Hollywood Digest

LOPES WAS BEHIND THE WHEEL

There are reports that Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes at the wheel of the car that crashed in Honduras Thursday -- killing her and injuring six other people who were in the car with her.

Lopes -- a sometimes controversial member of the four-time Grammy-winning R&B trio TLC -- made news in 1994 when she was arrested for burning down the house of former Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Andre Rison, her boyfriend at the time. She was fined and sentenced to five years' probation -- and went into rehab to deal with her alcoholism.

According to friends, the 30-year-old Philadelphia native who provided raps for TLC had recently been clean and sober and living a healthy lifestyle before she died.

Her surviving TLC mates, Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas and Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, issued a statement Friday calling Lopes their sister.

"We had all grown up together and were as close as a family," said the statement. "Today we have truly lost our sister."

Arista Records president Antonio L.A. Reid issued a statement saying Lopes was "like a daughter" to him.

"No words can possibly express the sorrow and sadness I feel for this most devastating loss," said Reid. "Her legacy will be remembered forever."

TLC's most recent album, "FanMail" topped the U.S. pop album charts for five weeks in 1999 and went on to sell more than eight million copies. It was nominated for eight Grammys, winning for best R&B album and best R&B performance for "No Scrubs."

The group's 1994 album, "CrazySexyCool" -- featuring the hit "Waterfalls" -- won Grammys for best R&B album and R&B performance, for "Creep."

Lopes is the second R&B star to die tragically in less than a year. Singer-actress Aaliyah was killed last August when her plane crashed on takeoff in the Bahamas.

PUFFY GETS INTO THE REALITY ACT

MTV is having such success with "The Osbournes" that executives are working on a deal for a similar "reality" look into the life of hip-hop mogul Sean "Puffy" Combs.

In an interview with "Access Hollywood," Combs said MTV envisions a show that is somewhat different from "The Osbournes," in that it will focus on his professional life -- not his life at home.

"There's only one Ozzy," said Combs. "I think no one should follow the Osbournes."

However, the owner of Bad Boy Records said viewers will get a gloves-off look at his day-to-day music business operation.

"I'm quite sure there will be a lot of bleeps in it because it will be raw and uncensored," he said.

L.A. GETS LATIN GRAMMYS

The Recording Academy may be taking the Grammy Awards back to New York, but Los Angeles will still play host to the Latin Grammys for at least another year.

Academy officials announced Thursday that the third annual Latin Grammys will be presented on Sept. 18 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, in ceremonies to be televised by CBS. Nominations will be announced in July.

The Academy also announced two new categories for the Latin Grammys -- Christian album and contemporary tropical album.

The Latin Grammys were first presented in Los Angeles in 2000. The second annual Latin Grammys were handed out at a news conference in L.A. last year, after ceremonies were canceled following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

HONORS FOR JOHN SCHLESINGER

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts Los Angeles chapter will honor director John Schlesinger with a lifetime achievement award on May 19 in Los Angeles.

Plans call for speeches by a number of actors who worked with Schlesinger, including Dustin Hoffman ("Midnight Cowboy," "Marathon Man") and Sally Field ("Eye for an Eye"). Schlesinger won the director Oscar for "Midnight Cowboy" in 1969.

His resume also includes "The Next Best Thing" (2000); "The Falcon and the Snowman" (1984); "Sunday Bloody Sunday" (1971) and "Darling" (1965).

SO YOU'RE NOT JUST GOOD FRIENDS?

Paul McCartney is being semi-coy about reported plans to marry his new love, Heather Mills, on June 6.

"Is that the date?" said McCartney in an interview with the New York Post. "I'm not saying anything. We'd like this to be as private as possible, so we could get wed with a bit of privacy. But I can tell you this: We are getting married, and it will be sometime this summer."

McCartney also would not say who he has asked to be his best man. But he does concede that he's not nervous about getting married again -- four years after the death of Linda McCartney left him a widower.

"I'm coping quite well with it," he said. "It's all right. I'm enjoying myself, and I'm excited by it because Heather is a great girl, you know, very lovely."

He said reports that his daughter Stella does not get along with Heather are "false," but he confirmed that Stella -- a well-known fashion designer -- is not designing the wedding gown.

Less than one month shy of his 60th birthday, McCartney said if he were to write "When I'm 64" today, it would come out differently than it did when he put in on "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" 35 years ago.

"First I'd call it 'When I'm 98,'" he said. "The perspective has definitely changed. I don't really know why I chose that year and luckily I'm not losing my hair - touch wood. It was a nice little song. I'll have to sing it on my birthday, won't I?"

Currently on tour for the first time in nine years, McCartney said he and his band are having "pure fun" and starting to talk about adding a second leg of the tour.

HONORS FOR STALLONE

The Video Software Dealers Association (VSDA) has announced that it will honor Sylvester Stallone as "Action Star of the Millennium" on July 16, at the group's 21st annual international gathering, Home Entertainment 2002.

VSDA President Bo Andersen said Stallone will pick up the award during the opening ceremony in Las Vegas.

"As an actor, writer and director, Mr. Stallone has ... created some of the most memorable characters in cinema history," said Andersen. "Rocky Balboa and John Rambo are cinema cornerstones in American culture and have become synonymous with courage and rough-hewn integrity."

Stallone became an international star in 1976 as the writer and star of "Rocky," which won the best picture Oscar.