Top Story
Most of the independent movie theater owners in Quebec are refusing to book Star Wars: Episode II–Attack of the Clones, Variety reports, because distributor 20th Century Fox is making demands that the owners consider unreasonable. Fox wants 70 percent of box office receipts for the first three weeks, rather than the usual first week, and is insisting the film stay in each theater’s biggest hall for 12 weeks. Clones also comes out two weeks before the release of the French-language hit Asterix and Obelix: Mission Cleopatra, which would force theaters to relegate this high-profile sequel to smaller theaters. Clones will open Thursday on only 86 screens across the province, but on almost none of the 363 independent screens.
Celebs
Hollywood darling Gwyneth Paltrow has won strong praise for her performance at the British premiere of Proof Wednesday night, Sky News reports. Paltrow plays the daughter of a mad mathematical genius in her West End debut. Valentine Low of London’s Evening Standard described the Oscar winner’s performance as virtually flawless.
Actress Cynthia Nixon, who plays Miranda Hobbes on the HBO hit series Sex and the City, received a summons for allegedly blocking the sidewalk outside City Hall in New York on Tuesday while protesting budget cuts to schools, The Associated Press reports. Nixon and 11 other protestors were charged with disorderly conduct and will have to appear in court at a later date.
Worried about becoming the object of a media feeding frenzy, German model Claudia Schiffer and her boyfriend, film producer Matthew Vaughn, are keeping their wedding plans a secret. About the only thing known is that a Church of England official told Reuters that the couple had been granted a special license to marry in the eastern English county of Suffolk.
Arson has been ruled out as the cause of a fire that destroyed the summer home of Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton in Cape Cod, Mass., Launch.com reports. Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the blaze that gutted the house and a nearby barn that was near–but not part of–Hamilton’s property.
Tina Wesson, the winner of Survivor: The Australian Outback, is lending her support to the Arthritis Foundation in hopes of helping the organization raise up to $250,000 and awareness for rheumatoid arthritis–a disease she has herself. One dollar will be donated for each person who registers through the Survive and Succeed campaign Web site.
Casting Call
R&B singer Tyrese is in talks to star in the sequel to last summer’s hit The Fast and the Furious alongside Paul Walker.
Josh Hartnett has been cast in the action/adventure film Wish You Were Here, about four friends who try to smuggle a fortune out of Morocco, Variety reports. No director is attached to the project yet.
Sexy Beast star Ben Kingsley is in negotiations to star in Suspect Zero as an avenging former FBI agent dedicated to hunting down serial killers, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film, which will be directed by E. Alias Merhige, goes into production in New Mexico in August.
Tube News
Fox has decided to cancel the James Cameron sci-fi action series Dark Angel, Daily Variety reports. The network cited low ratings as the reason behind the cancellation. The show, which stars Jessica Alba, never transcended its cult status and ranked 125th among primetime series.
Fox dropped John Wayne Bobbitt from its scheduled Celebrity Boxing bout against Joey Buttafuoco after Bobbitt was arrested for allegedly assaulting his wife, the AP reports. Bobbitt, who came to fame when his ex-wife cut off his penis in 1993, was replaced by former World Wrestling Federation star Joanie “Chyna” Laurer for the match.
Music News
The Osbourne Family Album will be released on June 11 by Epic Records and will feature a track by youngest daughter Kelly, a cover of Madonna’s 1986 hit “Papa Don’t Preach.” The album will also feature Pat Boone’s version of Ozzy Osbourne‘s “Crazy Train” and John Lennon’s “Imagine,” Reuters reports.
Honored
This year’s Black Entertainment Television Awards will honor boxer Muhammad Ali and R&B group Earth, Wind & Fire on June 25. Ali will receive BET’s Humanitarian Award while Earth, Wind & Fire will get a Lifetime Achievement Award, the AP reports.
In Memoriam
Actor-turned-publicist Ray Stricklyn died Tuesday in Los Angeles after a battle with chronic emphysema, the AP reports. He was 73. Stricklyn, who represented stars like Bette Davis and Elizabeth Taylor, starred in several feature films, including The Catered Affair and Ten North Frederick.
