Crystal Says No More Oscar

Billy Crystal has decided that he doesn't want to be expected to host Hollywood's biggest night every single year. According to the New York Post, Crystal told protesting fans he loved their loyalty but emceeing the Oscars wasn't as much of a thrill anymore.

Crystal passed on the duties in order to focus all of his attention on his current project America's Sweethearts with Julia Roberts, John Cusack and Catheryn Zeta Jones. Actor/comedian Steve Martin will take the gig.

Tim Burton's Latest Breaks Record

Movie-goers went ape over the weekend for Tim Burton's remake of the classic sci-fi adventure Planet of the Apes. The saga opened at No. 1 with an estimated three-day total of $69.6 million since the blockbuster hit theatres on Friday. This tally sets Planet of the Apes as the biggest non-holiday opener ever.

Planet of the Apes stars Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, Helena Bonham Carter and Michael Clarke Duncan, and yes even a cameo starring Charlton Heston.

Lucas Won't Share Sabers

George Lucas seems willing to use whatever force necessary to keep a San Francisco based medical-instruments company from making light sabers of their own. Actually, Minrad Inc. created new laser surgical devices they hoped to call Light Sabers. When the company sought permission from the government to use the name, Lucas filed suit in U.S. District Court claiming copyright infringement.

Lucas is currently working on Star Wars: Episode II. The second prequel, starring Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen, is due out in May 2002.

View For Gwyneth

Gwyneth Paltrow will be cruising the not-so-friendly skies in her next film View From the Top. The project is headed up by Brazilian director Bruno Barreto, and centers around a flirtatious woman from Nevada who tries to land a job as a first class international flight attendant.

According to Premiere, Paltrow spent months learning to ride a motorcycle for the part. Besides the bike riding requirements, Barreto had the actress running around in her underwear for more scenes than she had anticipated. Candice Bergen and Christina Applegate will also star in the South American sex comedy.

Johnson Faces Another Lawsuit

A female fan of Don Johnson may think twice before ever approaching celebrities again. The woman, who's name is being withheld by authorities, has filed a lawsuit against Johnson after he groped her and made several rude comments to her in San Francisco sushi bar Mas Sake.

Apparently, the woman recognized the star and approached him to introduce herself to him. Allegedly, Johnson then asked her if he could "touch her", and since she assumed he wanted to give her a hug she agreed. She claims that instead, the actor reached out and grabbed her genitalia and asked her if she liked it, and then later grabbed her arm and made lewd suggestions.

The incident happened in January, but the charges were filed last week in San Francisco. The woman is asking for a monetary settlement, which Johnson claims was her intention from the beginning. Coincidentally, the actor has faced sexual harrassment charges before, back in 1997, when two female employees claimed they were fired after dissing him on the set of Nash Bridges. Their cases were settled out of court.

Spacey Takes Over For Clooney

It looks like Kevin Spacey will star in The Life of David Gale, instead of the originally cast George Clooney. The actor is in final negotiations to take on the role, after Clooney bowed out due to creative differences. Directed by Alan Parker (Angela's Ashes), the dark drama centers on a professor and anti-capital punishment activist who is convicted of murdering another activist, and now sits on death row.

Saturn Pictures is producing the Universal Pictures film, so owner Nicholas Cage is likely to play a small role. Hollywood gossip is that Nicole Kidman is also being asked to join the cast.

Bachelor Pad Available

Actor Charlie Sheen is giving up his bachelor pad for something a little different. Wealthy, single guys looking for the perfect new "crib" should check out Sheen's spacious 2.5 acre Malibu compound, which includes a poker room, a cigar room, an office, a billiards room and a batting cage. Overlooking Malibu Lake, the 6,000-square-foot home includes a gym, grotto, spa and a guest house with an amazing aquarium setting.

Sheen, who replaced Michael J. Fox on ABC's Spin City last season, is asking a mere $4.5 million for his bachelor digs and has purchased a new home in Los Angeles, which he plans to remodel with a completely new theme.

No Grace For Foster

Everyone in Hollywood expected Jodie Foster's Egg Pictures to develop Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood's Alias Grace after she optioned the rights in February of 1997. Now, four years later, Universal-based Working Title Films is rumored to have paid over 6 figures for the rights, and have already begun developing the story as a vehicle for actress Cate Blanchett.

