Morning Briefing:
Four paparazzi and a funeral: The funeral for Chris Penn was held Feb. 4 at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, Calif., but things got tense when a photographer got a little too close for brother Sean's liking. Details are a bit unclear, but there was some sort of scuffle that ended with Mark Ruffalo and his bodyguards allegedly grabbing the paparazzo's digital camera and pulling out his video memory card. The photographer lodged a complaint with the police, but Sean Penn's spokeswoman said, "I have no knowledge of an incident and have no intention of disturbing the family at this time." (N.Y. Daily News)
Will the real Paris Hilton please stand up? Paris Hilton impersonator Natalie Reid popped up at Fashion Week in New York over the weekend, fooling stars and fans alike with her eerily Hilton-esque looks. Reid, who's a model for a celebrity-impersonator entertainment firm -- which charges anywhere from $750 to $2,000 for her appearance at your function -- has been living as the heiress on and off for the past six months, and is getting pretty good with the line "That's hot." You can watch her in action (QuickTime) at the Nicole Miller fashion show or in this interview (QuickTime) beforehand. (TMZ)
WGA winners: The Writers Guild of America Awards were held in Los Angeles over the weekend, with Oscar competitors "Brokeback Mountain" and "Crash" both getting top honors: "Brokeback" took the award for best adapted screenplay and "Crash" won for best original screenplay. Other big winners: The writers of HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm" won for best comedy series, while "Lost" continued its winning streak with an award for best dramatic series. See the full list of winners here. (L.A. Times)
Michael Moore needs you? Populist firebrand Michael Moore is at work on his next film, to be called "Sicko," about the U.S. healthcare industry. And now he's asking for your stories: "Have you ever found yourself getting ready to file for bankruptcy because you can't pay your kid's hospital bill, and then you say to yourself, 'Boy, I sure would like to be in Michael Moore's health care movie!'?" If so, he'd like you to e-mail him at michael@michaelmoore.com, and promises, "I will read every single one" of the e-mails sent. (MichaelMoore.com)
Also:
It's splitsville for rocker Sheryl Crow and biker Lance Armstrong; the couple announced to the world on Friday: "After much thought and consideration we have made a very tough decision to split up. We both have a deep love and respect for each other and we ask that everyone respect our privacy during this very difficult time." (Associated Press) ... Katie Holmes' immersion in Scientology continues: Her name and signature run alongside Tom Cruise's as part of a new promotional package for the Church of Scientology. (Fox 411) ... Was Brad Pitt not going to give Jennifer Aniston a heads-up about having a baby with Angelina Jolie? "Brad wasn't going to bother telling her at all," a friend of Aniston's tells Page Six. "He didn't see why he had to. One of their mutual friends intervened and insisted, so he made his publicist do it. Nice, huh?" (Page Six) ... Comedian Jay Mohr and actress Nikki Cox (currently starring in NBC's "Las Vegas") have announced they are engaged; Cox was once engaged to Bobcat Goldthwait, while Mohr's previous marriage to model Nicole Chamberlain ended in 2004. (Access Hollywood) ... Al Lewis, the actor known best as Grandpa Munster from "The Munsters," died on Friday in New York. He was 95 according to some reports, though his son has said he was 82. (Hollywood Reporter)
Money Quote:
Designer Karl Lagerfeld on Princess Diana: "She was pretty and she was sweet, but she was stupid." (New York)
Turn on:
It's the season finale for "Surface" (NBC, 8 p.m. EST), and "Charlie Rose" (PBS, check local listings) hosts an appreciation of Wendy Wasserstein, featuring friends of the playwright.
-- Scott Lamb
Get more of The Fix here.
To send a hot tip to The Fix, click here.
Shares