LINDA LOVELACE PIC COULD HAVE STAR POWER

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THE WEB GOSSIP
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Glen Campbell

CAMPBELL HONORED -- Brad Paisley, Vince Gill and Keith Urban will pay tribute to Country Music Hall of Fame member Glen Campbell during the forthcoming 45th annual CMA Awards, Wednesday, November 9 on ABC. The salute performance should indeed be the highlight of the show. Also scheduled to appear are: Sara Evans, Faith Hill, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride, Sugarland, Taylor Swift and Kenny Chesney with Grace Potter performing their hit “You and Tequila.” Campbell was named both CMA Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year in 1968, and was inducted into the Country Musical Hall of Fame in 2005. The legendary performer has sold more than 45 million albums and recorded such classic hits as “Wichita Lineman,” “Gentle On My Mind,” “Galveston,” “By The Time I Get To Phoenix,” “Southern Nights,” “Where's The Playground Suzie,” and “Rhinestone Cowboy.” As a musician, Campbell was part of the much-heralded Wrecking Crew that performed on a variety of artists' albums. His guitar prowess is featured on the Beach Boys' seminal album Pet Sounds and on Frank Sinatra's mega-hit “Strangers In The Night,” among others. He acted alongside John Wayne in the movie True Grit and hosted The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour " on television from 1968-1972. Earlier this year, Campbell announced he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. He is in the midst of his successful Goodbye Tour after releasing his final album, the critically-acclaimed Ghost on the Canvas. It just might be the album of the year; it's definitely on my list for the year.


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Ricky Martin

EVITA RETURNS -- I must have been the last person on the Great White Way to have heard of the imminent return (this April) of Evita featuring Ricky Martin, Michael Cerveris and Elena Roger, who won raves for her recent turn Argentinean first lady Eva Peron in a West End performance. Cerveris, so good in TV's Fringe, essays president Juan Peron. The revival of the well-known (and, well-loved) Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice property is the Broadway debut of Latin music star Martin, who producers hope will attract his deep pool of fans especially among the Latin community, a demo not usually targeted by most Broadway fare. It is a canny move for the star and his team; as has been his whole career. I predict he will be fabulous; look what the show did for Madonna. Get your tickets now; every time I hear or see the ads, I get excited. This will be the event of the season ... you watch!


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Poppy Montgomery

TV NOTES -- Poppy Montgomery's Unforgettable is getting better and better. On the episode that aired last night (“Roadblock”) it featured a complex hunt for a missing girl, brilliant utilizing the main character's ability of never forgetting. In the episode's final scene, Montgomery sat with the child's guardian and helped her look back into her own memories and got her to recall some crucial facts she had seen, but not recalled. It was a fascinating moment; I don't know if those abilities work like that, but they did here brilliantly. The show, which also stars Dylan Walsh (from Nip/Tuck) has just been approved for it's back nine episodes, so things look positive. Catch it if you can. Also, Mark Harmon's NCIS, now in its 9th season, just keeps getting better and better. Last night's episode, as well as last week's, ended with a rather moving, intimate moment between the cast. Forget all the action and the rather canny-plots, these more personal moments make it must-see TV. This show is firing on all cylinders. Well done!


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Amanda Seyfried

LOVELACED -- Amanda Seyfried, currently in Andrew Niccol's In Time, has been cast as Linda Lovelace in the forthcoming production Lovelace. Peter Sarsgaard is in negotiations to play her husband/manager Chuck Traynor; the pornographer who coaxed her into becoming an adult film actress. Lovelace went on to appear in Deep Throat (1974), one of the most famous and all-time highest-grossing indie movies. She subsequently quit porn and divorced Traynor. The movie is based on the book The Complete Linda Lovelace by Eric Danville. Interestingly, manager Jason Weinberg is one of the producers; he of the recent Anne Hathaway imbroglio. Filming is to begin in January. I remember when the movie was out and became something of a cause celeb ... with folks like Sammy Davis Jr. championing the film and it became a fixture, so to speak, on the celebrity circuit. Remember, those were the days before you could access porn on your computer. Theaters were fined for showing it and of course, the more notorious it became, the bigger it got (insert on joke here!). Face it, Deep Throat and Last Tango In Paris were the two big porn movies of those times. Kate Hudson and Lindsay Lohan were both rumored to have been considered for the part. Seyfried is an excellent choice. Can't wait to see this one ... with memories of Boogie Nights in mind!


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Kris Jenner

KRIS CROSS -- I just watched Kris Jenner being interviewed by a tougher-than-usual Ann Curry on the Today Show and found myself quite startled. Dressed somewhat akin to Carolyn Jones on the original Addams Family TV show, defended daughter Kim on her just-ended 72-day marriage; then she went onto to defend ... well, almost everything ... and, promote her new tome as well. I first met her in L.A. when she was married to attorney Robert Kardashian and found her to be a most fascinating woman, but knew she was a player in every sense of the word. After Kardashian passed she met and married Bruce Jenner ... keeping her still in the game. Having covered this business since the late-70's., I can't fault her one bit I guess, but, boy, does she have her detractors. After witnessing the rise of reality-TV, Jon and Kate, and The Amazing Race ... we deserve the Kardashians ... what else can I say?


Photos By: RD/Orchon/Kabik/Walter McBride/Dziekan/Sara De Boer/Retna