Entertainment Today: Showbiz News

HOPKINS TO PLAY SUPERMAN DAD

Anthony Hopkins enjoyed working with "Red Dragon" director Brett Ratner so much, he has agreed to play Jor-El in Ratner's upcoming "Superman" movie.

"Oh, yeah. I'm going to do it. I'd love to do it," Hopkins says when asked about the rumor that has recently been circulating through cyber-space. "(The news) was on the Internet, was it?"

Hopkins will play Superman's father, a role immortalized by Marlon Brando in the 1978 Christopher Reeve film. Production is expected to begin next June.

Meanwhile, "Red Dragon," the eagerly awaited prequel to "The Silence of the Lambs" and "Hannibal," opens Oct. 4.

Although a fourth Hannibal Lecter film seems unlikely at this point, Hopkins admits he has not completely ruled it out, especially if "Red Dragon" is as successful as its predecessors.

"(Producer) Dino (DeLaurentiis) said last night: 'Tony, we've got to talk. We have to talk,'" Hopkins told United Press International in DeLaurentiis' raspy Italian accent. "Dino's irrepressible. He's unstoppable, but I don't know. I don't see any more juice coming out of that character. Three? That's enough. But people ask me this, so maybe they want to see another one. I can't go on playing this character. I mean, I can, I suppose. I can, if I put my mind to it. I love playing him."

Noting the globe-trotting serial killer was last seen on a plane at the end of "Hannibal," Hopkins muses there might be another story there after all.

"That's where Dino wants to take it. He says, 'Tony, let's make him Japanese.' I said, 'This guy is a serial killer.' And Dino says, 'He is like James Bond.'"

ICE CUBE MELTS BOX OFFICE RIVALS

Ice Cube's heartwarming comedy, "Barbershop," debuted at No. 1 this weekend, earning $21 million at the box office.

For the third week in a row, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" took the No. 2 spot. Released more than five months ago, the comedy brought in another $11 million, making it the 15th movie of the year to cross the $100 million mark.

In third place was Robin Williams' creepy thriller "One Hour Photo," with $7.7 million, while the No. 4 slot was occupied by Jason Lee and Tom Green's laugher "Stealing Harvard," with $6.3 million. Last weekend's top film, "Swimfan," rounded out the top five with $6.1 million.

NEW ALBUM IS TRIBUTE TO LEFT EYE

The surviving members of the Grammy-winning R&B group TLC say they hope their upcoming album will be a fitting tribute to Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, their friend and collaborator, who died earlier this year in a Honduras car crash.

According to E! online, Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozanda "Chilli" Thomas have just completed "3D," the group's fourth studio album, and plan to dedicate it to Lopes. The highly anticipated album, which features several songs Lopes recorded before her death, will go on sale Nov. 13, with the first single, "Quickie," hitting the radio waves on Oct. 21.

Arista is calling the album "a loving tribute to" and a final showcase for Lopes' talent.

"T-Boz and Chilli felt it was important to go ahead and complete the album," the label says in a statement. Lopes also named the album and mapped out the visual design for the project.

E! quotes the late singer's spokesman, Jay Marose, as saying he has heard several cuts from the album earlier this summer and "they're the best work (TLC) have ever done."

'PEOPLE' NAMES YEAR'S BEST, WORST DRESSED

"People" magazine has named style icons Halle Berry and Julia Roberts as this year's best-dressed women, while dubbing former Playboy Playmate Pamela Anderson, singer Macy Gray and supermodel Heidi Klum the worst.

Also applauded for their keen fashion sense were film stars Kate Beckinsale, Kate Hudson, Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon, as well as TV actresses Calista Flockhart, Debra Messing and Keri Russell.

"People" also noted the "best-tressed" folks in Hollywood, citing Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jodie Foster, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Sarah Jessica Parker for their particularly lovely locks. At the other end of the spectrum were Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Brittany Murphy, Brittany Spears and Liam Neeson, whose catastrophic coifs landed them on the "worst hair" list. Oddly enough, "Friends" star Courtney Cox appeared on both the good and bad hair lists, while husband David Arquette was declared a "head-to-toe" fashion horror.

SPEAKING OF DRESSING UP...

Heath Ledger's fans may be wondering what the handsome 23-year-old Australian looks like in modern clothing.

First there was "The Patriot," where he donned the uniform of a colonial American soldier, then "A Knight's Tale," where he wore the armor of a medieval knight. He made a brief appearance as a prison guard in "Monster's Ball" last year, but now he's back in period dress for the war film, "The Four Feathers," co-starring Kate Hudson ("Almost Famous") and Wes Bentley ("American Beauty.") His next project? Playing an 1870s Australian bank robber.

So, is Ledger a history buff or does he just dig the clothes?

"I just want to challenge myself and have fun doing it, that's all," he confesses, explaining how he tries to ignore critics who type him as a dramatic actor interested only in sweeping epics.

"Otherwise, I wouldn't be doing more period movies because everyone is going: 'So, are you going to be doing period movies for the rest of your life? Are you going to be riding horses for the rest of your life,' and usually, I would go, 'Oh s---, I should go do a cop movie now and get into a pair of jeans.' So, it's like, 'Screw it.' I just have to stay focused on what I think that I can do and what I want to do," he states.

"The Four Feathers" is the story of a British commander who resigns just before a major battle in 1898 Sudan. The feathers are recognized by the military as the symbol for cowardice. Described by Ledger as a "tale of self-discovery," "The Four Feathers" has already had six previous big-screen incarnations.