Sorry for no posts, I'm hard at work on a new template for this old blog. Either I will get it done, and you will see a cool new site, or there will be a crap-load of posts tomorrow.

He's cute

Fresh from his Tony-nominated performance in Broadway's "The Pillowman," Billy CrudupBilly Crudup has been set for a lead role in "Mission: Impossible 3," which J.J. Abrams began directing in July for a May 2 release. Crudup will assume the role after completing a part in the Robert De NiroRobert De Niro-directed "The Good Shepherd" for Universal and Morgan Creek. De Niro courted him for that role after producing "Stage Beauty." Crudup also previously worked with "MI3" producers Tom CruiseTom Cruise and Paula WagnerPaula Wagner on the Robert TowneRobert Towne-directed "Without Limits," a C/W production in which he played track star Steve Prefontaine. "MI3" stars Cruise, Ving RhamesVing Rhames, Philip Seymour HoffmanPhilip Seymour Hoffman and Keri RussellKeri Russell. Crudup will next be seen starring alongside Julianne MooreJulianne Moore and Maggie GyllenhaalMaggie Gyllenhaal in "Trust the Man," which bows at the Toronto Film Festival. [Variety]

Demi and Bruce's kids are freaks

Groups angry with Mel's God complex

Groups Outraged by Mel Gibson's Crucifixion Parade Some of the most vehement critics of Mel Gibson's blockbuster film "The Passion of the Christ" are trying to rain on Mel Gibson's parade. As NewsMax.com reported August 6, Mel Gibson has been asked by Australia's Archbishop George Pell to recreate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in the streets of Sydney during Pope Benedict XVI's visit there in 2008 - should that city be selected to host World Youth Day. According to reports the crucifixion re-enactment - similar to scenes from Gibson's hugely successful film "The Passion of the Christ" - would begin with the Last Supper staged at Sydney's landmark Opera House at sunset, and would end with the crucifixion of Christ at St. Mary's Cathedral. Pell's invitation to Mel Gibson has apparently enraged disgruntled dissident Catholics and others who were not so happy that Gibson produced the blockbuster film "The Passion of the Christ." Many of these same critic are now staging a campaign against Gibson in Australia to stop him from creating a re-enactment of the crucifixion. Warning that his group would drop plans to hold their annual conference in Sydney in 2007 if Gibson's parade goes ahead, Professor John Pawlikowski, president of the International Council of Christians and Jews said the invitation to Gibson is a serious issue for Christian-Jewish relations. [NewsMax]

Mandy Moore has a crush on Hugh Grant

This post is subtitled, a reason to post a cute picture of her and Zach Braff Actress Mandy Moore confessed she has a crush on Hugh Grant since they worked together for "America Dreamz". Moore, 21, who will star with Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid, Chris Klein, Willem Dafoe and Marcia Gay Harden in the movie, declared she was fascinated by Grant, but worried she made no impression on him whatsoever. "I'm sure Hugh's probably back in London now going like: 'I worked with this girl, Mindy...' like I made no impression on him whatsoever!" Mandy told WENN. But I think all the women just were gushing around him saying: 'It's Hugh Grant!' The accent, he's charming, he's hilarious, he's so talented and yet so humble. Just such a regular guy. I was like: 'Oh my God, I hope all movie stars are like this!'", Mandy added. [Softpedia]

Charlize on Arrested Development?

LOS ANGELES, California (Hollywood Reporter) -- Oscar winner Charlize Theron is set to add some star power to Fox's "Arrested Development" when its third season debuts next month.

Theron has signed on to guest-star in five episodes of the critically acclaimed black comedy, playing a British woman who becomes the love interest of "Development" star Jason Bateman.

Theron will debut in the second "Development" episode of the season, after its September 19 premiere.

Theron earned a best actress Oscar last year for her portrayal of a serial killer in "Monster." She also is up for Emmy honors this year for her co-starring role in the HBO biopic "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers," in which she played actress Britt Ekland.

On the feature side, Theron recently wrapped production on "Aeon Flux," a live-action adaptation of the MTV animated series. In the fall, she will be seen opposite Frances McDormand and Sissy Spacek in Warner Bros. Pictures' drama "North Country."

Theron's other recent credits include 2003's "The Italian Job" and 2004's "Head in the Clouds." [CNN]

Weathermen just don't get any breaks

Click here to see a CNN weatherman lose it.

Nicole, skinny? No!

