HollywoodNews.com: Lady Gaga showed up at the EuroPride parade to perform and support gay rights in Rome.

Gaga wanted to make her message clear as she feels the lack of rights is unfair to homosexuals, states OMG!. “Today and every day we fight for freedom. We fight for justice. We beckon for compassion, understanding and above all we want full equality now,” Gaga reportedly commented to the crowd.

Gaga stayed respectful of religion and the Pope while making her message simple: “We stand here to demand an end to intolerance.”

Do you like Lady Gaga’s efforts for gay rights?

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HollywoodNews.com: Lady Gaga is lending her support to the EuroPride parade as she is reportedly in Rome and ready to perform for gay rights.

Gaga will be attending the event that was organized by citizens who wanted to voice “their defiance against the Vatican and Silvio Berlusconi’s ‘backward’ government,” states Celebrity Gossip. However, Gaga can expect a not so smooth sailing as protesters will reportedly be present.

Gaga is reportedly expected to give a short speech and will then allegedly perform “Born This Way.”

Do you like that she is doing this?

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HollywoodNews.com: ‘Jersey Shore’ will be taking their fourth season to Italy and the stars of the reality show couldn’t be more excited to finally get there.

Newbie Deena revealed she is ready for absolutely anything that Italy might bring, states MTV. “For some reason, I really want to go on a gondola ride. Or I would like if we’re in Rome, I would like to see the love fountain, so I’m thinking I’ll steal a coin … maybe I’ll fall in love,” Deena said about what she is hoping to do while there.

Vinny is also excited to see what Italy will bring, especially considering the language barrier: “I’m excited to be thrown right into the water with whatever language skills I have.”

Who do you think will handle the language the best?

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By Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith

HollywoodNews.com: RIP Elizabeth Taylor, the last great Hollywood film goddess…As the world says farewell to the actress-philanthropist, who died today at age 79, we also say goodbye to a kind of glamor that simply does not exist today. Here is a glimpse of Elizabeth Taylor’s world when she was at her very peak, and Marilyn Beck shared an adventure.

November 11, 1963

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton Find Paradise On ‘Night of the Iguana’ Shoot

By Marilyn Beck

PUERTO VALLARTA, MEXICO — Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton have discovered paradise – and they freely admit it.

In this tiny, tropical village they have found their heaven on earth, where they can openly display their love for each other, freer than they have ever been from notoriety and criticism.

In an exclusive interview with this reporter, Burton explained that he and his Elizabeth are now in process of buying a home in Puerto Vallarta, that they have found contentment here that has thus far eluded them in the other places they have traveled.

“Half the people here,” he explained, “have never heard of Elizabeth. The other half might have heard of her, but couldn’t care less about her behavior. The natives allow us to live our lives, to act ourselves.”

He grinned disarmingly, as if unaware his statements were newsworthy, and explained, “Elizabeth and I have already put in an offer on one home. It was on the market for $40,000. Unfortunately, when the owner discovered we were the bidders he jacked up his price to $60,000 and we backed out. I am sure of this, however, If we keep looking we will find another home here that pleases us. “This much we’ve decided: we do want to live in Puerto Vallarta. It’s paradise.”

It is understandable that both he and Miss Taylor should have fallen so in love with this tropical village. For here they have been able to act much like honeymooners blissfully in love.

Local cab drivers point out to tourists “Casa Kimberley,” the luxurious villa nestled high on a rocky hillside where the famous couple live together

Each morning a candy-striped jeep, boldly inscribed on its side with the words “Casa Kimberley” calls for Burton at the entranceway of the house. The actor jumps in beside the driver and, as the jeep makes its perilous way down the cobblestone streets, narrowly avoiding pigs, burros, and half-naked children, Burton will turn to wave a last goodbye to Elizabeth, standing smiling down at him from the balcony of their home.

Around noon, the jeep will return for Miss Taylor and drive her to the beach where she will board their boat, “The Taffy,” to make the 67 mile trip down coast to Mismaloya, the location site of Burton’s film, “Night of the Iguana.”

After spending the afternoon with him, on the set, they will board the boat together shortly before dusk to return to Casa Kimberley.

During the evenings, the couple will dine alone at home or will join friends in one of the six restaurant-bars in town.

