V.I.P. News

Beach-and-babes TV series “Baywatch” is finally headed to DVD.

A late-summer best-of set, with episodes chosen by star Pamela Anderson, will be the initial release, followed by complete series sets.

“Baywatch,” which aired from 1989-2001, is again making headlines, with a big-budget movie in the works from director Eli Roth (“Hostel,” “Cabin Fever”).

The series gained fame for its look at the Southern California beach lifestyle as seen through the eyes of a team of sexy lifeguards.

technorati tags: Baywatch, best of, dvd, beach, babes, Pamela Anderson

Tom Cruise is threatening to sue acclaimed biographer Andrew Morton after discovering he has hired a gay porn star to shed light on his private life.Morton, who famously collaborated with Diana, Princess of Wales to pen an account of her life, has hired Los Angeles private investigator and former gay adult actor Paul Baressi to probe on-going speculation the Top Gun hunk is gay.

Baressi has reportedly already given Morton letters from Cruise’s attorney insinuating the star enjoyed a homosexual liaison while shooting Eyes Wide Shut in the UK.

Cruise’s lawyer Bert Fields is quick to rubbish the story: “I wrote a letter to Mr. Morton back in November and said he obviously was entitled to write the book but ‘make sure you check your facts’.

“If he tries to use my letter to create the impression that Mr. Cruise did have a gay affair, we will certainly sue… because the story is false. Mr. Cruise is not gay.”

technorati tags: Tom Cruise, Gay, Homosexuality, Andrew Morton, gay porn star

Dave says he left his show because he was ‘incredibly stressed out.’

Months after he walked off the set of his show last year — bringing production to a crashing halt amid rumors of drug problems, writer’s block and spiritual crisis — Dave Chappelle has finally given an in-depth interview about what happened.

On Friday (February 3), he appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and said he still wants to do his show. “I don’t want the money, I don’t want the drama. I just want to do my show again.”

But before that can happen, he said, he has a few conditions, like creating a “proper working environment” and finding a way to “unload the money” in a more socially responsible way, so that it goes to people who have supported him instead of those who he feels exploited him. “If I give the money back to people who suffered in Katrina,” he started, before Oprah interrupted him to remind him that he was on national television and shouldn’t promise to give away the money if he didn’t mean it. “I didn’t say I was going to — I’m just saying I want to,” he said. (more…)

Anthony Anderson has inked a talent holding deal with Fox Broadcasting Co.

As the pilot casting season is picking up speed, the network also has lined up Jay Baruchel, Ben Feldman and Kristin Lehman with talent deals.

All four are expected to star in Fox pilots targeted for fall.

“These are actors that I think have a Fox kind of feel,” Fox executive vp casting Marcia Shulman said. “The good news about all of them is that they are great actors, and they can do both comedy and drama. Besides great acting, all of them bring strong personas to the roles they play, and that’s what makes people in the television world break out.”

The deal with Anderson comes on the heels of the actor’s strong performance as gang lord Antwon Mitchell on FX’s “The Shield” last season and of his Image Award-nominated turn in the feature “Hustle & Flow.”

He next appears in Martin Scorsese’s “The Departed.”

Baruchel, who got his big break as the star of Fox’s critically acclaimed series “Undeclared,” got on Shulman’s shortlist of actors to pursue after she saw him in the indie “Fetching Cody” at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

On the feature side, Baruchel is in line to co-star in the comedic drama “Fanboys” (HR 2/1). He most recently starred in the WB Network drama “Just Legal.”

Feldman also most recently starred in the WB series “Living With Fran.”

Lehman played one of the leads in Fox’s drama “Killer Instinct” earlier this season. She also had a role on CBS’ “Judging Amy.”
(more…)

Kristen Bell, Jay Baruchel, Chris Marquette and Sam Huntington are in final negotiations to play ‘Star Wars’ geeks in ‘Fanboys,’ a comedic drama that Kevin Spacey`s Trigger Street is producing for the Weinstein Co. Kyle Newman is making his directorial debut on the feature.

The movie, written by Adam F. Goldberg and Ernest Cline, follows four ‘Star Wars’ fanboys – geek parlance for extreme fans – from the Midwest who drive across the country to honor the wish of their dying friend: to see the unreleased ‘Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace’ in its most optimal setting, George Lucas` Skywalker Ranch.

Dan Fogler already has been cast as one of the geeks, a hot-headed pizza boy.

Shooting is scheduled to begin Feb. 22 in New Mexico.

Bell already is familiar with the fanboy world as she stars in UPN`s cult hit “Veronica Mars.“ She also is starring in ‘Pulse,’ an upcoming horror title from the Weinstein Co.

Baruchel starred in WB Network`s ‘Just Legal’ as well as the critically acclaimed ‘Undeclared.’ He had memorable turns in the features ‘Million Dollar Baby’ and ‘Almost Famous.’

Marquette recently stole scenes in ‘Just Friends’ and will next be seen in ‘Alpha Dog.’

Huntington plays Jimmy Olsen in Bryan Singer`s ‘Superman Returns.’