Jem

CONFIRMED! Jen Garner's Baby on Board By Marcus Errico Jennifer Garner's next alias: mommy. The Alias star is expecting her first child, E! Online and E! News have confirmed. Multiple sources close to Garner and beau Ben Affleck say the actress is three months along. News of the pregnancy comes just two weeks after several published reports claimed the couple were engaged. According to E! Online columnist Ted Casablanca, Affleck flew Garner's kin from West Virginia to California in April for his leading lady's 33rd birthday party. The question subsequently was popped in private, Casablanca reported. At the time Affleck's rep, Ken Sunshine, described said reports as "garbage." On Saturday, Sunshine declined to address the baby news, saying "I never comment on [Affleck's] personal life." There was no immediate word from Garner's camp on the pregnancy or whether a ceremony was in the offing. Despite having a baby on board, Garner is still keeping to her schedule this summer. Her next big-screen project, Columbia Pictures' romantic drama Catch and Release, begins its two-month shoot next week in Vancouver. The film costars Kevin Smith, Juliette Lewis and Timothy Olyphant and marks the directorial debut of Erin Brockovich screenwriter Susannah Grant. But Garner's November due date could prove tricky for the Alias brain trust. While ABC's spy thriller is wrapped for the season (the finale airs May 25), the show has been picked up for the fall and is slated to resume production in July. Now, producers must decide how to deal with Garner's pregnancy, either by incorporating it into the show (remember, Sydney's eggs were harvested last season) or just try to hide it. Then again, considering the show's sky-high slinky outfit-to-episode ratio, a burgeoning belly would be hard to conceal. Further complicating matters, Garner performs most of her own stunts. Affleck, 32, and Garner costarred on screen together before coupling off--he was Daredevil to her Elektra in 2003's Daredevil. (His cameo in this year's Elektra wound up on the cutting-room floor, but is preserved for posterity on the DVD.) They finally went public with their much-rumored romance last fall at the World Series, when she was spotted snuggling Red Sox diehard Affleck at Boston's Fenway Park. Their pairing was alternately dubbed Garfleck and Bennifer II. But unlike the original Bennifer tandem of Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, the all-new edition prefers to fly under the radar. The World Series appearance aside, Garner and Affleck have generally managed to eschew being photographed together at red-carpet events. Garner was previously married to Felicity costar Scott Foley. They split in 2003, and their divorce was finalized in March 2004. They didn't have any children. The never-wed Affleck previously was engaged to Lopez. That relationship ended with the scuttling of their September 2003 nuptials.

