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EXPECTING
Julia Roberts, 39, and cinematographer husband Danny Moder, 37, are
having their third child this summer. The couple's twins, Hazel and
Phinnaeus, are 2.
BIRTHS
Will Ferrell (Talladega Nights), 39, and art-auctioneer wife Viveca Paulin, 37, welcomed son Mattias on Dec. 30. He joins brother Magnus,
2.... Diddy's a daddy (again): Sean Combs, 37, and longtime girlfriend
Kim Porter, 36, said a double hello to twin daughters, D'Lila Star and
Jessie James, Dec. 21 in New York City. They join brother Christian, 9,
and half brother Justin, 13.
ENGAGED
Good Charlotte guitarist Benji Madden and actress Sophie Monk (Date Movie), both 27, will tie the knot. No date has been set.
MARRIED
Lara Flynn Boyle (The Practice), 36, wed businessman Donald Ray Thomas on Dec. 18 in San Antonio.... Comedian Jay Mohr (The Groomsmen), 36, and
actress Nikki Cox (Las Vegas), 28, tied the knot Dec. 29 in Los
Angeles.... Actress Marilu Henner (Taxi) and publisher Michael Brown, both 54, were married Dec. 21 in Los Angeles.
SPLITS
Chicago Bulls player/Space Jam star Michael Jordan, 43, and his wife of 17 years, Juanita, jointly filed for divorce on Dec. 29.... Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy), 35, and Sideways director Alexander Payne, 45,
officially ended their marriage on Dec. 21.... Former Dallas star
Victoria Principal, 56, and plastic-surgeon husband Harry Glassman
divorced Dec. 27 after 21 years of marriage.... Eminem (Marshall
Mathers), 34, and wife Kim, 31, broke up for a second time on Dec. 19
after less than a year of marriage. The pair previously wed in 1999 and
divorced in 2001.
RECOVERING
Teri Garr (Unaccompanied Minors), 62, had surgery to treat a brain
aneurysm on Dec. 21. Her rep says the actress, who suffers from multiple
sclerosis, is expected to make a full recovery.... Arnold Schwarzenegger, 59, underwent surgery at an L.A. hospital for a broken
leg and was released on Dec. 30. The California governor, who began his
second term on Jan. 5, fractured his right thighbone while skiing in
Idaho.
CONTROVERSY
Bob Dylan wants to keep Factory Girl out of British theaters; he contends the film blames him for the 1971 suicide of fashion icon Edie
Sedgwick. ''Even though [his] name is not used, the portrayal
remains...defamatory,'' Dylan's lawyer told producers. Sienna Miller, who
plays Sedgwick, has defended the movie, saying, ''It doesn't [implicate
Dylan] at all.''
COURTS
Exes Jessica Simpson, 26, and Nick Lachey, 33, settled the division of
their finances on Dec. 19. Details of the agreement were not
released.... On Dec. 14, a California judge ruled that Universal Studios
can release Alpha Dog on Jan. 12 as planned, despite objections from
murder suspect Jesse James Hollywood, 26. Hollywood had argued that the
film — based on the 2000 killing of a California teen for which he will be
tried — will bias the jury. He is appealing the decision.
FOR SALE
Financially troubled singer Whitney Houston, 43, will sell memorabilia
including a Versace catsuit and a church pew at a court-ordered auction
on Jan. 9 in Irvington, N.J.
FOUNDED
Oprah Winfrey opened the Leadership Academy for Girls near Johannesburg,
South Africa, on Jan. 2. Winfrey and Nelson Mandela hatched the plan to
help needy students in 2000.
FIRED
On the heels of the O.J. Simpson If I Did It book cancellation,
publisher Judith Regan was fired Dec. 15 by News Corp. chief Rupert
Murdoch. Regan reportedly plans to file wrongful termination and libel
suits against News Corp., which claimed she made anti-Semitic comments
during an argument with one of its attorneys. Her lawyer has said that
the allegations are ''completely untrue.''
DEATHS
Playwright and screenwriter John Bishop (Drop Zone), 77, of cancer, Dec. 20, in Bad Heilbrunn, Germany.... Dennis Linde, 63, a songwriter who
penned Elvis' hit ''Burning Love,'' of lung disease, Dec. 22, in
Nashville.... Former child actor Jared Nathan (Zoom), 21, after a car
crash Dec. 28 in Hollis, N.H.
LEGACY
MIKE EVANS 1949-2006
Evans, who died on Dec. 14 in Twentynine Palms, Calif., of throat
cancer, was best known for playing Lionel Jefferson in All in the Familyand its spin-off The Jeffersons. Lionel could have been a stereotype,
but Evans imbued him with charm and warmth. Evans also co-created a portrait of urban black life with the sitcom Good Times. ''It provided me with a role that was unprecedented,'' says actor John Amos (Times patriarch James Evans). ''I'll be eternally grateful to Michael for that.''
Keeping Up With 'Jones'
Here's a New Year's resolution that film geeks can get behind. On Jan.
1, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Harrison Ford announced plans to
begin shooting Indiana Jones 4 in June. After nixing some 13 years'
worth of scripts by everyone from Chris Columbus to Frank Darabont, the
Jones gang finally approved a screenplay by War of the Worlds scribe
David Koepp. Spielberg spokesperson Marvin Levy confirms that the fourth
Indy will be the director's next project, but remains mum on what
globe-trotting adventures await Ford, now 64. Those are details, Levy
explains, that Spielberg and Co. are keeping ''close to the vest — or
rather, Indy's leather jacket.''
A Special Exhibit
Like Teddy Roosevelt in Night at the Museum, the box office came alive
over the holidays. Ben Stiller's comedy racked up $127.3 million to
become his fifth No. 1 film in three years. The Pursuit of Happynessbrought its three-week sum to $104.5 million, making it Will Smith's
sixth straight $100 million grosser. Moviegoers took their cue from
Dreamgirls' Jennifer Hudson (''You're gonna love me!'') and showed $8.7
million worth of affection on Christmas Day alone. The musical then
earned $18.4 million in just 852 theaters on the last weekend of 2006 — a
healthy $21,578 per-theater average — and greeted 2007 with $41.3 million
in the bank. Rocky Balboa was a champ with $51.1 million. And limited
releases like Pan's Labyrinth and Children of Men helped the year finish
at $9.1 billion, 3 percent over 2005. Now, that's a figure to bronze and
put on display.
