This Week, Dreams and Nightmares

This week, stars saw their dreams nurtured or dashed. And a few found themselves in the middle of nightmares.

Just days apart, the announcements of Grammy and Golden Globe nominees were a dream come true for some musicians, actors and directors, most notably singer Mary J. Blige with her record eight Grammy nominations, and director Clint Eastwood and actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who scored two Golden Globe nods each.

But it must have been a hard 5 a.m. wakeup for actor Matthew Perry, whose precarious "Studio 60" was snubbed by the Globes on all counts. Ironically, he had to announce the best-actor nomination of Alec Baldwin for "30 Rock," a show which, like "Studio 60," is based on "Saturday Night Live."

Twelve "Amazing Race" teams were dreaming of winning $1 million, but the prize went to male models Tyler Denk and James Branaman, who narrowly beat Rob and Kim by just minutes in Sunday's finale. Similar million-dollar dreams are dancing in the heads of four "Survivor: Cook Island" finalists as they move into Sunday's showdown and reunion finale.

2Family figured in the dreams of several stars. In a TV interview, actress Angelina Jolie said she and boyfriend Brad Pitt want more children, and will likely adopt their next child to try to balance their "mixed-race family." Meanwhile, 25-year-old party girl Paris Hilton has been telling interviewers that she would like to have a baby before she is 30.

Actress-singer Nicole Richie must feel like she's awoken from a recurring bad dream these days. The celebutante told police she had taken Vicodin and smoked marijuana when she was arrested at 1:45 a.m. on Monday for investigation of driving under the influence of alcohol. Authorities said she was driving against traffic in Glendale, Calif.

Authorities say she could face jail time because of previous arrests. In 2002, Richie was given three years' probation after she pled no contest to a DUI charge. Six month later, Richie was arrested for driving with a suspended license and heroin possession. She completed rehab for heroin addiction in 2003.

Hard—partying Miss USA Tara Conner got a wakeup call this week when pageant organizers said they were reviewing the reigning queen's "behavioral and personal issues." So far, she has not been stripped of her crown, as was rumored earlier in the week.

Yoko Ono might feel as if she had confronted a nightmarish bogeyman. Her chauffeur was arrested this week on charges that he tried to extort $2 million from her, saying he "had people on standby waiting to kill" her. Police said Koral Karsan had threatened to circulate embarrassing photos of John Lennon's widow and spoke of killing her and her son, Sean Lennon. Karsan's lawyer said Ono was trying to stop him from pursuing a sexual harassment case.

Funnyman Eddie Murphy admits he has nightmares about being found a fraud. In a TV interview, Murphy saidhe could relate to his "Dreamgirls" character with "the whole idea of him faking his way to the top."

3And "Dreamgirls" appears to be a movie studio's dream come true. Though it is not slated to open until Christmas Day, it has gotten a lot of critical acclaim and Oscar buzz. Thursday, it won a Golden Globe nomination for best picture – comedy or musical - and acting nominations for three of its stars, Murphy, Beyonce Knowles and Jennifer Hudson.

But the best building-a-dream-out-of-a-nightmare story may well be "We Are Marshall," the Matthew McConaughey movie set to open next week. Based on a true story, it chronicles efforts to rebuild the Marshall University football program after a plane crash killed the entire team and some of its fans.
By MARY JAYNE McKAY