Even to one spending just a few days in Puerto Vallarta, it becomes obvious that the charm of this tropical land has had its magical effect on Liz and Burton. Where they tried deliberately not to be seen in public in both Rome and London, here in Mexico they make almost a show out of publicly acting like a couple in love. Their attitude seems to say: “We adore each other and are proud of it. We want the whole world to know how we feel.” There is not a soul in Puerto Vallarta who could remain oblivious to that fact.

I first became a witness to their love while standing on my hotel balcony one evening, mesmerized by the glories that nature was unfolding before me. The heavens seemed to be on fire. The sky, grey with the promise of night, had been touched by unseen fingers of fire and turned shades of gilded red and gold. The sun, resting briefly atop a low hanging cloud before its final descent, spilled a trail of liquid amber along the tropical waters, then slid silently into the sea.

It was twilight in Puerto Vallarta, one of the most thrilling spectacles offered anywhere in the world. The coconut trees lining the shore were now bathed in partial darkness and swayed to the rhythm of the surf as a mild tropical breeze arose.

Unexpectedly, from the horizon, a ship approached, killed its motors about a hundred feet from shore, and drifted silently, lifted gently and unprotestingly by the gentle push of the waves. The ship was the “Taffy” and from its cabin Elizabeth Taylor emerged, climbed to the bow where she poised for a moment, then disappeared into the sea, cutting the water with an expert and graceful dive. A moment later she surfaced and waved to Burton who stood at the stern of the craft. He called, “I’ll see you on shore, luv,” and made a motion to the native captain to resume the progress of the boat.

It seemed but moments later when the actress’ powerful stroke had carried her to the beach. There, like a child confident she is safe from unseen eyes, she pranced upon the sand, shaking her head to free the sea water held captive in her hair. She stood for a moment, her arms outstretched in a gesture of abandoned happiness, then skipped back into the surf, laughing with delight as the waves playfully slapped at her legs.

“Elizabeth,” Burton’s voice broke the stillness as he came trotting down the beach to meet her. They embraced, clung to each other for a moment, then walked arm in arm to an awaiting jeep. They were going home.

“Elizabeth is very happy here,” Burton confessed to me the following day. “We both feel we’ve found heaven.”

He proceeded to explain why. “Here in Puerto Vallarta we can be ourselves. Last Sunday, for instance, we decided to take the boat and spend the day with Lisa on a deserted beach along the coast. At least we thought it was deserted. After dropping our gear on the sand and spreading out our towels, we looked up and noticed several families of natives watching us from halfway up the mountain. I waved and they immediately began to approach, friendly and unafraid. They paid almost no attention to Elizabeth and myself. It was apparent that they didn’t have the vaguest notion who we were. But Lisa, they fell in love with her. Even with my limited knowledge of Spanish, I could understand that they were telling us how beautiful she was, saying that she looked, with her deep copper tan, like a Mexican Niña.

When lunchtime came, I asked our visitors if they’d care to share our sandwiches. They were delighted, even happier to sample our tequila. Then it was time for them to treat us. They invited us up to their hut, to share their tortillas and beans – and their local brew. Elizabeth and I sat on the dirt floor of the thatched hut, sharing the simple food that the women prepared for us over an open fire. And, while Elizabeth and I basked in those golden moments of anonymity, Lisa enjoyed herself playing tag in the jungle outside the hut with our host’s children.”

For over two hours Burton talked of the life he and Elizabeth have found in Mexico. Never did he say “I”. His statements always began with “we.” Charming and suave and very much a man of the world, he none-the-less gave the impression of a person as overwhelmingly in love as a teenager smitten with his first affair of the heart.

Sitting with him in the thatched roofed bar at Mismaloya, little more than a clearing out of a lush forest overgrown with wild banana and coconut trees, he pointed in the direction of the Taffy, at anchor in the breakwater. “You know, of course,” he offered, “that Elizabeth named the boat after me. Remember the rhyme, ‘Taffy was a Welshman. Taffy was a thief? …’” His blue eyes shone with pride and he seemed all at once like a boastful small boy, proud of his mischievous behavior.

This impression remained as Burton continued to speak. Charming, a marvelous story teller, he seemed bent on disclosing the intimate little details of his affair with Elizabeth Taylor. “She is my woman,” his attitude proclaimed.

Yet, though Elizabeth Taylor might be a woman in love, a woman who is now acting like an ecstatic bride, she proved a few hours later that, like women everywhere, she has her moments of annoyance with her man, when anger and possessiveness can erase all other feelings.

