Cindy Margolis to pose for Playboy
(AP) - Cindy Margolis, known as the Most Downloaded Woman on the Internet, is following up her win on Celebrity Cooking Showdown with a career first - posing nude for Playboy.
The mother of three said in an interview that she finally agreed to pose for the magazine when they called on her 40th birthday.
"Thank goodness for Desperate Housewives. You're not dead just because you are married and have children," the actress and model said Monday, on the phone from her Los Angeles home.
After turning down offers to pose for the magazine in the past, Margolis said she accepted this time because she felt posing nude at the age of 40 is empowering.
"In the past it would have been for gratuitous reasons," she said.
Now, Margolis said, she is enjoying being the ultimate desperate housewife.
"It will be fun to go up against the 20-year-olds and show them that they don't have anything on me," she said.
Margolis has appeared in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and the annual Lingerie Bowl.
She has made headlines in recent years for her struggles with infertility. She is the national spokeswoman for Resolve: The National Infertility Association and is also writing a book about the subject.
"I just want to make it more mainstream for people to understand infertility, to understand surrogacy and adoption," she said.
Margolis, a former Price is Right model, gave birth to son Nicholas in 2002 after a high-risk pregnancy. The child was her first with husband, Guy Starkman. In 2005 Margolis and Starkman welcomed twins Sabrina and Sierra into the family. The twins were carried by a surrogate mother, and are biologically the couple's by in-vitro fertilization.
"It doesn't matter how you get your baby, even if it's via FedEx as long as you get to hold your precious baby in your arms. You can have your miracle child," Margolis said.
SIRIUS Canada and CFL Announce Exclusive Multi-Year North American Broadcast and Marketing Agreement
Toronto, April 24, 2006 — SIRIUS Canada Inc. and the Canadian Football League (CFL) today announced a national multi-year broadcast and marketing agreement which will see SIRIUS Canada become the Official Satellite Radio Partner of the CFL. Under the three-year agreement, SIRIUS Canada becomes the exclusive North American satellite radio broadcaster for CFL games and content, including the 94th annual Grey Cup to be held in Winnipeg on November 19, 2006. In addition, SIRIUS receives exclusive rights to use the CFL logo and collective CFL team trademarks in marketing and promotional activities across Canada.
As a result of this partnership, CFL fans across North America will be able to listen to live CFL game action on SIRIUS Satellite Radio, the country’s leading satellite radio provider with the best and most exclusive sports programming available. Kicking-off at the start of the 2006 season, CFL regular season games, the playoffs and the Grey Cup championship game will be broadcast live on SIRIUS Satellite Radio.
“The CFL is one of Canada’s most popular and premier sports brands and we are thrilled to bring it to SIRIUS Satellite Radio,” said Mark Redmond, President and CEO, SIRIUS Canada Inc. “This agreement with the CFL further enhances SIRIUS Canada’s superior sports programming lineup and represents significant strategic value for the company. Sports fans throughout North America can now listen to the CFL on SIRIUS in addition to live play-by-play games of the NFL, NHL and NBA.”
“We are pleased to be working with SIRIUS Canada as a Canadian leader in sports-focused content for satellite radio,” said CFL Commissioner, Tom Wright. “Our partnership with SIRIUS Canada provides CFL fans across North America with yet another innovative way to get into the game and cheer on their favourite CFL team."
SIRIUS Satellite Radio is also the Official Satellite Radio Partner of the National Football League and broadcasts the entire NFL regular season, playoff games and the Super Bowl. SIRIUS’ NFL Radio channel offers exclusive NFL content with news, features, and a wide-range of other programming.
SIRIUS Satellite Radio - Canada’s Sports Leader
SIRIUS Canada is the country’s leading satellite radio provider and offers Canadian sports fans the most extensive lineup of exclusive sports programming. SIRIUS is the Official Satellite Radio Partner of the CFL, NHL, NFL and NBA and broadcasts live play-by-play games of the CFL, NHL, NBA and NFL. In addition, SIRIUS Satellite Radio is home to broadcasts of U.S. College Football, English Premier Soccer, Arena Football and coming in 2007 – NASCAR.
