Styles & Scenes

Will Jack moon the HFPA luncheon?

Harder to get in than Vanity Fair's Oscar bash! More fun than a big Hollywood premiere! Possibly more star-studded than the upcoming Emmy red carpet!

What is it? The legendary Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s annual Installation Luncheon to be held on August 17 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

The event honors the new slate of HFPA officers/board of directors for 2006-07. But then comes the fun part: the presentation of financial grants to non-profit organizations and film schools.

Last year Brad Pitt – still a little under the weather from his run-in with a nasty viral meningitis - showed up on July 20 to pocket the donation check for Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation. 

But this year Jack Nicholson will pick up the Film Foundation’s check. Which of course, has everyone wondering if he’ll reprise his infamous Golden Globes mooning act. With Jack, you just never know.

Annette Bening will accept the check for Film Aid International and “Dream Girls” director Bill Condon will grab Outfest’s check.

Dustin Hoffman is slotted for the LA Conservancy and Lisa Kudrow is coming for Inner-City Arts.  James Franco (“Flyboys”) is doing the California State Summer School Arts Foundation.

Diane Lane - who reportedly does a great Norma Desmondesque turn in the upcoming "Hollywoodland" with Ben Affleck as George Reeves - will accept the American Cinematheque's check.

Christina Ricci is in charge of grabbing the moola for the Sundance Film Institute. Mark Ruffalo will be on hand to take home Independent Feature Project West’s donation.

Photo Credits: Heeeeeere's Jack, in the front row at his daughter's recent LA fashion show. But will he do another moon shot for the HFPA's upcoming Intallation Luncheon?
WireImage/Chris Weeks

Jon Voight hasn't seen Shiloh

At Monday night’s "You, Me and Dupree” premiere, Jon Voight told a People reporter that he still hadn’t seen his six-week-old granddaughter, Shiloh. But he had seen the magazine photos.

Ouch.

But at least he seemed to have it more under control than he did at the June 24th “Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest” premiere. On the Disneyland press line, an Australian journalist ambushed Voight and asked what everyone was wondering but dared not ask, “Have you seen your granddaughter yet?”

“No, no, I haven’t seen her.. yet,”  Voight replied softly, stammering, his eyes slowly filling with tears. ”But I hope to soon and I’d really rather not talk about that if you don’t mind.”

But the reporter pressed on, asking Voight if he’d sent a baby gift and if so, what was it. “No, I haven’t sent a gift. And can we please change the subject?,” Voight asked, helplessly caught on camera as the embarrassing personal inquisition continued.

Next the reporter asked Voight how he felt about his daughter Angelina’s relationship with Brad Pitt and their new baby.

“I’m very proud of Angie and all the good work she's doing and I’d really rather not talk about it anymore,” Voight said as he moved away.

Voight was trying to be professional and polite but it was obvious he was upset abut not seeing his grandchild and the ongoing rift between the actor and his daughter, rumored to be over his infidelities while married to Jolie’s mother, Marcheline Bertrand.

On the carpet at the “Dupree” premiere, Voight was smart and escaped more personal probes by breaking off a press chat and grabbing one of the film's stars, Owen Wilson, to give him a big bear hug. “I love this guy! I’m a huge Owen Wilson fan!,” Voight said about his "Anaconda" and "Zoolander" co-star. “I go to all his premieres!”

“Yeah, you’re right,” a baffled Wilson replied, in mid-hug. “You really do come to all my premieres. Thanks, man.”

But enough about Shiloh. More importantly, I had to know if any of the "Dupree" stars had seen Baby Suri, the still MIA spawn of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. No one, including Seth Rogan, had.

"Who? Baby Suri? No, no I haven't. Have you?" 

But Rogan admitted  he was bummed by the recent bizarre Emmy nominations. "I'm really upset that my favorite show "Lost" didn't get more. I'm fanatical about that show to a maniacal degree and it deserved more."

All those in favor, say Aye!' And if anyone out there has seen Suri, please let me know, stat.

