Jamie-Lynn Sigler arrives at the 17th Annual Environmental Media Awards in Los Angeles. (photo: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage.com)

Woman on the Verge

Amy Ryan is poised for a breakout big-screen career playing women on the edge. In Ben Affleck's directorial debut, 'Gone Baby Gone,' she's getting Oscar® buzz for her portrayal of a drug-addicted mother, but Ryan denies that her work on 'The Wire' prepared her for the role since Beadie Russell is "on the other end of the scene. I'm driving around the police officers, looking at container ships. Beadie has a really boring job. To become a drug addict onscreen, you just have to have good hair and makeup."

She plays another addict in Sidney Lumet's forthcoming 'Before the Devil Knows You're Dead,' and has a lead role in Clint Eastwood's next film. All just-rewards for clawing her way up from the trenches of theater and TV. Stay tuned for her dues-paying turn on the last-season of 'The Wire.' "I'm still in bed with McNulty," she told NY Magazine. "It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it." (photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage.com)

[NY Magazine]

[Variety]

Performance High

Bubbles is back on the pipe. Or, more accurately, Andre Royo, who plays everyone's favorite addict on 'The Wire,' is fighting demons onstage in LAByrinth Theater Company's current production of 'A View from 151st Street' at the Public Theater. As the NY Times writes: "Mr. Royo's Ray is an economical but fully drawn portrait of a man trying to shake off the ghosts of the past; particularly powerful is the scene in which he wages a nervous, silent battle to conquer a temptation to slip into old habits." Also featured in the critically acclaimed production is 'Wire' co-star Gbenga Akinnagbe (Chris Partlow). Catch them through November 4th. (photo: Brian Ach/WireImage.com)

[NY Times]

Buzz Burn

We're insulted. Ben Foster would rather work than be the subject of buzz. "I've been doing this for about 12 years," he says. "I've seen a lot of people come and go. A lot of people, a lot of buzz, a lot of heat ... whatever word the industry wants to use....I get to work with exciting filmmakers and actors, which is the important thing. At the end of the day, buzz burns out."

The 'Six Feet Under' alum will have to accept both. He's been clocking in steadily for film gigs recently — '3:10 to Yuma,' 'X-Men: The Last Stand,' 'Alpha Dog,' 'Hostage,' and Craig Lucas' forthcoming indie 'Laws of Motion.' And now he's buzzed. (photo: Jemal Countess/WireImage.com)

[Variety]

Rosamund Pike, Ayelet Zurer, Robbie Kay, director Jeremy Podeswa (also director of 'John from Cincinnati') and guests attend the 'Fugitive Pieces' premiere at the 2nd Rome Film Festival. (photo: Daniele Venturelli/WireImage.com)

Deal Breaker

It wasn't the $2.5 million pay cut that Joe Torre found "insulting" in his offer to continue managing the NY Yankees. It was the incentive structure ($ 5 million, with $1-million incentives for each round of playoffs reached). And as he told Bob Costas on HBO's 'Real Sports,' he could have even accepted the pay structure if it had been a two-year (as opposed to a one-year) contract: "You know, I probably could have worked with that, knowing that the two years was more important to me. To me, I just felt going through the year without having the disturbance of, of your job's at stake. The term was much more important to me than the amount." (photo: Gary Gershoff/WireImage.com)

[Newsday]

Booking Tony Soprano

Just when you thought you were out ... they pull you back in. 'Sopranos' creator David Chase has broken his silence on the series' controversial ending, and conspiracy theorists won't be thrilled: "There are no esoteric clues in there. No 'Da Vinci Code,'" he says. But, Chase also promises he wasn't shooting to rile fans of the show. "Why would we want to do that? Why would we entertain people for eight years only to give them the finger?"

His exclusive interview is in the new book now on sale at the HBO online store, and anyone willing to cross into New York territory can get their copy signed by members of the cast at HBO's Manhattan shop on November 2. (photo: Mathew Imaging/FilmMagic.com) Click here for details.

God Is in the Details

Vivica Fox impressed the in-crowd at 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' with her improv chops at her audition. "We were just saying, 'Where are we going to find a funny, beautiful, smart and interesting woman to play Loretta, the Hurricane Katrina victim?'" Cheryl Hines told the Baltimore Sun. "Vivica walked in, and she was perfect. Improvisation must come very naturally to her."

