FOX 411:
2/28/01
Exclusive: DiCaprio Agent/Ovitz Partner Rick Yorn Sued in Giacchetto Case

In a somewhat surprising twist, the bankruptcy receiver overseeing jailed money manager Dana Giacchetto's case has sued Leonardo DiCaprio's talent agent, Rick Yorn, for 10 counts of fraud. The receiver claims that Yorn participated in a scam stock transaction with Giacchetto in September 1999 valued at more than $700,000.

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Lineone:
2/28/01
Leo's engaged

Leonardo DiCaprio and supermodel Gisele are engaged - ending months of speculation. The Brazilian babe confirmed she was engaged to the Titanic star but then claimed that they have no plans to marry in the near future.
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The Guardian/Observer:
2/28/01
Film icons blamed for teenage smoking

Film stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Sharon Stone and John Travolta who regularly smoke on screen are influencing young people to take up cigarettes, according to a study. Psychologists from the United States believe they have concrete evidence that young fans are swayed by the image of their idol with a cigarette between their fingers. While they accept there are limitations to their study, Jennifer Tickle and her colleagues from New Hampshire said their research found a surprisingly strong link between use by movie stars of tobacco and higher levels of smoking in the teenagers who admire them. On the strength of the findings, the smoking pressure group Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) is asking the British Board of Film Classification not to give less than a 15 certificate to a film showing teen idols smoking. Clive Bates, director of Ash, said: "We don't want to censor directors and actors by banning smoking in films by law, but we do call on them to think about harm they are doing. "Hollywood megastars can find the best support in the world to stop smoking if they want, but for young fans the influence of their favourite actors could be the start of a lifetime struggle with nicotine addiction." The questionnaire, in the medical journal Tobacco Control published today, featured 632 students, aged between 10 and 19, from five rural New England schools. They were asked about their tobacco use and also the name of their favourite film star. The psychologists then analysed the smoking patterns in recent films of the 43 most popular stars. They found that 65% smoked on screen at least once and 42% portrayed smoking as an essential character trait in one or more films. Three film stars - Leonardo DiCaprio, Sharon Stone and John Travolta - smoked in three or more films. They found that those teenagers who named a favourite film star who had smoked on screen were more likely to smoke or say they were inclined to smoke. And the more their film idol smoked on screen, the higher the chance that the young person would be a smoker. "This research shows a clear relation between on-screen tobacco use by movie stars and higher levels of smoking uptake in the adolescents who admire them," said the researchers. They added that there was no evidence that teenagers who already smoked were more interested in the characters who smoked in the films they watched. "Instead the association between star smoking and attitudes that predict smoking (susceptibility) was even stronger among never smokers, suggesting that the influence of movie star smoking begins before experimentation with cigarettes. We believe this evidence strongly suggests that media portrayals of tobacco use by popular movie stars contribute to adolescent smoking." They accept that adolescents may admire film stars who smoke because it fits their pre-existing concept of "cool" behaviour. The results of the study, said the authors, "contribute to a growing body of evidence identifying media exposure to smoking as a major contributing factor in adolescent smoking uptake."
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Bergen.com:
2/27/01
Sitcom job for 'Titanic's' Nucci

Danny Nucci has just settled into a corner booth at a discreetly hip midtown restaurant when he spots something interesting off the menu. "Hey, I haven't seen this yet," the actor says, reaching for a folder stuffed with publicity materials for "Some of My Best Friends," a new CBS sitcom starring Nucci and Jason Bateman. He quickly shuffles through studio photographs, focusing on one in which he's leaning stiffly on a table, a bland smile in place. "This is my Sears catalog pose," says a playful Nucci, holding the shot of himself as character Frankie Zito up for inspection. That would be a catalog circa 1970s, the decade in which Frankie -- with his well-oiled pompadour and polyester threads -- seems to be stuck. When he answers a roommate-wanted ad specifying "GWM," he decodes that as "Guy With Money," not "Gay White Male." Big heart, narrow perspective. The confusion ends up putting friendly Frankie in an odd-couple pairing with gay writer Warren Fairbanks (Bateman) -- and putting Nucci in a role he didn't expect to play: sitcom actor. "I did the show because it's funny. I love it because it's funny. I can't stop laughing," says Nucci, 32, whose resume listed films and TV dramas before "Some of My Best Friends." A working actor since age 14, Nucci's been a familiar face in good, small roles in a range of movies including independents like "The Big Squeeze" and studio releases such as "Eraser," "The Rock," and "Crimson Tide." In 1999, he had the historic privilege of appearing in "Snoops," a rare TV flop from megaproducer David E. Kelley ("Ally McBeal," "The Practice," "Boston Public.") "I prefer the word 'miss,'" Nucci chides. "The show didn't know what it was at first, and when it did it took so long to get there nobody cared anymore." Then there's his biggest credit: "Titanic," in which Nucci played Leonardo DiCaprio's buddy, Fabrizio. Much of Nucci's role hit an iceberg, however, and sank from audience view on the cutting-room floor. "What an experience to be in a film that was so honored and accepted; in that sense, it's great. But the role that I did is not in the film. It's hard not to go 'What if, what if.' "It didn't hurt the film at all, so in that sense it was the right decision. But when I'm thinking about how it affects me, then it was somewhat disappointing." After "Titanic," Nucci was able to deflect the public's where-have-I-seen-you-before questions with a one-movie reply.

