Charlize Theron Signs as New Face of Dior Perfume

PARIS (Reuters) - Actress Charlize Theron has signed a contract with Christian Dior to be the face of its bestselling perfume J'adore, pitting her against fellow Oscar winner Nicole Kidman who will launch a similar campaign for Chanel.

Theron is due to star in print and television advertisements for J'adore starting in the autumn, a spokeswoman for Parfums Christian Dior said on Friday.

She could not provide details of the contract, but trade publication Women's Wear Daily (WWD) on Friday quoted industry sources as saying the South African actress had signed a three-year deal worth between $3 million and $5 million.

Theron won this year's Oscar for best actress for her performance as serial killer Aileen Wuornos in "Monster," a role which required her to put on weight and wear heavy make-up that rendered her almost unrecognizable.

The former model is the latest celebrity to sign an advertising deal with a major fashion label, a trend which industry watchers say reflects public fascination with the lifestyles of the rich and famous.

Hilary Swank, another Oscar winner, headlines underwear ads for Calvin Klein while starlets Scarlett Johansson, Diane Kruger and Chloe Sevigny star in Louis Vuitton's autumn campaign.

Kidman earlier this year signed a contract reported to be worth millions to become the face of Chanel's legendary No 5 perfume. The advertisements were shot by fellow Australian Baz Luhrmann, who directed Kidman in the hit musical "Moulin Rouge."

The Dior campaign starring Theron was a collaboration between photographer Nick Knight and rebel British designer John Galliano, who has revolutionized the image of the label with extravagant and provocative catwalk displays.

Weekend Movies: Big Summer Begins to Wind Down

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hollywood's summer of event movies starts winding down on Friday with two new films joining Disney's "Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement," but gone are the days when each weekend brought a major new movie with a big-name star.

"Princess Diaries 2" is a follow-up to 2001's successful movie about a 15-year-old social misfit who discovers she is a princess. It debuted on Wednesday, and squares off this weekend against sci-fi action flick "Alien vs. Predator" and animated "Yu-Gi-Oh!," which is based on the popular Japanese comics.

The latter part of August is traditionally a slow moviegoing period in the United States because people are away from home on holiday or are suffering general fatigue from the big-budget flicks that fill May through July.

By now, Brad Pitt has conquered Troy and Harry Potter has conjured up the box office magic that had been expected. "Shrek 2" is the No. 1 summer hit with a domestic box office tally over $434 million beating "Spider-Man 2" and its $354 million.

This weekend, "Alien vs. Predator" has perhaps the best chance at claiming No. 1 at box offices because it is targeted at the young men who make up core theater audiences and is playing in more theaters -- 3,472, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. -- than any of its other new rivals.

But don't count out Hathaway and girl power. "Princess Diaries 2" is The Walt Disney Co.'s last shot at big summer success after having stumbled with "Around the World in 80 Days" and "King Arthur," and now facing a steep drop-off in second week sales for its recent No. 1, "The Village."

CONFIDENCE BECOMES HER

The first "Princess Diaries" helped make 21-year-old Anne Hathaway a star. In the sequel, her character Mia Thermopolis has grown from a gawky teen girl to a self-assured young woman with choices to make about the direction of her life.

"Mia is a lot more confident now, a very self-possessed young lady," said Hathaway.

Having grown up, Mia is ready to face a new life as the princess of Genovia with all the perquisites and pitfalls of life as a royal.

But her country's quest for a king to wed their soon-to-be queen challenges Mia's beliefs and values. She has to learn to live her new life, but in her own way.

Twentieth Century Fox's "Alien Vs. Predator" pits two of the movies' scariest monsters of recent years against each other in a duel to the death.

Scientists discover the otherworldly creatures in a pyramid buried under Antarctica's ice. Inside, the monsters are on the hunt, putting the scientists squarely in harm's way.

