Category: Rumours

Simpson Slams Durst Fling Reports
Pop beauty Jessica Simpson has slammed “absolutely untrue” reports of her alleged dalliance with rock lothario Fred Durst in Las Vegas last weekend. Local Nevada newspaper Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Norm Clarke claimed Simpson and the Limp Bizkit frontman “were all over each other” at the Hard Rock Hotel, with the singer’s husband Nick Lachey nowhere in sight. Simpson’s spokesman says, “Jessica and Fred Durst have mutual friends and were both at the event. The rest is absolutely untrue.” The Newlyweds: Nick And Jessica reality TV couple recently purchased a $1 million condominium in Sin

Isle to Aisle
Did Mariano and Brkich tie the knot?
Between their Survivor appearances and their current travels on The Amazing Race 7, Rob Mariano and Amber Brkich have traveled the globe for CBS, but their latest port of call, on CBS’ dime, was reportedly a Bahamas wedding on Saturday. So far, CBS has kept mum, but Brkich’s hometown paper, the Beaver County Times in Beaver, Pa., reports that the pair’s secret nuptials were to take place on Saturday at a Caribbean resort, and that CBS filmed the ceremony for broadcast on May 24, the second-to-last night of May ratings sweeps, opposite the final performance episode of Fox’s American Idol.
Despite the confidentiality agreements that the couple and their guests signed with the network, the Times reports that locals in the small town spotted CBS camera crews with Brkich at her bridal shower at a local country club and at an area bridal shop. The Times also reported that much of the wedding party departed on Wednesday for the Bahamas for the weekend ceremony.
Mariano and Brkich became an item during the filming of 2004’s Survivor: All-Stars, where she won the $1 million jackpot and he was the runner-up. Their winning ways have continued on Amazing Race, whose finale is May 10.
Already, they’ve won trips to Monaco, London, and conveniently enough, the Bahamas. So it looks like CBS will be footing the bill for the million-dollar couple’s honeymoon as well.

News of Bond role bewilders Orlando Bloom
HOLLYWOOD — There are plenty of pirates in Orlando Bloom’s life but no spies. British papers recently reported the Pirates of the Caribbean star was in negotiations to play a young James Bond in a series of films about the early years before Bond became 007.
“They even had me quoted as saying I was in negotiations. My cousin called to say how distraught everyone was to have to read it in the papers,” says Bloom who stars as a Crusader in Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven, which opens May 6.
Bloom has been bombarded with phone calls from friends and family members over this story.
“I can assure you that I have never heard anything about such a project or an offer of any kind to play Bond from any member of my management team.
“It’s just something someone somewhere made up and posted it on the Internet.”
Bloom, 28, insists the same is true of rumours that he and longtime squeeze Kate Bosworth, 22, are once again an item.
The couple dated for two years but announced last fall they were no longer together.
In March, the two went to Brazil, fuelling speculation the affair was back on.
Some British websites have even posted stories the couple plan to wed later this year and that Bloom gave Bosworth a diamond engagement ring.
“I’m a long way from marriage at this point in my life. My career is so hectic, it’s difficult to sustain a relationship. I’m happily single at the moment,” insists Bloom.
Bosworth, who played Sandra Dee to Kevin Spacey’s Bobby Darin in Beyond the Sea, is currently filming Superman Returns, in which she plays Lois Lane to Brandon Routh’s Clark Kent.
Bloom is filming the two sequels to Pirates of the Caribbean with Johnny Depp and Keira Knightley.