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NY Post:
2/27/01
BUDGET BUSTER

BAD weather, problems handling hundreds of extras, and Italian work-day restrictions have played havoc shooting "Gangs of New York" in Rome. The picture is so far behind schedule that sources say Liam Neeson and other stars have been shooting on Saturdays, and Cameron Diaz even shot one scene with the flu. Artist Mark Kostabi, who visited the set one day, reports a group of wild pigs got loose and charged at director Martin Scorsese, who narrowly avoided attack when an assistant threw herself in front of the pugnacious porkers. A gracious Scorsese laughed off the assault, comparing the pigs to malicious movie critics.
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E! Online:
2/27/01
LEO FEST

Don's Plum, an obscure low budget film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire, proving to be a hit internationally with foreign distributors who are rushing to buy the rights since its debut at the Berlin Film Festival. The film is banned from release in North America after a legal settlement between the producers and DiCaprio, who claims he never made it for theatrical release.
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The Mirror:
2/27/01
MOVIE IDOLS' SMOKESHAME

Young fans `at risk' STARS such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Sharon Stone encourage children to smoke by lighting up on screen, it is claimed today. Young fans of actors seen smoking are up to three times more likely to take up the habit than those who prefer stars who do not smoke in films. Researchers say: "There is a clear relation between on-screen tobacco use by stars and higher smoking uptake in adolescents who admire them." US psychologists picked 43 stars who appeared in films between 1994 and 1996. DiCaprio, Stone and John Travolta each lit up in four movies. Brad Pitt, Drew Barrymore, Robert De Niro, Whoopi Goldberg, Christian Slater and Keanu Reeves each smoked in two. More than 600 youngsters aged 10 to 19 were then quizzed about the idols and their own smoking. Those whose favourite stars lit up in two films were one-and-a-half-times more likely to smoke. Those whose favourites smoked in three or more films were three times more likely. The research - at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire - is published today in the medical journal Tobacco Control. Anti-smoking group ASH said yesterday: "It isn't surprising teens are influenced to smoke - but it is worrying."
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USA Today:
2/26/01
DiCaprio, giving a great performance

Lonergan also had word from Gangs of New York; he is what he calls "the fourth of four writing partners of Martin Scorsese," who also is Count on Me exec producer. Gangs has a cast of hundreds in 19th century New York, re-created at Rome's Cinecitta, and it's going well despite communication issues with the Italian crews. It will be "an epic movie, it's huge," says Lonergan; it traces the first big ethnic gang wars in New York when the Irish arrived in the 1840s. Leonardo DiCaprio, he says, is giving a great performance.

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FOX 411:
2/26/01
Yada Yada Errata

Leonardo DiCaprio getting married? Frolicking all over the world with Gisele "My name hasn’t been in the paper this week" Bundchen? All doubtful, since Leo’s been in Rome since Jan. 5 and is still in Rome shooting Gangs of New York for Martin Scorsese. Maybe Gisele forgot about all that when she phoned her item into Brazilian newspapers
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NY Post:
2/26/01
'GANGS' BANGED

