April 18, 2000

Billys in the news: Bob, Joel in love-but not with each other

By ROGER ANDERSON Scripps Howard News Service

STOP THE PRESSES! Recently we advised you of reports that Laura Dern and Billy Bob Thornton, whose reps had at one time denied on stacks of Bibles that their clients were even a romantic item, had decided to go their separate ways. Little did we realize that this was merely the tip of the Laura/Billy Bob news iceberg.

Because now what we’re seeing are reports that Billy Bob is currently pitching woo with the very lovely Angelina Jolie, winner of an Oscar.

Did we say "pitching woo"? It actually sounds much more serious than that. USA Today hears a rumor that Angelina has had the name "Billy Bob" tattooed on her very pulchritudinous skin, while our favorite New York Post columnist, Cindy Adams, cites a "real strong rumor" that the two are going to cue the wedding bells any minute now.

RELATED INFO: It bears noting that Billy Bob has so far been married four times, not that anyone is counting.

Also, impress your friends by telling them that Billy Bob and Angelina starred together in a motion picture called "Pushing Tin," with John Cusack and BB as rival air-traffic controllers. But was it a good movie? No, it was really pretty bad - but that's how so many great fifth marriages have gotten under way. (Don't ask for examples because we can't think of any.)

TALK ABOUT SOPHISTICATED: If you were a top supermodel who was married to a top singer-songwriter and the two of you ended up getting divorced, perhaps the last thing you'd do is fix your ex up with another cookie. Yet that's exactly what Christie Brinkley
has done, according to the New York Daily News, which says it was Christie who matched ex-husband Billy Joel with his current flame, a Long Island TV newswoman named Trish Bergin.

If you think this sounds like so much media hypothesis, note that no less a person than Billy's rep, Claire Mercuri, substantiates the tale.

"Christie was the matchmaker," Claire allows. "Trish is divorced, Billy is single, and Christie thought it would be a good idea if they got together."

ANNALS OF CINEMA: It is a foregone conclusion in the movie industry that the upcoming big-screen version of "Charlie's Angels" will be one of the greatest cinematic triumphs of all time, on a par with "Birth of a Nation," "Potemkin" and "Journey to the Center of the Earth." We know this to be the case because it's almost impossible to open a tabloid newspaper without reading another installment in the pic's ongoing production problems, of a sort that usually dog only masterpiece movies.

For instance, one reporter doesn't mind mentioning that he's heard Bill Murray, who plays the character Bosley, and Lucy Liu, one of the angels, don't get along for some reason. Also, word is that Drew Barrymore - also an angel and, as it happens, a co­producer - was so stressed lately that she was seen crying on or near the set.

"There were some creative differences last week," Lucy's spokeswoman, Carri McClure, admits, "and then it was over."

A production spokesman named Guy Adan echoes Carri. "There are always creative differences," he observes. "It's part of the production process."

Another report goes on to say that the price tag on the over-budget pic so far is $92 million, and that Bill Murray recently "walked off the set" over -yes- "creative differences." Which is almost exactly what they said about Klaus Kinski during filming of "Aguirre, the Wrath of God."

TRADING SIDEWAYS: And here we have news that TV billionaire Ted Turner, way on the outs with his movie-star missus, Jane Fonda (62), is now keeping company with Bo Derek (43), which leaves us with just one thought: Kirsten Dunst, get ready to hear from Ted in about 20 years.

Roger Anderson is arts and entertainment editor at Scripps Howard News Service.

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