Monster vs. monster movies have been popular in late summer months of recent years. In 2003, "Freddy Vs. Jason" turned in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales of around $82 million.

Fox has already enjoyed a strong summer behind hits like "The Day After Tomorrow," "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" and "I, Robot." Its independent film division, Fox Searchlight, has seen a solid showing from "Napoleon Dynamite."

Finally, Warner Bros. has had success at bringing Japanese animated movies to kids in the past with the "Pokemon" movies, and "Yu-Gi-Oh" is in the same vein.

The movie follows the adventures of high-school student Yugi Muto who becomes invincible when he plays his favorite card game. It is playing in 2,411 venues, according to Exhibitor Relations.

Talk Show Host Kilborn Quits Late-Night Gig

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Late-night comedian Craig Kilborn is quitting his CBS talk show after a five-year stint in the time slot following "Late Show With David Letterman," Hollywood's trade papers reported on Friday.

Kilborn and Viacom Inc. -owned CBS had been in talks throughout the summer for a new multiyear deal keeping him at the helm of "The Late, Late Show with Craig Kilborn," but he told network executives on Thursday that he wanted to move on, according to Daily Variety.

"It was easily the greatest job I've had, and CBS was very generous in their offer to re-sign me," the paper quoted Kilborn, 41, as saying. "But I simply want to try something new. I can now focus on writing and producing different television projects I haven't had time for."

Kilborn will leave his Los Angeles-based job by early next month, Daily Variety said. It speculated that CBS may try to lure Conan O'Brien, whose NBC show outdraws Kilborn's in the 12:35 a.m. slot. However, it noted that O'Brien's contract with the General Electric Co. -owned network does not expire until December 2005.

During the past 12 months, "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" has averaged 2.5 million viewers each night, compared with 1.6 million for "Kilborn," according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Julia Child, whose TV shows taught millions to cook, dies at 91

NEW YORK (AP) - Julia Child, whose warbling, encouraging voice and able hands brought the intricacies of French cuisine to home cooks in North America through her television series and books, died in her sleep three days before what would have been her 92nd birthday.

"America has lost a true national treasure," Nicholas Latimer, director of publicity for Alfred A. Knopf publishing, said in a statement Friday. "She will be missed terribly."

The statement said she died Thursday at her home in Santa Barbara, Calif. The cause of death was not given.

A 6-foot-2 American folk hero, The French Chef was known to her public as Julia, and preached a delight not only in good food but in sharing it, ending her landmark public television lessons at a set table and with the wish, "Bon appetit."

"Dining with one's friends and beloved family is certainly one of life's primal and most innocent delights, one that is both soul-satisfying and eternal," she said in the introduction to her seventh book, The Way to Cook. "In spite of food fads, fitness programs, and health concerns, we must never lose sight of a beautifully conceived meal."

Chipper and unpretentious, she beckoned everyone to give good food a try. She wasn't always tidy in the kitchen, and just like the rest of us, she sometimes dropped things or had trouble getting a cake out of its mould.

In an A-line skirt and blouse, and an apron with a dish towel tucked into the waist, Julia Child grew familiar enough to be parodied by Dan Aykroyd on Saturday Night Live and the subject of Jean Stapleton's musical revue, Bon Appetit.

She was on the cover of Time magazine in 1966.

May she rest in peace.

Barenaked Ladies Say Ho

The leaves will still be on the trees when Barenaked Ladies release Barenaked for the Holidays, a twenty-track homage to the coldest time of the year. The album, due on October 5th, will feature a mix of originals like "Elf's Lament" and "Snowman," standards like "I Saw Three Ships" and "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," and more modern fare like Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime" and Band Aid's "Do They Know It's Christmas."

"We've tried to incorporate songs that fans have talked about seeing us perform when we have holiday shows," says singer/guitarist Ed Robertson, explaining the album's simple impetus.