Photo Credits: Jon Voight is one sad lonely grandfather. Bet he was thrilled to see that Shiloh has his once-puffy lips. Okay, Angelina's got them in spades but they're from his genes.
WireImage/Steve Granitz

Hollywood braces for "Blood Diamond" War

Get ready for the big "Blood Diamond " PR War between Team De Beers and Team Zwick.

Nelson Mandela will act as a spokesman for the international diamond cartel to  defuse any negative publicity caused by Ed Zwick's new film “The Blood Diamond,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly and Djimoun Hounsou, due out in December.

The film, a fictional tale, is set during the all-too-real ‘90s decade of African civil wars when rebel armies seized control of diamond mines, traded conflict diamonds for arms and murdered, raped and mutilated thousands of innocent people.

The film’s barely finished shooting but the World Diamond Council has already asked Zwick, the film’s producer/co-writer/director to add a disclaimer at the end that puts the nasty rough diamond trade in the past and the current industry in a better light.

Honest, those creepy rebels with nasty amputation habits are gone. Today's mining conditions are way improved and diamonds are now carefully documented thanks to the Kimberly Process, a voluntary industry agreement made in 2000, which tracks and certifies the movement of rough diamonds.

Human rights groups such as Amnesty International don’t buy it. But if you do, I’ve got some great New Orleans property near some lovely new levees you might also like. Zwick’s response? He gave it to E! Online yesterday.

A bitter battle is clearly brewing. But how will Team De Beers, headed by Mandela, do against Team Zwick? Let’s compare the players. Ready for their turn at bat are the “Blood” actors, all politically active and involved with a variety of humanitarian causes.

DiCaprio is outspoken about ecology and global warming issues. His website was redesigned and launched in 2004, the same year he joined the boards of NRDC and Global Green USA. Hounsou was born in Benin, near Niger. He participated in Amnesty International’s Live for Darfur concert series last fall. It's safe to say that he has strong opinions on the illicit diamond trade’s impact on Africa peoples. And Jennifer Connelly was just named Amnesty International USA's (AIUSA) Ambassador for Human Rights Education last winter.

But Zwick may also have a trump card, an actress who could give his team an unbeatable hand....

Leslie Caron sells her couture AND dines with Brangelina

Two-time Oscar nominee Leslie Caron, most famous for “American in Paris" and “Gigi,” is following in Elton John’s footsteps and cleaning out her closet.

Paris-based Caron, 74, will auction off a portion of her couture collection at Sotheby’s in London on June 26. For more information, go to www.kerrytaylorauctions.com.

Over 60 pieces from Givenchy, Dior, Saint Laurent and other top designers from the ’50s-‘80s will go on the block. Estimated prices:  $570-$5700.

Some - like the tangerine silk Saint Laurent gown she wore to the Cannes Film Festival with Kirk Douglas and the Dior frock she wore to present Steve McQueen with a Henrietta Award (World Film Favorite Actor) at the Golden Globes - also come with photos of Caron in the gowns.

“My sale starts at 4 p.m.,” Caron, said from her Left Bank abode that she shares with her dog, Prunella. “Before me, they’re selling valuable antique textiles. And after me, there are some very special items being auctioned – a dance costume that was worn by ballerina Margot Fonteyn, a pinstriped suit and nightshirt that belonged to Sir Winston Churchill and one of Princess Diana’s cocktail gowns! Isn’t that wonderful? I’m sure that will interest your readers,” Caron added, with unabated "Gigi" spirit.

Caron was a young dancer in Paris when Gene Kelly discovered her. She's had a long career and though she's been off the celeb radar, she still acts occasionally.

She almost got the role of the murdered nun in "The Da Vinci Code.” “They told me I looked too worldly.” And she recently shot an upcoming episode of  “Law and Order – Special Victims Unit,” playing a woman much like Teri Hatcher, who testifies against a man who raped her when she hears he has more victims.

And she’s already met Hollywood’s hottest couple. In March, Caron dined at the Hotel de Crillon with LA painter Don Bacardi and his friends, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. They had invited Bacardi, a friend of Angelina’s mother, to come to France and paint a portrait of the pregnant actress/activist.