Aniston and Pitt's Pad for Sale by Kat Giantis Want to own a piece of Hollywood history? If you've got $20 million burning a hole in your pocket, it could be yours. Gossip maven Cindy Adams says the palatial Beverly Hills mansion Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston called home for most of their marriage is up for sale. The deluxe digs, which reportedly won't "publicly" go on the market for a couple of weeks, come complete with a screening room, marble baths, tennis court, pool, gym and the shattered dreams of the once-fairy tale relationship. The soon-to-be ex-golden couple plunked down about $13.5 million for the 12,000-square-foot, six-bedroom French Normandy-style estate shortly after their July 2000 wedding and spent big bucks on extensive renovations (one reported addition was a never-used nursery). Last month, People reported Pitt had come close to selling the rarefied residence, but opted instead to give it to his estranged wife. Said the mag, "He'll leave it off the market and in her hands." Brad, 41, just coughed up $8 million for a mid-century Malibu home with breathtaking ocean views and plenty of privacy. Jen, 36, is also said to be eyeing properties in the exclusive enclave, especially ones located near her BFF, Courteney Cox. News of the impending sale arrives just as Us Weekly publishes pictures of Pitt and Angelina Jolie, 29, spending quality family time together on an African beach with her 3-year-old son, Maddox. According to the magazine, the "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" co-stars' "secret love trip" took place last week at the luxury Alfajiri Villa Resort on Diani Beach in Kenya, where the dynamic duo holed up in a romantic $4,000-a-night suite. Us reportedly paid between $500,000 to a million-plus for the twelve pages of snaps, which it crows "proves the romance is real." Pitt's rep remains mum on the beachside sojourn, but she did offer her opinion about the bidding war the pictures sparked. "It's ridiculous that such prices are being paid for photos," the spokeswoman tells USA Today. "They show nothing." No kidding. In the photos, Brad is seen interacting in a fatherly fashion with cuter-than-cute Maddox, but he and Angelina appear oddly distant, failing to make eye or any other type of contact. Us overlord Janice Min believes that was probably intentional, suggesting that they might have staged the photo op to get the world accustomed to their coziness. "If you're a couple born out of certain controversy, you don't want the first image to be full-blown affection," Min tells the paper. "They've opened the door. It's incredibly stressing to keep a relationship secret. Angelina is not someone who has lived her life in secrecy before." The mag claims that away from the prying eyes of the camera, Brangelina "wrapped their arms around each other and shared a long, passionate kiss'' and rubbed suntan lotion on one another in a "sensual way." But a source tells People that just because it now appears their relationship is heating up that doesn't mean anything untoward was going on prior to the actor's separation from Aniston in January (she filed for divorce in March). "He didn't do anything while he was married," the insider tells the mag. "He'll go to the grave saying that." After the seaside rendezvous, Pitt spent three days in Ethiopia visiting with orphans of the continent's AIDS crisis (the newly altruistic-minded megastar visited the country for the first time in November). He also taped an interview with Diane Sawyer before continuing on to South Africa. The charitable meet-and-greets are in support of ONE, the Bono-led campaign to tackle extreme poverty and AIDS in Africa (all snarkiness aside, you can lend your name and support to the good cause at ONE.org). Next week, Pitt will head to Morocco to begin work on the Alejandro Gonz

'Beckham' Star Takes on 'Elvis' By John Crook LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) -Filmed with the cooperation of the Elvis Presley Estate, the TV movie is anchored by a charismatic star performance by Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers ("Bend It Like Beckham"). He delivers a compelling and persuasive portrayal of the King of Rock 'n' Roll from his days as a struggling teenager in 1952 Memphis, Tenn., to his 1968 "comeback special" for NBC. Although the tone of the movie is generally respectful, "Elvis" is surprisingly candid in its portrayal of the singer's increasingly unpredictable mood swings and drug use. The teleplay underscores the influence of the two personalities who were both a blessing and bane to Presley: his mother, Gladys (Camryn Manheim), a loving but depressed and neurotic woman who never fully recovered from the death of Elvis' twin brother in infancy, and "Colonel" Tom Parker (Randy Quaid), the carny guy-turned-music manager who made Elvis a millionaire even as he dashed his client's dreams of a serious acting career. The film also notes in passing Presley's courtship and marriage to Priscilla Beaulieu (newcomer Antonia Bernath), and his brief but torrid fling with co-star Ann-Margret (Rose McGowan) while they were filming "Viva Las Vegas." Rhys Meyers -- who had only 10 days to prepare for this iconic role -- lip-syncs to Presley master recordings in the musical sequences and acutely captures the performer's graceful sex appeal and slurring drawl without descending into parody. "I'm doing my own impression, as an actor, of how I see Elvis Presley," the 27-year-old actor says. "I'm sure there's going to be some Elvis stickler out there who says, 'Whoops, he did that with the wrong hand.' Well, as if. I don't care. All I care about is being entertaining. And I've never been afraid of falling flat on my face." Although he was only a month old when Presley died in 1977, Rhys Meyers was still vividly aware of the Elvis legend and legacy. "Elvis was sort of the most gorgeous fellow in the world and such a huge star that everyone knew Elvis well," he says. "Even when you were a little kid in Ireland, you were able to sing the first few bars of 'Hound Dog.' "Then, as I grew up, people and the tabloids concentrated more on 'Vegas Elvis': fat jumpsuits and karate chops onstage. That's really not what we're concentrating on, which is the young Elvis Presley from Tupelo, Miss., who grew up into a phenomenon. If they had wanted to go into that later Vegas period, I wouldn't have done it." As his manager and nemesis, Quaid says he was fascinated to discover that "Colonel" Parker remains such an enigma, even after his death. "He was more impressed with the reaction of the audience than with Elvis himself. In fact, he never really liked Elvis' music, never really got it," Quaid says of his character. "He saw a product that he could hawk, like he could hawk souvenirs at a carnival. From day one, he fabricated, manipulated, maneuvered, cajoled, whatever it took, to fulfill his vision of Elvis: namely, to milk Elvis for everything he could, whether that lasted a year or 20 years."

