Behind Those Violet Eyes…

Lays a healthy living legend.

Elizabeth Taylor, 76, is not on life support, a publicist told People.

“Ms. Taylor is fine,” the rep said. “The rumors which began in England about her health are dramatic, overstated, and untrue.”

Contrary to tabloid reports that Taylor struggled to maintain consciousness after a bout with pneumonia following congestive heart failure, the rep characterized her hospital visit as “precautionary.”

The violet-eyes actress “is surrounded by family, friends, and fabulous jewels at present.”

Photo: PhotoBucket.com.

I Hear It in M’s Voice

Today, MadonnaTribe “heard from reliable sources that it’s 200 percent confirmed that ‘Miles Away’ is going to be the third single off Hard Candy.”

O.M. Jeez. I was just thinking about that this morning…that either “Miles Away” or “Devil Wouldn’t Recognize You” should be released as Madonna’s next single. Perhaps radio will play it, too, unlike “Give It 2 Me.”

There’s no word on a “Miles Away” video at this point, though, but may I suggest M produce one with a story line à la “Take a Bow”?

Photo: ArjanWrites.com.

Must Watch TV

Robin Thicke’s on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno tonight.

You’ve got to watch it, or he’s “gonna have 2 teach u a lesson.”

On second thought….

Photo: RobinThickePictures.com.

A Princess with Soul

They have had white princesses of all hair colors, an Arabian princess, and even a half-fish princess.

Now Disney has decided it is about time it joined us over here in the 21st century and will introduce its first black princess, Tiana, to movie audiences, in 2009.

The teaser trailer for The Princess and the Frog is out and about, and it looks sooo retro (the movie will Disney’s first 2-D offering in five years) I kind of heart it already. Check it out:

Bonding Music

The White Stripes’ Jack White and Alicia Keys have recorded the theme song for Quantum of Solace, the 22nd James Bond movie starring Daniel Craig and opening on Nov. 7.

It is official, then: Amy Winehouse is off the assignment. Shocker.

“Another Way to Die” was written and produced by White. This is the first duet in Bond-theme song history.

“We are delighted and pleased to have two such exciting artists as Jack and Alicia, who were inspired by our film, to join together their extraordinary talents in creating a unique sound for Quantum of Solace,” said producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli.

The movie’s soundtrack will be available on Oct. 28.

Photo: E! Online.

A Hot, Sexy, Talented and Now Inglorious Bastard?

Brad Pitt is in negotiations to play Lt. Aldo Raine in Quentin Tarantino’s long-in-the-making World War II drama Inglorious Bastards.

Contrary to rumor, though, Leonardo DiCaprio is not being courted for the role of Col. Hans Landa.

Inglorious Bastards is the film industry’s current It script – “everyone with a Hollywood zip code has seemingly seen a copy of the script.”

Photo: Men.Style.com.

Julius Holds

Peruvian author Alfredo Bryce Echenique has given up hope that his masterpiece novel A Word for Julius (Un Mundo Para Julius) will be adapted into a film anytime soon.

The production company that bought the rights to the book, he says, “has never paid for them.”

I can’t say I’m terribly sad about the news.

I really treasure Bryce Echenique’s novel, much more than any I’ve ever read (or not) and later seen brought to the big screen.

I just find A Word for Julius’ and its critical and humorous and mocking at Lima’s upper class so specific to that city, and to what I know about it, that I can’t imagine anyone doing it justice.

Several name international actors were even attached to the project, among them Pilar Bardem, Olivier Martinez, and Patricia Velasquez.

Time to find another project, folks.

Photo: BNP.gob.pe.

Singing and Dancing Like a Ho

Fergie has been cast as Saraghina in Rob Marshall’s Nine, a big-screen adaptation of the Tony Award-winning musical. The Black Eyed Pea will perform the saucy song “Be Italian” with Guido, played by Daniel Day-Lewis.