On that particular day, because only a half days shooting was scheduled, she had decided not to make the trip to Mismaloya. Instead, she waited for Burton at “Casa Kimberly, expecting him to arrive home by two o’clock in the afternoon.

He, however, chose that day to rebel. A terribly gregarious person who seems complete only when he is surrounded by people, he sat talking with me for several hours, though he knew Elizabeth was waiting at home. Then, urged y his secretary who warned in whispers, “Miss Taylor will be upset,” he reluctantly arose and offered me a ride back to the mainland on his boat. We had begun to leave the bar when he spied Director John Huston and Ava Gardner at a corner table and made his way over, “Just to say hello.” It was more than an hour later when the frantic secretary finally persuaded him to board the boat and it was past 6 p.m. when we finally docked at Puerto Vallarta. Elizabeth’s houseboy, sent down to the water’s edge to try to locate Burton, rushed up to him and explained nervously in Spanish that Miss Taylor was very upset, had sent him to the beach three times earlier that afternoon to find him.

If Burton was worried over Elizabeth’s apparent wrath he gave no indication, just smiled, bestowed a kiss upon my cheek as he bid me farewell and said he’d probably see me later in town.

As it turned out, we did see each other again. That evening he and Elizabeth appeared together at the Hotel Rio, in the center of town. Whatever disagreement they may have had over Burton’s tardiness obviously resulted in no more than a lover’s quarrel for she sat beside him now, her face glowing with adoration as they sipped their cocktails and made love with their eyes. When they left a short time later, it was arm and arm, walking to the jeep that would take them down the cobblestone streets to their home.

Neither Richard Burton nor Elizabeth Taylor will discuss the possibility of their securing divorces from their present mates, yet there in Mexico such complications seem something that bothers them little. They are honeymooning. They have found their Shangri-la and if there is an Eddie Fisher and a Sybil Burton giving statements to the press in the United States – well, such things belong to another world, cannot penetrate the blissful state that has enveloped them.

Honeymooners are not uncommon in Puerto Vallarta. Its beauty and picturesque setting make it a lover’s paradise. Perhaps this is why the local citizens seem to be able to take Liz and Burton’s actions in stride. They point with pride to ‘Liz’s house, the Casa Kimberley.’ They comment on Lisa’s beauty. Yet they seem highly unconcerned with the notoriety that has surrounded Liz and Burton in other parts of the globe.

To read more from this article go to Beck/Smith Hollywood.

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“Don’t ask me about the script or the cast, I’m superstitious,” Allen told Italian newspaper La Repubblica (via the NY Times). Allen’s latest film, “Midnight in Paris,” is going to open the 64th annual Cannes Film Festival on May 11.

Aside from France, Allen has been filming in London (“Match Point,” “Scoop”) and Barcelona (“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”). He returned to the Big Apple for the Larry David-led “Whatever Works,” but since that didn’t work, he’s heading back to Europe.

“It’s fantastic to have the possibility to work [in Rome],” Allen said. “Like when I shot ‘Manhattan’ in New York, ‘Match Point’ in London and ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’ in Barcelona. Each time, it’s like a declaration of love for certain places. I project onto the big screen my feelings for places which count a lot in my life.”

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HollywoodNews.com: After weathering two romantic comedy misfires at the box office, “When in Rome” ($33 million) and this weekend’s opener “You Again” ($8.4 million), actress Kristen Bell is looking to dip her feet into more dramatic roles.

Speaking to PA, Bell said “It’s funny because once you do a comedy then the next opportunities you get are sort of in that line.”

Meaning – she’s pigeon-holed in romantic laffers.

“I would love to do something dramatic but right now comedy is more kind of where my wheel house is.”

Perhaps her fortune will change once the musical Sony/Screen Gems film “Burlesque” is released on November 24. In the film, Bell stars alongside Cher and Christina Aguilera. The actress has shown her chops for more dicey fare when she appeared as a pickpocket who gets beaten up on David Milch’s western series “Deadwood.” In 2002, Bell starred in the Broadway revival of “The Crucible” opposite Liam Neeson and Laura Linney. So if there’s any doubt by bloggers on whether Bell can emote or not, the answer is a resounding ‘Yes.’

The actress recently exclaimed her desire to bring “Veronica Mars” to the big screen. However, she needs to continue to champion Warner Bros., the film’s rights holder.

Photo Credit: Disney

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HollywoodNews.com: Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” is just under a dreamy worldwide gross of $800 million. The summer action-thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page has one more overseas territory to go – Italy – before ending its successful global run.