Based on a true story, Alias Grace is about 16 year old Grace Marks, a housemaid who was tried and convicted of murdering her employer and his mistress in 1843 Canada. The woman spent the next 30 years of her life in prisons and asylums, though there is serious debate as to whether she was really guilty of the crimes. Blanchett can be seen in the upcoming Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Welcome Back, Indy!

In a deal that many thought would never come together, a fourth Indiana Jones film is officially off the back burner. Harrison Ford, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas will soon reunite to film the follow-up to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, released twelve years ago.

So far there is no script yet, but the gossip is that M. Night Shyamalan (Untouchable, The Sixth Sense) has been approached. Lucas and Spielberg have told reporters they are hoping to work with Paramount Pictures on the deal. Ford is said to be asking $25 million plus extras to reprise the role, and the entire film will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $150 million.

Reversal of Fortune for Hoffman

An altered image that showed Dustin Hoffman in an evening gown and heels was used without his permission in Los Angeles magazine in 1997, and after a cumbersome court battle a 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Friday that the image did not unlawfully use Hoffman's name and likeness.

This decision reverses a $3 million award Hoffman received after the initial ruling against the magazine. According to Associated Press, the court ruled that the photo, which was displayed with other captions and altered images of different actors, was editorial speech protected under the First Amendment.

Cromwell Boycotts the Burgers

Babe star James Cromwell and four others were arrested in Vienna, Virginia last week during an animal-rights demonstration aimed at the Wendy's fast-food chain. Apparently the actor and other PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) members refused to leave a Wendy's, and were urging the patrons to boycott the restaurant.

Cromwell released a statement claiming it is "high time that big corporations like Wendy's stopped treating these wonderful animals like meat machines". Approximately 300 people participated in the protest.

Bratty Brando

You never know what to expect from tempermental film legend Marlon Brando. The known-to-be-testy star recently had everyone on the set of The Score in an uproar, refusing to work whenever director Frank Oz was within view. According to Time, Brando took to name-calling when Oz came around, making derogatory references to Oz's work as the voice and puppeteer of The Muppet Show's Miss Piggy.

As a result of Brando's insolence Robert DeNiro had to take over and direct one of Brando's scenes, using an assistant director to run between DeNiro and Oz, who sat at a monitor in another room.

Jazzed About Jade

In an unexpected move, Woody Allen has agreed to go on the road with his clarinet to promote his latest picture The Curse of the Jade Scorpion. The DreamWorks film will hit theatres August 10th, and Allen will be on hand to mark the opening in each major town, performing with Eddy Davis and His New Orleans Jazz Band. All proceeds of the jazz performances will go towards local music charities.

While Manhattan residents have become accustomed, over the years, to hearing the celebrity play at the legendary Carlyle Hotel, this will be the first time West Coast folks will have the privilege of seeing Allen play up close. The Curse of the Jade Scorpion also stars Dan Aykroyd, Helen Hunt, Brian Markinson, Wallace Shawn, David Ogden Stiers and Charlize Theron.

New Deal Near For Actors

Contract talks between screen actors and Hollywood's major studios resumed this week with the two sides nailing down the final terms on a labor pact that should be revealed very soon. The contract that covered an estimated 135,000 members of the two unions representing actors expired this past Saturday.

According to Reuters, the terms of the new deal will likely include increases in performers' minimum salary scale and in residual payments (the money that comes in when TV programs and films move into secondary markets like reruns, cable TV and foreign distribution).

The Hot and the Bothered

Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez, the couple who sizzled on-screen together in The Fast and the Furious, have apparently found love off camera as well. The New York Post is reporting that the couple have been spotted together at various Hollywood functions, and Rodriguez recently told disc jockey Howard Stern last week that Diesel would be a part of her life for a very long time.

Rollerball Will Have To Wait

The highly anticipated remake of the 1975 film Rollerball will have a little more time before it hits theatres. MGM has pushed the John McTiernan project back to an early 2002 release, instead of the original plan to release the film this August. Apparently, the studio has been behind in putting together a full-length trailer, and so far audiences have only seen the teaser.

The new version of the futuristic thriller stars Chris Klein, LL Cool J and Jean Reno.