“She’s basically a prostitute on the beach,” Fergie recently said. “She introduces him to the world of sexuality. It’s a very strong song. I’m just thrilled I get to play a character. I’m singing, but I’m not singing as myself. I’m going to be singing as a character, and that’s what's really exciting to me.”

Fergie joins Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose), Penélope Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Judi Dench, and Sophia Loren in the film, which is set to begin production in October. She previously appeared in Poseidon and Grindhouse.

“I’m speechless,” she said of the opportunity to work with the film’s A-list talent. “I’m definitely going to be a sponge on set. I want to pick up on everything that all these brilliant actors are bringing to the table. I’m probably going to be the quietest that I’ve ever been while working just because I want to watch and learn.”

Smart girl.

Photo: Worth1000.com.

In for 2009: Lots and Lots of Hair

Benicio Del Toro and the fantastic Emily Blunt (The Devil Wears Prada) were at Comic-Con 2008 to promote their upcoming Wolf Man.

The actress revealed, when she and Del Toro weren’t chuckling and needling each other, that she “didn’t do much screaming...[but] I can run” and that she “cried a lot on this film.”

The Wolf Man is due out on April 3, 2009.

Photo: FirstShowing.net.

Love Don’t Cost a Thing

Jennifer Lopez – remember her? – has signed on to star in The Governess, a rom-com about a professional thief who, in order to pull off a major bank heist, poses as a nanny to the three unruly children of a wealthy widower.

She winds up falling for the kids (and their father, of course), and has to choose between the life of crime and the chance to start over with her new family.

The Governess is scheduled to start shooting this fall. Max and Emme’s mom is currently in pre-production on the indie Love and Other Impossible Pursuits.

Photo: StarPulse.com.

Because It’s Been Almost a Month Since I Mentioned Daniel Craig

Click here to hear Quantum of Solace star Daniel Craig, director Marc Foster, and the rest of the cast discuss the pressures of making the movie, due out on Nov. 7.

“I think we’ve got something really special,” Craig says in the video.

I think you’ve got something really special, Dan-Dan.

Photo: MGM/Columbia Pictures.

They Better Don’t

Spoiler Alert, Heroes fans: Nathan Petrelli may be in danger.

The creative minds behind the NBC cult show better not touch a single hair on his head or do anything that puts Adrian Pasdar’s presence in jeopardy.

Click here to read more about this and other tidbits revealed at Comic-Con 2008.

Photo: NBC.com.

Return of the Mac

According to Billboard.com, Fleetwood Mac are gearing up for a tour next year that will likely be followed by a new band album.

Lindsey Buckingham told the Web site the band will convene in January to begin rehearsing for the tour, the itinerary of which is currently being assembled.

I am sooo excited about this. My life will be more complete once I’ve heard “Silver Springs” live.

Photo: EW.com.

A W. World

A teaser trailer for Oliver Stone’s W. – the film’s title now has a period after its imposing, if lonely W – has been released, and people are talking about it.

Yes, we are.

The film stars Josh Brolin (pictured at right) as George W. Bush, Elizabeth Banks as his wife, Laura, James Cromwell as his father, George H.W., and Ellen Burstyn as his mother, Barbara, with Richard Dreyfuss as Vice President Dick Cheney.

Photo: EW.com.

The Power of Josh

It was only a matter of time until Josh Holloway’s hotness permeated magazines across the nation.

Picture it: Me, hitting the gym over the weekend, grabbing a magazine (GQ – can’t remember if Gisele Bündchen or Seth Rogen was on the cover), thumbing though some pages, and then almost falling off the treadmill when I discovered the Lost actor in a Davidoff Cool Water ad spread.

I didn’t know he’d signed on for that.

A senior vice president for Coty Prestige said Holloway’s status as an “icon of masculinity and powerful character…truly embodies the [fragrance’s] values.”

I’ll say.

