Streisand to star in 'Gypsy'?Everything's coming up roses for Barbra Streisand. The superstar is gearing up to take on the mother of all roles by playing Mama Rose in a movie remake of the musical "Gypsy." The New York Times reports that the "Little Fockers" star has met with "Gypsy" lyricist Stephen Sondheim and book writer Arthur Laurents and has expressed interest in the part. Streisand has wanted to do the movie for years, says Laurents, “but now things are serious and a movie is truly in the works.” "Gypsy," which hit the stage in 1959, tells the story of stage mother Rose Hovick and her two daughters, who begin life as mini vaudeville stars and grow up to become stripper Gypsy Rose Lee and actress June Havoc. Among the actresses who have played Mama Rose on stage and screen: Ethel Merman, Rosalind Russell, Tyne Daly, Bette Midler, Bernadette Peters, and Patti Lupone. Now, it looks like it's Streisand's turn. Though some might consider the 69-year-old singing legend too old to play the mother of two young girls, Laurents disagrees. “First of all, they can do magic in Hollywood," he says. "Second, does it really matter?” Laurents is also hoping that Tom Hanks will join Streisand as Rose's love interest Herbie. "Barbra loved the idea," he says. NBC to take on 'Mad Men' with 'Playboy'"Mad Men" may soon have some period drama competition. NBC is planning its own series about the swinging '60s - and the goings-on should be even steamier than anything seen at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. "Playboy" is set in the world of the New York City Playboy Club in the 1960s, reports Deadline.com. The series will follow the lives of the club's Bunnies while also exploring the political and moral changes of the era. Newly engaged Hugh Hefner opened the first Playboy club in Chicago in 1960, eventually expanding the franchise internationally. Guests at the cocktail bars could watch top acts like Ray Charles, George Carlin and Ann-Margret perform while being served drinks by waitresses in rabbit-eared "bunny" costumes. "Playboy" is currently in development and the show's cast and air date have not yet been announced. James Franco: 'Maybe I'm gay'He's played gay men in the movies "Milk," "Howl" and the upcoming "The Broken Tower," so it's not unexpected that there is constant speculation about James Franco's sexuality. “It’s funny because the way that kind of stuff is talked about on blogs is so black-and-white,” Franco, who is dating actress Ahna O'Reilly, tells Entertainment Weekly. “It’s all cut-and-dry identity politics. ‘Is he straight or is he gay?’ Or, ‘This is your third gay movie — come out already!’ And all based on, gay or straight, based on the idea that your object of affection decides your sexuality.” Kardashians not crazy about 'SNL' spoofNot everyone is laughing at those "Saturday Night Live" spoofs of the Kardashian sisters — especially not the "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" stars themselves. "I thought they could have done better," Kim, 30, says of the skits, which portray the trio as whiny, giggling airheads. Adds Kourtney, 31, "They didn't capture us. I feel like they haven't seen our show. I think they played what they think they should have played of us." Speaking of shows, 26-year-old Khloe confirmed to CNN that, like sisters Kourtney and Kim, who currently appear in "Kourtney & Kim Take New York," she and L.A. Lakers hubby Lamar Odom will be starring in their own spinoff for E!. "[I'm] so excited about it," says Khloe. "We don't show a lot of our private lives on the family show, so it'll be different." Guess what? Taylor Swift is everywhereIf you’re sick of hearing Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum and Lady Gaga, there’s a reason. Those super talents were the most played over the airwaves this year, according to the 2010 Music Industry Report, released by Nielsen SoundScan and Billboard on Wednesday. The report breaks down overall music sales trends, top-selling artists/albums and the most played songs, and there were a few tidbits that caught our attention. Rap is the only genre that had an increase in album sales this year and country music had the smallest drop. This goes hand in hand with the top 10 selling albums of 2010. Eminem’s “Recovery” sold 3.4 million units, followed closely by Lady Antebellum’s “Need You Now” and Taylor Swift’s “Speak Now.” Bill Murray crashes karaoke partyTake a good look at that man singing "Ghostbusters" next to you at the karaoke bar. It just might be Bill Murray. During a recent night out at New York City's Karaoke One 7, a few lucky fans were pleasantly surprised when Murray knocked on the door of their private room and sat down for a few songs. Mike, one of the revelers, tells theCHIVE.com he spotted Murray at the bar earlier that evening and invited the quirky actor to join his crew, but he didn't expect the star to follow through. 'Modern Family' gets neighborlyHappy new "Modern Family," everyone! It's been far too long since we last paid a visit to our favorite extended family, and Wednesday night, they started off the new year right. Cam got those words he longs to hear out of Mitchell - "You were right" - when it came to a guy (who "lives in his own truth") they met hanging out in their hot tub. A little "negative energy removal" took care of that. Unfortunately for Cam, he spoke a bit too soon when he found himself having to evict hot tub guy from Lily's princess castle. The conversation started out, "I said I just moved in. I'm sorry, I thought it was implied..." "...That you're living in a dollhouse?" And it got worse from there. 'Showbiz Tonight' Flashpoint: Is Snooki the next Martha Stewart?There is a brand new report out today about Snooki hiring a management firm to help her roll out a slew of licensed products that will bear her name. The pint-sized party queen already has a deal with “Happy Feet” – the company that makes those big old fuzzy slippers she wears on the show, and she apparently has a deal with diamondshark.com to make jewelry. I say go Snooki! I do feel that she has the potential if she surrounds herself with the right people to build a brand. She can be like "The Situation," but I also think she shouldn't do too much too fast. For today's "Showbiz Tonight," we've come up with a line of products that Snooki could add to her burgeoning brand - you will not want to miss this one! 'Top Chef': Has anyone worked in a kitchen before?In seven seasons of "Top Chef," we’ve seen contestants take over restaurants for service plenty of times. I don’t think we’ve ever seen it go as badly as it did last night. In fact, the entire episode seemed to be a lot of trial and error... heavy on the error. It all started with the quickest Quickfire challenge in the show’s history. The chefs had to make a dish in the same amount of time as head judge Tom Colicchio. We’ve never seen Tom cook on the show before, but he started from scratch and knocked out a fully composed dish in 8 minutes, 37 seconds. Not bad, if you’re into gourmet food made in the same amount of time it takes to cook pasta. Michelle Williams 'devastated' over 'Nightline' interviewJust a few weeks ago, Michelle Williams opened up on life after Heath Ledger’s death during an interview with “Nightline,” but the experience has left the actress feeling like she said too much. So when the Daily Beast asked Williams, who lost Ledger in January 2008 to a drug overdose, about his passing, she said that she struggles with speaking about the late actor, who is the father of her 5-year-old daughter, Matilda. “Just recently I felt as if I did cross a line about all this,” Williams told the Daily Beast. "I just had an experience with 'Nightline' that got edited in such a way that seemed as if I did go too far. It was a three-hour interview that was edited in such a way that was devastating to me." |
About this blog
Our daily cheat-sheet for breaking celebrity news, Hollywood buzz and your pop-culture obsessions.
Nigel Lythgoe previews 'Idol' finale, big 'SYTYCD' changes http://t.co/Yz1CLtGo 9:56 pm UTC, May 22 2012
The Buzz Today http://t.co/wsKXZ36d 9:42 pm UTC, May 22 2012
Estefan on playing mom in 'Glee' finale http://t.co/8xnuP34d 9:42 pm UTC, May 22 2012
John Mayer says his 'Shadow Days' are over http://t.co/kANCHuhU 8:04 pm UTC, May 22 2012
'Bad' reissued in deluxe edition http://t.co/sslu1VIz 6:41 pm UTC, May 22 2012
Marquee's lists to follow:
|