Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie’s simple reunion

It could be a reunion — if not a reconciliation — for Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. The estranged best friends may team up for a fourth installment of their Fox reality show “The Simple Life,” whether they like it or not, People magazine reported Tuesday. The network has picked up the option on the pair’s existing contracts for a fourth season of “Simple Life,” according to sources close to the deal.
Planning is still in the early stages, but among the ideas being discussed internally in production would be to follow both Hilton and Richie as they prepare for their respective upcoming weddings and their subsequent lives as married women. (Hilton, 24, is engaged to Greek shipping heir Paris Latsis, and Richie, 24, to deejay Adam Goldstein, who goes by the name DJ AM.)
Another possibility would be to shoot their reconciliation, should such a thing actually happen. But the main parties involved are nowhere near a final decision and have not discussed a start date.
When asked about plans for the show’s next season, Hilton’s rep told People: “No decisions have been made regarding ‘The Simple Life 4.’”
As for the frayed friendship of the two “Simple”-tons, Hilton said in a statement last April: “It’s no big secret that Nicole and I are no longer friends. Nicole knows what she did, and that’s all I’m ever going to say about it.”
A source close to Hilton told People at the time that Richie was jealous of the media attention her blonder costar received and resented being left out of things such as Hilton’s February hosting gig on “Saturday Night Live.”
Meanwhile Richie’s friends told People that tensions arose because she had grown out of her wild ways, quitting drinking and spending more time with fiancé Goldstein. “She just wants to be with Adam and get married,” said one.
Either way, Hilton wasted no time lining up a new sidekick: equally blonde pal Kimberly Stewart, daughter of singer Rod Stewart. And Hilton wasn’t shy about hinting that it may be a preview of things to come. “Kim is hysterical and crazy fun, and I love that about her,” she said, admitting that she was lobbying to make Stewart her new costar.

Thurman makes life hell for her boyfriend in ‘Super Ex’

Super Ex is a romantic comedy directed by Ivan Reitman for Regency Enterprises.

The script, written by Don Payne (The Simpsons), has Uma Thurman playing a superhero that falls for a regular guy. He’s okay with her superhuman abilities but can’t take her for being too controlling and neurotic. When he dumps her, she uses her powers to turn the guy’s life into a nightmare.

Luke Wilson (”The Wendell Baker Story”) will star as her “regular guy” boyfriend.
Wilson recently wrapped shooting on “The Family Stone”. He also stars in an untitled Mike Judge sci fi comedy, which Fox currently has scheduled for an August 5th 2005 release.

Super Ex will shoot in New York this fall. Thurman’s upcoming projects include Prime, with Meryl Streep, and The Producers, in which she plays receptionist Ulla.

The film is being produced by Gavin Palone and marks the first comedy for Reitman since “Evolution” in 2001.

Brad Pitt Hospitalized

Hollywood actor Brad Pitt has been hospitalized after complaining of flu-like symptoms.Pitt, 41, checked himself into an undisclosed Los Angeles area hospital Monday night complaining of flu-like symptoms, his publicist Cindy Guagenti said Tuesday. There were no other details and the name of the hospital wasn’t disclosed for security reasons.

Pitt was in Ethiopia last week with his “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” co-star Angelina Jolie to pick up the actress’s newly adopted baby girl, the second child she has adopted. Guagenti said it wasn’t known if the actor contracted the illness while in Africa.

“I think he has the flu,” the spokeswoman said.

For months, rumors of Pitt and Jolie’s off-screen relationship have been circulating. The couple have been photographed together near her Buckinghamshire, England, estate, while he rides a dirt bike with Maddox. They have also been photographed with Maddox on a beach in Africa.

Pitt and his wife, Jennifer Aniston, announced their separation in January. Aniston filed for divorce in March, citing irreconcilable differences.

Pitt has denied Jolie was the reason for the split.

Bestseller, Shopgirl turned into a movie

Touchstone Pictures forthcoming film Shopgirl is based on the bestselling novel of the same name by Steve Martin. The film stars Steve Martin, Claire Danes and Jason Schwartzman.

Shopgirl is a romantic movie about a young lady named Mirabelle (Claire Danes) working at the glove counter of Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills. An artist struggling just to pay the minimum on her credit cards and student loans, Mirabelle keeps mostly to herself, until wealthy elder Ray Porter (Steve Martin) shows up, showering her with affection and bundles of dough. The relationship is passionate, but she questions how long it will last.

Then she meets a musician her own age Jeremy (Jason Schwartzman), a bachelor who’s not nearly as cultured or successful as Ray. She has to choose which man is better suited for her.