FOR a guy who makes his principal living running showbiz bible Variety, Peter Bart isn't at all scared of stepping on some big Hollywood toes. Bart, wearing one of his other hats as a GQ writer-at-large, reports in the March issue from the Rome set of Martin Scorsese's $85 million film, "Gangs of New York." Bart thinks the ambitious movie is one of those projects that "seem destined for oblivion." His take is sure to upset the likes of Mike Ovitz, who got star client Leonardo DiCaprio the leading role in "Gangs," and Miramax chief Harvey Weinstein, who could be up for the bulk of the financing. Bart reports that the budget is going skyward and that, despite Weinstein's involvement, the film has yet to secure the backing of a major Hollywood studio. I don't know if it helps that he also notes: "I have always liked Scorsese and admired his integrity."
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Daily Express:
2/26/01
Gisele's got bottle

Gisele Bundchen is the latest star to splash some of the white stuff on her upper lip for America's Got Milk? Ad campaign. The pictures will debut in next month's Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.
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NY Post:
2/26/01
LEO TO BE GISELE'S MODEL HUBBY

"Titanic" heartthrob Leonardo DiCaprio is finally ready to take the plunge and marry his supermodel girlfriend, Gisele Bundchen. The Brazilian bombshell - who said in the past that she was too young to wed - ended speculation that the two had even been an item, saying she is finally ready to tie the knot. "He's my fiancée," the 20-year-old sultry supermodel admitted in an interview with the Brazilian magazine Veja. DiCaprio and Bundchen, who have been dating since 1998, are scheduled to marry sometime this summer. Bundchen, who turned down a role in the "Charlie's Angels" movie and reportedly earns $7,000 an hour, said the 25-year-old teen heartthrob even got down on one knee last month at his Malibu home and gave her a diamond and platinum engagement ring. Bundchen, who was discovered at age 14 while eating a hamburger at McDonald's in a Rio shopping mall and became famous for sporting eye-popping lingerie for Victoria's Secret, said Leo would make a great husband because he is "a wonderful person with a big heart, very wise, intelligent and sensitive." The couple, who briefly broke up last summer, are currently in Brazil celebrating Carnival with Bundchen's family. In the past, the two had denied they were even dating - admitting that they were "just friends" and avoided being photographed or seen in public together. DiCaprio, a serial model-dater, has been romantically linked to superwaif Kate Moss and blond beauty Vanessa Haydon, among others.
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Electronic Telegraph:
2/26/01
DiCaprio to marry his Brazilian model

LEONARDO DICAPRIO and his Brazilian supermodel girlfriend Gisele Bundchen have announced that they will marry this summer. During the two years since they met, Bundchen, 20, and DiCaprio, 25, have repeatedly denied that they were dating. But, in an interview with the Brazilian magazine Veja, Bundchen called DiCaprio her fiance and told how he got down on one knee at his Malibu home last month to propose, giving her a diamond and platinum engagement ring. DiCaprio, who starred in the films Titanic and The Beach, has a reputation for being one of Hollywood's great womanisers. His former girlfriends include the British model Kate Moss. Bundchen, who is credited with reintroducing voluptuous femininity to modelling, earns £5,000 an hour.
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Bergen.com:
2/26/01
Married to the mob

James Gandolfini will never forget the first time he met Julia Roberts. He was at last year's Golden Globes, sitting with his cast mates from "The Sopranos," when he caught sight of Roberts out of the corner of his eye. She was flashing one of her famous smiles and waving. The next time he sneaked a peak at her, she was doing the same thing...

...It was Roberts who recommended Gandolfini for the movie role. "I'm such a big fan of James Gandolfini," says the actress. "And working with him was the easiest thing in the world. I can't say enough good things about James." Roberts isn't the only one saying good things about Gandolfini. During his next hiatus from "The Sopranos," he'll team with Robert Redford for "The Castle." After that comes "Catch Me If You Can" with Leonardo DiCaprio and the Coen Brothers' "The Barber Project" with Frances McDormand and Billy Bob Thornton.

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Seattle Times:
2/26/01
Titanic lands in Seattle!

What is it that draws people to stories of tragedy, like the one about the big ship that sunk to the bottom of the ocean, plunging 1,523 passengers to their deaths?

Is it Leonardo DiCaprio? Perhaps.

But Mark Lach would like to think otherwise.