The ad spread is beyond sexy…and persuasive. And there’s video, too.

Photo: EsLaTele.com.

Good Going, Guy

Also spotted at Comic-Con 2008: Guy Ritchie with his RocknRolla cast – (pictured at right) Jeremy Piven, Gerard Butler, and Ludacris.

At a press conference on behalf of the movie, Ritchie, natch, was asked about the state of his marriage to Madonna.

He said all is well, adding with a smile, “as far as I’m aware of.”

I love it. Keep ’em guessing.

Photo: People.com.

Time Will Heal It

Today I’m renting Season 2 of Showtime’s Weeds, which I started to watch last December but did not finish.

Why?

Because as Leona Lewis says, “It’ll all get better in time.”

And today is as good a day as any.

Photo: StarPulse.com.

She Has a Gun, and It’s Hot

You gotta admit: Nicole Richie looks pretty badass at right.

As previously mentioned, Richie, in character as Heather, will guest star in an episode of NBC’s Chuck this fall. She will gun – get it? – for her old high school nemesis Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski), Chuck’s CIA gal pal.

“She was a cheerleader,” Richie said of Heather. “Kind of that bitchy mean girl.”

It looks like girlfriend has a chip on her shoulder – and I am looking forward to seeing it play out.

Photo: EW.com.

My, What Big Claws You Have

Yesterday, Hugh Jackman made a surprise appearance at Comic-Con 2008, where he presented some “cobbled-together footage from [next summer’s] X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” over which the crowd went B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

The movie co-stars Liev Schreiber and Taylor Kitsch (TV’s Friday Night Lights).

I can’t wait to see those bice…I mean, it, on the big screen.

Photo: EW.com.

Simply Irresistible, Pt. 33

“If I Never See Your Face Again,” Adam Levine, I’d die.

(Yoo, too, Rihanna.)

I mean, look at those shoulders…that chest…that smile. It reminds me of 17 days in December.

It’s brutal. And sexy.

Photo: People.com.

Why Do I Do This?

Once upon a time I used to beam.

That’s the only reason I’m drawn to such things as the trailer for the fourth season of MTV’s The Hills.

Is this show out on DVD? I should just marathon it and get it over with already.

Photo: CelebrityBeautyBuzz.com.

No More No

In the upcoming Yes Man, man on the comeback Jim Carrey plays a fellow who signs up for a self-help program based on one simple principle: Say yes to everything...and anything.

At first, unleashing the power of “yes” transforms his life in amazing and unexpected ways, but he soon discovers that opening up his life to endless possibilities can have its drawbacks.

Yes Man opens on Dec. 19. Will you say…uhh…yes to it?

Photo: Warner Bros.

Oy Oy

Let me review Mamma Mia! – the movie adaptation of the Broadway musical about Sophie (HBO’s Big Love’s Amanda Seyfried), a twentysomething raised on a Greek island by Donna (Meryl Streep), a free-spirited single mother who never disclosed the identity of her father, and the three men Sophie invites to her wedding in order to figure which one might be the one who dot, dot, dotted her mother – in five bullets.

“Dot, dot dot,” by the way, it’s a thing they say in the less-than-impressive-but salvaged-by-the-great-ABBA-songbook movie.

Thank Sweden for “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme.” And “Take a Chance on Me.” And “The Winner Takes It All.”

I didn’t think I’d be able to resist this movie, but – my my – I did.

Here I go:

• Mighty Streep, doll face, you can sing, but you didn’t have to ham it up quite so much. And on-set hair and makeup people – they’re there for you. Let them comb your hair next time.


• Christine Baranski, you’re a goddess.


• Pierce Brosnan, as a singer you make an iconic James Bond, indeed.


• Did anyone else wonder what Lindsay Lohan might have done with Sophie? I hearted Seyfried with a passion – she’s a beacon of light. A star. But I couldn’t help but wonder what a Streep-Lohan re-team – they co-starred as mother and daughter in A Prairie Home Companion – would’ve done for Mamma Mia! – and Lohan’s career.