Friends Recall James Dean By Jay Bobbin LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Almost a half-century after his death, the legend of James Dean lives on. In "James Dean: Sense Memories," many of those who knew him retrace the final year of the brooding, iconic actor whose influence has been felt across generations, although he had only three starring vehicles -- "East of Eden," "Rebel Without a Cause" and "Giant." The new documentary launches the 19th season of the. Woven between clips of Dean in his movies and in interviews are comments from fellow performers Martin Landau, Eartha Kitt and Lois Smith. Also featured are filmmakers George Stevens Jr., whose father directed Dean in "Giant," and Mark Rydell. Landau, who would go on to television fame in "Mission: Impossible" and an Oscar win for "Ed Wood," was particularly close to Dean during their days as struggling actors in 1950s New York. He admits that at the time, though, he didn't necessarily want it widely known. "Marlon Brando had two good friends," Landau says, "both of whom were good actors and good guys, but you couldn't say their names without also saying 'Marlon's friend.' I didn't want that. It was like having a title, and I didn't want to be known just as Jimmy's friend. "I felt I had a career in store, and (such a close identification is) almost like being the sibling of someone who's well-known. It's hard to shake that. I didn't know Jimmy would die, but I knew his career would flourish, and I didn't want to be in his shadow." Landau vividly recalls receiving the news that Dean had died in a car accident on Sept. 30, 1955. "I was home, and I got several phone calls." He also remembers the effect of watching Dean on the screen. "You hadn't seen anyone quite like him on film before, and it obviously reached out, because it still has an impact on people. If you talk to Martin Sheen, he'll probably tell you he's an actor because of James Dean. There's a timelessness to what he did, because it still resonates."

Hewitt, Cartwright Expecting Baby SYDNEY, Australia - Lleyton Hewitt is going to be a dad. Hewitt, the No. 2-ranked tennis player in the world, and his 21-year-old fiancee, Australian soap opera actress Rebecca Cartwright, are expecting a baby, agents for both confirmed Friday. "Their respective families are delighted with the wonderful news," Cartwright's publicist Amanda Fry said in a statement. Hewitt's manager Rob Aivatoglou also confirmed the pregnancy. Earlier, the Seven television network, which airs Cartwright's soap opera, said the actress was three months' pregnant. The couple became engaged in January when Hewitt proposed to Cartwright following his loss to Marat Safin in the Australian Open final. A wedding date has not been announced, but the pair have reportedly purchased a multimillion dollar home along one of Sydney's northern beaches. Hewitt was engaged to Belgian tennis player Kim Clijsters before she ended the four-year relationship last October. Cartwright split with actor boyfriend Beau Brady late last year.

'Sopranos' Actor Considers Plea Deal By SAMUEL MAULL, Associated Press Writer NEW YORK - Vincent Pastore, the actor who played gangster Big Pussy on the HBO hit series "The Sopranos," was offered a plea deal Thursday in connection with charges that he assaulted his former girlfriend. His lawyer said he was considering it. Assistant District Attorney Brian Weinberg said at a hearing in Manhattan Criminal Court that his office was recommending that Pastore be sentenced to five days of community service, attend a batterers' program and sign a final order of protection. As Pastore left court, attracting looks of recognition from passers-by, he was asked why he did not accept the plea deal. He replied, "Because I didn't do anything." Pastore, 58, is free without bail. He has pleaded not guilty to four misdemeanors

:shock:

I think so too, I think she is very attractive (not that I have ever dated a woman). She just does seem like your everyday Hollywood woman. She is very devoted to her son and seems to really want him to know his own culture.As for her and Brad, we all want the sordid details. :twisted:

Hubby told me that he heard on the radio today. Brad did an interview with Barbara Walters and Angelina was there with him.

