Today's Buzz stories
From staff and wire reports |
|
 |
| |
|
Red carpet Will Smith
TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- As long as the crowds keep coming, Will Smith will be ready to walk down the red carpet to promote his latest movie.
Two months after "I, Robot," his new summer hit, opened in theaters across the United States, he was in Tokyo for yet another gala premiere.
"When people are enjoying the movie, you don't ever want to stop doing premieres," the actor-rapper said in an interview. "You want to be going to different cities and countries and continents all over the globe. We have another one in South Africa."
In "I, Robot," Smith plays a detective in 2035 who suspects a robot has murdered the reclusive scientist responsible for technological innovations that have populated the world with machine servants vaguely resembling humans.
It's a physical role, heavy on the action -- familiar territory for Smith, star of the "Men in Black" films and "Independence Day," also summer hits. He also starred in the '90s TV comedy "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."
"I started off as a comedian," said Smith, who was in Tokyo Tuesday for the premiere. "But I look back at my life, and think, 'I've been doing a lot of action movies.' I'm 35 now. But I've got a few more years of action movies before my knees and my back stop (me from) doing it."
Smith said his next movie, a romantic comedy tentatively titled "Hitch," is due out in February. He's also planning to release a new album worldwide in January.
Madonna sings 'Imagine'
PARIS, France (AP) -- Madonna drew massive applause from a sold-out crowd at Paris' Bercy stadium when she dedicated a cover version of John Lennon's peace ode "Imagine" to the Russian hostage crisis.
Addressing the audience midway through her Sunday-night show, Madonna spoke briefly about the hostage-taking at a school in the southern city of Beslan that left at least 330 dead. Officials have blamed the deadly attack on Chechens and other Islamic militants.
As video images of war and children were broadcast behind her on giant screens, the 46-year-old pop diva urged fans to think about what happened in Russia and about Lennon's lyrics.
Cruise in Croatia
DUBROVNIK, Croatia (AP) -- Some visitors to the ancient Croatian city of Dubrovnik got an unexpected souvenir: a photo with Tom Cruise, who came for a brief visit after promoting his new movie, "Collateral," at the Venice Film Festival.
Cruise told reporters he was "fascinated" with Dubrovnik, a picturesque southern coastal city whose ancient walls, fortresses and churches have attracted tourists for decades.
"I'll certainly be back," he was quoted as saying in daily newspapers on Tuesday.
The 42-year-old actor toured the city and the nearby wooded island of Mljet almost unnoticed. When reporters spotted him sitting by the monument of Dubrovnik's famous poet, Ivan Gundulic, he briefly spoke to them, signed autographs and posed for a few photos.
He agreed to be photographed with several tourists, then slipped away. Several Croatian newspapers published a photo of Cruise with two female tourists, reportedly from the United States.
Cruise, who was accompanied by his mother, arrived two days after promoting "Collateral" at the film festival in neighboring Italy. He left Croatia late Monday.
His movies also include "Born on the Fourth of July," "Jerry Maguire," "Eyes Wide Shut," "Magnolia" and the "Mission: Impossible" films.
Redford's advice to Carter
PROVO, Utah (AP) -- Robert Redford played videotapes of the 1960 Kennedy-Nixon debate "over and over" to coach Democrat Jimmy Carter before his debates with President Gerald Ford.
"I was probably president because of Bob Redford," said Carter, who confided that before the debates leading to his 1976 election, he "didn't know what in the world I was going to do."
Redford told him what not to do. He arrived at Carter's house with a projector and films of the historic debate that made Richard Nixon look dour and John F. Kennedy charismatic.
Redford, winner of the best director Oscar for 1980's "Ordinary People," "played the tape over and over and gave me advice," Carter said Saturday as part of an authors' series.
Redford embraced Carter before taking the podium to praise his old friend at the actor-director's Sundance ski resort, nature preserve and corporate retreat in Utah's Wasatch Mountains.
"His concern for peace, human rights and justice was more than evident when he was in office but even more so after he left office," Redford said.
Carter, author of 17 nonfiction books, talked about his writing career after serving one term as president. He joked that Redford offered him no advice for the 1980 election campaign he lost to Ronald Reagan.
Copyright 2004 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