• As much as movie sucks – as off-key as its “S.O.S.” gets – ABBA always will be able to make it better.

My Rating **

Photo: Universal Pictures.

Meow!

Omarosa (no last name needed), reality TV’s most notorious villainess, appeared on The Wendy Williams Show on Monday, and it was…wait – Wendy Williams has a show?

I guess she does, doesn’t she.

Anyway, Omarosa went on W2’s show to promote her upcoming book, but spent more time trading insults with the radio personality-cum-talk show host. It was a hot mess of a catfight that you simply have got to watch. Now.

The Wendy Williams Show airs on Fox-owned stations in Los Angeles, Dallas, Detroit, and New York, but thanks to Omarosa – I’m sorry to say, Ms. Williams – the entire country now knows about it.

Photo: CNN.com.

We Should Start a Fund to Get Him Shirt

There isn’t a reason why I would talk up Matthew McConaughey’s Surfer, Dude other than M2’s shirtless throughout the entire trailer.

You don’t believe me? Well, you must not skim the tabs – he loves it that way. (Check him out at right, on set last year.)

Is too much on-screen shirtlessness too much?

Photo: People.com.

Nostalgia, Pt. 23

Damien Rice, darling, what have you been up to?

I miss you.

I know in June you and a couple of friends set off on a last-minute road trip from Dublin to Barcelona, squished into your little ol’ MINI with a portable recording studio.

“The idea,” you said before leaving, was “to stop off along the way in random places where I have to write and record a new song every day, either in the MINI or outdoors on a rock or something. 10 days = 10 songs = album nuevo.”

Looking forward to it….

In the meantime let me tell you that you lean “on me / like a rootless tree.”

Photo: PhotoBucket.com.

R.I.P. Golden Lady

Beloved Golden Girls star Estelle Getty has passed away.

The retired actress – she stopped making public appearances in 2000 – fought a years-long battle with dementia. She would have been 85 on July 25.

Ms. Getty, you made laugh so much. Thank you, indeed.

Photo: Answers.com.

Eat Some Liver, Madonna

According to The Sun, Madonna is anemic.

It seems the stress of the past month – rumors of a divorce from Guy Ritchie and of an affair with Alex Rodriguez have been rampant, plus rehearsals for her “Sticky & Sweet Tour” have been grueling – has taken a toll on the reigning Queen of Pop.

M is said to have fired two dancers and alienated her tour manager, and doctors, the paper says, have discovered she’s anemic and has injured her knee.

Oh, Madonna, get well soon if it’s true. I know you don’t eat red meat, but liver is rich in iron, which you might need.

And now, for a non sequitur of M proportions: My new favorite song off Hard Candy is…“She’s Not Me.” because “I should have seen the sign way back then.”

I love it. I’ve been singing it to myself since Sunday afternoon.

Photo: PhotoBucket.com.

Watch These Men

The trailer for Zack Snyder’s follow-up to 300, Watchmen, is out, and it’s Goode.

It’s Matthew Goode, that is, and Billy Crudup, and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (TV’s Grey’s Anatomy), and Patrick Wilson, and Malin Akerman (HBO’s The Comeback).

Watchmen arrives in theaters next March. For more information about the movie, click here.

Photo: Warner Bros.

The Supermodels Are Coming

September is the month for fashion magazines.

Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle…they publish their biggest books on the ninth month of the year.

Alas, Vogue and Elle have chosen to feature Keira Knightley and Jessica Simpson on their covers this year, which is a shame since real models so seldom appear in them anymore.

Vanity Fair has taken note of that and has decided to feature all the marquee-name 1990s models in September. Confirmed for its cover are Stephanie Seymour, Claudia Schiffer, and (pictured at right) Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, and Christy Turlington.

So H-O-T.