Pope Makes First Appearance at Window Source - abc.com VATICAN CITY (AP)

Disco queens act their age The Sun-Herald They're older, they're bolder and they're very, very sexy. Welcome to the brave new world of Forty and Fabulous - the revolution has begun and it's being televised every Monday night. Channel Seven's Desperate Housewives has broken down the gates of the Beverly Hills Home For (Alleged) Old Hollywood Hags and shown its inmates to be just as sexy as young starlets. The show is rewriting the rule book on how Hollywood sees women of a certain age and turned ageing stars like Teri Hatcher, once thought to be box office poison, into born-again sex symbols. Of course, the marketeers already have a quirky name for this glamorous subgroup: DISCO women. They're Discerning, Increasing years, Stylish and Comfortably Off. Who wouldn't want to be in their gang? "It's not just about the bright young things any more," says model agency boss Peter Chadwick. "It's all about the Fab Forties now. These women are in the prime of life and there's room for both. "[Desperate Housewives] is changing everyone's perceptions of what to expect from a 40-year-old woman." Liz Hurley Next month marks the latest addition to the DISCO dance floor, Liz Hurley. Sit down now. Breathe deeply. That's it. Liz. Hurley. 40. If it's hard for you to believe, think how it must feel for her. "I'm having a bit of a midlife crisis," she admitted recently. The very personification of modern-day glamour is growing old - but in a glamorous Gucci-and-Versace kind of way, natch dahling. Hurley has no plans to hide herself away, nor cover up those curves that made her famous in that dress 10 years ago. She's now designing swimwear - and modelling it, of course. Even just a couple of years ago, the idea of a quadragenarian in a bikini would have horrified Hollywood. Yet despite a combined age of almost two centuries, Desperate Housewives' Hatcher and co-stars Felicity Huffman, Marcia Cross, Nicolette Sheridan and Eva Longoria just did a raunchy swimsuit cover for Vanity Fair magazine. "These women would be beautiful at any age," says Australian casting consultant Ann Fay. "It's fantastic. But women these days are looking much better for their age than they ever used to. "It really annoys me when people say it's all over once you hit 40. Go to the gym and eat well and you can carry on forever. Forty is just a number." As the Che Guevara of this revolution, Hatcher is the hottest thing in Hollywood, but she candidly admits she's no spring chicken any more. There's no wrinkle rancour though. When she recently found what turned out to be a harmless cyst under her eye, she proudly reveals: "I was asking my doctor how I got it and finally he just said, 'Teri, it's just a barnacle of age'." Teri Hatcher. Hatcher wears her years like a badge of honour and challenges viewers to find fault. She regularly lays herself bare for scrutiny in the show with nothing but skimpy lingerie or a handful of leaves to hide the signs of ageing. "It's brave of her to do those scenes, but she looks a million bucks and she knows it," adds Fay. "She's very confident about her body, and with good reason." Elle Macpherson and Madonna, founding members of the DISCO club, blazed the trail for others with their willingness to show off the flesh other women their age try to disguise. Even at 42, The Body Corporate recently admitted she would still happily get her gear off to pimp her lingerie line - and there's not a single bloke who wouldn't be grateful for that. "She still looks amazing," admits Chadwick, her former agency boss. "She's incredible and really she's the poster girl for the 40-plus generation. I am sure the industry attitude to women of that age is going to change. These women have a certain maturity that makes them very sexy indeed. Desperate Housewives has come along at a good time when there are a lot of women in that age group. They are very attractive, well-groomed and stylish, and I am sure they would love to see women like themselves on the catwalks and on screen." And there's an impressive queue of celebrities waiting to join the figureheads of the Forty and Fabulous club. The line-up of A-list 40th birthday parties this year is staggering. (The TV in 1964 must have been rubbish. Or was it a really cold winter?) Linda Evangelista, Diane Lane, Brooke Shields, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and Famke Janssen are among the year's many other Big Four-Oh birthday girls. Sandra Bullock, who turned 40 last year, proved she is a bigger crowd puller now than ever with the success of Miss Congeniality 2, Evangelista still headlines fashion shows and even Brooke Shields is doing huge business starring in the stage version of Chicago. Lane just scored her biggest box office hits yet, Janssen starred in the blockbuster chiller Hide And Seek and Davis has five projects under way including a major new TV series. Meanwhile, Sarah Jessica Parker is still talking to herself in a really annoying way. In previous years, they would have given it all up a long time ago. Before Desperate Housewives, there were only desperate actresses wasting away on Hollywood's scrap heap. "There was a very definite cut-off to an actress's career," says Fay. "You could have men in their 50s or 60s, but their romantic lead would be in her 20s." Once an actress hit 35, they were pulled from view and destined to a future of cartoon movie voiceovers. After the plastic surgery scars faded, they might hope to land a role as a loveable granny. Even in the 1990s, sex siren Sharon Stone's career ground to a halt when she hit her late 30s. Despite critical acclaim for Casino, she never landed another lead role in a major movie. But Stone was just one of the many casualties who crashed into Hollywood's actress age barrier. History is littered with them. Now Desperate Housewives has caused a sensation and the future for actresses apparently reaching their end of days has been transformed. "You can see it's changing already," adds Chadwick. "Look at Revlon - they've just signed up Susan Sarandon to front their latest ad campaign and she's 58." It's all just a reflection of society, though, it seems. If you thought Desperate Housewives was just another TV show, you were wrong. It's a sociological sensation, apparently. "The 21st century is going to be a revolution in dealing with ageing in our lives and society," explains Professor Vincent Minichiello of Armidale's University of New England. "It's not surprising that Hollywood has latched onto the idea. There's a huge and growing market out there that simply isn't interested in 18- or 19-year-olds. "We have to reclassify all our ideas about age. Life expectancy has increased dramatically and if you're 60 with another 30 years of life ahead of you, then you're not old. "What might have recently been regarded as middle-aged is now not. Forty really is the new 30. Huge advances in technology, cosmetics and health mean we can stay looking and feeling younger for much longer. We are in the middle of something that is completely reshaping our society." For some, though, the change has come too late and the ageing process has been harsh. Debbie Harry, 60 this year, was already secretly near her show-biz death age by the time Blondie hit the big time in 1979. When she tried to stage a comeback a few years later, the one-time sex symbol was savaged for being fat, old and sweaty. It drove her to desperation at the time but now Harry is more philosophical. "Some people are really concerned with getting old, and other people are really concerned with getting on with living. What do you think is most important?" she said recently. "Growing old sucks. But you can either let yourself get miserable about it or you can find something that makes you feel good. When you see somebody in the street that's older and got that spirit, I think it's a turn-on, right?" Finally, Hollywood agrees.

