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Supermodel Christy Turlington and Ed Burns have broken up. The couple, who were supposed to get married last October but postponed their wedding plans after Sept. 11, reportedly called it quits a month ago — with no third party involved. According to PageSix.com, the split became apparent after Burns was seen at L.A. Oscar parties sans Turlington.
In General
A spokeswoman for Spears is blaming the singer’s brief appearance at the London premiere of her movie Crossroads on security problems, the Associated Press reports. “It was deemed a security risk by all involved for her to venture too far into the crowds,” she told the AP. “Safety has to be paramount, not just for Britney but for her fans.”
New Line Home Entertainment has announced that two different versions of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring will be available on both DVD and VHS formats on Aug. 6 and Nov. 12. The August release, a PG-13 double DVD, will contain sneak previews as well as a 10-minute behind-the-scenes preview of The Two Towers and more than two hours of extra content. Then in November, the special extended DVD will contain more than 30 minutes of never-before-seen footage created specifically for home video release and will likely have an R rating.
The cast and crew of the children’s TV show Ricky’s Room plan to protest the Toronto premiere of Death to Smoochy Friday, claiming the costumed rhino in the film looks too much like Ricky the Rhino. Kaboom Entertainment, the show’s producers, met with lawyers Tuesday to discuss taking legal action against the film, the Toronto Star reports. Ricky’s Room is produced in Toronto and airs on U.S. public television stations.
Artisan Entertainment has signed a six-figure deal for the rights to Sherron Watkins’ life story, including the rights to her upcoming book Power Failure, Variety reports. Watkins, you may recall, is Enron’s vice president of corporate development who warned her boss Ken Lay of a possible whistle blower in the company’s accounting. The book is expected out this fall.
John Travolta is in early talks to star in Touchstone Picture’s Mr. 3000. According to Variety, Travolta would play a surly Hall of Famer who comes out of retirement after three of his past base hits are disallowed, dropping him below the esteemed 3,000-hit plateau, and rediscovers a love for the game as he mentors a rookie. Thelma & Louise scribe Callie Khouri is also in negotiations to helm the pic.
Jim Carrey will reunite with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective director Tom Shadyac for the upcoming comedy Bruce Almighty. According to Variety, Carrey will play a whiny guy who constantly questions why God gives him so much grief. He is then given almighty power for 24 hours to see how hard it is to run the world. Shooting will begin in July.
Country-music legend Loretta Lynn has written a sequel to her 1976 autobiography, Coal Miner’s Daughter. In Still Woman Enough: A Memoir, which will be released Sunday, Lynn reveals secrets and events she left out of Coal Miner’s Daughter, Launch.com reports.
After deliberating for 18 hours, a jury convicted Ralf Panitz of killing his ex-wife hours after they and his current wife appeared in an episode of the Jerry Springer Show about secret mistresses. Panitz, 42, was found guilty of second-degree murder and could face life in prison for the slaying.
CNN’s Aaron Brown talked to the Philadelphia Inquirer about his competitor, Fox News Channel’s Greta Van Susteren, who recently had an eye lift. “She went off the air (on CNN) looking great,” he said. “She came on the air looking like a 25-year-old cheerleader.” Van Susteren left CNN for Fox in September. Earlier this month, Brown lost in the ratings when Van Susteren interviewed Tonya Harding but said he didn’t mind, adding that the network should change its motto to “fair, balanced and sometimes silly.”
Once again, Napster has had to postpone the re-launch of its copyright-friendly service. A statement on its Web site reads, “We’re getting closer to a settlement with the major record companies that would clear away our legal troubles…but we’re taking some more time to make sure we get the very best deals we can….We think that’s worth fighting for, and we’re willing to push back our launch until we have it.” No date has been set, but Reuters reported Wednesday that Napster CEO Konrad Hilbers told FT Deutschland it may be another nine months.