Photo: ChinaDaily.com.

Update: Scratch your eyes out. Model-turned-pop star-turned France’s First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy will grace the cover of Vanity Fair’s September issue. I haven’t a clue where, when, or if the 1990s supermodels will appear in any layouts.

It Almost Brings a Tear to My Eye

It’s Britney, bitch, alright.

She hasn’t added star wattage to anything in years, but that’s just what a radiant-looking Britney Spears did on Saturday when she attended Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey’s fundraiser for Generation Rescue, an organization dedicated to researching autism.

“She looked great and seemed really happy,” a partygoer said.

Looks likes she’s finally ready to come back to us.

Photo: People.com.

Something Else Alright

You know I think Robin Thicke’s “Magic,” right?

In their new trashtastic song, “When I Grow Up,” the Pussycat Dolls sing-warn us to “be careful what you wish for / ’Cause you just might get it / But you just might get it / But you just might get it.”

I wish for Robin Thicke. I wish for Robin Thicke. I wish for Robin Thicke.

Say what? Paula Patton already has him?

OK, I’ll take a new video then.

My, look at that….

Robin Thicke - Magic Video

Oops, They Did It Again

The folks at The CW tease Gossip Girl’s upcoming sophomore season with such ease.

Click here to look at another provoca-poster featuring Chace Crawford and Leighton Meester.

Come on – you know you want to….

Photo: Gawker.com.

She’s Baaack!

Shannen Doherty is headed back to the 90210 – and she’s bringing the drama with her when she goes.

Doherty’s Brenda Walsh was written off Beverly Hills, 90210 after the show’s fourth season due the actress’ reported off-screen antics. Ms. Walsh left for London, and was never seen on screen again.

Until now.

Brenda, who became a famous actress and then a famous director while across the pond, will be back via The CW’s remake of the show this fall, as a guest of her old high school, to stage a play.

Doherty’s former co-star, Tori Spelling (who’s also expected to appear in the new 90210) calls the return “amazing.”

Uh duh.

“That’s probably the best news the fans could ever get,” Spelling told People this weekend.

No, Tor-Tor – that’s the most amazing news we could ever get.

Photo: People.com.

King of the Night

I – we – cannot talk about Christopher Nolan’s sequel to 2005’s Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, without talking about The Performance.

I am talking about what is presumed to be Heath Ledger’s last completed big-screen turn as film’s main villain, the Joker.

The late Australian actor delivers a veritable tour de force that’d be deserving of all the effusive praise that has been lavished upon it even if the circumstances of the film’s debut were different – an exercise on anarchism as a personality trait so vivid and theatric and frightening one cannot help but be mesmerized by it.

Oscar talk, I thought before watching The Dark Knight, was premature. Now I feel it’s more than appropriate. Ledger will be the standard by which all other supporting actors will be measured this year.

Last see saw Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), his alter ego, Batman, had saved Gotham from Ra’s al Ghul and the Scarecrow, and his girlfriend, Rachel Dawes (then played by Katie Holmes, now by Maggie Gyllenhaal), had told him she could not be with him as long as he was Batman.

The events of The Dark Knight take place one year after that – and one year after the Joker’s imminent arrival was teased at the end of Batman Begins.

With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), Batman sets out to destroy organized crime in Gotham for good. To achieve this – and to win Rachel back – he must allow the city’s so-called “white knight,” District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) to become the hero Batman cannot be, for he lives and acts outside the law. Dent, unlike the Caped Crusader works from the inside, can put a public face on Batman’s heroics. Unfortunately, a tragic turn of events allows Dent to give Gotham two faces (see what I did there?).

This partnership proves effective, but soon, the three men fall prey to the Joker, a rising criminal mastermind who just wants “to watch the world burn.”

The Dark Knight really is the rarest of summer sequels: it not only more than exceeds its predecessor, it leaves you wanting more – a triumph considering it runs 2 ½ hours long.