Friends and family are concerned for startlingly thin Nicole Richie, 23, wondering if she's the latest member of Hollywood's superthin set (whose members include Mary-Kate Olsen, 19, and Richie pal Lindsay Lohan, 20). "She looks like a skeleton," said one insider who saw Richie at the opening of Hollywood club LAX . "I was horrified at how skinny she is." "She's been thin for a while," says a source, "but now her chest is practically concave and her legs are thin pins!" At the center of the controversy over Richie's weight is the star's fiance, Adam Goldstein, a.k.a. DJ AM, who two years ago carried a whopping 324 pounds on his 5'9" frame before undergoing gastric bypass surgery reports Star Magazine. Goldstein is now down to a slim 169 pounds, but friends are worried that the pair, who became engaged last February after two years of dating, may be involved in an extreme game of dieting. "The two of them hardly eat, Nicole especially," says one regular on the L.A. club scene. "I don't think Adam is aware of how thin Nicole's gotten because he sees her all the time - he just says how sexy she looks. Nicole's now working out all the time and they have both totally cut out junk food." [The Bosh]

Lots of Lindsay pics, plus her dad can't have her money

A judge ruled on Friday that money earned by teen sensation Lindsay Lohan can't be split up as part of her parents' ongoing divorce because it was not a product of the marriage. The judge, State Supreme Court Justice Robert A. Ross, made the ruling in a Nassau court. The Long Island judge basically dismissed Michael Lohan as a schemer who cared little for his family. Newsday is reporting that the judges ruling said that Dina Lohan's salary for managing her daughter's career also isn't a marital asset to which Michael Lohan is entitled. The money is not the earnings of a professional manager but rather "a loving and doting mother, utilizing her instincts, trust and maternal obligations to carefully screen professionals to best serve her daughter," Ross wrote. Lindsay Lohan's financial success, in turn, has created a windfall for her mother and siblings, "filling the void created by [Michael Lohan's] lack of support" and has been a "resounding answer to the dysfunction that her father has brought to the household." Published reports note that Michael Lohan, the 45-year old father of Lindsay, sits in a Nassau County jail serving time for attempted assault and other charges. [National Ledger]

Laguna Beach woes the New York Times

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 29 - Last November, Lauren Conrad, 19, attended a celebrity-filled function thrown by Teen People magazine, a perk of being a central character on MTV's popular reality series "Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County." There, she encountered another perk: she spotted one of her favorite pop singers. "I was like, 'Oh, my God! Ashlee Simpson's here!' " recalled Ms. Conrad, who, last season, was the dejected party in a love triangle that also included a model-pretty surfer named Stephen and his swaggering younger girlfriend, Kristin. "I was freaking out, pretending like I didn't see her. Then Ashlee Simpson walked right up to me and was, like: 'L.C., love your show! I watch it every week with my friends!' " The third perk. Judging from the ratings, Ms. Simpson and her pals are not the only ones tuning in to MTV on Monday nights at 10. The series, a glossily photographed chronicle of a year in the lives of eight perfectly tanned teenagers at Laguna Beach High School, slowly continued to pick up speed until the first-season finale drew almost three million viewers. To lure back its audience after a seven-and-a-half-month hiatus, MTV employed some of its time-honored tactics: raining teen product - signature "Laguna Beach" key chains, flip-flops and back-to-school notebooks - upon its target 12-to-34-year-old demographic, while airing plenty of catch-up marathons before Season 2 began on July 25. Since then, the show and its fusion of unscripted entertainment and night-time soap opera has become an unqualified hit for the channel. Last season, the show averaged 2.2 million viewers; this year, the average is 3.1 million, according to Nielsen Media Research. But MTV did not build that kind of "Laguna Beach" love with just promos, reruns and logo-bearing tchotchkes. It began a campaign that gave its audience the feeling they were already living in a "Laguna Beach" all-media universe. For those who did not catch the three-minute "Laguna Beach" commercial playing in 2,200 movie theaters across the country, there was a compilation CD. The "Laguna Beach: Complete First Season" DVD included bonus features that ranged from behind-the-scenes material (original casting tapes, deleted scenes) to old film that had been enterprisingly repackaged (a clip reel titled "Laguna Looks" featured show regulars in close-up as their trademark expressions - hound-dog lust, raised-brow surprise, squinty-eyed jealousy - register on their camera-ready faces). [NYT]

