The most recent — and glaring — example of this was the Ben ‘n’ Jen stinkfest, “Gigli,” which was so bad that to call it a turkey would invite slander suits from indignant fowl.
But still, movie star sweeties soldier on, each pair convinced that they will prove the exception to the rule. Such is the case with Oscar-winning actors Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, who are talking about starring in a remake of the musical “Guys and Dolls.”
“It would certainly be an exciting project,” the 59-year-old actor told Teen Hollywood magazine.
“Musical comedy is one of Catherine’s loves,” said Douglas. “[But] I’m very short on the hoofing and the singing part.”
The pair costarred once before, in the critically acclaimed film “Traffic.” Interestingly, they shared no scenes in that movie.
Britney (hearts) Dublin
Lock up all the eligible bachelors and hide the justices of the peace! Wild-child pop start Britney Spears will shimmy her, well, bits, across the broad Atlantic this summer to perform a few shows in Ireland. Having already sold out two shows at the Point Depot, (June 2-3), Brit will strut her stuff at the Royal Dublin Showgrounds (RDS) on June 6.
Murray wins BAFTA for ‘Translation’
Back in his “Saturday Night Live” days, if you’d told Bill Murray that someday he’d be tipped to win an Oscar, you’d probably have gotten a headful of noogies. His big screen forays were in comedies like “Meatballs” and “Stripes” — funny, yes, but award magnets, nuh-uh.
But fast forward 25 years or so, and voila! Murray is at the top of every best actor list. His performance in Sophia Coppola’s “Lost in Translation” has earned him both a Golden Globe and a BAFTA (British film award), and the smart money says they’ll be joined by a little golden man by the end of the month.
True to form, the funnyman kept his acceptance speech short and to the point. Since he couldn’t attend the ceremony, Bill sent a fax which was read by Coppola.
“Thank you very much,” he wrote. “It comes as a huge surprise — too huge, I’m afraid.”
Of course, Murray couldn’t resist sticking in a joke.
“Benicio, Johnny, Jude, and Sean . . . that’s all,” he wrote of his fellow nominees (respectively, Del Toro, Depp, Law and Penn). “If you happen to see them, tell them I mentioned them.”
After the jungle, Kerry craves curry
Now that she’s officially Queen of the Jungle, TV star (and Westlife wife) Kerry Katona can have whatever she wants. For dinner, at least.
The former Atomic Kitten arrived back in Ireland last week, to the delight of her friends, family and especially her children, Molly and Lily Sue. Kerry was presented with a cake decorated to resemble her Outback campsite, but the singer had eyes only for her daughters and husband.
“It’s absolutely fantastic to be back with the kids,” she told reporters. “I’ll never leave them again.”
The McFaddens then headed back to their Dublin home, where Kerry planned “to cuddle up with them all.” Kerry was so adamant about reconnecting with the kids that she and Bryan decided to spend Valentine’s night at home.
“[We’re having] egg-fried rice and a chicken curry,” she giggled.
In more Kerry news, we hear that the singer will team up with Miss World Rosanna Davison to host the Meteor Awards, Ireland’s biggest music awards show, on March 1.
And finally, it seems like Kerry’s comments about Atomic Kitten during her jungle adventure have elicited a chorus of meows from her one-time bandmates.
Allegations that Katona was drummed out of the band she founded has ruffled the fur of Kerry’s replacement, Jenny Frost.
“She’s off her head,” hissed Jenny. “It was never just Kerry’s band.
“All I can think of is that the lack of food in the jungle made her . . . totally lose her grip on reality.”
British soap gets (a) Patsy
Two years ago, Boyzone alum Keith Duffy joins the cast of the British soap opera “Coronation Street” when his pop star career stalled. Now, actress (and former Mrs. Liam Gallagher) Patsy Kensit has joined the cast of a rival soap, “Emmerdale,” to get her through an acting dry spell. What’s next? Those B*Witched girls as the new family on “EastEnders”?
“The prospect of being watched by over 10 million viewers every night is intimidating,” said Patsy. “But I can’t wait to get stuck in.”
Charlie’s sheen
It took Charlie Sheen a long, long, loooong time to realize that the ’80s are over. The actor, who shot to fame in “Platoon” (1986) and “Wall Street” (1987), acquired his party boy reputation the old fashioned way: he earned it. A weakness for alcohol, drugs and, er, salaried companionship led to lurid headlines and stints in rehab. But he finally saw the light — in the shape of actress Denise Richards.
“I was lonely and on drugs,” he told TV Movie magazine. “[It’s] a devilish combination.”
Sheen — the son of “West Wing” prez Martin Sheen and brother of actor Emilio Estevez — was routinely consuming two bottles of vodka per day, and using his nose to Hoover up cocaine, when he met the shapely actress. It was love at first sight for Sheen, and he struggled to overcome his demons.
“She is a gift from God,” he said of Denise, who is expecting the first child any minute now.
“She isn’t just gorgeous and caring,” he confided. “She’s also interested in baseball.” (Hey, with A-Rod coming to the Yankees, who wouldn’t be?)
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Law could be our ‘Bond’
Now that Pierce Brosnan is all-but-officially out of the running for the lead in the next James Bond movie, British bookies are accepting bets on the identity of his replacement.
