HOLLYWOOD - Top Story: Farrelly Brothers Try Small Screen
Filmmakers Peter and Bobby Farrelly, the sibling team behind the hit comedies There's Something About Mary and Shallow Hal, are developing a TV project for Fox. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series will revolve around a telemarketer with limited physical appeal and a dismal love life who hits the jackpot after a script he writes on the side becomes a popular TV series. Despite his success, he remains a Hollywood outsider who still can't score with women. Ricky Blitt, who wrote the pilot script with Peter Farrelly, describes the show as a "cross between CSI: Miami and Benson." The Farrellys will direct the pilot, and will executive produce with Blitt, who is expected to play the lead on the show. The Farrellys, who came up with the idea for Seinfeld's infamous "The Virgin" episode, plan to write three or four episodes a year and help punch up every script for the show.
Public Memorial for Gregory Peck
A public memorial service for Gregory Peck is set for Monday at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angeles, The Associated Press reports. Peck's longtime friend Brock Peters, who played Tom Robinson, the black man Atticus Finch defended in the 1962 drama To Kill a Mockingbird, agreed to deliver the eulogy, while Cardinal Roger Mahony will preside over the memorial. Peck died Thursday in Los Angeles at age 87.
Missing Oscar Statuette Found
FBI agents on a drug investigation in Miami found something they weren't looking for: one of three missing Oscar statuettes stolen three years ago from a loading dock in Los Angeles. The statuette was found in the Fort Lauderdale area in Broward County Thursday and has been verified by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences as one of 55 stolen after they were shipped from their Chicago manufacturer to Los Angeles, the AP reports. Fifty-two of the gold-plated statuettes were recovered next to a trash bin nine days after the theft, but until now, three had remained missing. No arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
Nolte Accused of Violating Probation
A judge in Malibu, Calif., told Nick Nolte, who was ordered not to drive under the influence after his Mercedes-Benz was seen swerving near his Malibu home last December, that he is checking into reports that the actor had violated his probation in a driving-under-the-influence case. The allegation that Nolte violated his parole stems from the TV program Celebrity Justice, which reported that an anonymous tipster saw Nolte intoxicated and buying alcohol from a San Francisco-area liquor store and then driving away. The 62-year-old actor told reporters on the way into the courtroom Friday that he has not been drinking.
Actor William Marshall Dies
Actor William Marshall, who appeared in several dozen films and popular TV series, including Star Trek and The Jeffersons, died Wednesday in a Los Angeles rest home at the age of 78. The actor also starred in the 1972 movie Blacula and its sequel, Scream Blacula Scream, modeling his character on the original Count Dracula, the tormented Eastern European royal in Bram Stoker's 19th-century novel. Marshall, who suffered in recent years from Alzheimer's disease, is survived by three sons and one daughter. A memorial service will be held this summer.
Punk'd Star Inks MTV Deal
Ryan Pinkston, the 15-year-old co-star of Ashton Kutcher's hit MTV series Punk'd, will topline a new series project for the channel, according to The Hollywood Reporter. No details about the deal have been released. On Punk'd, Pinkston, who stars in Dimension Film's upcoming 'tween pic Spy Kids 3, often poses as a red-carpet interviewer who asks celebrities offensive questions. Pinkston has also snagged a role as the son of the only white family on board the maiden flight of an urban airline in the MGM comedy Soul Plane.
David Bowie Launches World Tour
Singer David Bowie is launching his most extensive world tour in more than a decade, Clear Channel Entertainment announced today. According to Billboard.com, Bowie's seven-month long Reality tour, named after his forthcoming album, will begin Oct. 7 at the Forum in Copenhagen and hit Europe, the U.S., Australia and Japan before wrapping up in March 2004. On stage, Bowie will reportedly walk through a house, with each room representing a different era from his career, including his half-man half-beast persona from his 1974 hit Diamond Dogs. It will be Bowie's first major tour since the hugely successful Outside World tour of 1995. He is scheduled to play North America in December and January.
P. Diddy Relaunches Record Label
Sean "P. Diddy" Combs is relaunching his Bad Boy Records label with the soundtrack to the upcoming feature Bad Boys II, starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. Unlike many soundtracks, Bad Boys II, set for release July 15, consists entirely of previously unreleased songs and features artists Jay-Z, P. Diddy, Justin Timberlake, Nelly, Beyonce Knowles, Mary J. Blige, and Snoop Dogg, Billboard.com reports. Bad Boys Records had been affiliated with Arista Records, but the two companies parted ways last year. Combs brought the label to Universal earlier this year under a three-year deal in which Universal will market, distribute, and promote Bad Boy releases worldwide.