Aside from its strong cast, the film’s most appealing quality is the realism of its action sequences – none looks CGI-fake but rather CGI-enhanced. For that, Batman feels real.

My Rating ****

Photo: Warner Bros.

Captured for All to See

Sixteen new photos Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince have been released in anticipation of the movie’s release on Nov. 21. Click here to see them.

The latest chapter in the saga – a darker entry, it seems – sees young wizards Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), and Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) confront new challenges and dangers in the wake of Lord Voldemort’s return.

Are you ready for more magic?

Photo: Warner Bros.

Emmy’s Rocking Mad

Nominations for the 60th Annual Emmy Awards were announced this morning, and it looks like someone loves her some Tina Fey and some dapper gents.

It was a good morning for Pushing Daisies’ Kristin Chenoweth and How I Met Your Mother’s Neil Patrick Harris, too. Both were nominated this year (they made the announcements).

NBC’s 30 Rock and AMC’s Mad Men emerged as the frontrunners with 17 and 16 nods apiece.

ABC’s Lost received a much-deserved nomination in the Drama Series category, but Michael Emerson, who plays Ben, nabbed what seems to be the show’s sole acting nomination.

For quick look-see at the nominees, click here. For a detail list, click here.

The Emmys will be handed out on Sept. 21. Other Emmy Awards – including those for technical achievement – will be handed out at the creative arts ceremony (“the Schmemmys,” as nominee Kathy Griffin calls them) on Sept. 13.

Photo: AMCTV.com (Mad Men).

Evidently, The Man Can Write

Don’t be fooled by the rock-hard abs that he’s got: Justin Theroux can write.

The actor-cum-director (he co-starred in Mulholland Drive and Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle; he made his directorial debut with the Billy Crudup-Mandy Moore vehicle Dedication last year), who co-wrote the much-buzzed-about upcoming Tropic Thunder, reportedly has been tapped to churn out a script for Iron Man 2.

Good-looking and handy with a typewriter….

Sign me up.

Photo: GeekCulture.dk.

The Most Graceful Man in Hollywood Is Going to Save the World

Christian Bale will be seen by millions in The Dark Knight in just a couple of days, but I want to consider what we really know about him for a moment.

We know he’s an outstanding actor, one who consistently delivers solid, good, award-worthy performances.

We know he’s focused on his work and not on the trappings of the industry.

We know he’s grace personified.

Three years ago, when Batman Begins came out, he was nearly upstaged by TomKat at the film’s premiere. Three years later, something similar happened at the sequel’s premiere on Monday: the spirit of co-star Heath Ledger was front and center at the event – as well it should’ve been – and Bale couldn’t have been happier to sing his praises.

Next summer, Bale will appear in yet another massive franchise when he helps director McG reboot the Terminator saga with Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins.

Check out the teaser trailer below and consider that as big as the projects get, Bale will remain the rarest of talents – the sort that’s just a little removed but shines brightest.

Amy Poehler’s 9-to-5 Potential

Heard around the water cooler: One of Saturday Night Live’s MVPs, Amy Poehler, is said to be in talks to star in the spin-off of NBC’s The Office, currently slated for a midseason premiere.

Mmm…Poehler, sitting at a desk…being funny.

Hey, it’s work for her as an anchor of SNL’s “Weekend Update” news desk. Imagine what she could do with the layers of boredom found at an office desk.

She totally has the résumé for the job.
Photo: VillageVoice.com.

Update: As it turns out, The Office spin-off may be DOA.

An insider close to it says that while the project isn’t officially dead, it’s “definitely not alive at this point.”

Office executive producer Greg Daniels is said to be creating an entirely different show (possibly a workplace comedy) built around Poehler.

The Girl on TV Back on TV

Before heads to Broadway, Katie Holmes is headed to Eli Stone’s San Francisco.

The actress – she’s an actress, remember? – has signed on to appear in one episode of Season 2 of the critically acclaimed ABC drama.