You may remember that Jimmy Fallon had been briefly linked to the project. Jason Schwartzman, obviously, signed for the part that Fallon was rumored to be up for.

Fraser signed for ‘Journey to the End of the Night’

Brendan Fraser (”Crash,” “Gods and Monsters”) has signed for The Millennium Films’ ‘Journey to the End of the Night’. The film is scheduled for production in Sao Paolo, Brazil, September, 2005.

Along with Fraser, Mos Def and Catalina Sandino Moreno are in talks to join the project. Scott Glenn (”Backdraft,” “Silverado,” “Urban Cowboy”) and Alice Braga (”City of God”) have already joined the cast.

A gritty thriller of betrayal beyond redemption set against the harsh backdrop of a South American city defined by drugs, money, sex, and corruption the story centers on a father and son who are both separately planning to escape their mundane lives by entering a gruesome underworld.

The film is written and directed by Eric Eason( “Manito”). It will be produced by James Acheson, Frank DeMartini (”Mozart and the Whale”) and Richard Gladstein (”Finding Neverland,” “The Bourne Identity”). Executive producers are Avi Lerner, Trevor Short, Danny Dimbort & Boaz Davidson for Millennium Films and Simon Millar & Adam Shulman of The Firm.

Fraser is currently lending his voice to the animated feature Big Bug Man.

‘Crash’ website for “crash momentsâ€?

Lions Gate Films, the distributor of Crash, has now set up a website for people affected by the movie to post their “crash moments�.

There you can anonymously share experiences you might have had like those in the movie, where you have collided with other people, or how the film affected your life.

CRASH takes a provocative, unflinching look at the complexities of racial tolerance in contemporary America. The film marks Haggis’ directing debut and its casting include Michael Pena and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges.

Lions Gate will also use the site to give away some nice swag: soundtracks and eventually DVDs of the movie. Lions Gate will randomly select winners from people who post their stories.

New voice for the great lion Aslan

The movie version of C.S. Lewis’ beloved children’s story, “Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe”, won’t be in theaters until Dec. 9 but it is rumored that the new voice of the great lion Aslan is to be Liam Neeson, who has appeared in such movies as Star Wars, Batman Begins, etc.

The rumored option for Aslan was initially Brian Cox [X-Men United]. Cox supposedly had the role of Aslan up until his voice began to change due to sudden weight loss. Since this Aslan story has begun to run rampant across the web, expect official updates shortly.

The film tells the story of Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, a group of siblings from London who are separated from their parents during WWII and sent to live in the safety of the English countryside. There the children discover a magical wardrobe that leads them into the mysterious world of Narnia.

Shrek helmer Andrew Adamson is the director. He has co-written the script with Ann Peacock, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. The film’s young cast includes William Moseley as Peter, Anna Popplewell as Susan, Georgie Henley as Lucy and Skander Keynes as Edmund. Tilda Swinton plays The White Witch, James McAvoy is Mr. Tumnus, Rupert Everett is the voice of Fox, and Jim Broadbent is the professor.

Also recently added to the cast are Sophie Winkleman as the adult Susan and Rachael Henley as adult Lucy.

Both JESSICA and ASHLEE Simpson are making their movie debuts in lead roles in the very same month-August.

Jessica takes on the role of Daisy Duke in the classic remake of The Dukes of Hazzard, the Warner Bros. Pictures. Directed by Jay Chandrasekhar, the action-packed flick is due in theaters August 5.

The story follows the adventures of “good ol’ boy” cousins, Bo (Seann William Scott) and Luke (Johnny Knoxville) Duke, who with the help of their eye-catching cousin Daisy (Jessica Simpson), and moonshine running Uncle Jesse(Willie Nelson), try and save the family farm from being destroyed by Hazzard County’s corrupt commissioner, Boss Hogg (Burt Reynolds).

“The Dukes of Hazzard” was filmed on location in various parts of Louisiana, including Baton Rouge and New Orleans in November 2004.

Ashlee, will be starring in the movie Undiscovered (also the name of one of her songs). She will play Clea, an aspiring actress looking to make it big and tomboy who’s dabbling with a singing career. This one is set for release August 26. Other casting in the movie is Pell James, Carrie Fisher and Steven Strait (who debuts in the upcoming Sky High).

Undiscovered tells the story of an aspiring model who falls in love with a struggling musician when they suddenly cross paths on a NY subway train.
It is written by John Galt and directed by Meiert Avis (his first film was 1989’s lamely creepy Far From Home).

Ashlee previously appeared on “7th Heaven,” the ROB SCHNEIDER comedy ‘The Hot Chick’ and, of course, her own show on MTV, “The Ashlee Simpson Show.”