SIRIUS Canada’s premium 100 full-time channel satellite radio service features the most commercial-free music and the best news, sports and entertainment programming available. SIRIUS Canada offers Canadians the most full-time channels, the broadest Canadian offering and the highest quality of satellite coverage among all satellite radio providers in Canada.
About the Canadian Football League
Building on a strong past toward a stronger future, the Canadian Football League (CFL) celebrates the best of Canada's game with fans across the nation. The 94th Grey Cup will be played in Winnipeg, Manitoba on November 19, 2006. For additional information, visit www.cfl.ca.
About SIRIUS Canada
SIRIUS Canada delivers 100 full-time channels of the best programming in all of radio. SIRIUS is the original and only home of 100% commercial-free music channels in satellite radio, offering 62 music channels available throughout Canada. SIRIUS Canada features sports, news, talk and entertainment. SIRIUS is the Official Satellite Radio Partner of the CFL, NHL, NFL and NBA and broadcasts live play-by-play games of the CFL, NHL, NBA and NFL.
Mortensen, Cronenberg in 'Promises'
Actor Viggo Mortensen and Canadian director David Cronenberg are teaming up once again for the British thriller "Eastern Promises," Variety reports.
The film centres on a young midwife who is drawn into investigating the identity of a mysterious Russian girl who dies in childbirth on Christmas Eve.
Mortensen will play a man who is caught up with the Russian mob.
Shooting on the film should begin this fall depending on the status of Cronenberg's other project, "Maps to the Stars."
Cronenberg directed Mortensen in last year's "A History of Violence," which garnered two Oscar nominations.
His other directing credits include "Videodrome," "eXistenZ," "Crash," The Fly, "The Dead Zone" and the indie "Spider," starring Ralph Fiennes.
Mortensen recently wrapped up work on the action-adventure "Alatriste," which also stars Elena Ayalo ("Van Helsing," "Dead Fish").
Al Pacino joins 'Ocean's 13' cast
Al Pacino has signed on to star in "Ocean's Thirteen," the latest installment of the Steven Soderberg-directed heist film franchise, Variety reports.
Pacino joins a cast that features returning actors George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, as well as new leading lady Ellen Barkin.
Pacino is set to play Willie Banks, the owner of a major casino and hotel in Las Vegas.
The film, produced by Jewrry Weintraub, was scripted by "Rounders" penners Brian Koppelman and David Levien.
"Ocean's Thirteen" is due to begin shooting on July 21 in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, with a June 2007 release date scheduled.
Pacino was last seen in theatres with Matthew McConaughey in last year's sports thriller, "Two For the Money."
BOSS NOD A TREAT FOR PETE
There won't be a Pete Seeger album called "The Bruce Springsteen Sessions."
"My voice is too far gone," Seeger says with a hearty laugh. It would be too embarrassing."
It could be a fun idea, he concedes, but "I'd have to listen to all those records."
Springsteen's tribute to the folk singer, "We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions," is out today.
The New Jersey rocker first immersed himself in Seeger's songbook for a 1998 tribute album, "Where Have All the Flowers Gone," on Appleseed Recordings, for which he contributed "We Shall Overcome."
But Seeger, who turns 87 on May 3, says he's "practically never" heard any of Springsteen's work. "I wouldn't recognize him if I heard him."
He did, however, hear The Boss singing "Born in the U.S.A." on TV.
After a phone call from Springsteen to tell him about the album, Seeger got a copy a little more than a week ago.
"I'm a very conservative person, and if I was a teacher, I would never hand out an A-plus. So I would give this 31/2 stars [out of four]. It's a very exciting album," Seeger says.