At present, Aussie actor Hugh Jackman, currently starring in the Broadway show “The Boy from Oz,” is the favorite, with odds of 2:1. “Lord of the Rings” cutie Orlando Bloom slips in at 5:1, Colin Farrell is at 7:2, and “Cold River” star Jude Law is battling odds of 7:1 that he’ll wind up holding the martini shaker.
Farrell’s feet go flyin’
He’s got one week left in the cast of “Alexander the Great,” and probably another six weeks left in the cast . . . on his foot. Yes, Irish hottie Colin Farrell is nursing a sore paw after taking a tumble on the stairs at his Bankok hotel.
The actor broke his foot when he slipped on the steps, and wound up sporting a plaster sock. He’s scheduled to film his remaining scenes in the BC-rated epic this week, and we can only hope that it’ll all be closeups, since it would be hard to hide the cast under his toga. Although, if the tumble was drink-related (no one’s saying yet), then maybe his face will be a bit red.
Liam goes to ‘Bat,’ man
Finally, there’s a reason to see the next installment in the “Batman” series. The latest issue of the Hollywood Reporter carries the news that Liam Neeson is in negotiations to play a major part in the next Caped Crusader epic, which will star American psycho — er, make that, “American Psycho” star Christian Bale as Batman.
Others confirmed to be in the cast so far are Michael Caine, as the faithful butler Alfred, and Irish actor Cillian Murphy, in a role not yet defined. It’s a sure bet that the role (and tights) of Bat-sidekick Robin will be filled by someone other than Chris O’Donnell who, at 34, is a little long in the tooth to be playing someone’s young ward.
Producers are keeping the plot points under wraps, so there’s no telling what kind of villain Liam will be playing, but it’s sure to be a showy role. Previous screen baddies who’ve crossed paths with Batman were Jack Nicholson as The Joker, Danny DeVito as The Penguin, Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman, Jim Carrey as The Riddler and Arnold Scwartzenegger as the governor of Califor . . .oops! as Mr. Freeze. Whoever he plays, if producers want my nine bucks, it is imperative that they order the writers work in a couple of scenes where Liam’s character is required to remove his shirt. (What, like that’s so much to ask?)
By the way, there’s a third Irish connection in the “Batman” universe. U2 guitarist The Edge (which, come to think of it, would be a great name for the next Bat-villain) will be performing the theme song for the next season of the animated series. Fans will recall that the Irish rockers have entered the Bat cave before, with the 1995 single, “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me,” from the forgettable “Batman Forever.”
Samantha Morton’s no fan of Liz
British actress Samantha Morton, whose incandescent presence earned her an Oscar nomination for her performance in Jim Sheridan’s “In America,” has very little tolerance for fellow Brit Elizabeth Hurley. And the 26-year-old Sam isn’t shy about speaking her mind.
“She’s not an actress,” Sam sniffed to the London Evening Standard during a recent interview.
“I wouldn’t think she’d do street theater in Poland, would you?” she asked (rhetorically, one hopes). “Do you think she loves her craft? No.”
Sam’s nose is out of joint because she thinks Hurley — best known as Hugh Grant’s longsuffering girlfriend — courts fame for fame’s sake.
“A lot of people I’ve met just want to be . . . famous,” said Sam. “They don’t care how they do it, or what they do . . . I just find it really sad.”
Also jumping on the I-Hate-Liz bandwagon is the director of her latest movie, “Method”: Duncan Roy.
“Liz seems to have the impression that she is a great actress,” he sniped to the Evening Herald. “She totally believes that she is someone special. She is not.”
Roy says that Hurley threw tantrums on the set and treated her costars poorly. And he doesn’t think much of the face that launched a million tubes of expensive lipstick.
“She thinks she is really beautiful,” he sneered. “Well, when you have seen her first thing in the morning using a spatula to trowel in thick globs of foundation on her old acne marks, she’s not that attractive any more.”
Talk about rude.
No reaction so far from Liz, who, interestingly, is the executive producer of “Method” and thus Duncan Roy’s boss. But her character is an actress who’s playing a serial killer, which is all well and good until the part starts taking over her private life . . .
Briefings
Talk about having no respect for your elders. New kids on the (musical) block The Darkness have tossed a few verbal brickbats at the relatively ancient boys of Oasis. “[Oasis are] on their way down,” sniped Darkness front man Justin Hawkins. “Noel Gallagher is an overrated guitarist losing grip on his credibility, who just has to fire shots on his way down.” All this because an unusually restrained Noel recently dubbed The Darkness “inoffensive” and said that their music “doesn’t do anything” for him.
In a happier example of rock and roll synergy, Bono was on hand to support the release of the Hothouse Flowers’ new album. The band took over the VIP section of Dublin hotspot Lillies Bordello to introduce their long-awaited record, “Into Your Heart.” Bono, wearing an olive cap and sucking on a big cigar, huddled with HHF front man Liam O Maonlai.
Want to get your kid to wear glasses? Just drop by Bono’s house and let the U2 singer give ’em a pep talk. That’s what Dylan McDermott, former star of “The Practice,” did. “My daughter has a lazy eye and wears bifocals,” Dylan told The Globe. “We went to Bono’s house, and he told her, ‘I pride myself on having the coolest glasses in the world. I’ve never met anyone who’s had cooler glasses than me.’ ” Needless to say, the child looked at her own eyewear in a different light. “Bono is the best,” gushed the grateful father.