THE SAGA CONTINUES...
A new child-abuse claim is being dangled before Michael Jackson. According to reports, Los Angeles police are investigating a month-old allegation involving a person who claims to have been victimized by the former King of Pop in the late 1980s. The individual's age and sex were not disclosed. Jackson is currently charged with seven counts of child molestation and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent (read: Jesus Juice) to a minor in a separate case. He has pleaded not guilty to all counts. A pretrial hearing is scheduled for April 30. |
TRUE LIES
For months, Donald Trump has been calling The Apprentice the "No. 1 show on television." Well, it's no longer a lie. Last week, the hair-impaired mogul's NBC reality show ranked as the top-rated program among adults 18-49. American Idol finished a close second, but came out on top among total viewers. |
HEAD-TURNING DEVELOPMENT
Warner Bros. is redoing its upcoming Exorcist prequel with a new cast, a tweaked script and a new director in Renny Harlin, Variety reports. The initial prequel — directed by Paul Schrader and starring Gabriel Mann — apparently came up short on scares. Harlin's spookier flick will hit theaters on August 20, but in an unprecedented move, the studio may release both versions simultaneously on DVD. |
THE FORCE IS WITH HIM
Ewan McGregor is embarking on a round-the-world motorcycle trip with fellow actor Charley Boorman. The three-month pilgrimage, which will be the basis for a documentary, is slated to begin this week in London and conclude in New York City in July. The adventure-seeking pair will travel by road the entire time, except for a train trip under the English Channel, a short flight across the Bering Strait and a weeklong Carnival cruise from London to New York City. |
MUST-SEE TV?
Can The Passion of the Christ play on TV? The question — first posed in TV Guide magazine's March 27 issue — is the hot topic in Hollywood now that Mel Gibson has quietly begun shopping the violent epic to TV outlets, including the Big Four broadcast networks, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Complicating matters is the fact that Gibson is demanding that the film run in its entirety, meaning completely unedited, and be followed by 1990's Bird on a Wire. |
CUSHY VIEW
Don't shed any tears for exiting 20/20 co-host Barbara Walters. Miramax Books reportedly has agreed to pay the 72-year-old TV icon $6 million for her memoirs. |
LAST CHANCE AT LOVE
NBC has set a May 31 airdate for The One That Got Away, a one-episode reality show in which seven single women fight over South Carolina bachelor Skipper Kress. The twist? All the gals were once involved with him. |
PLUM PART
Emmy-winning thesp Christopher Plummer has been cast as Boston's controversial Cardinal Bernard Law in Our Fathers, Showtime's upcoming TV movie about the Catholic Church's sexual-abuse scandal. The telepic, which will begin production in June, is based on Newsweek writer David France's book. |
LEGENDARY HONOR
The Library of Congress will honor Dolly Parton with the Living Legend Award tonight in Washington, D.C. The ceremony will air in May on cable's Great American Country channel. Past recipients include Johnny Cash, Steven Spielberg and Bob Hope. |
SHORT CUTS
Embattled celeb chef Rocco DiSpirito, currently gearing up for Season 2 of NBC's The Restaurant, has signed a deal to host a daily syndicated cooking show for fall 2005... Guardian star Simon Baker has been cast opposite fellow Aussie Naomi Watts in DreamWorks' upcoming Ring sequel. |