DOUBLE-OH-WHO?
As MGM heads into its final hours as an independent studio, the question of who’ll be the next James Bond has exploded.
Earlier this week, word circulated that the Bond franchise-controlling Broccoli clan had patched things up with former 007 Pierce Brosnan and were negotiating a two-picture $40 million deal for him to reprise his role as the dapper spy. Yet another rumor had Brosnan making a single film while Sony — which is set to acquire the MGM studio this week — and the Broccolis groomed a new agent for a film to come out shortly after.
On Wednesday, the U.K. press gave its vote to British heartthrob Daniel Craig, reporting that Craig had been offered a three-pic deal by the Broccoli clan. Stateside sources say he’s no more of a certainty than other candidates that include previously rumored Clive Owen and Dominic West. Though unknown to most American auds, Craig has a Beatles-like following abroad and most recently appeared in the Brit pics “Layer Cake” and “Enduring Love.”
Despite the vacillation, each rumor has made a degree of sense. Sony, which will run the franchise once the MGM sale is completed, could do worse than keep on Brosnan, who took over the 007 role at a time when the franchise was on life support. Brosnan averaged $350 million in worldwide gross and set a franchise record in his last film, “Die Another Day,” with $425 million worldwide.
The Craig rumor seems plausible, given that “Die Another Day” scribes Neal Purvis and Robert Wade are using Ian Fleming’s early Bond novel “Casino Royale” as the basis for a film to be directed by Martin Campbell. That novel, which was turned into a Bond spoof film starring David Niven, would lend itself to a secret agent in his formative years. And landing a young actor like Craig is possible because the actor wouldn’t cost much (such a strategy was employed to relaunch the “Superman” franchise with Brandon Routh).
The Broccolis have been notoriously tightfisted with their stars. Though Brosnan brought the franchise to unparalleled heights, he never received a gross percentage, nor has any actor who played the Bond role before him. So while Brosnan’s last Bond payday exceeded $20 million when bonuses were factored in, that was a fraction of the money Tom Cruise earned for the “Mission: Impossible” franchise or what Keanu Reeves got for “The Matrix” films. (That’s why early speculation over actors like Hugh Jackman, Jude Law and Colin Farrell seemed absurd.)
Brosnan’s reps have denied that any talks are taking place.
Brosnan and Craig aren’t the only actors making Web and press reports. This month’s Angeleno mag has its money on “Nip/Tuck’s” Julian McMahon, splashing the tuxedoed Aussie on its cover along with the headline “Meet the Next James Bond.”
Another name that has been floated in recent weeks is Gerard Butler (“Phantom of the Opera”).
All the possible Bonds named, however, are in line with the Broccoli’s tradition of casting aristocratic types — men whose idea of roughing it is settling for 200-thread-count sheets. Considering how the franchise has aged and the competition Bond now faces from more modern celluloid spies (think Jason Bourne), it would be wise for MGM — and now Sony — to consider more diverse possibilities.
MGM has denied that any Bond has been chosen. No announcement is likely to be made until the franchise is controlled by Sony, which has long wanted to be in the Bond biz. In fact, that desire caused a huge lawsuit between the studios years ago, when John Calley left UA to become Sony head and then tried to use “Thunderball”– the only book not completely locked down by the Broccolis at the time — as the basis for a rival Bond picture. MGM won that suit and the movie never happened, but Sony will have its own Bond picture in production this year, with somebody filling the tux.

Brosnan Back As Bond?
All bets are off about the new James Bond – it looks like Pierce Brosnan may be back as the suave super spy after all. According to Internet reports, Sony bosses want Brosnan to return as 007 in the next Bond film Casino Royale, and they’re keen for him to star in one more movie after that. A source tells website Darkhorizons.Com, “All the stuff we heard about Brosnan being out is just a ploy from both camps. The negotiations between Brosnan and Eon (Bond production company) came to an end because, in the last year, things were up in the air, thanks to all the organizational changes taking place. Brosnan/Eon camps are still going through the motions of bluffing each other: an echo of the old poker game that Cubby Broccoli (former Bond boss) went through with Roger Moore – Moore frequently announced that he wouldn’t be back. The mood around Sony is that Brosnan will be back. Hence, the reluctance of the filmmakers to come right out and announce that they have parted ways with Brosnan. Sony are not in a gambling mood. They could lose more with an unknown actor, or with an experienced but unpopular actor. They’re well aware that you just can’t place any actor in this role.”

