Who's in
King Kong director grabs Lovely Bones
Peter Jackson (pictured) is teaming up with DreamWorks SKG to film his adaptation of the best-selling novel The Lovely Bones. DreamWorks beat out three other bidders Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros to finance Jackson's version of Alice Sebold's 2002 best-seller about the murder of a 14-year-old girl who narrates her tale from heaven.
Jackson, best known for the The Lord of the Rings trilogy, will direct from a script he wrote with his wife, Fran Walsh, and collaborator Philippa Boyens. The film begins shooting in October in Pennsylvania and New Zealand. "In the hands of Peter Jackson, we have a master of cinematic storytelling to bring it to the screen," DreamWorks CEO Stacey Snider said in a statement announcing the deal on Friday.
Jackson won three Academy Awards in 2004 for The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. His other credits include King Kong and Heavenly Creatures.
Unlicensed Paris screams: My jail term is cruel
In her first public comments since a prison sentence, celebrity heiress and reality TV star Paris Hilton (pictured) has described her 45-day jail term for a driving-related offense as cruel and unwarranted.
Visibly shocked and tearful, Hilton was sentenced on Friday to 45 days in jail after a judge ruled she knowingly violated her probation on a previous traffic offense by driving without a valid license.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Sauer rejected the 26-year-old socialite's defense that she didn't realize her license was suspended and ordered her to report to a county detention facility on June 5. "I told the truth," Hilton said outside her Los Angeles home on Saturday night.
"I feel that I was treated unfairly and that the sentence is both cruel and unwarranted. I don't deserve this."
TV mom tells why she is a happy Gilmore
Lauren Graham (pictured right), who plays an independent mom in the drama-comedy Gilmore Girls, says she's not upset the show is ending. "I think it's the best decision for the show," Graham said on Monday. "One of the things Alexis (Bledel, her costar) and I wished could be different was the schedule, and it really can't be."
The CW network announced last week the show will end on May 15 after seven seasons on the air.
Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, the show became popular in large part because of its witty, comedy-infused banter. The series chronicles the saga of a single mother, Lorelai, and her daughter, Rory, who are more like best friends than parent and child. Graham has previously said getting the rapid dialogue right takes a lot of time, and it has taken its toll over the years. The show also suffered creatively and in the ratings this year after Sherman-Palladino and her husband left last season after a contract dispute.
Graham, whose movie credits include Because I Said So and Evan Almighty, didn't detail her plans for life after the show.
Agencies
(China Daily 05/08/2007 page18)
