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Gwyneth Paltrow, who was in London for her West End stage debut in the play Proof from May through June, says she is surprised only two British men had the chutzpah to ask her out on a date. Paltrow told Now magazine, “I did get asked out a couple of times on my last trip to London, and I went out on both….I only go for the toffs,” she said. “Toff” is a Brit term for the upper crust. “British people don’t seem to ask each other out on dates,” she continued. “If someone asks you out, they’re really going out on a limb, whereas in America, it happens all the time.” According to Sky News, one of the “toffs” she went out with was British actor James Purefoy, who starred in A Knight’s Tale. The 29-year-old actress, who has had high-profile relationships with Ben Affleck and Brad Pitt, added that she wished there was less interest in her love life. “If there was one 30th birthday present I’d wish for myself, it’s that in the future I can be known for my acting and less for my private life.”
Celebs
Former Beverly Hills, 90210 star Jason Priestley had surgery Wednesday on his broken back and feet, The Associated Press reports. Priestley, who was seriously hurt Sunday when his race car hit a wall nearly head-on during a practice run for the Kentucky 100, is expected to make a full recovery. Besides fracturing his feet and spine, the 32-year-old actor also had a moderate concussion, a bruise around his left eye and cuts on his nose, left cheek and neck.
Tonight Show host Jay Leno will enter his 1928 Bugatti in this weekend’s 52nd annual Concours d’Elegance at Pebble Beach, Calif. According to the AP, the comedian spent two years getting the car–the only American-bodied Bugatti ever made–ready for competition. “Pebble Beach is like a Faberge egg,” he said. “It’s flash, it’s glittery, it’s over the top.”
Movies
The hot Spanish-language film Sex and Lucia, which is scheduled to open Friday in Seattle, is getting a chilly reception from the city’s newspapers. According to Reuters, two major newspapers–the Seattle Times and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer–will not accept ads for the film because of its racy content. Sex and Lucia, which took honors for best director and best screenplay at the June Seattle Film Festival, is unrated and contains several sexually explicit scenes.
Public radio’s weekly show This American Life, hosted by Ira Glass, has signed a two-year first-look deal with Warner Bros. Pictures, Variety reports. Each Life broadcast contains three or more stories based on real-life events and threaded by a common theme. The deal includes a Warners option for feature rights for Life stories.
Tube
Don’t count Michael J. Fox out yet. The former Spin City star may write and executive produce a pilot for ABC. The sitcom will revolve around a professional hockey player who gets to spend more time with his family after he is forced to retire, according to Variety. Fox left Spin City in 2000 after announcing he suffers from Parkinson’s disease.
In preparation for the second season of the “real-time” drama 24 starring Kiefer Sutherland, Fox cable channel FX will run a 24-hour marathon of the show’s first season, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The marathon will begin Sept. 1 at midnight and end at midnight Labor Day, Sept. 2. The drama is scheduled to return for its second season Oct. 29.
Music
David Williams, the 30-year-old lead singer of the rock band Drowning Pool, was found dead on the band’s tour bus Wednesday, police said. The band had come from Indianapolis the night before with the Ozzfest concert tour and was scheduled to play Thursday in suburban Washington. According to the AP, bandmates found Williams after they had gone into a hotel to check in. When Williams didn’t follow them in, they went back to the bus to check on him. An autopsy will be performed to determine the cause of death.
Talks between Courtney Love and Universal Music to settle a breach of contract case are progressing so well that court hearings scheduled for next week could be called off, sources close to the dispute told Reuters on Wednesday. Sources, however, declined to give Reuters any further details and warned that talks could still fall apart. The case dates back to December 1999 when Love decided to stop recording for Universal Music label Geffen Records. Geffen/Universal sued Love last year, seeking millions of dollars in damages for five undelivered albums. Love countersued the same year, claiming she was cheated out of substantial royalties. The next hearing is scheduled for Aug. 20.