MAYBE THE TWIST ENDING THIS TIME IS THAT GIAMATTI WILL ACTUALLY GET AN OSCAR NOMINATION!
Days after setting his next film, “Lady in the Water,” at Warner Bros., M. Night Shyamalan is moving quickly to set Paul Giamatti and Bryce Dallas Howard in the starring roles.
Shyamalan has for several days been courting Giamatti to play a building super who finds a sea nymph in his apartment building’s pool, and he has tapped Howard to play the title character.
WB will make formal offers to both thesps today for an August start date and a July 2006 release.
Sam Mercer is producing the project through Shyamalan’s Blinding Edge shingle.
Pic will mark a reteaming for Shyamalan and Howard, who starred in his last film, “The Village.” She replaced Nicole Kidman in the Lars Von Trier-directed “Manderlay” and next stars for Kenneth Branagh in the HBO Films-financed theatrical feature “As You Like It.” She also will play the title role in “Mary Queen of Scots” for Warner Independent Pictures.
Giamatti is coming off “Sideways” and will next be seen starring opposite Russell Crowe and Renee Zellweger in the Ron Howard-directed “Cinderella Man.”

Orlando To Bloom As Young 007?
Orlando Bloom’s dream of becoming the next James Bond looks set to become reality – but he’ll be playing the young 007. The Pirates Of The Caribbean actor has confirmed he has been in negotiations to star in Young 007. He says, “I love the idea, in principle, as he can be far more adventurous and do more stunts. This is as near as I think I will get to playing the grown up James for the next 20 years.” The first Young 007 movie will be based on new novel Silverfin and will be set in the 1930s, years before Bond discovered he likes his Martinis shaken, not stirred. The film will follow the young Bond from school at Eton, England, to his uncle’s house in the west Highlands.

James Bond Down To Two Candidates Now!!
Hi, everyone. “Moriarty” here with some Rumblings From The Lab…
Thatís right. Two very different James Bonds are being considered at the moment. Expect the choice to come from this group of guys. Itís really down to Amy Pascalís final choice, and as I understand it, sheís in the midst of making her mind up right now. Whoever gets picked starts work soon with Martin Campbell on CASINO ROYALE.
Does she want to go with Julian McMahon, star of TVís NIP/TUCK and this summerís FANTASTIC FOUR, who seems like a more movie star glamorous choice, or with Daniel Craig, star of LAYER CAKE and ROAD TO PERDITION, who seems like a hard-ass take-no-shit kind of Bond?
Either way, I think I like those choices. They show more imagination than the knee-jerk ìClive Owenî contingent, and I think thereís the potential for either of these two guys to bring something new to the series, a must if itís going to remain relevant.

