Celebrity Scoop
Halle Berry is very comfortable as Jinx, the CIA agent who plays opposite Pierce Brosnan in "Die Another Day," the new James Bond film set to open later this month. So comfortable, MGM is considering a spinoff movie centered on Jinx, with the Oscar-winning actress in the lead role. Variety says she's interested and the writers of "Die Another Day" have been asked to write a script. Will it include Jinx boys? Stay tuned for developments.
The world's oldest teenager is lending a hand to former teen idol Donny Osmond, as the entertainer begins his new gig as host of the Pyramid game show. Dick Clark was in the contestant's seat this time around, along with Betty White and Coolio. Clark, 72, used to be emcee of the show himself, in a version which ran from 1973 through 1979. "The answers come very easily when you're not in the hot seat. When you're in the other spot, the pressure's on," says Clark, who wasn't the only one who felt it. "It was a little nerve-racking, to be honest with you," Osmond said. "To have the godfather of `Pyramid' watching you puts it all in perspective as to what an honor it is to host this show."
Bill Maher is also proving resilient, despite the firestorm last year over a comment he made about the Sept. 11 hijackers that ultimately led to the cancellation of his long-running "Politically Incorrect" talk show. The Washington Post quotes sources as saying HBO has signed Maher to do a weekly talk show that would hit the airwaves next spring. We'll see. In the meantime, he's doing standup and promoting his new book, "When You Ride Alone, You Ride with bin Laden."
If Maher does get back on TV, we won't be surprised if he books Gennifer Flowers as a guest on his show. A federal appeals court has reinstated Flowers' defamation and conspiracy suit against Hillary Clinton and former White House aides George Stephanopoulos and James Carville. Flowers says they defamed her by claiming she doctored audio tapes she contends are conversations with Bill Clinton. In 1992, when then-presidential candidate Clinton denied having had an affair with Flowers, she played the tapes publicly. Carville and Stephanopoulos said on television Flowers had doctored the recordings. But Flowers says the two knew or should have known that was false. She says they conspired with Mrs. Clinton to spread the story. The case now returns to federal court in Nevada.
The cameras were rolling Tuesday as a lawyer for the children of Robert Blake's slain wife posed questions to an empty chair when Blake did not appear for a deposition that his lawyers said they had already canceled. Eric Dubin, who represents Bonny Lee Bakley's four adult children in a wrongful death lawsuit against Blake, said he did not receive timely notice from Blake's lawyers that the actor would not appear. The stunt was met with disgust by Blake's civil suit attorney, Barry Felsen. "The guy went out there and pretended to be surprised," said Felsen. "He already knew we weren't going to do it. He wanted the attention and this was cheaper than setting up a Web site." Blake continues to be held without bail as he awaits his criminal trial on charges of killing Bakley in May 2001.
Dixie Chick Emily Robison and her husband, singer-songwriter Charlie Robison, are singing lullabies. Their baby, Charles Augustus, was born in San Antonio on Monday. It's safe to assume he's already used to the sound of his mother's voice, not to mention her tunes on the guitar and banjo.
Margaret "Peg" Phillips, a retired accountant who took acting classes at age 65 and won fame as the tart-tongued shopkeeper Ruth-Anne Miller in the television series "Northern Exposure," has died of lung cancer at the age of 84. Phillips' other credits include a string of movies, TV commercials and guest appearances on "Touched By an Angel," "ER," and "7th Heaven." But fans will always remember her for her unique style. Nominated for a best supporting actress Emmy in 1993, Phillips showed up at the awards ceremony wearing blue jeans, a red and white checked blouse, blue suspenders and brown sandals. Asked the inevitable question as to who designed her outfit, she replied: "Me."