"He does some unusual things. He sings the old spiritual, 'O Mary Don't You Weep' " - Seeger sings a bit over the phone.
"But he does it at the top of his lungs, at the top of his range, in minor, not major. I never heard anybody do that.
"Bruce has a wonderful, powerful voice," Seeger says. "I think he made some good choices."
Seeger doesn't usually listen to records.
"I don't particularly enjoy it. I like making music, but I don't like listening to it," he says. "I'd rather chop trees or dig ditches or help my wife clean up the house."
But curiousity got him to listen to Springsteen's work - once.
"It's a very honest record. He did it like he felt, like he wanted to do it. Not like somebody told him to do it," he says.
On the lullaby "Froggie Went a-Courtin'," "he pounded it out, with drums and everything," Seeger, chuckles.
About the title track, the civil rights anthem that Seeger helped popularize, he pays Springsteen a high compliment:
"I think that some of the people who originally sang 'We Shall Overcome' would be very proud to hear his recording of that because it's a beautiful, beautiful recording."
John Lennon asks for peace, says pay TV seance
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Peace ... The Message is Peace."
That's what the producers of a pay-television seance to contact John Lennon claimed the former Beatle said when communicating with them from beyond the grave.
The show aired on Monday on pay-TV service In Demand and was organized by the producers of a failed 2003 attempt to channel the late Princess Diana's spirit, a show that earned scathing reviews but was estimated to have grossed close to $8 million.
People who paid $9.95 to watch the pay-per-view Lennon special from 9 p.m. (0100 GMT) to 10:30 p.m. (0230 GMT) saw audio crew members, a psychic and an expert in paranormal activity claim that the late Beatle's spirit made contact with them through what is described as an Electronic Voice Phenomenon (EVP).
The EVP was discovered during a taping of a seance at La Fortuna restaurant in New York, which Lennon frequented.
The show's organizers said psychic Joe Power's voice feed went dead for a few seconds and the message was found on it when the tape of the voice feed was played back.
EVP is based on a belief that spirit voices communicate through radio and TV broadcast signals.
On the television show, filming at La Fortuna suddenly stopped and a narrator said something odd has happened. Show participants said that a mysterious voice can be heard on Power's voice feed.
The producers called in "EVP specialist" Sandra Belanger to examine the voice and she proclaims it Lennon's.
Producer Paul Sharratt, who heads Starcast Productions and calls himself a skeptic, said hearing the voice has made him a believer.
The program was made without the knowledge or consent of Lennon's estate or his widow Yoko Ono, who declined comment.
Ono's long-time friend and spokesman Elliot Mintz has called the entire exercise "tacky, exploitative and far removed" from Lennon's way of life. "A pay-per-view seance was never his style," said Mintz.
Lennon was assassinated by a deranged fan in New York 25 years ago.
Canadian theaters ponder golf, fashion option
OTTAWA (Hollywood Reporter) - Canadian theater owners, facing the same challenges as their U.S. counterparts, need to reinvent themselves by offering more than just movies.
That's the word from Adina Lebo, executive director of the Motion Picture Theater Associations of Canada, as 800 theater owners prepare to meet in Victoria, B.C. Wednesday for their annual ShowCanada convention.
In an interview, Lebo offered such options as golf and bowling. Along those lines, Cineplex Entertainment vp business development Brad LaDouceur will be on hand at ShowCanada to discuss the merits of fashion shows and sporting-event screenings.
The need for such initiatives follows flaccid 2005 box office numbers that saw attendance drop by 7%.
Industry consultant Howard Lichtman said the top 10 Hollywood films in Canada are "dramatically different" from those in the United States, largely due to demographic differences. For example, he noted that family movies are less popular proportionately here since there are fewer younger people in Canada than in the States.
Lichtman added that the Thai action film "Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior" generated better box office sales here proportionately because Asians account for a larger percentage of the population in Canada than in the United States.