Britney's ex could cash in
KENTWOOD, La., Jan. 8 (UPI) -- Britney Spear's ex-husband has been offered $1 million for the video of the couple's Las Vegas wedding, the New York Daily News reported Thursday.
Jason Alexander, whose marriage Saturday to the pop singer was followed by an annulment on Monday, may indeed cash in from the newfound celebrity of his 55-hour marriage.
Alexander, Spears' childhood friend, has called on another hometown pal, former Baltimore Ravens player Michael Jackson, who put the jilted groom in touch with Ira Rainess.
Rainess, whose past career moves include turning troubled Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis into a marketing success, said he was just helping Alexander deal with the situation.
"He's not selling the video," said Rainess. "He is overwhelmed by what's going on, and I'm offering him general advice as a favor to a friend."
Others have said that Alexander is shopping the video around, though names of potential buyers have not been revealed.
While Alexander may profit from the short-term union, his ex-wife may suffer long-term effects. Advance ticket sales for her new concert tour, which begins March 2 in San Diego, are down.
Discovery Channel backs 'Crocodile Hunter'
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 8 (UPI) -- Discovery Channel, which airs "Crocodile Hunter," supports star Steve Irwin amid public outrage that Irwin fed a crocodile while holding his infant son.
"We're supporting him; we will continue to air the show," Billy Campbell, president of Discovery Networks, said during the TV Critics Association tour being held this week in Los Angeles.
"I'm very excited about sitting down with him and talking about the future of things that we are going to try to do together," Campbell said, according to Wednesday's Zap2it.com.
Although the cable network supports the show, Campbell said he did not agree with what Irwin did with his son.
"When I talked to Steve, I let him know on behalf of me, personally, as well as Discovery, that I didn't agree with what he did," Campbell said.
Irwin apologized quickly for his actions, and has been "incredibly remorseful," Campbell said, adding he does not believe the incident will happen again.
Gest wants blood in Minnelli suit
NEW YORK, Jan. 8 (UPI) -- David Gest accused Liza Minnelli in court Wednesday of committing a "class B misdemeanor" by allegedly hiding her medical condition from him.
Gest's attorney, Raoul Felder, didn't offer details regarding the alleged ailment, but demanded in Manhattan Supreme Court the 57-year-old entertainer take a blood test.
Minnelli's lawyer, Frederic Siegel, objected to the request, declaring, "I don't see how this benefits anybody to be doing this in open court."
Judge John Stackhouse seemed to agree and ordered the lawyers into his chambers, where he later said he "admonished Mr. Felder not to refer to Ms. Minnelli as having committed any crime," and said he would be $5,000 if he brought the matter up again.
Minnelli and the theater producer are suing each other for wrongs each allegedly committed during their brief, but tumultuous marriage.
In a $10 million lawsuit Gest accuses Minnelli of beating and seriously injuring him, while Minnelli contends in a $3 million countersuit that Gest was a thief and impossible to deal with.
Gest was not in the courtroom yesterday, but Minnelli who was, but left before the discussion turned to blood tests and misdemeanors, told the New York Daily News, "I'm feeling very well, thank you."
'American Splendor' top film by LA Critics
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 8 (UPI) -- The Los Angeles Film Critics Association has voted "American Splendor" best film of the year at Wednesday's awards ceremony.
The HBO Films/Fine Line Features release, about a Cleveland file clerk's autobiographical comic books, also won for best screenplay, according to Thursday's Hollywood Reporter.
Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini wrote and directed "American Splendor," which stars Paul Giamatti and Hope Davis. The award-winning film also took the Grand Jury Prize at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival and won for best film and best screenplay Saturday from the National Society of Film Critics.
In other awards handed out by the L.A. Film Critics, Peter Jackson won best director honors for "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," Bill Murray for best actor in "Lost in Translation," and Naomi Watts for best actress in "21 Grams."
Trophies will be handed out at a ceremony Jan. 26 at the St. Regis Hotel in Los Angeles.
'Greenlight' moves to Bravo for 3rd season
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 8 (UPI) -- "Project Greenlight," the popular HBO series about filmmaking, is moving to cable's Bravo network for its third season.
"This glimpse into the creative process of filmmaking is a perfect fit for our brand, and we're thrilled with the prospect of providing 'Project Greenlight' the kind of elevated platform it deserves on Bravo," said Jeff Gaspin, Bravo president.
Set to return to the airwaves in 2005, "Project Greenlight" will once again run a contest for first-time writers and directors, with the show chronicling the making of the Miramax-funded winning entry, Zap2it.com reported Wednesday.
Producer Chris Moore, with partners Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, will choose the winning project.
The third season of "Project Greenlight" calls for a horror or thriller script.
HBO opted not to renew the show because executives thought Moore would no longer be involved with the show. Moore is returning for the third season, however, he will not be as active in the day-to-day production as he had been in the first two years of the show.
