HOLLYWOOD - Top Story: Indie Couple Coppola, Jonze Split
Director couple Sofia Coppola and Spike Jonze have decided to divorce, according to MTV News.com. The couple wed four and a half years ago after meeting in 1992. Since then, Coppola, 32, and Jonze, 34, have become indie film whizkids, with the succsess of Jonze's cult flicks Being John Malkovich and Adaptation and Coppola's Lost in Translation and The Virgin Suicides. Rumors of trouble in the marriage surfaced, however, in recent months, especially after Coppola's semi-autobiographical Translation was released. The L.A. Weekly recently observed that in the film, the "workaholic, emotionally absent photographer" husband, played by Giovanni Ribisi, of Scarlett Johansson's young wife Charlotte "reminds one of Coppola's husband."
Dead Musicians Reap Grammy Nods
Warren Zevon, George Harrison, and the Cashes picked up multiple posthumous Grammy nominations Thursday. Zevon, who died in September from lung cancer, gathered four nods including song of the year, while Harrison picked up three--two years after he, too, died of lung cancer. Country couple Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, who died within months of each other earlier this year, landed four between them. Other deceased nominees included Rosemary Clooney, Celia Cruz, soul legend Sam Cooke and blues giant Muddy Waters.
Limbaugh Blames Politics for Drug Probe
In the drug investigation against him, Rush Limbaugh's attorney is accusing the prosecutor of having political motives in saying his client bought painkillers illegally, Reuters reports. In search warrants released Thursday, investigators alleged that Limbaugh engaged in illegal drug use and went "doctor shopping" for prescription painkillers. The controversial radio commentator has denied any wrongdoing. "What [the medical records] show is that Mr. Limbaugh suffered extreme pain and had legitimate reasons for taking pain medication," Limbaugh read on his radio show Thursday from his lawyer's statement. "Unfortunately, because of Mr. Limbaugh's prominence and well-known political opinions, he is being subjected to an invasion of privacy no citizen of this republic should endure."
Second Child Claimed Abuse in Old Jackson Case
Authorities investigating molestation allegations in 1993 against Michael Jackson spoke to a second child at that time who also claimed to have been molested, but no charges were ever filed, a retired sheriff told The Associated Press. Former Santa Barbara County Sheriff Jim Thomas said late Thursday the child was reluctant to testify and the case was abandoned. Apparently, the claims of molestation were not as severe as what was being alleged by the first boy, whose parent's settled a multimillion-dollar civil settlement with the pop superstar. The second child could have been used as a corroborating witness if the primary victim had testified in court, Thomas told AP.
Celebrate Christmas With Ozzy and the Gang
MTV will air The Osbourne Family Christmas Special Dec. 11 to give viewers a glimpse into the holiday season with America's favorite dysfunctional family, AP reports. Promising to take "holiday specials to a bizarre new level," the program was taped at the family home in Beverly Hills, Calif., and includes appearances by Jessica Simpson, newlyweds Dave Navarro and Carmen Electra, and the show-stopping reading of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas with Electra, matriarch Sharon Osbourne, OutKast's Big Boi, Eddie Griffin, Tracy Morgan, Anthony Anderson and Eva Mendes.
Wanda Yanked, Joe Millionaire Gets New Gig
Fox has pulled the plug on Wanda Sykes' Wanda at Large, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The series had a promising midseason start last March but fell in ratings this fall…Meanwhile, Joe Millionaire's first star Evan Marriott has a new gig as a game show host for the Game Show Network. The show Fake-a-Date will feature a contestant who will date two singles, one looking for love and the other who's hoping to win a luxury trip with his or her significant other, AP reports.
Role Call: Graham With Child, Thornton Turns on the Lights
Heather Graham has signed to do the independent feature Samantha's Child, also starring James Purefoy and Andy Serkis. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film follows Samantha (Graham), who is unable to get pregnant and goes to a fertility clinic, where she is unknowingly impregnated with the Devil's DNA. Serkis (voice of Gollum in Lord of the Rings) portrays a priest who tries to stop Samantha from having the Devil's child…Billy Bob Thornton is in negotiations to star in the football drama, Friday Night Lights. Based on the book by H.G. Bissinger, the film chronicles the 1988 football season of the Odessa, Texas, Permian High Panthers, capturing the struggles and hopes of a financially troubled town that pins its dreams on the team's Friday night games. Thornton will play the team's coach, the trade paper reports.