Top Story
As befits his newfound boffo box office status, Spider-Man star Tobey Maguire purchased a 5,000-square-foot $3.7 million mansion in Beverly Hills, Calif., Reuters reports. Maguire, who made a paltry $4 million for his role, will certainly be able to make the payments: He’s signed on to do two Spider-Man sequels for a whopping $23 million. Spider-Man shattered box office records with a $115 million opening weekend and a $200 million total haul in its first 10 days.
Celebs
“Janie’s Got a Gun,” but where’s her fire extinguisher? Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton’s Cape Cod, Mass., home was destroyed by fire Saturday, The Associated Press reports. No one was in the house when the fire occurred.
Casting Call
Latin hottie Salma Hayek is set to produce and star in Murphy’s Law, a romantic comedy based on ideas by her brother Sami and on Murphy’s Law, which states that anything that can go wrong will. Sounds more like an Al Gore biography than a movie.
Edward Burns and Catherine McCormack may gain a scene-stealing veteran colleague to the cast of Peter Hyams‘ A Sound of Thunder: Ben Kingsley, The Hollywood Reporter claims. Kingsley was recently nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in Sexy Beast.
In the Biz
Star Wars: Episode II–Attack of the Clones narrowly averted a rating disaster in Great Britain, where cutting a scene showing a head butt allowed the movie to carry a PG rating (meaning that while all age groups are allowed to attend, some scenes may not be appropriate for children). If it hadn’t been cut, no one under 12 would have been allowed to see the movie. As it is, this is the strictest rating any Star Wars film has ever received in Great Britain–the four others received the United Kingdom’s non-restrictive U (universal) rating.
Sharon Maguire, director of surprise hit Bridget Jones’s Diary, is said to be in initial negotiations with Columbia Pictures to helm the romantic comedy Last First Kiss, Variety reports. It’s rumored that Will Smith and Jennifer Lopez may star.
Watch out for Lara Croft! Angelina Jolie may have a new director to mastermind the heroine’s adventures in the Tomb Raider sequel. According to Variety, Paramount is intent on making Jan De Bont (Speed) the guy calling the shots behind the lens.
Tube News
And just when you thought all the bad reality shows were on Fox…. ABC has finally scheduled an airdate for The Mole II, a TV casualty of the Sept. 11 tragedy. The first two episodes, which previously aired Sept. 28, will be re-shown on Tuesday, May 28, to be followed on consecutive Tuesday nights by the next never-seen-before nine episodes. Why? We don’t know.
Music News
The Queen’s Golden Jubilee pop concert scheduled for next month has received a Latin infusion. Ricky Martin has been added to the all-star lineup that includes Elton John, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, Tom Jones and Ozzy Osbourne.
Posh Spice (Victoria) and her soccer captain hubby, David Beckham, threw a celebrity party to benefit Britain’s National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children on Sunday. Among the attendees were Elton John, Joan Collins, billionaire Richard Branson, designer Vivienne Westwood and tennis star Greg Rusedski.