Mrs. Bush Steals Show at Reporters' Dinner By Elizabeth Wolfe, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON - First lady Laura Bush stole the show with a surprise comedy routine that ripped President Bush and brought an audience that included much of official Washington and a dash of Hollywood to a standing ovation at a dinner honoring award-winning journalists. The president began a speech late Saturday at the 91st annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner, but was quickly "interrupted" by his wife in an obviously planned ploy. "Not that old joke, not again," she said to the delight of the audience. "I've been attending these dinners for years and just quietly sitting there. I've got a few things I want to say for a change." The president sat down and she proceeded to note that he is "usually in bed by now" and said she told him recently, "If you really want to end tyranny in the world, you're going to have to stay up later. " She outlined a typical evening: "Nine o'clock, Mr. Excitement here is sound asleep and I'm watching `Desperate Housewives'." Comedic pause. "With Lynne Cheney. Ladies and gentlemen, I am a desperate housewife." The line earned particularly rambunctious applause from the area of the Hilton Washington hotel ballroom where actor James Denton from the hit ABC show sat. Laura Bush added that she and her husband obviously were destined to be together as a couple because "I was the librarian who spent 12 hours a day in the library and yet somehow I met George." The guest professional comedian, Cedric the Entertainer, next came to the microphone to deliver one-liners, but not before conceding the first lady was a hard act to follow. Joining the Bushes were Vice President Dick Cheney and wife, Lynne. News organizations hosted show business and sports stars such as Goldie Hawn, Richard Gere, Jane Fonda, Mary Tyler Moore, tennis sisters Venus and Serena Williams and a few supermodels. - Ron Fournier of The Associated Press, the Merriman Smith Award for presidential coverage under deadline pressure for his stories on Bush's victory over John Kerry. - Susan Page of USA Today, the Aldo Beckman Award for her stories on the presidency and the presidential campaign. - Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Edgar A. Poe Award for a series of stories on athletes' steroid use. Presidents since Calvin Coolidge have attended the dinner hosted by the association, which was established in 1914 as a bridge between the press corps and the White House.

