw the actor engage in countless sex acts in an L.A. bathhouse. According to Randolph, “everyone in L.A.” knows that Travolta has gay encounters.
Travolta has been married to actress Kelly Preston since 1991 and had three children together, but heir oldest son, Jett, died from a seizure in 2009. The couple welcomed a son, Benjamin, in 2011. The couple are devout Scientologists, a religion that strictly opposes homosexuality,