“I like them very much,” Caron said. “They’re bright, interested in what’s going on, open to everything, ready to grab everything they can out of life. They’re not wasting a lot of time being movie stars. They’re taking advantage of it to see, listen and learn. Their love affair is obviously not for the benefit of the press; they seem extremely happy and comfortable together.”

There was only one awkward moment, when Leslie innocently asked where the baby would be born.

“They were perfectly mute,” she says. “I wasn’t thinking! They were being stalked everywhere by the paparazzi.”

More on Caron's clothes calls...

Photo Credits: Leslie Caron in Dior by Marc Bohan at the Golden Globes, presenting a Henrietta award to Steve McQueen.
Courtesy of Leslie Caron

Breaking famous baby news!

Finally, a peek at the second most famous out-of-wedlock baby (after Suri Cruise, of course) in the world!

Several of the much-anticipated Jolie-Pitt family photos are up on PerezHilton.com. And sweet little Shiloh Jolie-Pitt sure looks like her Mommy, pillowy pouty lips and all.

But there may be bad news for Britney's baby.

According to TMZ.com, that cute guy hanging out with Britney and her baby is NOT a nanny after all. And he knows less about child-care than Britney does.

No, wait, that’s impossible.

And The Scoop says Katie Holmes may have to marry Tom Cruise. Especially if she wants to keep custody of her baby Suri and make enough money to pay for all the therapy and deprogramming she's gonna eventually need.

Angelina's awards season appearance

Dying for a glimpse of an expectant Angelina Jolie and that proud papa-to-be Brad Pitt?

You and everyone else hoping to attend the upcoming black-tie, invite-only “Circle of Passion” gala, to be held on Feb. 26 at Astra West in West Hollywood's Pacific Design Center.

The “Circle of Hope” event was initially skedded to be held in L.A. last year but was postponed and now appears on Hollywood's already-packed awards season calendar.

Jolie will be the special honoree at the formal gala which will raise funds and awareness for musicians Sheila E. and Lynn Mabry's Elevate Hope Foundation (EHF).

But she's not "confirmed," says a benefit spokesman. Bummer! She may be "supplying a video acceptance or someone else may accept the award on her behalf," explained Astrid Merget from event planner Luna Llena Productions. Like Brad?

Angela Bassett is set to host and performers/presenters include: Jamie Foxx, Sharon Stone, Nikka Costa and Prince's old flames, Wendy and Lisa.

Attending event co-chairs include Arthel Neville, Patti LaBelle, Rick and Kathy Hilton and Randy Jackson.

To celebrate the opening of his new Los Angeles fashion house, designer Lloyd Klein will show a retrospective of vintage pieces and a sneak peek at his 2006 couture line modeled by celebrities such as Natasha Henstridge, Janice Dickinson, Lucy Lawless, Vanessa Williams, Lisa Raya, Courtney Peldon and Bai Ling. Now there's a name that's a sure-fire assurance of an A-list event.

In case Jolie does show up, wonder if Klein will design a special maternity dress for her? Or perhaps the St. John fashion company will supply Jolie, their new highly paid spokesmodel, with a made-to-order mother of a gown?

Photo: Angelina Jolie keeps her bump under wraps on the Dominican Republic set of “The Good Shepherd” with costar Robert DeNiro on Jan. 12, 2006.
(James Devaney / WireImage)

Brad and Angelina's great expectations

Although nominated for favorite onscreen chemistry, those sexy "Mr. and Mrs Smith" stars Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt didn’t show up at the People’s Choice Awards Tuesday night.

Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn won the category for “The Wedding Crashers,” in case you care, and only Wilson showed up.

But turns out Brad and Angie had way better chemistry than Wilson and Vaughn.

According to People magazine's just released report, Jolie is indeed pregnant with Pitt’s child and is expecting this summer. The mag sez she told a charity worker in the Dominican Republic, where she's filming “The Good Shepherd,” the story of the CIA as told through the eyes of one of its founders James Wilson (played by Pitt’s “Ocean’s 11” pal Matt Damon. Jolie plays Wilson’s wive, Clover.

People reports that both star’s camps have confirmed the baby news, which certainly explains the actress' recently reported fainting spells and those tummy-hiding tops she’s been wearing, including the black cashmere poncho she sported at the December special screening of “Munich” in Beverly Hills.