"It's a little Christmas, a little New Year's and a little Hannukah," adds co-frontman Steven Page. "It has felt a little weird singing these songs in the summer, [but] we've found ourselves well into the holiday spirit. Some of the songs have fairly traditional arrangements but others, like 'Jingle Bells,' have the extra lines you remember from being a kid."

Before they bring their glad tidings, Barenaked Ladies finish their summer tour with Alanis Morissette Saturday at the Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati.

Barenaked for the Holidays track listing:

Jingle Bells
Green Christmas
I Saw Three Ships
Hanukkah Blessings
Oh Holy Night
Elf's Lament
Snowman
Do They Know It's Christmas
Hanukkah O Hanukkah
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
Carol of the Bells
Footprints
Deck the Stills
Christmastime (Oh Yeah)
Sleigh Ride
Christmas Pics
I Have a Little Dreidel
Wonderful Christmastime
Auld Lang Syne

J. Lo, Hilary, Gwyneth, Nelly, Christina, Alicia, Will Smith To Appear At VMAs

The ever-expanding list of MTV Video Music Awards presenters just loosened its belt another notch.

Jennifer Lopez, Hilary Duff, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jimmy Fallon and Will Smith have been confirmed to hit the stage as presenters at the 2004 VMAs.

Nelly, Christina Aguilera and Alicia Keys have also been added to the list of performers for the show, set for Miami's American Airlines Arena on August 29. The three new additions will join Usher, Kanye West, Yellowcard, Lil Jon, Jet, Petey Pablo, Hoobastank, Jessica Simpson, Ying Yang Twins and Terror Squad featuring Fat Joe.

The presenters, meanwhile, will join P. Diddy, Paris Hilton, Lenny Kravitz, Tony Hawk, Ludacris, Ashlee Simpson, LL Cool J and Jon Stewart.

Nelly and Christina (who is nominated for two VMAs) are slated to perform "Tilt'cha Head Back," from one of Nelly's two forthcoming albums, Sweat. Alicia Keys, who has been nominated for three VMAs, will perform her hit "If I Ain't Got You," from her most recent release, The Diary of Alicia Keys.

Jay-Z leads this year's nominees with six nominations for his "99 Problems" clip, including Best Video of the Year, Best Male Video and Best Rap Video. Beyoncé, No Doubt, Usher and Outkast follow closely behind with five nominations each, while Britney Spears, Kanye West, Steriogram, the White Stripes and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs each have four nominations.

This year's Viewer's Choice Award will be determined this year by the VMAyhem Viewer's Choice Playoffs, which allow MTV.com users to narrow a list of 40 videos down to five nominees through head-to-head video battles. Voting on the five final nominees will begin on August 18.

The 2004 MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from Miami on Sunday, August 29, at 8 p.m on MTV.

Universal Wants Another Helping of PIE

The storyline of the AMERICAN PIE teen comedy flicks logically wrapped up with the third installment, AMERICAN WEDDING, but Universal is at work at a fourth slice of PIE.

FilmJerk.com cites an anonymous source that AMERICAN PIE 4 is on a fast track, slated to begin next month with director Steve Rash.

However, none of the original cast is expected to participate. Instead, this new piece of PIE will be about Matt Stifler, the younger brother of PIE jock Steve Stifler.

The story would focus on young Matt being sent to band camp, a locale which was at the center of the original PIE trilogy.

Timberlake Out of Sync?

After you've disrobed Janet Jackson at the Super Bowl, and presumably disrobed Cameron Diaz someplace, can you really go back to being just one of the boys?

For Justin Timberlake, the answer is no, per a report in the new People magazine.

Timberlake "doesn't want any part" of a planned 'N Sync reunion, a source says in People.

"Justin said he's not in the mood and doesn't think it will work," the spy tells the magazine.

'N Sync, with the Backstreet Boys, the leading boy band of the teen-pop explosion of the late 1990s/early 2000s, has been on hiatus since a 2002 tour in support of the group's third pop album, Celebrity, released in 2001.

