Stanley Tucci, Patricia Clarkson and Steve Buscemi arrive at the premiere of 'The Visitor' at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. (photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/
WireImage.com)

The Broke of
Greenwich Village

After years of living it up in Carmela Soprano's shoes, Edie Falco is no stranger to the good life. But it hasn't always been Porsche wishes and Vesuvio dreams for the actress, who told the Boston Herald how she spent her first big payday: "I lived down in Greenwich Village in a dinky studio walk-up on the fifth floor. With no bathroom, yet ... The minute I saw a few dollars coming in, I moved out." (photo: Chris Polk/WireImage.com)

[Boston Herald]

Betting the House

Now that Bob Saget and his former 'Full House' costars have moved on to edgier work, they've also traded family-friendly for Sin City: "I was in Vegas with [John] Stamos and [Dave] Coulier," says Saget, "and people were like 'Oh my God it's the guys from 'Full House' ... We were all wearing black." So now Danny, Joey and Uncle Jesse are so money they don't even know it? Well, Saget's end to the story leaves Vince Vaughn's legacy safely preserved: "I played the 'Wheel of Fortune' slots with my girlfriend." (photo: Alexandra Wyman/
WireImage.com)

[RamCigar.com]

Michael Imperioli and Drea DeMatteo arrive at the Studio Dante Benefit at The Rubin Museum of Art in New York City. (photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage.com)

Russian Immigrants

Helen Mirren is finally giving up the crown to experience life amongst the Russian aristocracy. The actress who won numerous awards for her portrayal of not one, but two Queen Elizabeths (I and II), is replacing another member of thespian royalty, Meryl Streep, in the role of Sofia, Tolstoy's wife in Michael Hoffman's upcoming bio pic 'The Last Station.' Christopher Plummer will play her famous husband/philosopher/writer. And Paul Giamatti will go from leader (John Adams) to follower, playing Chertkov, loyal disciple of Tolstoy and adversary to Sofia. (photo: Brian Ach/WireImage.com)

[Variety.com]

The Singing Detective

When a book series gets translated into 44 languages and adapted to film, it's likely to spark a few product tie-ins à la 'Harry Potter' broomsticks. But Alexander McCall Smith, author of 'The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency,' has taken a slightly upscale tack — opening The No. 1 Ladies' Opera House in Gaborone, Botswana. Converted from an old mechanics' shop that inspired the Speedy Motors garage in the books, the new venue will seat 60 people and double as a restaurant during the day. "It had such character, with lots of grease, old car seats for customers to sit on in the office, and I liked the feel of it," McCall Smith says. "We had a look at it and realized if it was tarted up a bit, it would be ideal as a small opera house." (photo: Gary Gershoff/WireImage.com)

[Times Online]

Sarah Jessica Parker and Ellen Page attend a screening of 'Smart People' in New York City. (photo: Michael Loccisano/FilmMagic.com)

When Life Hands You Lemmons

Every famous actor has that moment when all the struggling seems to pay off, and for 'Recount' star Kevin Spacey, the day arrived in 1986 when he played Jamie in 'Long Day's Journey into Night' alongside Jack Lemmon, who he'd met previously during a youth workshop.. "I had no self-esteem when I was a kid, I was so shy," Spacey says. "But when you're 11 years old and have Jack Lemmon say you're good ... It changed my life, it gave me confidence." And so, now that Spacey has watched his own star rise, he's ready to give others' a boost with the Old Vic New Voices program in London. "Jack always used to say that if you've done well in the business that you wanted to be in, then it is your obligation to send the elevator back down," he says. "That's your job, because somebody did it for you. It's more satisfying than any individual achievement because you can change people's lives." (photo: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

[Times Online]

Autism: The Awareness

Here's something you may not know: today is World Autism Awareness Day. And here's another thing: autism is being diagnosed at a rate of one in 150 children today in the United States. Tricia Regan, the director of 'Autism: The Musical,' hopes her documentary helps break down the stigma of the disease: "I feel like there is a lot of 'burying our heads in the sand' — it's a difficult subject that people don't want to deal with and it's frightening. I see this even with [the response towards] my own movie. You know, people, at first, don't want to come and see the movie, but when they do see it, they are like, 'Wow, I'm really glad that I saw your movie.'" (photo: Alexandra Wyman/WireImage.com)

[Huffingtonpost.com]

Shia LaBeouf and Harrison Ford at Nickelodeon's 2008 Kids'™ Choice Awards in Los Angeles. (photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com)

Big Ticket Item

Kristin Davis is not a cheap date, as one 'Sex and the City' fan just found out. A Japanese woman paid $52,100 for two tickets to walk the red carpet with Davis at the New York premiere of 'Sex and the City: The Movie' this May. Okay, so the VIP treatment includes hair and make-up and a pair of Jimmy Choos, but still. The money is being donated to Oxfam, the organization that works to ease poverty and injustice. Says Davis, "I just got back from Africa and saw firsthand that we're making a long-term difference. It gives me a sense of satisfaction." (photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com)

[SFGate.com]

Force To Be Reckoned With

Earthquake's name has gone up in lights on 'Def Comedy Jam' and Chris Rock's 'Everybody Hates Chris,' but how exactly did the comedian end up with such a distinct moniker? Well, according to him, it has nothing to do with his size: "My mom named me Earthquake because she did every conceivable thing to keep from becoming pregnant. She was on the pill, used a diaphragm, my father had a condom on and it was after her cycle and she still got pregnant so the only thing she could name me was after a natural disaster." (photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com)

[Daily Collegian]

Julianne Nicholson and Chris Noth attend the 2008 USA Network UpFront in New York City. (photo: Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic.com)

Post-Enlightenment

If you don't know your John Hancock from your Herbie Hancock, don't feel ashamed — you're not alone. When Laura Linney accepted her role in 'John Adams,' she too felt the backlash from zoning out in ninth-grade history: "When I think about John Adams, I knew: a) he was married to a woman named Abigail, b) they wrote lots of letters to each other, and c) he was part of the Declaration of Independence. And, yeah, I knew he was president. And that's about it, which is embarrassing quite frankly, when you start to be exposed to all this material and realize how important it is to us as Americans." (photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage.com)

[Baltimore Sun]

Reality TV

Activist and filmmaker Lisa F. Jackson presents the disturbing story of women who were kidnapped, raped and tortured in the war-torn Congo in 2006 in her award-winning documentary 'The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo.'

Asked whether she thought there was a healing aspect to the women's participation in the film, Jackson replied: "I hate to impose first-world psycho-babble constructs on the experiences of others. But I do know that the women and girls I met were grateful to find someone who wanted to listen and who would not judge them." As for whether she felt endangered interviewing the rapists, Jackson said: "They were preening arrogant little [men]. The situation was pretty freaky until I realized how much these odious thugs wanted to be interviewed: to hurt me would jeopardize their moment of fame. Not that I chilled out after realizing that..." 'The Greatest Silence' premieres on HBO April 8th. (photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images)

[mediarights.org]

[HBO.com]