O'Donnell and MacDowell Take a 'Bus' By Jay Bobbin LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Rosie O'Donnell and Andie MacDowell aren't the likeliest duo to stage a sister act. Nevertheless, they do in "Riding the Bus With My Sister," a frequently bemusing yet dramatic and true new movie CBS airs Sunday, May 1, as the 224th Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation. MacDowell portrays Rachel Simon, the author of the same-named book inspired by Rachel's challenging relationship with her developmentally disabled sibling (O'Donnell), left on her own when their father dies. A fashion photographer for purposes of the movie, Rachel (a professor in real life) has kept a distance from the spirited Beth, but she reluctantly accepts that must change since Beth can't maintain her independent living without the at-home supervision their late dad provided. Rachel puts her busy career on hold and moves in with Beth, who is all too aware of the emotional divide between them. Helping to bridge the gap is the friendly driver (D.W. Moffett) of the city bus Beth takes regularly. Directed by Oscar-winning actress Anjelica Huston and adapted by veteran TV-movie writer Joyce Eliason ("Small Sacrifices"), the film also features Richard T. Jones ("Judging Amy") as Beth's boyfriend, who is as shy as she is gregarious. Also an executive producer of the project, O'Donnell appreciates that playing Beth was "scary. That's the reason I left the show (O'Donnell's syndicated 1996-2002 talk show), because I felt I had accomplished everything within that venue that I could. It got to be about staying just for the money, and frankly, I was always in it for the art. You learn how to juggle eight balls and people say, 'Keep doing it,' but I already knew how. I needed to try something that terrified me artistically, and this did." O'Donnell realizes a part like Beth Simon is "a hard thing to pull off. When you see actors who do it brilliantly, like Sean Penn in 'I Am Sam,' you watch them with awe. When I read this book, I thought, 'If I was braver, I'd be in the movie.' Then I talked to the writer, and before I knew it, Anjelica Huston was directing the movie ... and how do you say 'no' to that?" Huston had wanted to direct O'Donnell earlier, in the 1999 release "Agnes Browne," but O'Donnell explains she ultimately wasn't ready then: "It was actually worse than that: I had already said yes, and I had met with her and the writer. It was the summer before year two of my show, and I didn't realize how tired I would be. When I got closer to it, and I felt so exhausted and out of touch with my kids, I called Anjelica and told her I couldn't do it. It was crushing, but physically and emotionally, I needed a rest." O'Donnell and MacDowell weren't strangers when they began filming "Riding the Bus With My Sister," since the "Four Weddings and a Funeral" actress had appeared on O'Donnell's talk show. "She was so prepared; I think she nails this performance," MacDowell says. "Every day with her was a breathtaking experience, because she really 'got' Beth and made her very real and very believable for me. She put her heart and soul into it." Still, O'Donnell believes MacDowell has the tougher of the two lead roles in "Riding the Bus With My Sister." MacDowell doesn't necessarily disagree, reasoning that Rachel "feels that she knows everything, and she doesn't realize that she's about to learn so much from someone who is handicapped. In the end, Rachel is the one who's really handicapped; that's the perspective I took it from, at least." MacDowell met the real Rachel Simon and found her "a very interesting lady. Right after I finished the movie, I came home and my book club was reading the book, so I had sort of an insider's view in talking about it." Conversely, O'Donnell didn't meet her real-life counterpart, reporting that "her sister and the other producers decided it might be a little bit much for her. We didn't want to disrupt her world too much." O'Donnell adds that Rachel sat down with Beth "in a park and interviewed her on videotape for about 40 minutes. I watched that over and over, and I worked on playing Beth for a good six months before we started shooting." The chance to work with MacDowell excited O'Donnell, who reveals they have the same agent. "It's like prostitutes who have the same pimp; all the girls know each other. I always knew Andie was amazingly beautiful and talented, and I thought, 'She wants to do a TV movie? Excellent.'" Although MacDowell did an episode of "The Practice" and the 2001 HBO movie "Dinner With Friends," she usually leans toward big-screen projects such as "sex, lies and videotape," "Groundhog Day" and the current "Beauty Shop." She says "something of the caliber" of "Riding the Bus With My Sister" keeps television work on her radar. "Obviously, a lot of television projects don't have the substance of this material. Having Rosie O'Donnell and Anjelica Huston brings it up several more notches and makes it that much more interesting." Starting May 29, O'Donnell also will appear in a three-episode arc on the Showtime series "Queer as Folk." While "Riding the Bus With My Sister" gives her room to inject much of her familiar persona, she maintains, "I really just tried to serve the story. I know that sounds corny, but I think people are more similar than everybody says. Between me and Beth, one of us has a few more filters for societal integration, but she's as content and happy and full a person as anyone."