Jendresen: Star Trek Needs Epic Adventure
Next year, it will be 40 years since Gene Roddenberry’s vision of “Star Trek” first came to life on the small screen.
Through those years, there’s been plenty of ups and downs for the millions of fans who have followed the adventures of Capt. James T. Kirk, Capt. Jean-Luc Picard, Capt. Benjamin Sisko, Capt. Kathryn Janeway, and even Capt. Jonathan Archer — whose time aboard “Star Trek: Enterprise” ends early this May on UPN.
With Star Trek not pulling in the viewers and the revenue as it once did, is Paramount still willing to keep the Roddenberry torch burning?
Erik Jendresen thinks so. Name doesn’t ring a bell? Soon it will, as he has been commissioned by Paramount to write the 11th Star Trek film. And for the first time in history, a new slate of characters, as well as a new cast, will be introduced on the big screen. But that’s just the beginning of the new Star Trek.
“I can certainly say that the story concept, the basic idea of this thing, is pretty damn big,” Jendresen recently told SyFy Portal’s Michael Hinman. “It’s a noble enterprise, pun intended.”
Jendresen — probably best known for his Emmy-award winning work as a producer and lead writer for HBO’s “Band of Brothers” — said he wasn’t too interested in stepping into science-fiction. And when Paramount officials first came to him about doing Star Trek, his answer was an immediate no.
“I was not a diehard Star Trek fan,” he said. “When they first approached me, I wasn’t really interested. But they said, ‘What if we could approach this as a blank slate, and here’s a notion.’ When I heard the notion, I realized that the people I was talking to were serious, and genuinely dedicated. I started to really think about it, and, ultimately to develop a story. And it’s a pretty good one.”
Reports of the next movie have it taking place after the events of “Star Trek: Enterprise” and before the adventures of James Kirk in the original “Star Trek” series. Jendresen confirmed that the movie would take place more than a century before Kirk, but acknowledged that it would not be an “Enterprise” spinoff.
Although he had only some passing knowledge of Star Trek in the past, Jendresen said he really started to look into the heart of Roddenberry’s vision to find the lost path of telling good science-fiction.
“I read an interesting piece online about the relevance of Star Trek,” Jendresen said. “It posed the idea that maybe it’s not relevant anymore. It was an impressive argument, but a fine story is always relevant, and I think solid storytelling that’s rooted in the absolute spirit of the original series is what it was all about to begin with.”
The original series you say?
“In the original series, there were big ideas, and they were delivered each week with a lot of verve,” Jendresen said. “The crew in particular, lead by a commanding officer who had a certain sense of timeless style, boldness and vision. He had a pioneering spirit, the spirit of all great explorers, that was captured by the original series.”
After the original series went off the air in the 1960s, Jendresen said a lot of that was lost, with a few exceptions. And now that four decades have passed, he said it’s time to find it again.
“‘Star Trek,’ the original series, borrowed in an often elegant way from classic mythology and great ancient storytelling,” he said. “There’s something kind of epic – almost mythic about the prequel (movie).”
Bringing in Jendresen was an attempt to go outside of the current realm of Star Trek, and focus more on an actual story, Jendresen said. It’s similar to what happened in the early 1980s when Nicholas Meyer came on board to create “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.” There was a realness about it, and moviewatchers had to stop and think.
But that’s something that doesn’t have to be relegated to the past.
“There’s an old tradition in space films, if you think about it, where war and conflict are very sterile,” Jendresen said. “Death doesn’t hurt, it’s not really ugly. You can get killed by a phaser and just Ö disintegrate.
“We’re going 160-odd years before Kirk is born. It’s an earlier time, and I think it would be really refreshing to feel something in the course of telling this tale, instead of being wowed by special effects, or presenting another crew in jeopardy where, in the end, the captain does something brilliant, and allís right with the world.î
And that means not everything will end with a chuckle, laugh and some smiles when this film is over.
“By the end of this story, everyone isn’t fine,” Jendresen said. “I can safely say as a storyteller with certain standardsÖmy intention is literally as a writer, as a storyteller, as a filmmaker, to go boldly where no one has gone before.”
With the cancellation of “Enterprise,” and reports of what actress Jolene Blalock (Cmdr. T’Pol) described as an “appalling” finale, Jendresen said he’s well aware that there’s a lot of anger out there. But he said he definitely is working on something that fans can look forward to.
“There is a lot of misinformation out there, negative speculation and ill-will,î Jendresen said. “Everybody just needs to just take a Romulan chill pill and have some faith. Everything that has gone down over the last few years has not been lost on the gentlemen involved in this effort. I think it would be wonderful to bring a whole new generation into this world.”
In the meantime, while “Star Trek XI” moves forward in the pre-production stage, Jendresen is staying busy with other projects. He recently wrote “Journey to thte Center of the Earth” for Twentieth Century Fox, and has worked on other screenplays for Paramount, Dreamworks, and even National Geographic Feature Films.
Reports have “Star Trek XI” being released sometime in 2007. No director and no cast has been brought in, but it is clear that characters from other Star Trek properties will not be included.

Titanic: Special Edition!
Paramount is holding a special event next week to announce the fall DVD release of the Titanic: The Definitive Special Edition.
Our sources tell us to expect a 2-disc and 4-disc set, patterned after New Lines Lord of the Rings DVD releases.
The 4-disc will have the film spread over 2 discs for maximum anamorphic widescreen video quality, along with deleted scenes, literally hours of behind-the-scenes material, audio commentary and much more.