BOND BABE? Whitney Houston may be the next Bond girl, Reuters reports from Britain's Sun tabloid. Houston has reportedly agreed to star opposite Pierce Brosnan in the latest 007 installment, ''Bond 20,'' for MGM. The pop diva is supposedly waiting for confirmation from Dana Broccoli, widow of legendary Bond producer Albert Broccoli. ''The movie bosses think Whitney would make a fantastic Bond girl and are desperately working out a deal which is acceptable,'' an ''anonymous source'' told the Sun. So far, neither MGM, the Broccoli estate, nor Houston's reps have commented on the tabloid's story. Maybe Whitney and her people are negotiating to change the role to Bond WOMAN.
OPENING Australian director Baz Luhrmann's period musical ''Moulin Rouge,'' starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, is set to open the Cannes Film Festival May 9. The film, set in 19th century Paris, follows the infamous nightclub where artist Toulouse-Latrec (played by John Leguizamo) hung out with his bohemian pals. Luhrmann's debut film ''Strictly Ballroom'' was a hit at Cannes in 1992 and was named a runner-up for the prestigious Golden Camera award for a director's first feature. Last year another musical fared well at the Festival: Lars von Trier's ''Dancer in the Dark'' won the Golden Palm for best film; its star Björk won best actress.
SO SORRY Three members of the clean cut British pop group S Club 7 issued an apology to their young fans Wednesday after being arrested for drug possession, Reuters reports. The band's three guys, Bradley McIntosh, 18, John Lee, 19, and Paul Cattermole, 24, were busted carrying marijuana by police in London's West End neighborhood Tuesday. ''We have been very stupid, we know we've made a mistake, and we're very sorry,'' the three said in a joint statement. S Club 7, whose four other members are Rachel Stevens, Hannah Spearitt, Jo O'Meara, and Tina Barrett, were formed by the Spice Girls' original manager. S Club 7 has recorded two No. 1 singles and a No. 1 album in the U.K. charts since their 1999 debut. A spokesman for the band said: ''They rate their fans very highly and they know that they have let a lot of people down. Now they're learning their lesson the hard way.'' Just wait till they try to go solo -- then we'll see ''learning their lesson the hard way.''
CASTING Halle Berry is in final talks to star in ''Monster's Ball,'' starring Billy Bob Thornton and Wes Bentley. Indie director Marc Foster plans to shoot the drama in only 24 hours some time in May. Berry will play Thornton's unlikely love interest in the film, which chronicles the lives of a father and son who work at a local prison.
TUBE NEWS Talk about a trifecta of genius: the Sci Fi Channel has lined up movies and miniseries from the likes of Steven Spielberg, Stephen King, and Clive Barker. Sci Fi, which already has the most original series in prime time of any cable network, is planning even more elaborate programming. King has written ''Firestarter: The Next Chapter,'' a four-hour sequel to his 1984 film that follows the characters 20 later. Perhaps Drew Barrymore will reprise her role. Barker (''Hellraiser,'' ''Candyman''), will produce his first movie for Sci Fi: ''Saint Sinner,'' about a 19th century monk who inadvertently allows two female dragons to take human form and must travel to modern L.A. to find them (where else would two buxom dragon ladies go?). Lastly, Spielberg is producing and directing the 20-hour miniseries ''Taken,'' which spans 50 years and follows tales of alien abduction.
BURGLARIZED Speaking of taken, burglars broke into the London home of former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell and took off with more than $114,000 in jewelry, electronics, and computer equipment. According to Reuters, Halliwell returned from a weekend trip with Robbie Williams Tuesday and discovered that her first floor flat in Notting Hill had been ransacked. The burglars destroyed furniture and even sprayed the floor with milk and black currant drink. Among the items stolen was a necklace once owned by Elizabeth Taylor, which Halliwell bought at auction. The singer is currently staying at a London hotel until her apartment is repaired. ''Naturally, Geri is very upset, as anyone would be when they are burgled, but she's coping fine,'' her spokesman Jonathan Hackford told London's Express newspaper.
WEDDING BELLS Oscar winner Tommy Lee Jones married his longtime girlfriend Monday. Jones, 54, and San Antonio photographer Dawn Maria Laurel, 36, wed in a private ceremony in Alamo Heights, Tex. ''It wasn't a big to-do,'' U.S. District Judge Fred Biery, who officiated at the service, told the Associated Press. ''These are very private people.'' The two met in 1995 on the set of the film ''The Good Old Boys,'' said Jones' publicist Jennifer Allen.
PEACE MAKER Secretary General Kofi Annan named jazz musician Wynton Marsalis a United Nations peace messenger Tuesday, in honor of his commitment to ''what is best in humankind.'' Marsalis, according to Reuters, is one of Annan's favorite musicians and joins eight other celebrities as goodwill envoys for the U.N. ''You have over the course of your extraordinary career in music demonstrated time and again your dedication to what is best in humankind,'' Annan told Marsalis. ''Hopefully through your contributions to the world of music and charity, the message of peace will resound throughout the nations.'' Individual U.N. agencies, such as UNICEF, have tapped public figures to campaign for them, but only nine, including Marsalis, have been chosen by Annan to represent the entire U.N. The select few include opera singer Luciano Pavarotti, Muhammad Ali, Michael Douglas, French Algerian singer Enrico Macias, Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel, Magic Johnson, Italian journalist and author Anna Cataldi, and Indian tennis star and sports announcer Vijay Amritraj.