In addition, Variety learned that Nolan has plans for a videogame version of the film.

“We are looking at developing a videogame based on the world of the film, which has all kinds of ideas that you can’t fit into a feature film,” Nolan said at a Rome press conference. “That’s something we’ve been talking about and are looking at doing long term, in a couple of years.”

Warner Bros. tried to spin off its “Matrix” franchise into an online multi-player game, however, its prospects fell flat. The Keanu Reeves sci-fi action film had better luck on store shelves as a Playstation 2 game.

“I did always intend for this film to give a mass audience a really entertaining experience,” Nolan added about “Inception,” “But my fear with the film was always that it would be misinterpreted as being overly cerebral or puzzle-like.”

“Inception” has been buzzed about as a potential Oscar contender for best picture and director ever since it bowed in July. Many pundits and fans of Nolan’s previous film, “The Dark Knight,” felt that it was shortchanged in the 2008-09 Oscar race.

The late Heath Ledger though was blessed with a best supporting actor win for his portrayal of the Joker.

“Inception” has been holding in the top 10 at the domestic B.O. for 10 straight weeks.

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Photo Credit: Warner Bros.

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HollywoodNews.com: Great news for “Veronica Mars” fans: Kristen Bell really wants there to be a film version of the cult TV show.

Bell feels so strong about a “Mars” movie, she wants her fans to campaign Warner Bros. for one.

“Mars fans – can we bug @wbpictures and tell them they must do a Veronica Mars film?” she wrote on her Twitter. “New tactic. Bombard them with tweets, there’s evidence of fans they can’t ignore.

“Fans, send petitions and any obsessive behaviour you have to @wbpictures and demand the film. They see no audience for it? I beg to differ” added the actress.

She also advised that fans create Facebook support pages for the film.

Bell capped off her orders with “Thank you so much for being so dedicated. You’re all marshmallows.”

Bell has segued to feature films as a leading gal in romantic comedies such as “Couples Retreat,” “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “When in Rome.”

Bell’s chick pic comedy “You Again” bows on September 24.

Pd

Photo Credit: Splash

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By Anthony D’Alessandro

HollywoodNews.com: Despite his good looks and accessible leading man aura, George Clooney’s canon is comprised of social outsiders and in certain cases, as in his latest hypnotic thriller “The American” — nomads.

And to Clooney’s credit as an actor, he doesn’t get bogged down by the Hollywood system whereby his credits live and die by the strength of their box office openings. Clooney is allowed to stretch as a thespian and stretch he does in Anton Corbijn’s razor-sharp thriller about a Yank assassin who hides from Swedish killers in the medieval hilltop towns of Abruzzo, Italy. Filling the screen with his steely, pensive, puppy-dog looks, Clooney’s Jack — who goes by two aliases, Edward to his Italian g.f. and “Mr. Butterfly” to everyone else — is a man of few words; his small talk literally rivaling that of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s cyborg in “Terminator 2: Judgement Day.” Clooney’s Jack is the 21st century mold of Sergio Leone’s ‘Man With No Name.’ He’s a departure from the actor’s chatterbox characters in “Oh Brother Where Art Thou?” and “Michael Clayton,” and Clooney executes his less-is-more style with sublime grace.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW GEORGE CLOONEY IN “THE AMERICAN” SLIDESHOW

Though “The American” with its smart, deliberate rhythm is bound to test the patience of moviegoers –who will argue that the editor, screenwriter should have drank more espresso while making the European feature — it will come as no surprise to hear mention of Clooney’s name come award season.

“The American” opens in a thick, snowy meadow of Dalarna, Sweden. Jack has finished making love to Ingrid (Irina Bjorklund), a woman who might just be one of many for this mysterious man. The two embark on a walk through the drifts when they’re suddenly attacked by a killer. Jack easily nicks the guy before turning the gun on Ingrid, who he believes double-crossed him, and offs a second gunner in the ambush. Jack retreats to Rome where he meets up with Pavel (the intense Belgian actor Johan Leysen who makes Terence Stamp look dainty), a mercenary boss who instructs him to retreat to Abruzzo, Italy. While Jack is away, Pavel tells him that he’ll try to make sense of why he was a target by the Swedes.

