Movies

THE LUIGI MANGIONE STORY IS NOT OVER

Well THAT was fast! No sooner was Luigi Mangione arrested for allegedly murdering United Health CEO Brian Thompson on December 9, than half of Hollywood is clamoring for the rights to his story! According to my source, Brad Pitt and his Plan B production company are already trying to secure the rights, but they’re up against many OTHER celebrities who produce – including Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Reynolds. Regardless of WHO secures the rights, you can expect a movie in 2025.

HERE’S WHAT WE KNOW

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry made headlines when a NY tabloid speculated on the state of their marriage since they haven’t been accompanying each other while on various trips. Here’s what we know. Aside from typical marital issues there’s no trouble in paradise. As Meg and Harry settle into their marriage they’re at that stage where they’re comfortable spending time apart, especially when it involves business trips and ventures. My well placed source says all is fine and that the couple is actually trying to expand their family.

Paris Hilton made the news when she shared an iconic paparazzi photo from 18 years ago of her, Britney Spears, and Lindsay Lohan, leaving the Beverly Hills Hotel. It was iconic because at the time Paris was the world’s biggest reality star (and one of the first) Britney the biggest popstar, and Lindsay the biggest movie star of her generation. Don’t think for a second that this was some random social media post – conniving Paris has a plan. She’s eager to reclaim the level of fame she enjoyed 2 decades ago and is negotiating to team up with Britney and Lindsay for a movie about -what else- 3 former teen stars who reunite 20 years later. Paris has a team working on the rom-com script and my source says Netflix is interested.

Oliver Hudson was a topic of conversation this week after revealing Kurt Russell offered to adopt him and his sister Kate (Kurt is the longtime companion of their mom Goldie Hawn). What he didn’t reveal, though, was after all these years, Goldie and Kurt might actually be MARRIED. The former couple applied for a PRIVATE marriage license (available in California for an additional fee -this means there’s no public record of the marriage and it’s all kept private- they’re extremely popular with celebrities and the upper class for privacy reasons). My source says that Goldie has dropped a few hints but has yet to confirm if she and Kurt went through with it or just applied for the license.

Reality fans will either rejoice or be sad that Bravo announced the entire cast of Vanderpump Rules was getting replaced except for Lisa Vanderpump. Loyal readers will remember we reported some rumblings about this months ago. Here’s what we know. The show is eventually being retooled to have all of the action take place in Las Vegas where Lisa is spearheading some new ventures. The new season will start at her restaurant Sur in West Hollywood with a new cast, but quickly spread to Sin City, where Andy Cohen and the folks at Bravo are eventually planning to expand their Real Housewives franchise with Lisa starring in at least the first season.

Sean Diddy Combs made the news when he was denied bail for the third time, but don’t think for a moment the disgraced rapper is giving up. We just heard that Diddy is planning to either REPLACE his entire legal team or at the very least beef it up with some new players. Get this… he’s hoping to poach some of Donald Trump’s former criminal attorneys! My source says Sean can’t believe he’s still locked up and denied bail, so he’s willing to spend WHATEVER it takes on the best legal eagles to get him sprung from the pokey on bail until his upcoming May 2025 trial.

And finally, Vice President Kamala Harris made the news for taking some time off and visiting Hawaii for Thanksgiving (a well deserved vacation in our opinion). Here’s the latest on Kamala. Once she’s done with Washington, DC her FIRST interview will be with her buddy Oprah Winfrey where she will discuss her thoughts on her last minute presidential campaign. Her next professional step will be hosting a podcast as she decides whether to continue to pursue a career in politics or focus on the private sector.

Happy Thanksgiving readers! We are thankful for the opportunity to bring you the best Hollywood gossip. We will continue to dish it out if you continue to keep gobbling it up….and remember to SHARE!

