Celebrity Gossip / By Liz Smith
The Phantom lives again
Passion is a positive obsession. Obsession is a negative passion,” wrote Paul Carvel.
I think this column was the first to tell you, long ago, that Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sequel to his famous “Phantom of the Opera” would take place in New York and present the Phantom alive, having escaped from the fire. Then it would segue on to big drama amid the fairgrounds of Coney Island. (Can’t tell you how many people made fun of me for this item, as if I had dreamed it up all by myself.)
So comes word that the world premiere of “Love Never Dies” opens in London next March and segues onto Broadway on Nov. 11, 2010. More than 100 million people have seen the original and there’s no reason they won’t want to see the sequel.
Actors Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess will star as The Phantom and Christine. So there!
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The big news on Twitter was the announcement last week that Disney teen superstar Miley Cyrus is getting off Twitter!
Miley says she discovered that she was wasting too many hours online, on the BlackBerry, etc., pointlessly “chatting.” She wants to spend more “real” time with friends and maybe just go for a walk, think and then—gasp— keep those thoughts to herself. Stay strong, Miley. (Her father, one-hit-wonder Billy Ray Cyrus, wants her to stay on Twitter. Afraid she might lose a few fans?)
If a 16-year-old-girl can pry herself away from the addictive idiocy of tweeting and texting every five minutes, perhaps some adults out there will stop embarrassing themselves with Twitter. It is simply the latest way to banish privacy, anticipation, decorum, civility, proper spelling and punctuation from what appears to be a wildly indiscreet and hyper generation. Nowadays too many people seem to have ADD.
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The young star most in need of Twitter rehab is Lindsay Lohan. It’s difficult to tell a person’s state of mind in Twitter-world—after all, one is allowed only 140 characters. But Lindsay’s constant tweets are invariably picked up by the gossip Web sites. The most negative interpretation is then put on them. Not that it would matter if Lindsay tweeted The Great American Novel; cyberspace gossips want only the worst for this girl.
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Hollywood dines: Spotted at Santa Monica’s tiny Italian hideaway, Capo: The eternally suave and stylishly dressed Pierce Brosnan with his beautiful wife, Keely Shaye Smith. At the next table sat an all-but-unrecognizable, heavily bearded Keanu Reeves. (Hiding out from that Canadian lady who is pursuing him, insisting Keanu is the father of one or more of her four kids?)
And right next to the grizzly Reeves was a surprisingly beefy, even slightly rotund Brendan Fraser of muscular “Mummy”and “George of the Jungle” fame. The actor looked handsome none the less, but his rapid-fire shoveling of food did merit a few glances.
Perhaps Brendan is porking up for a new role? It’s all the rage. Matt Damon did it for “The Informant!” Jim Carrey is still eating for three in preparation for his role in “The Three Stooges.” I keep saying, these extremes in gaining or losing weight for a movie seem unhealthy to me, but I guess that’s Method acting.
Oh, all the above stars greeted each other amiably, as if they’d planned to dine out together, but at separate tables.
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