Newsmakers of Hollywood 2008

Ankita Shukla Hollywood saw a lot of break-ups and babies this year. There were some great films, some bad and some average. Here is a flashback. Brangelina Brangelina did what they are famous for yet again this year- they introduced to the world a beautiful set of twins, named ‘Knox Leon’ and ‘Vivienne Marcheline’. The duo went on to become a prized addition to the sizzling couple`s already diversified family that boasts of little ones from Cambodia (Maddox), Ethiopia (Zahara), Vietnam (Pax) and of course ‘Shiloh’, their first biological child. The rights for the first ever images of the regal twins were jointly sold to People and Hello for a throbbing USD14 million, making them the most expensive celebrity pictures ever taken. In the meanwhile, Angelina created much furore with her violent portrayal in the infamous movie ‘Wanted’. Many people protested the release calling it too violent to handle, alas some publicity material was banned which ensured that the movie got just what it required- much to be talked about. Guy Ritchie and Madonna The `it` moment in director Guy Ritchie`s and pop sensation Madonna`s marriage came through this year. Their marriage of eight years crashed. Some blamed the Kabbalist interventions, some the adopted kids, a few went after A-Rod as Madge`s secret obsession but then happened the odd, Guy spoke up and said that all earlier mentioned crap might hold some truth but so did the fact that he was sex starved as Madge took everything else to be more important than satisfying her younger half`s animal instincts! Madge didn`t forget it all, she went on to mock her ex-husband in concerts by dedicating weird songs and sending across `f*** off` middle finger messages to the down and out director. The two agreed to share custody of their two sons. End result: Madonna will pay ex-husband USD 76 million to seal the divorce deal. And Guy won’t see her for Christmas as he has banned the singer from his house! Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson The sweet and scintillating Lindsay Lohan announced that she and her girl pal DJ Samantha Ronson were an item. The duo went on to live together and is making marriage plans already. Their romance introduced another colloquial term in the entertainment terminology called `Celesbians`. The much in love couple is also giving adoption a thought, their eye popping PDAs shook LA like never before. In short the sexy girls have done everything possible, from visiting a sex-toy shop, kissing in public to abusing other girls for hitting on them. Great going Lin-Sam, eagerly waiting for 2009! Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer Yes, finally Jen could catch hold of someone after Brad. After having miss and blink affairs with Vince Vaughn, Paul Sculfor etc, she went ahead with professing her love for singer John Mayer, but then the supposedly `in love` couple wasn`t in news for the lovey-dovey reasons always as they came all out in public with their on and off relationship. It went on to the extent of being called a `break-up`, but if only it was that easy to write this one off, Hollywood saw various tabloid`s coming up with numerous stories contemplating about the status of their relationship. It was on one day, the next day it went boom and so on. Last heard- Jennifer had said she still loves John and they are still together. Strangely, Jen went on to turn down Mayer’s marriage proposal twice and is reportedly happy sans any commitments. Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony It was double joy for actress-singer Jennifer Lopez and crooner husband Marc Anthony: They turned the proud new parents of twins, a boy and a girl in early 2008 and named their bundle of joys ‘Maximiano’ and ‘Emelina’. The stunning couple went over the moon. While JLo is these days devoting most of her time to the little ones, daddy dearest is busy working on his next album. George Clooney and Sarah Larson Just when it seemed as if Hollywood`s most eligible bachelor had finally found his right match, the unexpected happened. George Clooney and his girlfriend of one year Sarah Larson parted ways in mid 2008. Clooney dumped the former cocktail waitress and `Fear Factor` winner for an apparently bewildering reason, any guesses? Hmm… never mind, according to the grapevine George wasn’t keen on Larson going for breast augmentation but Sarah was adamant, some even suggested that George is an extremely private person and he didn’t like her discussions about him with everyone, hence ended up dumping her. Well, whatever might be the reason, it certainly came as a shocker since Larson was the only girlfriend to have ever accompanied Clooney to the Oscars, sparking off initial rumours of Clooney wanting a long time commitment with her. Jessica Alba and Cash Warren Ditching the traditional pompous Hollywood weddings, Jessica Alba and her producer-entrepreneur fiancé Cash Warren became husband and wife in the court of law at Beverly Hills and soon the couple welcomed their first child, daughter Honor Marie, multiplying their happiness. Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi Ellen and Portia did what no one imagined them to do. After almost four years of dating DeGeneres and De Rossi tied the knot in an intimate ceremony at their Los Angeles home, giving each other the title of `wife`. The wedding sparked many reactions, some positive, some highly negative but added a whole new chapter to same sex weddings in the US of A. Owen Wilson One of the tinsel town`s cutest actors Owen Wilson went through a mental breakdown and ended up attempting suicide. His brother had found him in a shocking state at his home one fine day and Owen was instantly rushed to the hospital. According to reports, it was his breakup with one time sweetheart and actress Kate Hudson that provoked Wilson to take such a grave step. Anne Hathaway and Raffaello Follieri The `Devil Wears Prada` actress Anne Hathaway and Italian real estate tycoon Raffaello Follieri ended their four year long association sometime in June and right after that Follieri was accused and arrested of duping investors by claiming to be the CFO of a company and was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for fraud. Eddie Murphy and Tracey Edmunds It wasn’t long ago that Eddie Murphy’s wife Tracey Edmunds was caught in a candid confession gushing about her Polynesian wedding at sunset on New Year`s Day. But just weeks later Eddie Murphy and Tracey Edmunds announced that they were splitting. Surprise, surprise? Phew! Patrick Swayze `Dirty Dancing` heartthrob Patrick Swayze made it to the headlines for a not so great reason- his deteriorating health. The actor revealed his struggle with pancreatic cancer in March. Swayze is said to be responding well to chemotherapy, and is fighting it out with the dreaded disease. Hollywood Strike The Writers Guild strike dominated a major part of the year; hampering various productions, movie releases and award functions. The strike was carried on by the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) and the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW). The WGAE and WGAW labour unions represent film, television and radio writers working in US. More than 12,000 writers joined the strike and it was against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), a trade organization representing the interests of 397 American film and television producers. According to reports, the strike cost an estimated USD1.5 billion to LA alone. Oscar Awards 2008 ‘No Country for Old Men’ dominated the Oscars, it got a number of awards including- Best Film and Best Director and a category awarded jointly to brothers Joel and Ethan Coen. British actor Daniel Day-Lewis won the Best Actor award for `There Will Be Blood` and French actress Marion Cotillard earned the best actress prize for `La Vie En Rose`. The Best Supporting Actor and Actress awards were bagged by Tilda Swinton and Javier Bardem for `Michael Clayton` and `No Country For Old Men` respectively. Dreamworks and Paramount There was more to Hollywood break-ups, a break-up bigger than that of George Clooney and Sarah Larson, it happened between Dreamworks and Paramount, the two biggest production giants of Hollywood. In September 2008, Dreamworks announced an end to the stagnant partnership with Paramount and what came out of it was a USD1.5 billion deal to produce films with the Indian giant Reliance. In memorium: Heath Ledger The Oscar nominated actor, was only 28, when he was found dead in his Manhattan residence early this year due to an accidental drug overdose. Ledger left behind him a bounty of great works like- `The Patriot`, `Candy` and `Brokeback Mountain`. But he would be most prominently known for his path breaking performance as the Joker in `The Dark Knight`, which has many in Hollywood making him the hot favourite to get an Oscar for it. Sadly, he isn`t alive to see the appreciation and ironically his last work would be called his best. Paul Newman This mild Oscar winner had to battle cancer for a long time before he finally gave up the fight and succumbed to the disease in September. The stalwart left behind impeccable movies, which include - `The Sting` and `The Hustler`. Besides a movie legacy he was also known to be a great philanthropist, who had apparently donated something close to USD250 million till the day he breathed his last. Roy Scheider An admired Oscar nominee for his flicks like `The French Connection` and `All That Jazz`, Roy will be most remembered for his iconic portrayal of Chief Martin Brody in the 1975 horror hit `Jaws` – and its sequel – that made Scheider a household name. The actor was 75 when he died on Feburary 10, after a long battle with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells. Sydney Pollack An amalgamation of an actor, director and a producer, Sydney Pollack was renowned for his unforgettable flicks like - `Eyes Wide Shut`, `Michael Clayton` and `The Sopranos`. He too died of cancer at his California home. As George Clooney puts it "He`ll be missed terribly". The Best flicks of 2008 Quantum of Solace The 2008 take on the legacy of James Bond, went on to become a super winner, garnering millions of dollars around the world. But all wasn`t great for this one too, some critics slammed Daniel Craig calling him incompetent to play James Bond, but as they say all is well that ends well. The collections speak for themselves. Slumdog Millionaire Danny Boyle`s much acclaimed masterpiece telling a story of a Mumbai orphan who perseveres like a Dickens hero amid police torture, fraternal betrayal and child mutilation is making waves around the globe. With more than twenty awards under its belt, it is being touted as a front-runner expected to sweep the Golden Globe Awards as well as the Oscars. It has garnered four Golden Globe nominations for itself including one for India’s very own musical maestro AR Rahman for the Best Original Musical Score. Frost/Nixon A Reprised version of a stage play, Frost/Nixon showcased an engaging battle of wills amid history. This grand drama can be easily called the best work ever of director Ron Howard. The Dark Knight This turned out to be much more than a Batman sequel. It raised the superhero genre from comic-book pages into the realm of highbrow literature. Heath Ledger stole the show with his maniacal Joker, but Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman did wonders too. Frozen River A tale of two desperate women who smuggle immigrants across the Canadian border was so quiet and precise that it didn`t seem like the work of a debutante. Courtney Hunt`s feature debut hit the right chord. For more on Hollywood, log on to Spicezee.com »