July 23, 2002 |
WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO BAD SHOWS
CBS's Big Brother is in big trouble again. According to TheSmokingGun.com, 25-year-old contestant Chiara Berti was arrested in late May for drunk driving. The incident took place in Los Angeles, where Berti was in the final stages of the Big Brother 3 audition/screening process. Berti's arraignment has been set for Sept. 3. CBS spokesman Chris Ender responds: "We were aware of the incident, but it didn't preclude her participation in the show." And what if Berti's still in the Big house when her Sept. 3 court date rolls around? "If that's the case, then we'd have to make a decision whether she's allowed to temporarily leave the house to make the court appearance or [if] that would be grounds for eviction from the show," he says, "but neither scenario has yet been discussed." Ironically, in a Q&A posted on CBS.com, Berti expressed concern about the exposure that comes with being a Big Brother housemate. "Although I am pretty open about stuff," she said, "I fear what might get out." |
THE WAIT CONTINUES...
J.K. Rowling's fifth Harry Potter book, The Order of the Phoenix, won't arrive in bookstores until June 2003, USA Today reports. Rowling apparently is still writing the novel. Hurry up, already! |
HEY, HEY
American Idol meanie Simon Cowell is in talks with NBC to produce an updated version of the classic '60s TV series The Monkees. According to Variety, the remake would feature a new American boy band in the roles made famous by Davy Jones, Mickey Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork. |
IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR
Eminem's "Without Me" and Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott's "One Minute Man" led the list of nominees for this year's MTV Video Music Awards with six apiece. Rock group P.O.D. also received six nods, but they were split between two clips: "Alive" and "Youth of the Nation." Other multiple nominees included Shakira's "Whenever, Wherever" and White Stripes's "Fell in Love With a Girl." The VMAs are slated for August 29 at New York's Radio City Music Hall. Saturday Night Live's Jimmy Fallon will serve as host. |
BOX OFFICE CORRECTION
Final figures show that the Tom Hanks gangster epic Road to Perdition beat out Stuart Little 2 for the top spot at the weekend box office. Perdition, originally projected to be the No. 2 film, grossed $15.4 million — just a whisker ahead of Stuart's $15.1 million haul. |
BEN'S MOVING ON...
Felicity grad Scott Speedman has been cast opposite Kate Beckinsale in the big-screen action film Underworld. The Hollywood Reporter describes the pic as "a modern-day Romeo and Juliet story set in the world of vampires and werewolves, in which one lover is a vampire (Beckinsale) and the other a werewolf (Speedman)." |
SHORT CUTS
Oscar winner Marlee Matlin gave birth to a baby boy, Tyler Daniel Grandalski, on Thursday. This is her third child with husband Kevin Grandalski... Rapper Ja Rule is in negotiations to reprise his role in The Fast and the Furious 2. |
END QUOTE
"He is formidable. He is a man among men, unselfish and all-encompassing. He stands by the choices he made. He will never blame it on somebody else, and I have never seen anybody else do that." — Julia Roberts gushing about new hubby Danny Moder on Good Morning America. |
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