Celebrity Scoop

The way of the samurai isn't easy -- just ask Tom Cruise. Cruise said his role in "The Last Samurai" was a difficult departure from the characters he's portrayed in the past. In the film, Cruise plays an American hired in the late 1800s to help Japanese warriors in Western war tactics. "I trained for eight months prior to shooting the film," the 41-year-old actor told a news conference packed by some 700 reporters and cameramen Thursday. "I put on 20 pounds for the character but also for the muscle to carry the swords and wear the armor." Co-star Ken Watanabe, who has played numerous samurai roles for Japanese audiences, said Cruise was a quick learner. "I feel like we have been through a battle together," he said. Cruise spent nearly four months in the Taranaki province of New Zealand to film the $114 million movie. "This is very personal to me," Cruise said. "I strongly believe in the values of honor, loyalty and compassion." "The Last Samurai" opens Dec. 5.

Kelly Ripa says she's tired of the rumors that she and her "Live With Regis and Kelly" co-host Regis Philbin don't get along. "There are two men in my life I've never fought with. One is my husband, the other is my co-host," Ripa tells Lifetime magazine for its September issue. "Every day before we go on the air, we tell each other, 'I'm really glad I'm here.' It's our moment together," Ripa reveals. "I adore Regis. He's given me so much. My quality of life has improved drastically. He took me under his wing and made this an easy transition for me." They even have nicknames for each other: She calls Philbin "Big Daddy" and Philbin calls her "Pipa." The 32-year-old never wanted to compare herself to her predecessor, Kathie Lee Gifford, who sat next to Philbin on the morning talk show for 15 years. Ripa took over the job in February 2001. "I didn't want to fill her shoes," Ripa says. "I just wanted to bring my own pair." The former "All My Children" actress is married to her former co-star, Mark Consuelos, with whom she has three children.

Venus Williams plans to play tennis another 10 years, and wants her little sister to do the same. "I'm not going anywhere. I like what I do. I'm not retiring before 33," she said. "I've thought about that already. I'm not giving up my day job." Venus, 23, withdrew from the U.S. Open last week with a stomach muscle tear that has hampered her since May. Serena Williams, 21, pulled out on Aug. 1 because of surgery on her left knee. "I'm going to be a better player for sure when I come back," Serena told a group of reporters Wednesday. "My knee is going to be better than it's been ever in my career, which is really exciting, and ... I'm going to be mentally relaxed." Neither is sure when she'll play next; they mentioned the tour championships at Los Angeles in November as a possibility. Off-court pursuits keep the sisters busy. Both have designed clothes, and Venus has an interior decorating company. Serena's hoping the camera loves her. She's accumulating acting roles, including a movie called "Beauty Shop" and a part in the Showtime drama "Street Time" that she'll film next month in Toronto.

Picturing Wolverine from the "X-Men" movies as a Broadway song-and-dance man may seem like a stretch. But before he played a comic book hero, Hugh Jackman was known for his musical theater work. In his native Australia, Jackman performed in "Beauty and the Beast" and "Sunset Boulevard" as well as "Oklahoma!" in London. Starting in October, he'll get the chance to show off those talents again in "The Boy From Oz," the Broadway musical in which he stars as Peter Allen, the flamboyant showman best known for pop songs including "(When My Baby Smiles at Me) I Go to Rio." Allen died of AIDS in 1992. "Peter's whole essence was very joyous," Jackman, 34, told Vogue magazine for its September issue. "He was fearless, outrageous, and childlike, and he definitely lived life to the full." To prepare for the physically demanding role, Jackman has put himself through "quite a strict regimen." "I've been sort of training, doing some yoga, and trying to stretch and get into shape," he said. "I've completely gone off sugar and coffee -- and I love coffee -- because I figured there's so much adrenaline you use in the show."

A security guard protecting Sylvester Stallone roughed up an Italian journalist covering the Venice Film Festival Friday after the reporter tried to interview the muscular star. A representative of Stallone, who was in Venice to promote "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over," said the bodyguard had been unnecessarily rough and added that the actor had apologized to journalist Tonino Pinto of RAI state television. Pinto, meanwhile, complained angrily about the matter. "While I was trying to have a few words with the actor along with my colleagues, there was a bodyguard who was pushing at me with a finger in my ribs. At the end of the interview, I asked for an explanation from the man and he responded by beating me up," the ANSA news agency reported Pinto as saying. The journalist went to the hospital, where he was treated for bruises.

Like many tourists in London, magician David Blaine took a spin on the London Eye Ferris Wheel -- but he rode on the outside of the wheel's glass pods. On Thursday, Blaine, 30, stood atop one of the enclosed pods as it reached the top of its cycle, 450 feet above central London. His foot was strapped to the pod for the ride, filmed for use in a television special to be broadcast next month. A street magician and performance artist, Blaine specializes in feats of endurance. In the past, he has spent 35 hours standing on top of a 100-foot pole and three days encased in ice. On Sept. 5, he will enter a plastic box suspended from a crane 40 feet above the River Thames in London. He plans to remain there, consuming only water, for 44 days. Blaine has said the stunt will give him the chance to search for his "truths."