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA

HERE’S WHAT WE KNOW

Cher’s autobiography dominated the news this week as she’s been on an ambitious press tour to promote the tell-all, blandly titled Cher: The Memoir. Here’s what we know. Cher is secretly negotiating to turn her story into a MOVIE which SHE will produce and cast! And here’s the surprise: Cher has already reached out to Kim Kardashian (a fellow Armenian) to portray HER! It’s still in the very early planning stages, but we can reveal that interest is strong. Personally, we cannot IMAGINE Kim playing Cher, but stranger things have happened…

One of the biggest stories recently was that Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi were selling their Montecito, California estate and relocating to the English countryside because Trump won the election. Here’s what we know. The move was planned way BEFORE the votes were cast and tallied as Ellen decided she needed to take an extended break from Hollywood ever since getting canceled for being not so kind. This is the same strategy Ellen used decades ago when she came out as a lesbian and her career opportunities dried up – only that time she didn’t have the financial means to pack up and move overseas. Regardless of who wins the next presidential election, you can expect the gals to move back to the states after this 4 year or so hiatus and then Ellen will try to jumpstart her career.

Speaking of their Montecito estate, none other than Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are interested in buying it. The sprawling property is expected to fetch close to $100 million which is a tad too much for the working Royal and Meg. We are hearing that Harry is looking for creative ways to come up with the cash, possibly having the sale financed by Ellen herself. This is a strong possibility since Ellen is their friend. In another possible scenario, Harry and Meghan might rent the property for the next 4 years, and then Ellen and Portia can move back in when they return to the states.

Reality star Kendra Wilkinson made the news for claiming she’s been on a waiting list for 4 years to join the dating and networking app Raya. Here’s what we just heard. Kendra isn’t waiting around to meet guys as she recently engaged the services of a proven matchmaker who connects beautiful women with successful men. Kendra has already met a few potential suitors but so far hasn’t made a love connection, but she’s focused on finding a partner in 2025.

Ariana Grande continued to make news as her worldwide promotional campaign for Wicked is wrapping up since the much anticipated movie debuts this week. Here’s what we know. Ariana and her costar/boyfriend Ethan Slater are secretly ENGAGED, but the studio begged her to keep the big news hush hush until after the movie has been in theaters for a few weeks. The studio didn’t want the engagement to dominate the headlines and urged her to stay mum. Assuming the romance sticks (we all know Ariana can be fickle when it comes to matters of the heart) expect an engagement announcement between Christmas and Valentine’s Day.

Megan Fox’s pregnancy was still in the news (we had the scoop) and we just heard she’s been ordered on mostly bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy. As we previously reported Megan hasn’t had the easiest time with this pregnancy so she’s listening to her doctor’s instructions and taking it as easy as possible until she gives birth. We also hear she’s passing the time decorating a no expense spared very girly nursery for the little one including a custom made Chrome Hearts crib which costs $100,000!

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA Cher promoting her book

CAN LEONARDO DICAPRIO RESIST AN OFFER FROM AMAZON?

Sometimes a European vacation is just that, and other times it’s the backdrop for a major movie deal. There’s a REASON Leonardo DiCaprio has been sailing around Italy on Jeff Besos’ yacht. The Amazon chief is attempting to coax Leo into producing and starring in a movie for his streaming branch. According to my source, being one of the wealthiest men in the world isn’t enough for Jeff, he also wants to be seen as a Hollywood power player (perhaps because his fiancé, Lauren Sanchez’s ex-husband is just that). Jeff has been working on Leo to jump ship to Amazon and start producing, directing, and starring in movies they can stream. It’s not a done deal yet, but if there’s enough money in the offer, expect Leo to become a bigwig at Amazon.

