Cruise looking for adventurous woman
Tom Cruise may be single, but that doesn’t mean he has given up on love and marriage. “I will never be down with love. Ever. I’m the guy who loves relationships. I love women,” Cruise was quoted as saying in Tuesday’s edition of Britain’s Daily Mirror. “I’m the guy who’s going to get married again. I’m not going to give up on that. I really love that kind of friendship and intimacy.” According to Cruise, his ideal woman would have adventurous pursuits. “She has to have a great sense of humor and not mind having a little adventure in her life,” he said. “I like riding motorcycles and flying airplanes and I want someone who’s going to enjoy doing the things I enjoy.” Cruise‘s first two marriages, to Mimi Rogers and Nicole Kidman, ended in divorce, and the 42-year-old actor split with girlfriend Penelope Cruz in March. But the Mission: Impossible star tells the paper he is still on friendly terms with Kidman and the two share custody of their children Isabella, 12, and Connor, 9. “The relationships I’ve had, I’ve found very fulfilling. I’ve learned and I’ve grown from them and I have no regrets. It’s a great time in my life,” he said.
Lucasfilm heads to Singapore
George Lucas, the man behind the blockbuster franchises Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark, is bringing his entertainment group Lucasfilm Ltd. to Singapore. Reuters reports Lucasfilm is setting up a venture with the country’s government to produce digital animation for films, TV, and video games–its first government collaboration. The move reflects the growing popularity of animation in Hollywood and Asia, where the genre is led by Japanese anime, a style born out of Japan’s love affair with comic books. Lucasfilm Animation Singapore, which is 75-percent owned by Lucasfilm Ltd. and the remainder held by a Singapore state-led consortium, aims to blend Western animation and Japanese-style anime.
Fahrenheit 9/11 not penalized by Cuban broadcast
Fahrenheit 9/11 distributors Lions Gate Films, IFC Entertainment and the Fellowship Adventure Group said Tuesday an unauthorized broadcast of the documentary on primetime Cuban TV would not disqualify the film from Oscar competition in the feature documentary category. Under Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences rules, documentaries are ineligible for Oscar consideration if displayed on TV or on the Internet within nine months of their theatrical release. The AP reports the three distributors said in a statement the academy “has confirmed that the distributors did not violate the rules and had nothing to do with the illegal screening of the movie.” Besides Best Documentary, Fahrenheit 9/11 could also qualify for nomination as Best Picture, Best Director or Best Original Screenplay.
Jackson’s lawyers say prosecutor violated gag order
Lawyers for Michael Jackson suggested Monday in court papers that prosecutor Tom Sneddon violated a gag order in the child molestation case. At the heart of the issue is a comment Sneddon made to a conference of district attorneys in Vancouver on July 20, which was reported the following day in The Globe and Mail newspaper: “We sent letters to some people saying we intended to call them as witnesses in order to keep them off TV.” Reuters reports some legal experts had already suggested that Sneddon’s remarks seemed to indicate he was using the power of the grand jury to silence people who he did not intend to call as witnesses. Jackson is scheduled to stand trial on Jan. 31 on a 10-count indictment that charges him with child molestation and conspiracy. He has pleaded innocent.
Musicians band together against Bush
In an effort to oust President Bush, more than 20 musical acts including Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam and the Dixie Chicks will perform a series of fund-raising “Vote for Change” concerts in nine swing states in the month prior to the Nov. 2 election, the AP reports. The shows tour the states Oct. 1-8, starting in Pennsylvania, with other stops scheduled in North Carolina, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin and Florida. “We’re trying to put forward a group of progressive ideals and change the administration in the White House,” Springsteen told the AP. “That’s the success or failure, very clear cut and very simple.” The shows will be presented by MoveOn Pac, the electoral arm of the liberal interest group MoveOn.org.
Idol hopefuls line up in Cleveland
And so it begins … again. An estimated 15,000 hopefuls showed up Wednesday at the Cleveland Browns Stadium in Ohio to tryout for Fox’s hit show American Idol, the first stop in the audition process for the show’s fourth season. The participants had to stand around in record 80 degree heat but Cleveland resident, Staci Smyth, 22, told the AP her five hours of waiting outside were part of the experience: “You’ve got to stand out there in the hot heat just to hear the ‘yes’ or ‘no.'” Other cities where audition will be held include Washington D.C., St. Louis, San Francisco, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Anchorage and Orlando.
Carsey-Werner won’t sell
After hiring bankers to explore other options, Carsey-Werner-Mandabach, the Hollywood TV production company behind the hit comedies The Cosby Show and That ’70s Show, has decided to remain independent, Reuters reports. As one of the last independent Hollywood production studios, the production company has one of the most valuable libraries of TV shows, estimated anywhere from $500 million to $1 billion, and had asked investment bank UBS in May to look at options for selling the studio or forming alliances with another entertainment company. Marcy Carsey, one of the firm’s founders, said the firm remains “bullish about the value of content” and will stay open to partnerships on various projects.
Meat Puppets bassist sentenced to 21 months
Cris Kirkwood, former bass player for the rock band Meat Puppets, was sentenced to 21 months in prison after pleading guilty of attacking a security guard with a baton outside a post office, the AP reports. According to the criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court, the Dec. 26 incident took place at a post office in Phoenix, Az., where Kirkwood, 43, was arguing with a woman about a parking space. She approached security guard Thomas Goodrum for help, and Kirkwood apparently yelled profanities at Goodrum. The musician then managed to get Goodrum’s collapsible baton away from him and hit him on the head, leading Goodrum to pull out his handgun and fire a shot into Kirkwood’s back, the complaint states. Phoenix authorities said he was on probation at the time for a 2000 drug offense.
Kit Bowen contributed to this report.
