GAG ANOTHER DAY: Apparently the glitter hasn’t faded: Mariah Carey is in talks to sing the title song to the next James Bond film, reports Ananova.com.
The “Hero” diva wants a hero, and reportedly has been approached by producers to follow in the footsteps of Madonna, Garbage and Shirley Bassey, who have all sung Bond theme tunes.
She’ll apparently also take on a small role in what will be the 21st–and as yet unnamed–Bond film, although a source says the script hasn’t been discussed yet.
The film is expected to be the final one starring Pierce Brosnan and is set to be released in 2005.
MAKING HEADLINES: Cambodia has approved a $1.5 million forest conservation project funded by Angelina Jolie.
The money will be used to educate villagers about conservation as well as protect forests and wildlife in northwestern Cambodia over the next five years.
But back home, the “Tomb Raider” star can’t shake tabloid reports that she’s fooling around with her co-stars on the set of “Taking Lives.”
Tabloids have “spotted” Jolie with Ethan Hawke (Uma Thurman’s man) and Olivier Martinez (Kylie Minogue’s) off camera in Montreal, but all three deny any wrong-
doing.
RUMOR HAS IT … Jennifer Garner is secretly dating her “Alias” co-star Michael Vartan, according to the World Entertainment News Network.
Garner had been romantically linked to Vartan since she split from her husband Scott Foley earlier this year, but sources are whispering that she wants to keep her new squeeze a secret so as not to upset Foley.
So, Scott, if you’re reading this … uh, please stop.
CRASHING THE PARTY: A show headlined by Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake in Atlantic City, N.J., was canceled after sound and lighting equipment crashed down while being raised to the ceiling.
About 30 people managed to get out of the way as a large steel rigging structure used to raise the gear buckled and collapsed Saturday, authorities and members of the stage crew said.
Authorities said three people were slightly injured. Two were treated for cuts and bruises.
Neither Aguilera nor Timberlake was in Boardwalk Hall at the time of the accident.
Fans left disappointed, but the pop stars had to move on to Albany’s Pepsi Arena for a show Monday night.
AT THE MOVIES: The cop thriller “S.W.A.T.,” starring Colin Farrell and Samuel L. Jackson, topped the weekend box office with a better-than-expected opening of $37 million according to studio estimates. (That’s about 10 times better than “Gigli” did on opening week, for those of you scoring at home.)
The family comedy “Freaky Friday,” starring Jamie Lee
Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, came in second with an estimated $22.3 million in ticket sales.
BOXED IN: Good news, Ryan Adams fans, his first studio album in two years, “Rock ‘n’ Roll,” is due out in November, Rolling Stone magazine reports.
However, the versatile singer continues to wrangle with his record label, Lost Highway, over another completed–but not released–album, “Love Is Hell.”
“We don’t know what to do with [‘Love Is Hell’],” Adams wrote online in May, “or should I say ‘they’ don’t know what to do with it. I’ve heard adjectives like `incredibly too depressing’ and–this one’s funny–`dark.’ Also, `not your best stuff.’ “
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Compiled from RedEye news services and edited by Leo Ebersole (lebersole@tribune.com) and Drew Sottardi (dsottardi@tribune.com)