The five members--Timberlake, JC Chasez, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick--have reteamed occasionally. In 2003, for instance, they harmonized on a Bee Gees medley at the Grammy Awards.

Last month, the "Bye Bye Bye" boys performed the national anthem at a charity basketball game in Miami for the Challenge for the Children Foundation, an organization founded by the popsters.

The Miami gig was supposed to be the start of putting 'N Sync back in sync, People says. But instead of talking about recording dates, Timberlake reportedly was talking about not recording.

Officially, the group is still a group, Jive Records spokeswoman Sonia Muckle told E! Thursday. She also says there was never a new 'N Sync album planned for this year.

Chasez, Bass, Fatone and Kirkpatrick "are undecided right now" about the future of the band, the People source says. The foursome were said to be ticked off at Timberlake's defection.

It was Timberlake who sparked talk of a reactivated 'N Sync last year. He told the Website Launch that the reunion would occur after Chasez's solo album debut, Schizophrenic, came out in February of this year.

When it comes to solo acts, the 23-year-old Timberlake is the solo act among the 'N Sync set. His 2002 album, Justified, went triple platinum, spawned the hit singles "Cry Me a River" and "Like I Love You," and won two Grammys.

Off the charts, he's dated Britney Spears, Jackson and incumbent girlfriend Diaz, and bagged a leading role in the big-screen thriller, Edison, due out next year. Last January, he manhandled Jackson's bustier in the wardrobe malfunction seen around the world.

By comparison, the other 'N Syncers have had more modest successes, not including Lance Bass who almost immodestly walked in outer space, but none seem hard up enough to warrant a sad Behind the Music profile.

With 'N Sync possibly out of the picture, the Backstreet Boys should have less competition when they seek to reclaim the hearts and minds of their older and possibly wiser fans.

The Boys have been on the road since the spring. A new album--their first since 2001's optimistically titled The Hits--Chapter One--is expected later this year.

Unlike the 'N Sync situation, no Backstreet Boy has a soaring solo career to get in the way of the group--Nick Carter's Paris Hilton-related headlines, notwithstanding.

Sofia Coppola Heads Up 'Marie-Antoinette'

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Sofia Coppola is going in for some more translation work.

The Academy Award-winning writer/director of "Lost in Translation" is studying up on her French history for her next project, "Marie-Antoinette," starring Kirsten Dunst as the ill-fated French queen and Jason Schwartzman as her husband, Louis XVI. Both lost their heads during the French Revolution.

The Columbia Pictures project, which Coppola will write and direct, is described as a stylized account of the enigmatic royal. Production is scheduled to begin in February in France.

"I've always loved the story of Marie Antoinette and the decadence of Versailles on the brink of revolution," Coppola said, "and the fact she was just a teenager when circumstances forced her to play a significant role in history."

Dunst, who starred in Coppola's first film, "The Virgin Suicides," most recently appeared in "Spider-Man 2." Her upcoming features include "Wimbledon" and Cameron Crowe's drama "Elizabethtown."

Schwartzman made his film debut in Wes Anderson's "Rushmore" and is set to begin filming Columbia's "Bewitched" with Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell. He and Coppola are cousins and both appeared in her brother Roman's drama "CQ."

TV show Corner Gas puts small Saskatchewan town of Rouleau on the map

ROULEAU, Sask. (CP) - Of the thousands of Canadians who tuned in to Corner Gas during its first season, none are more loyal to the show than the 400 or so that live in this dusty rural crossroads just south of Regina.

It's been more than a year since the people of Rouleau and the producers of the hit CTV sitcom entered into a relationship that has taken the town into living rooms across the country each week. As the backdrop for the comedy, Rouleau - or Dog River as it is known to fans - has enjoyed the boost that has come with the show's critical acclaim and surprise success.