"All around the world people saw 'Titanic' and I think were brought closer to this historical event," says Lach, who designed the Titanic artifact exhibit opening this week at the Pacific Science Center. "In many ways, the film certainly brought it to life, but when you see these real pieces, these personal items, it becomes much more than a Hollywood creation. It really comes alive." He's talking about eyeglasses, jewelry, handwritten letters, pajamas -- some 200 artifacts retrieved from the Atlantic Ocean floor around the sunken ship that are part of the world's largest collection of Titanic memorabilia. "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibit" opens Saturday, taking over 12,000 square feet of the Pacific Science Center after a successful seven-month run in Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry. More than 7 million visitors have boarded the Titanic exhibit internationally and in the United States.

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JAM Showbiz:
2/26/01
Danny Nucci tries the small-screen

Danny Nucci has just settled into a corner booth at a discreetly hip midtown restaurant when he spots something interesting off the menu. "Hey, I haven't seen this yet," the actor says, reaching for a folder stuffed with publicity materials for Some of My Best Friends, a new CBS sitcom starring Nucci and Jason Bateman...

...Then there's his biggest credit: Titanic, in which Nucci played Leonardo DiCaprio's buddy, Fabrizio. Much of Nucci's role hit an iceberg, however, and sank from audience view on the cutting-room floor.

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Variety:
2/26/01
DiCaprio film hot overseas

An obscure film Leonardo DiCaprio wants everyone to forget about is proving to be a hot item internationally. "Don's Plum," which was shot on a $100,000 budget four years ago -- before "Titanic" made him a superstar -- is banned from distribution in North America, thanks to a legal settlement between the actor and producers. DiCaprio claimed he had never agreed to make the film for theatrical release. But distributors elsewhere, most recently in Germany and Spain, have rushed to buy the rights. The picture screened last fall at the London Screenings and played in the Berlin Film Festival's Panorama section. The ensemble picture about twentysomethings hanging out at a diner also stars Tobey Maguire, Amber Benson, Scott Bloom, Kevin Connolly, Jenny Lewis, Heather McComb and Meadow Sisto. Other territories where Leo will soon grace the big screen include Benelux, Switzerland, Japan, Taiwan, Poland, Russia, the Baltics, Yugoslavia, Greece, South Korea, Latin America (pay TV), Mexico, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Singapore and Hong Kong.
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Salon:
2/22/01
You may have to return the wedding gifts

Uh-oh. You may have to return those wedding gifts for Leo and Gisele. It seems that supermodel Gisele Bundchen may have actually told the Brazilian magazine Veja that Leonardo DiCaprio was her boyfriend and not her fiancé, since the two words are similar in Portuguese. Hmm. I wonder how you say "oops" in Portuguese
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E! Online ~ Ted Casablanca:
2/22/01
Altarcations

"Oh, that one's been going around for years!" --Close, close, close pal of sorta-hunk Leonardo DiCaprio, on the movie idol's rumored impending marriage to booby model Gisele Bündchen Let me preface this nefarious news on things marital 'n' Leonardo with some humble history. Given as I am to such obnoxious bust-up told-you-so's as Tom 'n' Nic, Alec 'n' Kim and Jen 'n' Puff (and on and on), remember: I predicted Brad 'n' Jen wouldn't vow it up. Still, I'm here to tell you my Leo-camp sniffings have revealed a distinctly fetid odor--and I don't think it's that animal doo Leo reportedly threw around while filming Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York (yet another musty chapter in Leo's current goings-on...but more on that lat-uh). My Leo cronies tell me they're betting this union tawk is just that. Indeed, these same FOLs just couldn't wait to point out that Brazilian bombshell Gisele has already been down this road of influencing her on-off flame in matters of PDAs, as well as more private perkiness. I was warned: Look at who spilled the news of the wedding-to-be to the press. Perhaps she's taken her latest successful romance with the $20 million kid (now an ancient 26) and run with it? Who knows? Just be advised that L.D. insiders tell me G.B., contrary to gossipy guy-ways, is the one with the overfriendly--and overactive--eyeballs in this twosome, not vice versa. (Pay attention to your history class!) Switch your own gaze, for the moment, to the Rome set of Gangs, the story of the 19th-century immigrant uprising in New Yawk. Lavishly overpaid execs (read: lusciously loose-lipped) back here in Hollywood are busy spreading the word that all is not well in Italy. Suits connected with Gangs are attesting that Mr. DiCaprio is "acting out" on the set and giving the award-heaped Scorsese "a hard time." "Bullshit!" barked DiCaprio's un-shy rep. "I was just on location two weeks ago, and it's all garbage." I assume the flack meant litter not of his client's making. Regardless, it's clear Mr. D.'s getting tired of the paparazzi clicking his every cluck over there. Can't say I blame him. But biting the hand that directs hardly seems a winning response--so glad to hear it's utter horse dung.
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USA Today:
2/22/01
word from Gangs of New York

