Filming started Thursday on a movie starring Tom Cruise as the real-life mastermind behind a plot to kill Adolf Hitler, amid German grumbling about the high-profile Scientologist playing a national hero. A spokeswoman for Babelsberg Studios outside Berlin told AFP that director Bryan Singer ("The Usual Suspects") had begun shooting "Valkyrie" on location in the region surrounding the German capital. German officials have baulked at the choice of Cruise to play Count Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg, who was executed by firing squad in 1944 after the failed assassination attempt.

They cite the actor's ties to the Church of Scientology, which is viewed here as a "totalitarian" group that exploits vulnerable people, as making him unfit to play a German martyr. "I find that Stauffenberg stood for the most noble motives a person can have," Frank Henkel, the general secretary of the Berlin chapter of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union, told rolling news channel NTV. "I consider Tom Cruise as a self-proclaimed ambassador of Scientology inappropriate for the role." The remarks came after sharp criticism from a number of politicians and even Stauffenberg's eldest son Berthold, 72, who has told the German press that Cruise "should keep his hands off my father."

*****

Although he was an ardent Nazi in the early years, he realised by 1944 that Germany was entrenched in a disastrous war that Hitler had no intention of ending. Stauffenberg and fellow conspirators planted a bomb under a table in Hitler's headquarters in East Prussia on July 20, 1944. But the Fuehrer escaped, though he was injured, because an officer had moved the briefcase containing the explosives behind a sturdy leg of the oak table. Stauffenberg and other officers were rounded up that same night and executed by firing squad. The filming of "Valkyrie," after the code name for the assassination plot, is scheduled to continue until October 31 with the movie due for release next year.

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Winona Talks About Her Past

Winona Ryder opens up to Vogue magazine about her theft conviction for shoplifting from Saks 5th Avenue.

I didn't have this tremendous sense of guilt, because I hadn't hurt anyone," Ryder tells Vogue magazine for its August cover story. "Had I physically harmed someone or caused harm to a human being, I think it would have been an entirely different experience." Her personal reaction, she says, was "I never said a word. I didn't release a statement. I didn't do anything. I just waited for it to be over."

Still, she says, "The attention was what was embarrassing." She also expresses dismay that one day the news of her arrest topped stories on the supposed capture of Osama bin Laden. Ryder - who was convicted of grand theft - explains that life had been bumpy for her just before the arrest. "Two months prior to that, I broke my arm in two places, and the doctor, a sort of quack doctor, was giving me a lot of stuff and I was taking it at first to get through the pain. And then there was this weird point when you don't know if you are in pain but you're taking it."

She said painkillers of the type she was on - such as Oxycodone, which should not be confused with OxyContin - left her in a state of "confusion," but that her arrest "in a very weird way, was a blessing, because I couldn't do that [painkillers] anymore."

Winona sounds like she's in a better place now. She has three movies coming out this year: The Ten, Sex and Death 101 and The Last Word.

Posted on July 17, 2007
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Writers Write, Inc. Launches Singers Sing

Writers Write, Inc., the parent company of ShoppingBlog.com, Watchers Watch and Writers Write, has announced the launch of SingersSing.com. SingersSing.com is a daily music blog featuring music news and music video clips. Recent posts include:

Nunatak's Live Earth performance from Antarctica.

Katharine McPhee's hot new single Love Story.

Merriam-Webster's addition of crunk to its dictionary.

Avril Lavigne and Lil' Mama's hot remix of "Girlfriend."

The Spice Girls' World Reunion.

The top ten most irritating songs.

Hillary Clinton's campaign song selection.

The Obama Girl's music video.

Posted on July 13, 2007
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Couple Wins Scholarship for Wearing Duct Tape to Prom

High school students Adrienne Beiler, Salisbury, Pa., and Zac Cupler, Grantsville, Md., wore prom outfits made from duct tape on their prom night. They were not the only crazy couple wearing duct tape to prom because Duck brand duct tape was running a Stuck at Prom scolarship contest. Duck says more than 180 couples from 43 states and three Canadian provinces enterted the contest. Adrienne and Zac's entry wasn't pretty but they won a $6,000 college scholarship for their sticky effort. A press release from Duck says the couple used 40 rolls of duct tape.