"I think just the traffic - the fact that we are getting more people through the town - has been good," said Mayor Ken Hoff. "It is fun to see the actors and the crew and the whole works ... It makes for a lot of excitement and activity."

Created by and starring Saskatchewan-born comedian Brent Butt, Corner Gas takes a lighter look at the little things that happen in a place where everybody knows everybody else.

Audience numbers were phenomenal during the first season and the reviews were flattering. It's been picked up by the network for season 2, and new episodes begin airing in October.

Hoff points out that, when filming is under way, as many as 85 people come to Rouleau to work on the show - roughly one-quarter of the town's permanent population.

A mock gas station/cafe - the centrepiece of the show - has been built from scratch on the outskirts, and a handful of buildings downtown have been refurbished to be used for shooting.

There has not been much of an economic benefit for the town, Hoff said. But it has sure kept things from stagnating.

"A big increase in spending I would not say is there. But they contribute to our school, they contribute to the rental of the hall, they contribute to the rental of the rink and that has helped immensely."

Most of those who live and work in the town have enjoyed all the action.

Louise Huxley minds the till at the local liquor store/car-insurance outlet - a contradiction so odd that it has made its way into the script.

"It's been good," Huxley said. "My husband or daughter have been on the Internet and they have met quite a few people on the Corner Gas site."

At one point, Huxley said, her family hosted a gathering of out-of-town fans at their house so that everyone could come and see the set.

"It's brought a whole bunch of different people together," she said.

To say that Corner Gas has created a tourism industry in Rouleau is a bit of a stretch, but curious outsiders definitely make their way into town as they pass.

Fans Lynn and Barb Laski, from Kenora, Ont., were holidaying on the Prairies, and said they couldn't help but stop off in Rouleau for a look.

"We love the show," Lynn said. "It's so downhome and real. We just love that."

Those who work on the show appreciate the warm reception they have received.

"The nice part about doing it here is it is not like fans in L.A.," said Janet Wright, a veteran Canadian actress who plays the matriarch Emma on the show. "People here get really excited."

There's no telling how long Corner Gas will run, but the people in Rouleau have their fingers crossed.

"I'm sure the town would be happy if it would run for 10 years," Hoff said.

Ivana Santilli looking to further solo career with funk-heavy Corduroy Boogie

TORONTO (CP) - Ivana Santilli has been poised to break out for about a decade.

First it was with the Juno-winning funk group Bass Is Base in the mid-'90s. She followed that with a solo record in 1999. It somehow missed the mainstream despite good reviews, Juno nominations, decent album sales and critical praise for her packed live shows.

But the Toronto-born indie singer - who picked up a trumpet in high school and was encouraged to learn South American pop songs by her wedding-band leader father - isn't letting it get her down and is back with a new record five years later.

She's taken the notion of not always getting what you deserve and turned into a funk-laden track on her new record, Corduroy Boogie.

"I can work harder, maybe last longer but that don't mean that I'm gonna get what I am worth," she sings in the bopping Deserve, currently making the rounds on pop radio.

"Deserve is a way to make fun of myself," Santilli said, sitting in an office at a small recording studio in Toronto.

"It's about me but I looked around and a lot of people are dealing with this stuff. They're working really hard and honestly and not getting ahead. I always thought paying dues was what you do. But I've seen it happen where people just pop into the business and get signed right away.

"You can't look at it as 'Oh, I deserve this.' But that's not how life works . . . sometimes you have to just grab what's yours, and at this point I'm grabbing it," she adds clenching her fists to emphasis her intentions.

For Santilli "grabbing it" meant taking advantage of respected producers like electronica prince King Britt and British nu-soul giant Omar - both of whom showed interest in her previous projects - to make the new record.

It's also about booking lots of live shows where she can show off her musicianship. She'll be taking her trumpet and piano skills on the road this fall to let people know she's back.

But it wasn't easy, says Santilli, who's of Italian and francophone background. The five-year lag time between records was partially caused by financial restraints.