Jack eventually settles in Castel del Monte, where he indulges in the Italian high life of sipping café lungos, sitting around the piazza, quietly debating ethics with the village priest, Father Benedetto (Paolo Bonacelli), and bedding a call-girl, Clara (the beautifully, pointed Italian actress Violante Placido). No matter how many Armani suits Clooney dons, or how deep his olive skin is, his character sticks out among the Italian locals as the sole American in town. This only intensifies the film’s non-action as one eagerly awaits the off-screen assassin’s arrival who’ll easily foil Jack. Jack is an open target who could have been safer harboring among Neapolitan thieves. But a Swedish assassin does eventually show up, and what makes the alley moped-car chase with Jack more nail-biting is that it arrives after a series of long, quiet moments.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW GEORGE CLOONEY IN “THE AMERICAN” SLIDESHOW

As Jack sits on his hands in Abruzzo, Pavel dispenses a job to him which doesn’t entail pulling a trigger. Jack is visited by the enigmatic sniper Mathilde (Thekla Reuton) who, over a tete-a-tete, requests that he construct a rifle for her complete with mercury-filled, explosive bullets. A newspaper article about a tragic murder later reveals Mathilde’s grand design and she returns to claim her prize in an unsettling restaurant scene, which at first appears to be an homage to the Al Pacino-Sterling Hayden sequence from “The Godfather.”

The Dutch-born Corbijn, whose debut 2007 feature “Control” followed the life of Ian Curtis, the lead singer of British post-punk band Joy Division, executes a deftly, wonderfully slow thriller with whiffs of Leone’s westerns in terms of its protagonist’s opaque mannerisms and the symbolic use of the southern Italian mountainous region against Jack’s grey, rustic and romanticized life as a gun-for-hire (Martin Ruhe’s d.p. work vividly captures the drama of overcast lighting and rich earth tones of the Italian region). And unlike Leone’s overindulgence in Ennio Morricone’s score throughout his Spaghetti westerns, Corbijn reserves Herbert Gronemeyer’s con legno stringed notes for chosen, appropriate moments.

The only flaw in “The American” is that we really don’t know a hell of a lot about Jack. This is intentional on Corbijn’s part as he has expressed his m.o. in interviews; that movies too often drip with an excessive amount of character back-story. That’s a refreshing p.o.v. to take in a thriller, but it’s not clear why Jack tolerates Italian small town life — especially when his life is at stake. A butterfly such as himself would just keep on the lam. The fact that he’s reconciling his tumultuous past within the humdrum, simple confines of cobblestones and pasta isn’t clear – because we know very little about his previous sins.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW GEORGE CLOONEY IN “THE AMERICAN” SLIDESHOW

But “The American” is all about being in the moment, and Clooney captures the complexity of his feelings throughout each crevice of his face. One of the film’s best walk away moments is when he falls deeply for the flawed Clara, and immediately assumes she’s out to kill him. Hiding a revolver within a picnic basket, Clooney distressingly tries to size her up and debates shooting her – without uttering a word. The sadness is all in his eyes and the actor proves once again, like in “Michael Clayton,” the resilience of his dramatic range.

Photo Credit: Focus Features

A Focus Features release in conjunction with Twins Financing L.L.C. Smokehouse Productions, Greenlit Rights and This Is That Productions. Produced by Anne Carey, Jill Green, Ann Wingate, Grant Heslov, George Clooney. Executive produced by Enzo Sisti. Directed by Anton Corbijn from a screenplay by Rowan Joffe adapted from Martin Booth’s novel “A Very Private Gentleman.”

Jack/Edward – George Clooney
Ingrid – Irina Bjorklund
Pavel – Johan Leysen
Father Benedetto – Paolo Bonacelli
Mathilde – Thekla Reuten
Clara – Violante Placido
Fabio – Filippo Timi

CLICK HERE TO VIEW GEORGE CLOONEY IN “THE AMERICAN” SLIDESHOW

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Organizers announced that the film, which stars Keira Knightley, Sam Worthington and Eva Mendes, will launch this year’s event on Oct. 28. It centers around a married couple wrestling with infidelity. The husband takes a business trip with a colleague to whom he’s attracted. While he’s resisting temptation, his wife encounters her past love.

“Night” wasn’t the only film attached to the Roman festival, which runs through Nov. 5.

John Cameron Mitchell’s “Rabbit Hole,” starring Nicole Kidman, Dianne Wiest and Aaron Eckhart, also will play Rome (after bowing at TIFF). That movie also deals with a couple in crisis – I sense a theme.

Later in the fest, Akira Kurosawa will be honored with the screening of a restored version of his masterpiece, “Rashomon.”

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