Beiler was convinced to participate in the contest by her home economics teachers, who suggested Beiler could use her love of sewing to fashion the ensembles. "We worked on the dress and tuxedo for about a year and used around 40 rolls of duct tape," said Beiler. "We came up with a design we thought would be pretty off-the-wall and just ran with it."

The couple used brown, pink, orange, green and yellow duct tape to create the flowery Southern belle dress and traditional suit. Weighing in at 25 pounds, Beiler’s three-piece dress included a hoop skirt with multiple layers of colored duct tape and textured flowers. Cupler's brown suit and hot pink shirt complemented his date's ensemble. Both were accessorized to complete the look of the outfits - Cupler sported a hat and cane, while Beiler carried a duct taped parasol and handbag.

When they arrived at the prom, the reactions were those of excitement and curiosity. "Everyone loved our outfits and thought they were amazing," said Beiler. "They couldn't believe the outfits were really made with duct tape," added Cupler.

All we can say is that duct tape makes really awful prom attire. You can see all of the Stuck at Prom entries at www.stuckatprom.com.

Posted on July 11, 2007
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Clay Tries to Downplay Aikengate

By now you've all heard that Clay Aiken was involved in some kind of air rage incident this past weekend in which the FBI was called to investigate. Now Clay is breaking his silence about Aikengate by telling Entertainment Tonight what really happened.

"While sleeping on a plane over the weekend, my foot evidently found a home on the arm rest of the passenger seated directly in front of me. I didn't realize I was causing the woman any distress until she woke me up with a quick hit to the chest. Unfortunately, being that this happened on a plane, the FBI was called in to investigate and eventually we were all sent on our way. I'd like to thank everyone for their concern; I am fine and have taken steps to prevent any foot wandering in the future."

Clearly the woman was not a fan. She probably thought he was trying to molest her with his "wandering foot" so -- full of righteous indignation -- she whacked him in the chest. He's lucky an air marshall didn't hogtie him and sit on him for the rest of the flight. Although the Aiken might have enjoyed that a little bit too much.

Posted on July 9, 2007
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Divine Brown Wants to Thank Hugh Grant

Remember Divine Brown, the hooker that got Hugh Grant in all that trouble years ago? Well, the Daily Mail (U.K.) reports that Divine (whose real name is Stella Marie Thompson) has done quite well for herself and wants to thank Hugh for turning her life around. The money she earned for her tell-all interviews put her kids through school.

He was in a white BMW convertible. She was standing on the sidewalk in scarlet stilettos. The place was Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, the date June 27, 1995, the time around 1.10am - and one of the biggest showbusiness scandals of recent times was about to unfold. Under different circumstances, we might never have discovered the identity of the celebrity who was later described as sounding like "the Prince of Wales"; or the hooker who performed a $60 (£37) "trick" for him.

But their encounter was interrupted by a tap on the window. The beam of a torch was shinning in their eyes and a voice was telling them to "please step out of the car". Outside were two police officers. They were on a routine patrol in the red light district of the Strip. Their attention had been drawn to the BMW because the brake lights kept flashing "on and off" ... "on/off" ... "on/off "... The driver, you see, kept pushing his foot down on the brake pedal during his illicit tryst with the prostitute. "I guess he was having a really good time," she says. The prostitute in question was Divine Brown and the foot belonged to Hugh Grant.

*****

In fact, what happened to Divine Brown reads like an X-rated version of the movie Pretty Woman. She tells how she moved from a modest apartment in her native Oakland, California, to a fourbedroom home (with three bathrooms) near Beverly Hills with her "manager" (she refuses to call him her "pimp") and father of her children, one "Gangsta" Brown.

At one time or another, according to tonight's episode of Hollywood Lives, the garage housed a Rolls-Royce and a Mercedes Benz. She bought a mink coat on Rodeo Drive and wore diamond earrings, and diamonds around her neck, ankles, even on her feet. "Everything turned out for the better," she says. "It helped me turn my life into something positive. I was blessed that it could get me out of that lifestyle."