Here is a short random babble....... :wink: Chris cops while Katie kisses. That

Jennings Writes Note of Thanks to Viewers NEW YORK - Peter Jennings, undergoing treatment for lung cancer, wrote a letter to viewers saying their "anecdotes, mementoes, home recipes and general all-purpose guidance and concern have all been so deeply appreciated." Jennings announced on April 5 that he had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Although ABC News colleagues said he's been involved shaping "World News Tonight" by phone and e-mail, he hasn't appeared on the air since. "Yesterday I decided to go to the office," Jennings wrote. "I live only a few blocks away. I got as far as the bedroom door. Chemo strikes. "Do I detect a knowing but sympathetic smile on many of your faces? You knew this was coming." He said Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter (news, bio, voting record), who has undergone chemotherapy for Hodgkin's disease, wrote a note saying the only way to get through therapy is to work your way through it. "He's a tougher man than I am," he said. Jennings said a woman at work showed up at his home recently to show him "that bald really is beautiful." Another time, leaving the hospital, a woman approached him and said, "Me, too. Lung cancer." "Instinctively, immediately, we gave each other a hug, a real hug," he wrote, "and we went on our respective ways knowing that we had been strengthened by the connection."

Singer Supernaw Guilty of Pot Possession AMARILLO, Texas (AP) - Troubled country singer Doug Supernaw was found guilty Thursday of misdemeanor marijuana possession and released on time served for an incident in which police found him naked in a hotel room last year. "I am extremely disappointed in the legal process as it deals with people who have no money or the chain of circumstances they keep you in once you get in the system," Supernaw said in a story in Friday's Amarillo Globe-News. He vowed to appeal. A jury sentenced him to 115 days and a $300 fine after a two-day trial. The singer, who has been beset by numerous legal problems, acted as his own attorney. He was assessed three days credit for each of his 62 days he spent in an Amarillo jail last year. The 44-year-old Texan, who was in town for a minor league baseball game, was arrested at his hotel room following complaints of a man causing loud noise and disturbing other tenants. Police discovered a clump of marijuana when they shook out Supernaw's shorts in search of his ID. When he was told he was under arrest for possession of the drug, he testified he said, "How? I smoked it." Supernaw introduced a copy of the Ten Commandments and pages from an almanac into evidence and used his closing argument to discuss his other legal problems. The jury returned a guilty verdict in 45 minutes. The jury settled on punishment in nearly two hours, after hearing from no witnesses from either side. The Bellville resident was jailed last month in Bryan on charges of public intoxication and fleeing an officer. In 2002, Supernaw was arrested on charges of assaulting a police officer, public intoxication and resisting arrest after a scuffle at a bar in Brenham, about 60 miles northwest of Houston. Last year he went to trial on a bail jumping charge in Washington County stemming from the bar case, but it ended with a hung jury. Supernaw still faces a criminal trespassing charge in connection with the hotel incident in Amarillo. Supernaw scored two hits

