HFPA still working on Globes solution
HOLLYWOOD, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is scrambling to find a way to hold its Golden Globe awards ceremony, despite the Writers Guild of America strike.
The HFPA said it planned to make an announcement Monday regarding the status of its awards show.
The Screen Actors Guild last week said its members wouldn't cross a WGA event picket line to get to the Globes, which honors the year's best in film and television.
The WGA threatened to picket Sunday's event if it is televised by NBC, a struck network.
NBC is reportedly considering canceling the telecast, so the ceremony can take place and the stars can attend.
"The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has been placed in an extremely difficult position with the ongoing Writers Guild strike," HFPA President Jorge Camara said in a statement issued late Friday.
"We are making every effort to work out a solution that will permit the Golden Globes to take place with the creative community present to participate. We hope to announce a resolution to this unfortunate predicament on Monday."
The WGA said it is eager to see the strike resolved soon, adding it appreciated the sacrifice SAG is making.
"We are grateful to our brothers and sisters in SAG for their continued solidarity and support. The entire awards show season is being put in jeopardy by the intransigence of a few big media corporations. We urge the conglomerates to return to the bargaining table they abandoned and negotiate a fair and reasonable deal with writers to put this town back to work," WGA West president Patric M. Verrone said in a statement.
Spears' tests free of illegal drugs
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Troubled U.S. pop star Britney Spears didn't test positive for illegal drugs or alcohol during her recent hospitalization, People.com reported Monday.
Spears spent two days at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after police were called to her home because she refused to return her two young sons to their father at the end of a court-sanctioned, supervised visit Thursday evening.
Police said the singer appeared to be under the influence of "an unknown substance" at the time of the incident.
Spears was taken to the hospital for a psychological evaluation and drug tests.
"She tested clean," a source told People.com. "This lady is as clean as clean can be and has been for some time."
Two sources who know the Spears family told the magazine they believe the singer suffers from undiagnosed bipolar disorder.
One insider said Spears, 26, has "suffered from a psychological disease for years."
Spears left the hospital Saturday.
'Real Time' to return with new format
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Comedian and talk-show host Bill Maher reportedly won't write any material for his "Real Time With Bill Maher" series during the Hollywood writers strike.
Maher's HBO show is set to begin its new season Friday, but new episodes won't feature Maher's traditional opening monologue or "New Rules" closing segment, The Hollywood Reporter said.
Instead, Maher will chat with audience members and preside over extended roundtable discussions with guests, the trade paper said.
The comedian is adhering to Writers Guild of America strike rules that forbid talk-show hosts who are WGA members from writing material for their shows.
Maher's fellow talk-show host, Jay Leno, has been criticized for writing his own monologues on "The Tonight Show" since it went back on the air after being shut down for nearly two months because of the strike.
Both Maher and Leno went back to work on their shows without their striking writing staffs.
The last season of "Real Time" was cut short when scribes walked off their jobs. HBO was forced to air a repeat of the show instead of a season finale.
'St. Trinian's' star cast as Bond girl
LONDON, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- British actress Gemma Arterton has signed on to play a Bond girl in the next 007 film, The Hollywood Reporter said.
A representative for Danjaq Productions confirmed the casting decision for "Bond 22," noting Arterton will play "a nice-sized role" opposite Daniel Craig, the latest actor to portray the sexy secret agent.
Shooting has begun in London and the movie is to hit theaters Nov. 7.
Arterton, 21, studied at Britain's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and starred in the film "St. Trinian's." She will share the Bond girl distinction with actresses Ursula Andress, Jane Seymour, Denise Richards, Halle Berry and Eva Green, among others.
