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Even though an official statement has still not come directly from the couple, the latest issue of People magazine reports Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are indeed engaged. According to sources, People reports Affleck apparently swept Lopez off her feet last month with a pink-diamond solitaire that he chose himself and had custom-made by famed jeweler Harry Winston. “She was very surprised–and she’s not used to being surprised,” People reported a friend said about Affleck‘s proposal. “Everybody’s in a love-fest mood.” The magazine says the couple wanted to keep the engagement secret until Lopez could announce it in her interview with Diane Sawyer on ABC’s Primetime Live Nov. 13. If true, the two would have to hold off on the wedding until the end of January 2003 when Lopez‘s divorce from dancer-choreographer Cris Judd becomes final. She was married to Judd for eight months before separating from him last June.
Celebs
Singer Bobby Brown was arrested Thursday in Atlanta, Ga., for possession of marijuana and speeding, as well as driving without a license or proof of insurance. The Associated Press reports Brown, husband to pop diva Whitney Houston, posted bond at the Atlanta jail but was also going to be taken to a nearby DeKalb County jail for another charge pending against him. The officer told AP he did not know what the other charge was.
Efforts to find the masked gunman who shot and killed Run-DMC member Jam Master Jay last Wednesday have been hampered by silence from the community where the rapper grew up, police and rap notables told AP. Moguls such as Russell Simmons, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs and Busta Rhymes pleaded with the public to give any information they know to the police as well as contribute to a fund for the slain disc jockey’s family. Surviving Run-DMC members Joe “Run” Simmons and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels have also announced they will no longer be performing as Run-DMC.
Movies
Get ready for more lizard action. Variety reports Universal Pictures will be making a fourth Jurassic Park installment, in which humans once again will battle for their lives against cloned dinosaurs. Roar.
Although it sounds like a sequel to the 1994 comedy Dumb & Dumber, the new comedy Smart and Smarter is far from it. The project from New Line, helmed by Welsh director Kevin Allen, focuses on two highly intelligent brothers who have been raised in think tanks most of their lives and are finally released into the real world. They find out they are indeed smart but have no common sense.
Tube
Survivor producer Mark Burnett will be taking a break from reality for awhile. Variety reports he is developing a sitcom for the WB network revolving around a father who brings his two teenage kids to Europe in an effort to get them to warm up to his fiancee. “The most important thing for me was to do a show that was very, very funny,” Burnett told Variety. “And this show would be funny even if we shot it on a soundstage in Los Angeles. I think we’ve put together a great production team.” Bon chance.
Fox’s 24 is getting good rating strokes this season. The show won its time slot among young adults Tuesday for the second straight week and is looking to be a much stronger contender this season than last one. CBS stayed in first place with total viewers (12.9 million).
Music
Eminem is burning up the charts this week. The soundtrack to his new film 8 Mile, featuring music from the bad boy rapper as well as Jay-Z, Nas and D-12, debuted at No. 1 selling an estimated 702,000 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Eminem‘s current album, The Eminem Show, has remained in the top 10 for over five months.
Who’s the Boss? TV star Tony Danza has released his first CD of standards called The House I Live In. “I’m just doing the music I like to do. It’s been a great trip and it has gotten lots of airplay,” Danza told AP.
