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Entertainment Today: Showbiz News

By KAREN BUTLER, United Press International
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KIRK DOUGLAS: BAD TOOTH SAVED MY LIFE

Kirk Douglas says he considered killing himself after a debilitating stroke several years ago, but a bad tooth distracted him from the task.

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The 86-year-old screen legend told Radio Times he placed the loaded gun he used in the movie "Gunfight at the OK Corral" in his mouth, but said he forgot about suicide when the pistol hit a bad tooth.

"What does an actor do if he can't talk?" he told Radio Times, explaining that stroke victims often experience suicidal thoughts. "He has to wait for silent pictures to return."

Douglas and his son, Michael, presented the Oscar for best picture to the producers of "Chicago" Sunday night. Michael's pregnant wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, also won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as a publicity-hungry murderess in the musical.

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POLANSKI 'TOUCHED' BY OSCAR

Roman Polanski says he was "deeply touched" the Academy awarded him an Oscar for Best Director for his personal Holocaust drama, "The Pianist."

Polanski has been living in France since 1978 after he pleaded guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl at Jack Nicholson's house while the "Chinatown" star was away, then skipped town before he was sentenced. Polanski was warned that if he returned to the United States to attend the awards ceremony he would be arrested and forced to serve out his sentence.

"I am deeply touched to have received the Oscar for Best Director for a film which recounts events which are so close to my personal experience, events which helped me to understand that art can transcend pain," the 69-year-old director said in a brief statement. "I thank the members of the Academy with all my heart for this magnificent reward."

Based on the experiences of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a Polish Jewish musician who survived Nazi-occupied Warsaw, "The Pianist" also draws on Polanski's own childhood Holocaust memories.


NEW FILM, BOOK CELEBRATE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS

Publication of a new coffee-table book about the history of flight attendants coincides with the release of the Gwyneth Paltrow comedy, "View From the Top."

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"Come Fly With Us! A Global History of the Airline Hostess" by Johanna Omelia and Michael Waldock, documents the evolution from stewardess to international flight attendant over the course of 70 years.

The book says stewardesses in the 1930s were registered nurses whose duties included fixing loose chairs, loading baggage, discussing meteorology and sights, swatting flies and carrying a railroad timetables for stranded passengers. In the 1940s, these women were released to join the war effort, but by the next decade were seen as "wives in training," as adept at preparing a baby's bottle as they were a martini.

The Swinging 1960s and early 1970s saw female flight attendants used as marketing tools to attract male passengers. Some wore micro-mini skirts, hot pants, go-go boots and buttons that read "Pure, Sober and Available," while others even did an airborne strip-tease. Of course, all that changed in the late 1970s, '80s and '90s, as flight attendants embraced women's rights and airlines became more safety conscious.

"View From the Top" is the story of a small-town girl (Paltrow) who dreams of being an international first-class flight attendant. Co-starring Christina Applegate, Kelly Preston, Mark Ruffalo and Candice Bergen, "View" earned $7.6 million and a No. 4 spot at the box office when it debuted this weekend.

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CELINE'S VEGAS SHOW TELEVISED

Celine Dion offered a sneak peek of her new Vegas show -- and the $95 million theater built to house it -- in a one-hour TV special.

"Celine in Las Vegas: Opening Night" aired Tuesday and marked Dion's comeback after a self-imposed two-year hiatus where she concentrated on her family life.

Sporting a new short, blonde hair-do, Dion had lined up several of her hit ballads to sing, as well as songs from her new album, "One Heart," in the special hosted by pop star Justin Timberlake.

The Candian songbird has signed a three-year contract to perform at a new theater at Las Vegas' posh Caesar's Palace.

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