Top Story: Bennifer’s Wedding Set
Ben Affleck and his honey Jennifer Lopez are apparently still headed towards marital bliss. Us Weekly and New York Daily News reported Wednesday the couple have named the date Sept. 14 to get hitched. The Daily News reports the exact location is a secret, but it quoted an unidentified source familiar with the plans as saying the nuptials will take place on a hillside “maybe at a winery,” near Santa Barbara, Calif. The article also said to keep the plans closely under wraps, about 400 guests were invited by phone last week and were told details would be hand-delivered four days before the wedding.
Schwarzenegger “Egged” On
What’s a little egg tossing between friends? Arriving at a gubernatorial campaign rally at California State University, Long Beach, Wednesday, candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger was pelted with an egg that splattered on his tan jacket, Reuters reports. The actor seemed unconcerned, taking the jacket off and continuing to shake hands with the crowd. He quipped later to reporters, “This guy owes me bacon now.”
Vandals Deface Hogwarts Express
The steam train used to take Harry Potter and his friends to Hogwarts, the school of wizardry and witchcraft, in the hit Harry Potter films has been covered with graffiti by vandals, causing nearly $5,000 worth of damage, the London newspaper The Sun reports. “It’s just a shame Harry is not around at the moment to turn them into frogs,” one worker from the station yard told The Sun. When the train is not being used in the Potter movies, it carries tourists between the seaside resort of Scarborough and York, Reuters reports.
Welch Breaks Arm in Car Accident
Actress Raquel Welch broke her arm in a car collision, her publicist told The Associated Press Wednesday. Welch was driving alone Saturday in Century City, Calif., when the accident occurred. “She’s OK, she fractured her arm in several places and is in pain,” publicist Jill Bushinsky told AP. No one else was injured, Bushinsky added.
Raymond Reruns Beat Reality
Reruns of CBS’ Everybody Loves Raymond beat out debuts of reality shows Temptation Island on Fox and Race to the Altar on NBC in the Neilsen ratings for the week of Aug. 25-31, the AP reports. CBS won the week, averaging 8 million viewers followed by NBC ( 7 million); ABC (6.3 million); Fox (5.2 million); the WB (2.4 million) and UPN (2.2 million). The top 10 shows were: Everybody Loves Raymond, CBS; CSI: Crime Scene Investigation CBS; CSI: Miami, CBS; NFL Football: Indianapolis vs. Denver, ABC; Law & Order, NBC; The King of Queens, CBS; Without a Trace, CBS; Big Brother 4, CBS; 60 Minutes, CBS; For Love or Money 2, NBC.
Universal Music Slashes Prices
In order to battle the growing problem of music piracy and woo consumers, Universal Music Group has decided to cut the price of their wholesale CDs, pushing for a $12.98 retail cap, AP reports. The music recording giant hopes other retailers will follow suit and help increase industrywide music sales, which has dropped a debilitating 31 percent over the last three years. “Our new pricing model will enable U.S. retailers to offer music at a much more appealing price point in comparison to other entertainment products,” Jim Urie, president of Universal Music & Video Distribution told AP. “We are confident this pricing approach will drive music fans back into retail stores.” The price change will be put into effect Oct. 1.
Juanes Tops Latin Grammy Awards
Colombian singer Juanes won five Latin Grammys Wednesday night including album, record and song of the year for his album Un Dia Normal (A Normal Day). Other winners included Olga Tanon for best pop vocal album by a female and David Bisbal for best new artist. The ceremony was a mix of American and Latin American pop sounds with performances by Juanes, Marc Anthony, Gloria Estefan and Thalia along with rap group Black Eyed Peas and American Idol Kelly Clarkson.
Sundance Introduces New Film Series
Robert Redford and the Sundance Channel have announced the launch of a new Sundance film series, developed as another extension of the Sundance mission to support and expose the work of independent artists. Some upcoming titles include The Other Side of the Bed (Aug. 29), In This World (opening Sept. 19), Dopamine (opening Oct. 10) and Die Mommie Die! (opening Oct. 31).
Role Call: Pinkett Smith Cruises
Jada Pinkett Smith is in negotiations to join the cast of the new thriller Collateral starring Tom Cruise. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Cruise plays a contract killer who forces a taxicab driver (Jamie Foxx) to chauffeur him around on a series of hits. Pinkett Smith would star as the love interest of Foxx‘s character. Val Kilmer also recently signed onto the project, playing a detective on Cruise‘s heels.