Divine is so grateful to Hugh for her change in circumstances that she would love to be friends with him and have a chat about old times. What a great idea! No doubt he'd be thrilled to hear from her.

Posted on July 6, 2007
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The All-Female Beach

Italian women are fed up with being hit on at the beach by beer-guzzling, fried-squid eating macho men. So now they have their own beach, called the Pink Beach. The beach bans loud disco music, fried squid and men. Except for the lifeguard -- he is a man.

We run away from Italian men," said Tiziana Andreoletti. "They're such a drag." And it happens all the time. Boy meets girl and boy annoys girl. So, the Italians have enacted an interesting solution to this problem. They have created a beach strictly for women. No men, children or loud disco music are allowed. "It's a simple idea," said beach owner Fausto Ravaglio. "We have given the women their own world.''

Known as "Pink Beach," the area opened a week ago and is complete with exercise classes, water aerobics and makeup and manicure tips. It greets men with a pink sign that reads: "No Men." The 50-mile stretch of coastline linking Rimini to Riccione also restricts traditional beach food such as deep-fried squid and chips. Women can enjoy the sun, sea and sand without the lustful leers of men.

Beach-goer Marianna Sandu said she hit the testosterone-free sands to meet new friends and talk about "women stuff." But for some men the idea is a little farfetched. One man said the concept might be good for women, but it would fall flat with men. The beach does have one man. "The lifeguard must be a man," Ravaglio said in a foreign newspaper interview. "You clearly need a man to save women in the sea. It's a question of muscles."

No fried squid? Now that's just harsh.

******** Happy Fourth of July! *********

Posted on July 4, 2007
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Elton John Throws Another Hissy Fit

Elton John threw a hissy fit on the way to the party after the Princess Diana concert last Sunday. He was a bit late and the princes were on the way, so he was forced to walk fifty yards to the front of the event, instead of having his limo pull right up to the door.

As a member of rock 'n' roll royalty, Sir Elton John does not take kindly to being outranked. Not even by Princes William and Harry. So when his chauffeur-driven people carrier was stopped because of royal security around the Concert for Diana, the veteran singer flew into one of the rages for which he is renowned. "Get out of my ****ing way," he screamed at a policeman. "Don't you know who I am? I've been working all ****ing day and I need to get to my ****ing dressing room."

The officer, however, remained unmoved and eventually the 60-yearold star, in tail suit with an extravagant lily motif on the sleeve, was forced to get out and trudge the 50 yards to the VIP backstage area. The incident happened late on Sunday night following Sir Elton's performance in the grand finale of the concert at the new Wembley Stadium.

One rattled old queen does not trump two young, hot princes. Sorry, Elton -- that's just the way it is!

Posted on July 3, 2007
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The Three Year Itch

A new study reports that most marriages are happy for only about three years. In fact, according to one expert, some people start getting less happy at the wedding reception.

Forget the proverbial seven-year itch. Not to disillusion the half million or so June brides and bridegrooms who were just married, but new research suggests that the spark may fizzle within only three years.

Researchers analyzed responses from two sets of married or cohabitating couples: one group was together for one to three years, the other for four to six years. While the researchers could not pinpoint a precise turning point - the seven-year itch, as popularized in the play and film about errant husbands, was largely a theory - they found distinct differences between the groups. "We know the earlier ones are happier," said Prof. Kelly Musick, a University of Southern California sociologist. "The initial boost that marriage seems to provide fades over time."

Research also showed that the median duration of first marriages that end in divorce remains a little more than seven years, which means that those couples will likely spend more than half their married lives less happy than they were when they cut the first slice of wedding cake. "Some folks start getting less happy at the wedding reception," said Larry Bumpass, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who wrote the study with Professor Musick.

Is there a three-year itch? "There is not necessarily anything magical about year three," Professor Musick said. "We know that typically when marriages end in divorce, half end before seven or so years and half end after. This is the same idea."

How's that for some upbeat news?

Posted on July 2, 2007
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