HOLLYWOOD - Top Story
Trendy nightspots frequented by Britney Spears and Sean "P. Diddy" Combs in Manhattan are joining forces to ban fur clothing. Combs, in particular, has recently shed a fur garment at the request of the owner of the Spa nightclub, Reuters reports.
In General
Celebrity columnist Liz Smith is already predicting that Judi Dench will win a Best Actress Oscar for her role in the film Iris, as quoted in Sunday's Daily Telegraph. Nominations for 2002's Academy Awards have not yet been announced.Britain's Hello! magazine has named Pearl Harbor star Kate Beckinsale as the "Most Beautiful Woman" of 2001. Beckinsale triumphed over such beauties as Kristin Scott Thomas, Kate Moss and model Yasmine le Bon.Memento earned the The Las Vegas Film Critics society's best picture award over the weekend and star Guy Pearce won for best actor. Other winners were Peter Jackson for best director (The Lord of the Rings) and Tilda Swinton for best actress (The Deep End).Not bad for hired help: According to the BBC, Frasier actress Jane Leeves has signed a deal that will pay her $455,000 per episode for the next three years.On Saturday and Monday, rock band Guns N' Roses performed to sold-out crowds in Las Vegas. Singer Axl Rose was the only original member of the band on stage for both shows.CBS and FOX have officially tied for the second-place position (behind NBC) in the fall 2001 ratings among the key 18-49 demographic. Poor ABC can't even claim a hint of respectability.Tuesday's Tournament of Roses Parade had a decidedly red, white and blue appeal, as patriotic floats--including one depicting the Statue of Liberty--dominated the event. Warplanes recently in action in Afghanistan flew overhead.Former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson attacked several journalists outside of the Havana hotel where he was staying on Tuesday, according to Reuters. Tyson reportedly threw three crystal balls at the journalists and punched one of them in the head. Actress Eileen Heckart, who won an Oscar for her role in 1969's Butterflies Are Free, died from cancer at the age of 82.Miriam Cassyd, who along with husband Syd, launched the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences died at her home recently from complications with Alzheimer's Disease. ATAS oversees the annual Emmy Awards.After dropping San Francisco network affiliate KRON on Tuesday, NBC will no longer reach over 100,000 viewers who once enjoyed its programs in the Bay Area. So much for "must see TV."