Kirsten Dunst gets around

Hollywood hunk Orlando Bloom seems to be enjoying his Casanova image, as the handsome actor has been seen hanging out with some of the most glamorous women of tinseltown. Bloom was recently spotted dirty dancing and kissing with actress pal Kirsten Dunst, in Miami. The handsome actor has was also snapped cuddling old flame Sienna Miller at a polo event in Windsor last month, and later he was back in the arms of on/off girlfriend of two years Kate Bosworth in Australia. Last August the couple had a bust-up after Bloom spent all his time with Kirsten when the cameras stopped rolling. But while 22-year-old Kate remained in Australia this weekend where she's filming Superman Returns, Orlando hot-footed it to Miami. "It's no wonder Kate felt uncomfortable. Both girls are blonde, beautiful and the same age and Kirsten was taking up all Orlando's time," a source was quoted by the Mirror, as saying. "There's no way Kate will be impressed with his latest behaviour. It was bad enough when pictures of Orlando and Sienna were all over the place last month," he added. [Hindustan Times]

Britney denies yelling at teen

Pregnant pop star Britney Spears reportedly gave her sister's TV co-star a "sisterly talking to" and did not yell at her for being mean to Jamie Lynn. The New York Post had quoted a source saying Alex Nikolas, 13 -- co-star of Nickelodeon's "Zoey 101" with Jamie Lynn Spears -- was in tears after the elder Spears called her "an evil little girl" and told her to watch herself or she would "never work in this town again." But a spokeswoman for Spears said she was merely protecting her little sister amid reports of tensions on the set, the World Entertainment News Network said Tuesday. "Jamie Lynn and another girl on set were having problems, as 13-year-olds do," the spokeswoman said. "Britney did have words with the girl, but felt she was sticking up for her sister. She did not yell by any means, she just gave the girl a sisterly talking to and wondered why they just couldn't all get along." [Washington Times]

Jude, Jude, Jude

Why the scratches? Or are they hickeys? Sienna Miller has broken her silence over her split from fiancé Jude Law and claims she is coping by throwing herself into her work as an actress. The beautiful star confessed that appearing on stage every night in William Shakespeare's 'As You Like It' in London's West End is helping her deal with Jude's cheating. She said: "There's this lovely expression - Dr Theatre. It's great, it's what I love doing, I wouldn't want to do anything else." The blonde beauty also admitted she has relied on her fellow cast members to help her through the difficult split. Sources claim Sienna decided to dump Jude, who confessed to cheating on her with his children's nanny, after realising she could never trust him again. A friend revealed to Britain's Daily Mail newspaper: "They have tried to make a go of it but it comes down to the fact that Sienna can't trust Jude. "They have been spending a lot of time together over the last few days trying to get their relationship back on track, but all they do is row. And now they have decided they are better off apart." [Monsters and Critics]

Matt Damon has the right idea

Matt Damon has advised against celebrity romances, as his relationship with waitress Luciana Barroso has made him happier than ever before. The actor, who starred in The Bourne Supremacy, was also shocked by the media treatment of best friend Ben Affleck, following the star's split from Jennifer Lopez. "After watching what my poor friend Ben went through, I've seen that you can't let your life go to hell that way," Contactmusic.com quotes Damon as saying. "So for me, I've made things a lot easier for myself by not having a relationship with another celebrity. "I've gone out with actresses and over the years I just realised I had a choice to make. "It's worked out really well that way and I couldn't be happier." [Digital Spy]

Mariah smoked for the low notes

Mariah Carey claims she got her incredible singing range from smoking. The singer, who reportedly has a five-octave voice — some write-ups put it as high as seven —says that one of the reasons is because she smoked when she was younger. “It’s true. The two lowest octaves are probably there because of the smoking,” a champagne-sipping Carey told Swedish mag Groove, according to a translation. “But of course it’s not good to smoke. I always had a cold and constant throatache.” So she quit, she said. “One day I promised God that if he would give me my voice back I would never smoke again. I got three octaves back after quitting.” But Carey was drinking alcohol, pointed out the interviewer. “Doesn’t alcohol dry out your vocal cords?” she was asked. “Well, what dries the cords out isn’t the … do you sing? I have a feeling that you are a singer.” The interviewer said no. “Okay,” replied Carey. “Let’s stop the tape and rewind.” [The Scoop]

Joe Simpson set to take over the world, and Jess sits by the pool

JESSICA and ASHLEE SIMPSON's father JOE is set to move into the movie business, after striking a deal with superproducer JOEL SILVER. Joe Simpson has made his name managing his pop star daughters, and recently produced his own reality series FILTHY RICH: CATTLE DRIVE. And now he is honoured to be working on a number of film projects with Silver, who counts the MATRIX and LETHAL WEAPON franchises among his hits. Joe says, "We're going to do a movie called MAJOR MOVIE STAR with Warner Brothers. Also, Joel Silver and I are doing a movie together that I wrote. "We're working on getting that produced together at Warner Brothers." [Contact Music]