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New and Noteworthy briefings

February 16, 2011

By Staff Reporter

Playing harried hubby Darren will be ?Elf? star Will Ferrell, replacing early frontrunner Jim Carrey. Maybe moviemakers will help us all understand exactly why Samantha didn?t just blink herself a fat bank account, a mansion and Brad Pitt . . .

Don?t look for Kinks frontman Ray Davies to come dancing anytime soon. The singer was shot in the leg when he was mugged on a recent trip to New Orleans. Happily, Davies was was not seriously injured and he released from the hospital soon after receiving treatment. It?s a safe bet that he won?t be returning to the Big Easy — or is that the Big Sleazy — anytime soon.

In more Nicole news, we hear that she just pocketed $3 million for filming a 4-minute ad for Chanel. The commercial, which took four days to shoot, was directed by Baz Luhrmann, who also helmed Kidman?s hit film, ?Moulin Rouge.?

Everyone talks about the luck of the Irish, but few people realize it?s actually made in America. Or, at least, the lottery tickets are. It seems that it wouldn?t be cost effective to print the relatively small number of Irish lottery tickets –100 million a year — in Ireland, so the job is farmed out to a firm based in Michigan. ?It?s just not practical to make them here,? said a National Lottery spokesperson. ?As there are special printing requirements.?

Justin?s glassy-eyed vacation
You?ll be happy to know that super-hot pop star Justin Timberlake did all of his Christmas shopping in Ireland this year. And it?s a sure bet that he now has plenty of new fans among the staff of Waterford Crystal.
Justin jetted into the country for sold-out shows in Belfast and Dublin, accompanied by his girlfriend, Cameron Diaz. The photogenic pair, who bunked down at the posh Four Seasons Hotel in Ballsbridge, kept a fairly low profile while in the capital. Justin did a bit of charity work, turning over the first sod for the new Ronald McDonald House for sick children in Crumlin.
Justin needed to pick up a few Christmas presents, and he didn’t want to be hounded by adoring girls (at least, not with Cameron around). So his handlers arranged for the Kilkenny Shop in Nassau Street (opposite Trinity College) to open up from 9-10:30 p.m. for a private shopping session, complete with legions of staff to wait on him and plenty of Champagne to keep him hydrated.
Justin had told the staff that his family loves to collect Waterford Crystal, so naturally there were some Waterford representatives on hand to make sure he was shown a prime selection. The singer picked out an impressive sculpture of a Formula One car — priced at an equally impressive $27,500 — for his father. For his mother, Justin chose a crystal gramophone piece with an $8,000 pricetag.
“My mom is a big collector of Waterford Crystal,” he told the staff. “I know she’s going to love this.”
According to the Sunday World, Justin then turned to Cameron — who was sipping Champagne and chatting with the salespeople — and said, “I can’t believe I’m checking off so many gifts on my Christmas list!”
In the end, Justin’s purchases came to a cool $50,000. The Waterford reps, who were no doubt thrilled by his high-octane shopping spree, presented the singer with a couple of special gifts: a Waterford globe complete with a shooting star, and a crystal sculpture of a platinum record.

Bono: ready for kicks and kisses?
If you?ve been thinking that Bono?s been acting a little strange lately, you?re right. But actually, it?s not a new thing. The U2 front man has gone on record saying that he?s paranoid, angry, egotistical and reptilian. So you see, Sinead O?Connor was right.
Oh, only kidding. But the singer was in a rather confessional mood recently, as he listed his faults for his fans via Paris Match magazine.
?I have the sensitivity of a reptile,? he declared. And while lizards have never seemed particularly sensitive to me, Bono says that they — and he — are extremely perceptive creatures.
?Right now, I?m talking to you,? he told the understandably bemused reporter. ?But I feel the tiniest vibrations in this room.?
Bono also admits that fame has made him very jumpy.
?I?m paranoid,? he declared. ?I?m always ready to be hit or, who knows, to be kissed.?
Yeah, whatever.
Bono also admits to have a ferocious ego. But he notes that this is the norm for people in the entertainment industry.
?I?m no exception to the rule,? he said wryly. ?In our profession, you get obsessed with your own self pretty fast.?
And forget the peace-loving, flag-waving, globetrotting, achingly earnest do-gooder reputation that he?s acquired over the years. Bono says that, under the surface, he?s just a-bilin? wit rage.
?I have a lot of anger in me,? he said — or, perhaps, growled. ?When I was young that rage could turn into violence fast.?
It?s a problem that Bono still grapples with. He says he still has a tendency to ?lose control? and ?it costs [him] a fortune.?
So, to summarize, if you see him in his natural habitat, approach with care.
?I?ve still got a whole lot of tolerance,? he said. ?But don?t push me too far.?

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