Rapper Arrested in Assault on Busboy NEW YORK (AP) - Police arrested rapper Memphis Bleek early Thursday after he and another man allegedly beat up a busboy at a Manhattan nightclub. The 23-year-old victim told police the assault occurred after he entered a VIP room at the NV club to clean off a table. He claimed Bleek

Photos Show Pitt, Jolie on African Beach NEW YORK (AP) - It's true

Welcome ginger! The water's fine. Jump right in. :wink:

'Insider' Host Pat O'Brien Exits Rehab NEW YORK (AP)- Pat O'Brien, host of "The Insider" syndicated entertainment news magazine, has left an alcohol rehabilitation program and will be back at work next week. "I want to thank everyone for their support during the past few weeks," O'Brien said in a statement Tuesday. "I plan to continue my recovery with the help and support of my family, colleagues and friends, and look forward to getting back to work." O'Brien left the program Sunday, Manfred Westphal, a spokesman for Paramount Domestic Television, which produces the syndicated TV program, said Tuesday. There were no details about the recovery facility or when the 57-year-old O'Brien entered the rehab program. Linda Bell Blue, the show's executive producer, said O'Brien will return to work May 5. "I spent time with Pat recently and he's looking and feeling great," she said in a statement. "We're all excited to welcome him back to the office and back on the air." Last month, O'Brien announced he "had a problem with alcohol" and that "overcoming this problem is a top priority in my life and I am excited to return to work as soon as I am able." O'Brien's image has recently taken a beating after obscene phone messages left by what sounds like his voice were distributed on the Internet. The show's New York host, Lara Spencer, has taken over the show during O'Brien's absence.

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George Lopez Undergoes Kidney Transplant By Charlie Amter Comedian George Lopez LOS ANGELES - George Lopez has received the ultimate gift from his wife, Ann: one of her kidneys. The comedian underwent a successful kidney transplant last week, his publicist, Marleah Leslie, announced in a brief statement Monday. The organ was donated by Ann Lopez, his wife of 12 years. George Lopez, 44, suffered from a genetic disorder that caused his kidney to deteriorate, his publicist said without elaboration. He and his wife are recuperating at their Los Angeles home, according to Leslie. Both are doing well and expected to fully recover. No further details were disclosed. Lopez had given no public indication that he was ailing, maintaining a vigorous schedule in recent weeks. On Apr. 17, he served as grand marshal for the Samsung/RadioShack 500 at Texas Motor Speedway, becoming the first person to say, "Gentleman, start your engines" in Spanish at a NASCAR event. The previous week, the California-born funnyman told the New York Daily News that he expected his eponymous ABC sitcom to be reupped for a fourth season, and he was planning to take a more hands-on approach in 2005-06. "We've already gotten the unofficial word," he said. "I don't see the show not being on the air." The Sandra Bullock-produced sitcom, which has already wrapped for the season, has been delivering mediocre ratings since it bowed in 2002, averaging 7.6 million viewers a week this season opposite Fox ratings powerhouse American Idol. Lopez repaid Bullock last month for her dogged support of the series (she has guest-starred on the sitcom twice and frequently plugs the show during late-night talk-show appearances), turning up for the unveiling of her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Mar. 24. Four days later, he appeared in a different venue--the Santa Maria, California, courthouse--to testify in Michael Jackson's child-molestation trial. Lopez testified he met Jackson's accuser at a comedy camp for underprivileged children in 1999. When the child became ill with cancer in 2000, Lopez said he helped out the family with small donations--$40 or $50, here and there. Soon, Lopez said, the boy's father became "pretty aggressive" about the funds. "It seemed to me at that time that [the father] was more interested in money than he was about his son," Lopez said. Lopez is expected to be well enough to hit the publicity circuit for his upcoming movie project, Dimension Films' The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl in 3-D. The Robert Rodriguez-helmed feature is due in theaters June 10.