HOLLYWOOD - Top Story: Kutcher Loves Playing Dad
Ashton Kutcher, 25, loves being a surrogate father to three growing girls. The star of the TV hit That '70s Show told TV Guide he is really loving his life with girlfriend Demi Moore, 40, and her three girls with Bruce Willis: Rumer, 15; Scout, 12; and Tallulah Belle, 9. "Being a part of molding anyone's life is an incredible thing. It's an unbelievable addition to my life," Kutcher admits. "I feel like they've been shafted in the deal. I get four of them [including Moore], and all they get is me. They got the short end of the stick." And he doesn't make any apologies for the age difference between him and Moore. "She's everything to me," Kutcher says. "Funny, sweet, she's anything she wants to be." The TV Guide issues hits the stands Nov. 1.
Crowe Readies for Fatherhood
Russell Crowe is really looking forward to being a dad. "Like, whoa, this is gonna be fun," Crowe told Entertainment Tonight's Mary Hart on Saturday. Crowe, who along with his wife, Danielle Spencer, are expecting their first child in January, said he plans on taking the child with him when he goes on movie sets. "I mean that's the plan at this point in time. I think prior to him going to school I think the best thing to do is to make sure that he is wherever I am," Crowe said. "Once he goes to school things are really going to have to change at supposedly that point. 'Cause I don't think I'd like to do anything, you know, more than pick him up from the school gate every day."
Ross' Lawyer Wants Breath Tests Tossed Out
A lawyer representing Diana Ross is asking that a new judge hear his request to throw out breath test results as evidence in the pop diva's drunken driving trial, The Associated Press reports. Ross was stopped Dec. 30 outside a convenience store in Tucson, Ariz., on suspicion of drunk driving and claims she was intimidated and coerced into taking the breath tests. The singer faces three DUI-related charges but has pleaded innocent. One judge has already dismissed the motion filed by Ross' lawyer and will allow the results to be used during the trial, which is now scheduled for January.
Chanel No. 5's New Face is…
Nicole Kidman. The popular French luxury company announced Friday it has signed a deal with the Oscar-winning Australian actress to represent its top selling fragrance, AP reports. "Ms. Kidman was chosen because she represents a unique standard of elegance and embodies the spirit and modernity of Chanel," the company said in a statement. Baz Luhrmann, who directed the 36-year-old actress in the musical Moulin Rouge, is creating, directing and producing the ad campaign, which will be ready in the fall of 2004, AP reports.
The Hobbits Save the Trees
Dominic Monaghan, who stars as the Hobbit Merry Brandybuck in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, has banded together with his fellow castmates, including Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen and Orlando Bloom, to save trees. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Monaghan is creating a program that would give Rings fans and environmentally conscious consumers the chance to adopt a tree in a forest that Monaghan hopes will be in New Zealand, where all three films were shot. "It's a way for us to keep our bond together but at the same time do something useful for the planet," Monaghan told The Reporter.
The Shining Scene Voted Scariest Ever
In an online poll for Britain Channel 4, viewers voted the scene from Stanley Kubrick's The Shining in which actor Jack Nicholson axes his way through the bathroom door and announces "Here's Johnny," is the scariest big-screen moment ever, Reuters reports. "The 100 Greatest Scary Moments," which was broadcast over the weekend, had Linda Blair's rotating head and projectile vomiting in William Friedkin's 1973 The Exorcist come in second place, while the severed head popping out of the bottom of an abandoned boat in Steven Spielberg's 1975 shark thriller Jaws was third.
Two Indie Distributors Merge
Independent distributor Lions Gate Entertainment is expected to buy its competitor Artisan Entertainment for $160 million, as well as assume $60 million of debt, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Considered archrivals, the deal between the two ends months of speculation and includes box office bonuses for the Artisan shareholders should the domestic grosses for Artisan's upcoming releases--Havana Nights: Dirty Dancing 2, due out in February, and The Punisher, set to bow in April--make some decent coin. Lions Gate recently released Wonderland, starring Val Kilmer.
Surreal Gets Real…Again
Imagine watching Tammy Faye Messner, the former mascara-ringed wife of dethroned evangelist Jim Bakker, and porn legend Ron Jeremy duke it out over who's suppose to clean the kitchen. Well, you'll get the chance with the second installment of the reality television spoof Surreal Life, in which yesterday's celebrities bunk together and have their lives taped. According to AP, the other "house" mates will include rapper Vanilla Ice, ChiPs actor Erik Estrada, former Baywatch actress Traci Bingham and Real World: Las Vegas cast member Trishelle. They will also have a celebrity guest move in each week.
Presley Tops Highest-Earning Dead Celebrities
Forbes.com released its third annual list of top earning celebrities who happen to be deceased. The top five include Elvis Presley, who made $40 million followed by Peanuts creator Charles Schultz ($32 million); Lord of the Rings<