The gig marks a reunion between Holmes and her former Dawson’s Creek boss, Eli Stone executive producer Greg Berlanti.

I don’t what role the erstwhile Joey Potter will be playing, but I do know this: I’ll be watching.

Photo: Babble.com.

Update 1: The Kat half of TomKat will play a non-profit attorney, with really sassy hair, whose mysterious case leads her to lawyer/prophet Eli Stone (Jonny Lee Miller).

Update 2: ABC boss Stephen McPherson has revealed Holmes does some “singing and dancing” on the show.

The Hot Knight

Aaron Eckhart.

I mean, do I even have to say anything else?

If you don’t get it – you should.

Photo: Men’s Health.

Bay of Thrills

Director Michael Bay recently teased that his upcoming Transformers sequel, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, will feature “some great, new robots that are really inventive.”

Bay also discussed his update of Friday the 13th – “You’re just not going to believe the first 12 minutes!” – and his involvement in a project titled Ouija.

Sounds like Hollywood’s most bombastic helmer really wants to frighten us….

Photo: Collider.com.

Britney Goes On…With a Little Help from Her Friend Madonna

E! News has an exclusive look at Britney Spears on the set of a video shoot for Madonna’s imminent “Sticky & Sweet Tour,” which you can peek at here.

The never-before-seen photos were taken on July 9 at the Lot, a soundstage in West Hollywood, as seven cameras rolled simultaneously to film a “short movie” that a source told E! News will “be very deep.”

The photos are behind-the-scenes glimpses at what’s described as Spears taking charge of her life again. (Good for her, I’ve said.)

The shots show the embattled pop star looking better than she has in years, in a steel elevator.

A source told E! News Spears worked diligently on her scenes, and that she was professional but “nervous.” (Wouldn’t you be if Madonna were your boss?)

In the video, M’s 1994 song “Human Nature” is playing. When things start to heat up in the elevator, Spears breaks into choreography and sheds her goggles and bodysuit to reveal what lies beneath.

“You’ve never seen Britney like this before,” a source told E! News. “It will blow your mind.”

I can’t wait to see the video…at the concert of the year, natch. Yeah!

Photo: E! Online.

On the Runway

To some in Hollywood, a dearth of advertising on behalf of the fifth season of Project Runway means “sabotage”…and people have been quick to say that Bravo is trying to get back at Harvey Weinstein for taking the hit show to Lifetime in November.

Well, sabotage, schmabotage – the show’s latest cast was announced yesterday.

Bravo says they waited to make the big reveal because they were in production until July 13 and didn’t want any spoilers getting out.

“The show is so high profile. People look out for [the contestants],” Bravo general manager Frances Berwick told Entertainment Weekly last month. “We don’t want the cast out there because anyone who sees them out and about will know that they reach a certain level in the show.”

That makes sense.

I’m already rooting for Keith, 26, from Salt Lake City…because he’s cute.

Let’s hope he can sew. And that he’s not aggroying.

Photo: E! Online.

She’s Electrifying!

Well, it’s official: Kristen Bell’s not done being a Hero.

Putting the kibosh on the speculation, Bell will reprise her NBC’s Heroes role as Elle, an agent of the Company who harnesses electricity to zap her opponents.

The actress will appear in a new, multiple episode arc during the show’s third season this fall.

“I’m just happy to be electrocuting people again!” Bell told People.

And I’m happy you’re happy, K.B.

Photo: People.com.

Just Because, Pt. 17

Sarah Michelle Gellar – whom I miss terribly – recently wrapped production on an upcoming indie titled Veronika Decides to Die, due out next year, to which I say:

“Yay, girl! Get yourself back on the screen.”

It’s SMG’s world. I just live in it, don’t you know, don’t you know.

Photo: EW.com.

A Funny Single Gal Again

Sarah Silverman and longtime boyfriend Jimmy Kimmel have split.

