Published: July 14, 2008 11:47 am            

JILL JACKSON'S HOLLYWOOD 07-14-08

By Jill Jackson



HOLLYWOOD ... Grammy nominated many times for her albums, singer Avril Lavigne, only 23 years old, recently sold her five-bedroom, six-bath Beverly Hills mansion for $5.2 million. Not bad when you're barely out of your teens. Just in case you didn't know, her debut album "Let Go" went platinum six times. In this album is her song "Complicated," which earned five Grammy nominations. In July 2006, Avril married Deryck Whibley, lead singer and guitarist with pop punk band SUM 41.

Gas prices are affecting the glitterati out this way. And definitely the ones who tootled around town in Bentleys, Rolls Royces, Massaratis and the like -- all BIG gas guzzlers. Distances out here are great, there are very few taxicabs and the public transit system leaves much to be desired. Soooo, many are latching on to hydrogen-powered cars. Filling their tanks isn't easy. It must be done by a trained professional. Others who are agile enough have taken to bicycles and motorcycles, and those who can still afford it just "fill 'er up" at the gas station -- and pay the price.

Some of your favorite TV characters have taken to the big screen in a film titled "Kabluey," and it's lots of fun. There's Lisa Kudrow, Teri Garr, Christine Taylor, Conchata Gerrell, Chris Parnell and Jeffrey Dean Morgan in this romp about the mother (Kudrow) of two rambunctious boys trying to hold things together while her husband is fighting in Iraq. Desperate for help, she gets her husband's brother in as a makeshift nanny. His skills are lacking, and all hell breaks loose. So go see the picture and find out what happens.

Aside to Rhea H. of Savannah, Ga. Cyd Charisse's given name was Tula Ellice Finklea. She was born in Texas. When she became a star, the MGM studio bigwigs felt the name was far too unglamorous, so they changed it to Cyd Charisse. She was a wonderful dancer and a very nice person, but I found her rather difficult to interview. She just wasn't talkative. Her feet and legs did the talking, and believe me, her dancing was worth watching.

I don't know how many of you watch "The Late Show." I do, because I find it hard to believe what I am seeing. David Letterman gets his laughs by making fun of people. I don't buy it, but if you watch, that's what you get. And how he can allow some of the inane things to happen beats me. BUT, like an idiot, I keep on watching and get madder and madder. Then when he does an interview, instead of asking about things we'd like to know about the person, he ALWAYS get on the subject of their kids and his kid, Harry. So, OK Jill, turn the dial and watch Leno!

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BITS 'N' PIECES: It will be the "wearin' o' the green" when L.A. hosts its first Irish film festival in October. ... Even though Patrick Swayze has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, he's carrying on with "The Beast" for the A&E network. ... No Paris sightings at this writing. Ditto Lindsay. ... Did you know that before they became famous, Robert Redford was a sidewalk artist; Alan Alda was a clown, a taxicab driver and a doorman; Warren Beatty was a rat-catcher; Sean Connery was a polisher for a coffin maker; Burt Reynolds was a ballroom bouncer; and Ronald Reagan was a lifeguard?



(c) 2008 King Features Synd., Inc.

        

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