Rome's diocese has banned the producers of Angels & Demons from filming parts of the Da Vinci Code prequel in two of the city's most esteemed churches. According to a spokesperson for the diocese, permission to film at the churches was denied because the movie "does not conform to [the Church's] views." And that's the Christian way!
At long last, a celebrity has gone public with a Barack Obama endorsement without once using the adjective "cool."
Above is Tom Hanks calling upon his good sense and keen knowledge of American history to make an informed, succinct case for supporting Obama in his bid to be President of the United States. Regardless of whether or not Barack is your man, you must admit it's sad that intelligent dialog like this so rarely comes from the mouths of famous people.
Tom Hanks is so cool.
COPYCATS "Four of Hollywood's most influential thesps — George Clooney, Robert De Niro, Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep — are pressuring the Screen Actors Guild to launch its contract talks as soon as possible to avert a strike."
PEER MEDIATION "…George Clooney today is volunteering to personally set up a so-called 'mediation panel' including himself and with plans to ask Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and John Wells (the executive producer of ER and a controversial ex-WGA president) to be part of it, plus 3 or 4 bigwigs who are siding with the producers."
Hi! I'm currently at a tennis club in Tucson, Arizona. Court moms are being catty and one woman just asked me where to find the best sushi in town. (Arizona is landlocked, lady! Nowhere!) Fun fact: Everywhere I look I see athletic shoes with metallic details.
Why am I telling you this? Slow day, for one, but also because I just witnessed a few septuagenarians have a ten minute discussion about the benefits of casting Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks opposite one another in Charlie Wilson's War. One kindly woman told two others she left the theater saying, "YES!"
The conversation terrified me on different levels, but mainly because I'm not certain that when I write I don't sound like these people; these chirping twits prattling on about fucking movie stars. Besides blood and bones and a heart, is there a commonality that exists between me and those three women fawning over Julia's hair?
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• They should have sent home the Russian bride last night. [DS]
• Go leave Britney a note on her site and tell her to get that wig off her head! [DListed]
• More info on the Grey's spinoff. It's about a sexy gynecologist, and it just gave jocks everywhere their Halloween costume idea. [Jossip]
• Winona's alive and…she's alive. [SNO]
• Uh oh! It's Willie Horton in couture. [ASL]
• Now that she's decimated her brain and figure, Britney's going after her tooth enamel. [INO]
• Forrest Gump 2? Forrest falls ass backwards into a limb regeneration process. Lt. Dan finally able to dance again. Tears. [CN]
The results of the recent Harris Poll taken to garner the US's favorite movie star has proven that Americans have room in their hearts for both humble black people and virulent bigots.
Knocking Tom Hanks down a peg to second and topping this year's list for God-knows-what reason was Denzel Washington, despite the fact that his last movie was a mix of Minority Report, Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure, City of Angels and schlock. Here's some dialogue:
Doug Carlin (Denzel Washington): What if you had to tell someone the most important thing in the world, but you knew they'd never believe you?
Claire Kuchever (Love Interest): I'd try.
Ewwwwwwwwwwww.
Breaking in at number five was America's other fave (non-threatening) black actor, Will Smith. The kicker is that Mel "Jews are responsible for all the wars" Gibson tied with Johnny Depp for seventh, beating out Harrison Ford and George Clooney. WHAAAAAAT THE EFFFFF?! Thank goodness Mengele didn't work much this year. I heard he's a real diva on the set.
[Source]
Almost the sexy new Bond? I guess not. I think so. Yowza.
As thrilled as Jessica Simpson looked on the red carpet of the Kennedy Center Honors event yesterday, things only got worse from here. According to TMZ, Jess had a bit of trouble with her performance:
Jessica Simpson was so jittery during a tribute performance to Dolly Parton of "Nine to Five" at the Kennedy Center Honors yesterday that she abruptly walked offstage when the song ended, and when she reappeared onstage, she was still in tears. The blonde songstress finished her rendition of the Eighties hit with the words "so nervous" and bolted, to no applause. And then, when she and the other singers in the tribute to Parton came onstage later, Jessica was in tears. No word on whether Simpson's performance will be edited out of the broadcast, which will air later this month. Parton was recognized at the annual lionization gala along with Steven Spielberg, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Smokey Robinson, and conductor Zubin Mehta.
At least no one famous was there to watch her crash and burn. Mmm…or not. As much as I love Jessica (god knows why I have a soft spot for her), I will make it my personal duty to get some video of this, even if they edit out of the broadcast. It's a good thing Papa Joe was there to comfort young Jessica in his fatherly bosom. Too many Joe Simpson molesty jokes? Never.
• Lohan's man Harry Morton on the Daily Show. American Hero, my friends. [DListed]
• Kate Beckinsale, looks like all that exercise (and cigarette smoking) pays off. [Egotastic]
• Hold up! Veneers Duff stole Paris Hilton's dog. [Teddy & Moo]
• Hollywood elite take out an ad pledging support for Israel. Oddly, Mel Gibson isn't included. [Celebitchy]
• Nick Lachey is auctioning off on eBay what's left of him. For real this time. After this, no more left of him. [A Socialite's Life]
• Tom Hanks' flack makes a swift recovery to avoid his Gibson moment. Yes, and we all totally believe his attentiveness to pedicab drivers' physique. [Page Six]
• How much would you pay/have to be paid to kiss Axl Rose on the cheek? Rosario Dawson would slip him some tongue for a little publicity. [DListed]
• Pamela Anderson can wear short shorts all she wants, but I can't stop trying to figure out what is nestled in her chest. [Hollywood Rag]
• Tom Hank's hair has deserved grades from A to F throughout the years, but a C for Da Vinci Code? Sounds like grade inflation to me. [The Jay]
• Halle Berry and Hugh Jackman had a bit of a "racist incident" on a British radio show. Thankfully Halle wasn't actually in the studio to tear the wrongful DJ a new one. [Just Jared]
• Quentin Tarantino proves once and for all that he has the worst taste in women by choosing Fergie as his new muse. Sorry, did I say women, I meant the ambiguously gendered. [IDontLikeYouInThatWay]
The eagerly awaited Da Vinci Code movie premiered last night at Cannes Film Festival and, well, it didn't go over as well as some would have liked. I guess disappointment is to be expected when a project has been mired in over-hype and controversy from its onset. The movie will most likely still slay at the box office, (Tom Hanks still pulls midge-agers out of the wood work) but maybe it won't be sweeping the awards season. Hollywood trade paper Variety had this to say:
Tackling head-on novelist Dan Brown's controversy-stirring thriller hinging on a subversively revisionist view of Jesus Christ's life, director Ron Howard and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman have conspired to drain any sense of fun out of the melodrama, leaving expectant audiences with an oppressively talky film that isn't exactly dull, but comes as close to it as one could imagine with such provocative material; result is perhaps the best thing the project's critics could have hoped for.
Ouch. Well, thats what you get for messing with the man upstairs.
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