Now Fox is using her live skills onstage in a play called 'Whatever She Wants.' It's about a 40-year-old single woman who wants to meet men of a certain caliber and starts a social club with some demanding entry requirements. Though the play was written for her by Je'Caryous Johnson, Fox has a different plan for meeting Mr. Right: "I've gone out with some losers, but I believe that God's going to send me someone who's right for me." (photo: Bennett Raglin/WireImage.com)

[Baltimore Sun]

Brad Pitt speaks onstage at the Hollywood Film Festival's Hollywood Awards in Beverly Hills. (photo: Jordan Strauss/WireImage.com)

Baby Borat

Good news for Sacha Baron Cohen, bad news for the public at large — the creator of 'Da Ali G Show' and the infamous Borat has reproduced. According to British and Australian reporters, Baron Cohen and his wife, Isla Fisher, have had their first child, and when People magazine spoke to Melissa George — Fisher's costar on 'Home & Away' — she gave the new mom a vote of confidence. "She's the kindest, most beautiful woman. Like extraordinary, this girl. And she's got great humor, an amazing sort of temperament." As for the baby? "It'll be a riot. How could it not?" (photo: Kevin Mazur/
WireImage.com)

[People]

The Best Medicine?

Who would have guessed that Larry David could help teach social skills? Two researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have found that their schizophrenic patients identify with David's behavior on 'Curb Your Enthusiasm,' and his outbursts can actually help the patients control their own reactions. When The New Yorker called to hear the star's take on this, his neurosis kicked into full gear: "I knew that my own mental health was problematic, but should I be worried? I mean, I blow up, too! Is this something undiagnosed? Do I need to see a clinical psychologist?" (photo: Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic.com)

[New Yorker]

Zachary Quinto and Dania Ramirez arrive at Spike TV's 'Scream 2007' in Los Angeles. (photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage.com)

Buddy Movies

Mark Wahlberg must really be hitting it off with his 'Entourage' guest stars — he keeps showing up in their movies. No sooner did Ari recover M. Night Shyamalan's lost script than Wahlberg headed off to Pennsylvania to star in the director's latest film, 'The Happening.' Now, after Ryan Gosling dropped out of 'The Lovely Bones' at the last minute, Wahlberg stepped in a day before shooting started to back up director Peter Jackson. (photo: Eric Charbonneau/WireImage.com)

[Variety]

Laugh Radio

This Thursday if you find yourself in NYC looking for a good laugh, Susie Essman will be taping an interview for XM's 'Unmasked.' In his one-hour show, host Ron Bennington chats informally with comics and fields audience questions as various funny men and women share personal stories, inspiration, and views on comedy. Essman's show will tape at Comix Comedy Club in NYC at 12:30. For a chance to be in the studio audience, email XMUmasked@gmail.com. (photo: Polk Imaging/WireImage.com)

[RonFez.net]

Which Banjo?

Rachel Griffiths and her husband Andrew Taylor must have been dissatisfied being one of several kids to respond when their teachers called out their names growing up. They've chosen some unique monikers for their offspring. "Adelaide is named for the city, for a character in a Disney movie and for the showgirl in 'Guys & Dolls,'" Griffiths told a reporter for Parade. "And you must know Banjo....Banjo A.B. Paterson. He's the famous Australian poet, journalist and storyteller who wrote the song 'Waltzing Matilda.'" (photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage.com)

[Parade via Celebrity Baby Blog]

Uma Thurman attends Swarovski Fashion Rocks in London. (photo: Eamonn McCormack/WireImage.com)

The Truth is Out There

New Rule: Bill Maher can't make any more jokes about Janet Jackson's nipple, at least not without a touch of empathy. After all, HBO's political comic experienced the perils of live TV first-hand Friday night, when a handful of 9/11 Truthers — a group of conspiracy theorists who believe the World Trade Center's collapse was part of a government plot — infiltrated his show, 'Real Time with Bill Maher.'

The ruckus started when a man interrupted Maher's panel, holding a sign that read "9/11 is a cover up fraud" and began shouting. Maher responded, "Do we have some f**king security in this building?" Then the host took matters into his own hands, shooing the unruly audience member out of the studio. A few more people stood and started to complain, and Maher had them removed, too, telling the audience, "This isn't the Iowa Caucus, OK, we're not here to debate." (photo: Jeff Vespa/WireImage.com)

[AP via Google]

Sex Workers and the City

Carrie Bradshaw and company boast careers glamorous enough to match their Chanel shades, but 'Sex and the City' writer Darren Star's latest project follows a different type of working girl. With a push from Tracy Quan's memoir, 'Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl,' Star's foray into the world's oldest profession has him, well ... excited. "These women are not at all ashamed or stigmatized by what they do. In fact, there is something aspirational about it," Star says. "No one has quite looked at the world of high-end call girls, and this show intends to do that." (photo: Gregg DeGuire/
WireImage.com)

[Hollywood Reporter via Yahoo]

Need-to-Know Basis

Shelley Berman, who plays Larry David's dad on 'Curb Your Enthusiasm,' has spent a lifetime perfecting his improv act, releasing six comedy albums in the process. It's a good thing, too, because his audition with the show didn't give him much to go on. "I got called in [to work a scene out] with Larry David," Berman says. "I came in and was handed a piece of paper that said, 'His mother — your wife — has died, but you don't want to tell him.'" (photo: Mark Sullivan/WireImage.com)

[Daily Free Press]