The distributor of her debut record Brown went bankrupt and, she says, never paid her for the 30,000 units sold, leaving the self-financed singer in the lurch.

"It was difficult because when you self-fund a record you need to see some of that come back so you can fund the next project," said Santilli, who is coy about her age.

"I turned my back on music for a while. I didn't find hope in anything."

It didn't help that industry professionals were telling her to tone down her R&B and hip hop influence.

"It was a lot of people telling me I had to change what I was doing, which was rough," she said. "How can I lay off something that influenced me for years?"

She snapped out of her spell with a writing trip to Philadelphia sponsored by Peer Music International, an independent music publishing house which hired Santilli to craft songs.

"There's a newness there. It allowed me to understand my validity again. I was away from home so there was no 'Let's support her because she's one of ours.' "
Corduroy Boogie takes listeners on a trilingual (she also speaks French and Italian) jazzed-up funk ride into soul, R&B, electronica and disco while somehow maintaining Santilli's signature smoothness.

It's a record that might finally propel her in front of new audiences because it's hitting radio at a time when most music sounds the same, says Mocha, music director and afternoon drive host at The Beat 91.5 FM in Kitchener, Ont.

"When you have something like Deserve that comes out and is completely different from everything else, it's refreshing," said Mocha, who added the song to the station's heavy rotation cycle. "It catches your ear.

"The commercial radio audience probably hear the song and they think she's a brand new artist."

Cruise Halts 'Mission,' Goes To 'War' with Spielberg

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Tom Cruise's plan to film "Mission: Impossible 3" this year has become, well, an impossible mission.

The movie, which has been plagued by director problems, will not begin production later this month, as had been planned, and Cruise will instead reunite with Steven Spielberg on "War of the Worlds." The modern-day adaptation of H.G. Wells classic about a Martian invasion of Earth will replace "M:I-3" as Paramount's big summer hopeful next year.

"War," which has been in development for some time, will begin filming in November. Its exact release date has not yet been decided.

Cruise hasn't abandoned "M:I-3." It will now shoot next summer, with J.J. Abrams, creator of the TV series "Felicity" and "Alias," set to make his feature directorial debut.

Paramount had been facing an increasingly difficult situation with "M:I-3." It had originally been penciled in as a release this year, with David Fincher ("Se7en") directing. When Fincher bowed out in favor of another project, Joe Carnahan ("Narc") came aboard. Carnahan, in turn, exited the project last month, with the studio citing creative differences.

With the clock ticking, Paramount already had shifted "M:I-3's" 2005 release to June 29 from from May 6; preproduction had begun for filming in Europe later this month; and a cast that includes Scarlett Johansson, Carrie-Anne Moss, Kenneth Branagh and Ving Rhames was in place.

Cruise and his production partner at Paramount-based C/W Prods., Paula Wagner, wanted Abrams to take the reins, but Abrams' contractual obligations with both "Alias" and a new ABC drama series, "Lost," prevented him from taking on the "M:I-3" assignment until next year.

At the same time, Spielberg hit a roadblock with a drama he was readying to shoot about the aftermath of the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics. With that project delayed while it undergoes a rewrite by "Angels in America" playwright Tony Kushner, Spielberg's schedule opened up.

Taking advantage of Spielberg's availability, Paramount shifted course. "War," which will reteam Spielberg and Cruise, who worked together on "Minority Report," will be a co-production with Spielberg's DreamWorks studio.

"These things don't usually happen with a happy ending," Paramount Motion Picture Group chairman Sherry Lansing said. "I feel overjoyed. The script for 'War' is nothing short of brilliant, and this way Tom will finish 'War' first and get his No. 1 choice for 'M:I-3.' I quite honestly feel blessed. Spielberg has committed to a movie, a Tom Cruise movie, and Cruise is going to follow that up with a second project. We have two major tentpole projects. It all came out better than anyone could have imagined."