HOLLYWOOD - Top Story: Berry Separates From Husband
Actress Halle Berry announced Wednesday that she and her husband, singer Eric Benet, have decided to separate after three years of marriage, Reuters reports. "Eric and I have had marital problems for some time now and have tried to work things out together," Berry, 37, said in a statement issued by her publicist. "However, at this point, I feel we need time apart to reevaluate our union. We ask that you respect our privacy as we are going through this emotional time." The couple was married January 2001. Berry's previous marriage to Cleveland Indians outfielder David Justice ended in divorce in 1996.
Zellweger's Packing on the Pounds
Renee Zellweger is fattening up these days to reprise her role as the lovable and slightly overweight Bridget Jones in the sequel Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason--but not by eating doughnuts. "It's really just math. I've been eating lots of really fattening food. I read that I'd been eating doughnuts, but they're not really my thing," Zellweger told The Associated Press at the premiere of Down With Love in London Wednesday.
Italy's Oscar Candidate Chosen
Io non Ho Paura (I'm Not Scared) has been selected as the official Italian entry into the Academy Award's foreign language category, AP reports. Directed by Gabriele Salvatores, whose film Mediterraneo won the foreign language Oscar in 1992, Io non Ho Paura centers on the relationship between an abducted boy and the son of his kidnapper.
2 Fast, Scarface Do Big DVD Business
The DVD release of 2 Fast 2 Furious and the 20th anniversary edition of Brian De Palma's Scarface sold like hot cakes their first day in stores. According to The Hollywood Reporter, more than two million VHS and DVD versions of 2 Fast went home with consumers, while Scarface sold more than 800,000 combined units.
Napster's Back
But not exactly how you remembered it. The pioneering song-swap service that had to be shut down a few years ago over copyright infringement is launching its new services, where members must pay for the right to download music. With its catalog of more than 500,000 songs, Napster will be the only music Web site to offer consumers a choice between an a la carte download model or a premium subscription service, Reuters reports. Digital media company Roxio Inc., which bought Napster for $5 million last year, plans an Oct. 9 test launch for a new, legal version of the service called Napster 2.0, the site's spokesman Seth Oster told Reuters.
Role Call: Jason Alexander Teams With CBS, Ron Howard Breaks Da Vinci Code
Jason Alexander, fresh off the L.A. stage production of The Producers, has made a deal with CBS to star in a comedy pilot. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the untitled sitcom would be based on the life of Washington Post sports columnist Tony Kornheiser, who juggles his career as a plain-spoken writer and humorist with his family life as a father of teens…In movie news, Variety reports director Ron Howard and Sony Pictures have set their sights on adapting the best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code for the big screen. Written by Dan Brown, the novel follows certain clues embedded in paintings by Leonardo da Vinci that unlock secrets and gets to the core of Christianity. No talent has been attached as yet.