It also explains why  St. John rushed to shoot Jolie's new ad campaign for the fashion house in Miami Beach last winter, before she started to show.  Wonder if they're planning a maternity line now?

Seems like only yesterday -- okay, last year -- that the two stars were staunchly denying reports of their on-set romance, claiming to be just friends, which of course, no one really believed anyway.

Sadly, this baby news means Jolie may skip the big 2006 awards season. Unless, of course, Marc Bouwer, who designed Jolie's classic white satin halter gown for the 77th Annual Academy Awards, is whipping up a sexy maternity frock for our favorite film femme fatale.   

Photo Credit: Angelina Jolie, caught in a pregnant pose on the set of "The Good Shepherd," filming on location in New York on Dec. 6, 2005.
(James Devaney/WireImage)

The award for Best Trailer goes to..

Before the 17th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala - honoring Charlize Theron, Felicity Huffman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Shirley MacLaine, David Cronenberg, Terrance Howard, Thomas Newman and Michael London -  got cranking Saturday night, the 1200-strong formally attired audience was inexplicably treated to …  trailers for a slate of upcoming 2006 tent pole studio films.

The evening's emcee Mary Hart, that ever-so effervescent “Entertainment Tonight” hostess, introduced “films that may just be contenders for next year's Oscars!"

Then the trailers started rolling for Johnny Depp’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” Tom Cruise’s “Mission: Impossible III,” and Tom Hanks’ “The Da Vinci Code.”

“Bet that (“Code”) will give Tom Cruise a real run for his money!,” quipped Hart.

Up next, Brad Pitt's “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” “X-Men 3,” Jennifer Aniston’s new romantic comedy, “The Breakup,” Julia Roberts and Dakota Fanning in “Charlotte’s Web,” Superman Returns,” “Miami Vice” with Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx, Daniel Craig as the new James Bond in “Casino Royale,” “Dreamgirls,” with Beyonce Knowles and finally, Oliver Stone’s untitled project about the World Trade Center bombing, breathlessly billed by Hart as “the first film about 9/11!”

What, no popcorn?

Steven, Angelina and Brad show up for Munich

It wasn't really a premiere. But last night's special private screening of "Munich" at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater was about as close to one as Steven Spielberg's controversial, but still Oscar-hopeful film is gonna get.

According to his reps, Spielberg flew in from New York early and drove straight from the airport to make an appearance at the film's 6 p.m. reception in the lobby of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Other than Spielberg's presence, it was a low-key affair, offering light fare, drinks and a dessert table. There was no "red carpet' to walk. A small group of photogs were allowed to shoot the director posing with "Munich" stars Eric Bana and Daniel Craig, screenwriter Tony Kushner and producer Kathleen Kennedy.

Spielberg talked to a few friends such as Variety's Army Archerd and TV talk show host Larry King. "He hasn't seen his friends in a long time. Steven released 'War of the Worlds' and 'Munich' this year and has been working for the past 18 months," explained Spielberg's longtime PR spokesman, Marvin Levy.

The loudest party buzz was over Patrick Goldstein's column yesterday in the Los Angeles Times about the "Munich" awards marketing mess. Levy shook his head when he spoke of Goldstein's piece, then waved his hands as if to shoo the story from existence or memory or both. But Spielberg did, as Universal reps had hoped, speak briefly to two trade reporters and commented on his film's personal and political messages to The Envelope.

"I hope that people who see this movie understand that it's a human story above all else," Spielberg said. "This film is about these five characters. Before all the other noise gets in the way of what our intentions were, this is a human story, told with a tremendous amount of empathy and told in a very balanced fashion and I'm very proud of that."

But Spielberg's appearance was just the first surprise. A veritable second coming occurred when all the hushed party whispers about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie being "on their way" turned out to be true. The hot couple walked into the almost-empty lobby minutes before the 7 p.m. screening began and mere moments after Spielberg had left.

Photo: Daniel Craig and Eric Bana with "Munich" director Steven Spielberg at a special screening of the film at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater.
(Jeffrey Mayer / WireImage)