BARBIE AND TAYLOR SWIFT ARE BREAKING RECORDS RIGHT AND LEFT

The summer of 2023 has revealed the power of women. Females are dominating the movie world AND the music world. Greta Gerwig’s Barbie had the biggest opening weekend of all time for a film that was not a sequal. The third weekend is expected to bring in a worldwide total of a billion dollars! At the same time, Taylor Swift concerts and albums are smashing records. She’s the first living artist in 60 years to chart 4 albums in the top 10 at once on the Billboard chart. In ONE day she sold over two million tour tickets and held the top 10 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for her Midnights album. Keep in mind, Beyonce’s tour is also raking in the bucks. It’s high time the power of women both as performers and consumers is recognized…

Barbie PhotoCredit: Warner Bros

Taylor Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA

 

 

TO GUY RITCHIE, IT’S STILL A MAN’S WORLD

It’s been awhile since we’ve seen an all-male movie made BY men FOR men, but Guy Ritchie is still promoting machismo. Of course, we were initially intrigued by The Gentlemen because of the attractive male cast and Ritchie’s amusing fast way of cutting his scenes- no wasted time. Too bad the men all had scraggly facial hair and Hugh Grant even managed to look like a worn-out Al Pacino. The plot is all about incredibly egotistical and greedy men attempting to outsmart each other. It’s funny, but reeks of testosterone. The actors have such thick cockney accents that it’s difficult to understand anything except the startling abundance of profanity. (More than we’ve ever heard in any film) Stomach churning violence abounds and when Michelle Dockery’s little used character appears, she acts just like a man. So maybe this film is your cup of tea, or maybe not…

“LIKE A BOSS” WRITERS KNOW NOTHING ABOUT WOMEN

The new comedy Like a Boss starts out with an arresting premise: female college buddies start a creative cosmetic business that prospers. Tiffany Haddish and Rose Byrne are the owners and Jennifer Coolidge and Billy Porter are employees –sounds like FUN, right? Hopes for fun are dashed by the dreadful script. Women would LOVE to identify and root for these characters and the stellar actors try their BEST, but the brainless script is downright embarrassing. The plot meanders, the dialog is raunchy and trite, and will somebody please tell these male writers that when female friends get together they don’t talk about vaginas all night! Salma Hayek REALLY overacts- even the music is lame. We pity the cast that has to go around promoting this well-intentioned but awful, movie.

Photo: Paramount

BRAD PITT HAS REDEEMED HIMSELF!

Brad Pitt looks truly grateful and happy at the premier of his new astronaut film Ad Astra at the Venice Film Festival, where he’s the toast of the town. Brad got great reviews for the film and his role in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood already has Oscar buzz. After a few years of being humiliated by his nasty divorce, he has quietly worked his way back into the hearts of Hollywood. Meanwhile his ex Angelina Jolie continues to be photographed EVERYWHERE with her kids – from Petco to South Korea where she dropped off Maddox at school.

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA

BLINDED BY THE LIGHT: A SWEET TRIP BACK TO THE 80’S

If YOU loved Bohemian Rhapsody, you will most likely also love Blinded by the Light. It’s a relatively small budget film but the vision of being in high school in a London suburb in the 80’s is intoxicating. The fashion (everything from Bananarama oversize jackets to skinheads) the hairstyles (from big and frizzy to Flock of Seagulls wings) – THIS is a beautifully imagined lower middle class teen “musical/drama” of the period. It’s based on a true story and addresses the cultural and political issues of the day, while maintaining a joyous musical story. You will walk out of this movie HAPPY – don’t miss it!

AUSTIN BUTLER: BUT CAN HE SNEER LIKE ELVIS?

We were disappointed that Aaron Taylor-Johnson didn’t land the Elvis role in Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming film, but we realized that Aaron MIGHT not be much of a singer, so Austin Butler could be the logical choice. Austin, 27, DOES have the right hair for the role (did you know Elvis was born a blonde?) Hard to believe, but Austin and Vanessa Hudgens have been together since 2011. Come to think of it, she would be a really cute Priscilla Presley. No doubt Austin is busy practicing how to curl his lip like Elvis.

Above, Austin Butler and Vanessa Hudgens talk to a fan from their limo window

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA