Top Story: Jolie Gets New Tattoo
Angelina Jolie is sporting a new tattoo these days, but this one isn’t the name of her latest love. According to The Associated Press, the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider star’s newest body art is a black tattoo that consists of five vertical rows of ancient Cambodian script intended to ward off bad luck. The 27-year-old actress is reported to have many tattoos; the most noticeable one is the dragon on her upper left arm with the name “Billy Bob” etched across it–the name of her ex- husband, actor Billy Bob Thornton. Said Jolie of her newest in the Nation newspaper Thursday, “I like it a lot. It looks very sacred. I think I’ll have a new tattoo the next time I come to Thailand.”
Ebert’s Overlooked Film Fest Kicks Off
Roger Ebert’s fifth annual Overlooked Film Festival, which features films he believes have been forgotten or ignored, got underway Wednesday in Champaign, Ill. Fourteen films will be featured, including Shall We Dance, Charlotte Sometimes and Thirteen Conversations About One Thing, the AP reports. The festival will close Sunday, April 27 with a screening of the 1952 musical Singin’ in the Rain.
Queen Latifah Named Entertainer of the Year
Queen Latifah will be named Entertainer of the Year at the 16th annual Essence Awards on June 6, City News Service reports. The ceremony will take place at Kodak Theatre in Hollywood with the two-hour telecast scheduled to air June 27 on Fox. Latifah, who is currently starring in the box-office hits Chicago and Bringing Down the House, was awarded the honor through an Essence magazine reader’s poll.
Tom Green To Entertain Troops
Comedian Tom Green will entertain service members in Kosovo and the United Kingdom, the USO and Armed Forces Entertainment announced today. According to City News Service, Green will spend a week mingling with the troops, touring military installations and signing autographs. The Road Trip star begins the tour Monday.
Jon Stewart Stays at Comedy Central
Comedy Central has a lock on Jon Stewart as host of the comic newscast The Daily Show through next year’s presidential election, the AP reports. Terms of the contract were not disclosed. According to Bill Hilary, the network’s general manager, The Daily Show audience has increased by 10 percent over the past year, mostly among viewers aged 18-to-34 who hadn’t shown much interest in topical humor before.
90210 Reunion Set
Fox is bringing back the hit ’90s teen drama Beverly Hills, 90210. Jason Priestley, Luke Perry, Shannen Doherty, Jennie Garth and Gabrielle Carteris will all revisit their old zip code
For Beverly Hills, 90210: 10-Year High School Reunion, set to air at 9 p.m. EDT May 11. Tori Spelling, Brian Austin Green and Ian Ziering will not be able to make the special because they are busy working on other projects, the AP reports.
No Cameras in the Simpson House
O.J. Simpson denied reports Thursday that he was working on a TV reality show that would chronicle his day-to-day life, the AP reports. Simpson said the footage in question– which shows him arriving at airports, signing autographs and talking at a hip-hop concert–is pretty boring stuff. “I had a lot of fun,” he told the AP. “We were welcomed everywhere. But this was not meant to be shown anywhere except as rebuttal to those who say I’m a pariah.”
Victoria Beckham Never Had Eating Disorder
Victoria Beckham, formerly known as Posh Spice, says that despite her sometimes shockingly thin frame, she’s never had an eating disorder–but came awfully close. “You pick up magazines and you see how you are meant to look when you’re a famous person. … I mean, I was never anorexic, I was never bulimic, but I was probably very close to it, ” she said in an interview set to air Friday night on the ABC news magazine show 20/20. “I was very obsessed. I mean I could tell you the fat content and calorie content in absolutely anything.”
Sinead O’Conner Quits Music Biz
Irish singer Sinead O’Connor announced Thursday she is quitting the music business and is through with fame. O’Connor, 36, recently canceled several European performances because she is suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome. O’Connor plans to complete some projects before retiring including the release of a concert and documentary DVD entitled, Goodnight, Thank You. You’ve Been a Lovely Audience in July, Reuters reports.
Role Call: Chi McBride Joins “I, Robot”
Boston Public star Chi McBride has joined the cast of 20th Century Fox’s sci-fi actioner I, Robot opposite Will Smith. The film is based on the classic story collection by Isaac Asimov, Robot. The project will be directed by Alex Proyas and is scheduled to start shooting May 5 in Vancouver.