Is it because she f---ed Matt Damon?

Or is it because he f---ed Ben Affleck?

Either way, stick a fork in them. They’re done. And the line to date to be Silverman’s rebound starts here.

Photo: TVGuide.com.

The Thicke Touch

I’ve long believed Robin Thicke’s sultry, classic brand of R&B was magic – that it’s my undoing.

And now, he’s gone and released a song that embodies this and – whaddya known – called it “Magic.”

I love it so much I can’t get enough of it. I trust the world soon will fall in love (and lust) with Thicke.

His third solo album, Something Else, will arrive in stores on Sept. 9, by the way.

I’m pre-ordering mine in a hot sec, but first…first, I’m listening to “Magic” again.

Photo: CBC.ca.

Six Billion-Plus – Plus Two

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie welcomed son Knox Leon and daughter Vivienne Marcheline yesterday in Nice, France.

Ah, Brangelina – making the world a prettier place a couple of babies at a time….

The twins join siblings Maddox, 6; Pax, 4; Zahara, 3; and Shiloh, 2, in making one big, happy, pretty family.

I hate them.

I kid, I kid.

Photo: LATimes.com.

Stuck on a Journey You Can’t Get Out Of

Dear Brendan Fraser,

I get that 3-D movies are all the rage these days, but did you have to produce and star in such a cheap-looking clunker that throws around the special effect like it’s nothing but a gimmick?

Alright, Journey to the Center of the Earth isn’t awful, but it’s not thrilling, either. And hello – it should have been.

You and your team must have heard and really believed that it isn’t the destination that counts, I think, because you surely neglected that which matters: the movie’s titular journey.

Talk about buh-ring. The young ones in the audience will enjoy the movie, but to the adults I wish good humor, good luck, and good patience – it’ll be over soon.

Fraser stars as Trevor Anderson, a science professor whose unconventional hypotheses have made him the laughing stock of the academic community.

On an expedition to Iceland, though, he and his nephew Sean (Josh Hutcherson) stumble upon a major discovery that launches them on a thrilling journey deep beneath the Earth’s surface, where they travel through never-before-seen worlds and encounter a variety of unusual creatures.

Unfortunately, some worlds are best left undiscovered…or buried underneath a mount of worthier rentals.

My Rating **

Photo: New Line Cinema.

Girlfriend’s Doing It for Herself

Jennifer Hudson upcoming self-titled debut album, she says, will allow us to learn a lot about her journey toward absolute divadom.

Jennifer Hudson will be released on Sept. 30 – but you don’t have to wait quite that long to preview the first single off the album, “Spotlight,” a song written by Ne-Yo.

J. Hud, who also collaborated with Timbaland, Robin Thicke, and Diane Warren, among others, on the album, promises to take us on a journey with her long-awaited musical material. And I believe her and cannot wait.

The Oscar winner most recently co-starred in the Sex and the City movie, and recorded the song “All Dressed in Love” for its soundtrack.

She soon will appear in the upcoming The Secret Life of Bees and Winged Creatures.

Photo: VDay.org.

Elementary, My Dear Movie Fans

Summer’s It Man Robert Downey Jr. is set to star in Sherlock Holmes, Guy Ritchie’s feature drama about the fictional detective, according to Variety.

This latest incarnation of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle character is based on an upcoming comic book from producer Lionel Wigram, which portrays Holmes as less stuffy and more adventurous, using physical prowess along with intellect to solve mysteries. Downey reportedly signed on to the Warner Bros. project after seeing Ritchie’s latest version of the script.

I guess this means Downey’s next project isn’t Brett Ratner’s Playboy, after all.

Ritchie’s project is set to start production this fall, ahead of a recently announced, presumably more comic Sherlock Holmes movie starring Sacha Baron Cohen and Will Ferrell.

Photo: LibertyFilmFestival.com.