Lonergan also had word from Gangs of New York; he is what he calls "the fourth of four writing partners of Martin Scorsese," who also is Count on Me exec producer. Gangs has a cast of hundreds in 19th century New York, re-created at Rome's Cinecitta, and it's going well despite communication issues with the Italian crews. It will be "an epic movie, it's huge," says Lonergan; it traces the first big ethnic gang wars in New York when the Irish arrived in the 1840s. Leonardo DiCaprio, he says, is giving a great performance. When will this epic be ready? "Whenever Marty's good and ready, that's when it'll be done!"
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NY Daily News:
2/22/01
'Gangs' Crime Could Pay

The stars of "Gangs of New York" could have a bright criminal future if acting ever fails them. Daniel Day-Lewis, who plays hoodlum "Bill the Butcher" in the 19th-century epic now shooting in Rome, has learned how to hurl a knife well enough to cleave a man's forehead. A light-fingered fellow known as "The Magician" has been teaching Cameron Diaz how to pick pockets. And the next time you rob a bank, "Gangs" director Martin Scorsese could be your wheelman. Kenneth Lonergan, who was in Rome to rewrite the "Gangs" script, tells us Scorsese slows down for nothing when he's tooling around the movie's set in his golf cart. "He waves at everybody, talks a mile a minute, and hits every pothole," says Lonergan. Surviving a few spins with the double-espresso filmmaker isn't the only reason Lonergan is happy. His script for the extraordinary movie "You Can Count on Me," which he also directed, just got nominated for an Oscar. His star, Laura Linney, also won a nod for Best Actress. Linney and Lonergan were toasted Tuesday night, at the home of Peter Brown overlooking Central Park, by Hilary Swank and Chad Lowe, Griffin Dunne, Rob Morrow and producers John Hart, Jeff Sharp, Larry Meistrich and Barbara De Fina.
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Salon:
2/22/01
Queen of the world!

King of the world, Part 1: Leonardo DiCaprio, a groom? Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen has apparently confirmed to the press that she and the "Titanic" star are planning to get hitched. "He is my fiancé," Bundchen, who has been wearing a diamond ring since October, told the Brazilian magazine Veja, adding that, because she is only 20, no wedding date has yet been set. Bundchen maintains that, despite what has been written to the contrary, her betrothed is "a wonderful person, with a big heart, very wise, intelligent and sensitive." So I guess the rest of us can just put all those alleged "Pussy Posse" high jinks right out of our heads ... King of the world, Part 2: Remember all that talk a few months ago about James Cameron's plans to visit the Mir Space Station? Looks like the "Titanic" director hasn't lost all hope of blasting into space after all. Speaking at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Cameron reiterated his galactic ambitions and confirmed that he had had tentative talks with Russians involved in the construction of the International Space Station. "If such a thing proves to be possible," Cameron said, according to the BBC, "I think some filmmaker should go." And you thought he was completely off his rocket.
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Inside.com:
2/22/01
LEONARDO'S SAVAGE SIDESHOW IS A NO GO

Scratch another online entertainment project before it even got started: Leonardo DiCaprio's Savage Sideshow short film festival. A spokesperson for Birken Interactive Studio, which was to produce the festival with AtomFilms, confirmed this afternoon that the project was shut down, though he had no further details. A former Birken employee who was working on the project told Inside that approximately four people were laid off last week in connection with the project ending. A spokesperson for AtomFilms said that this was also her understanding, though she said that Atom had received no formal word that this was the case. The festival, which Atom hyped to the hilt when the partnership was announced last September, would have given winners in four categories the opportunity to meet industry executives, besides cash prizes and access to equipment. According to the source, there were no problems with the Atom relationship; DiCaprio just wasn't interested anymore. With the online entertainment space being what it is these days, it's hard to blame him.
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Chicago Sun-Times:
2/21/01
SI reveals coverage for all

The cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue features Elsa Benitez, wife of the former NBA player. The magazine goes on sale Wednesday, but the impatient may take a sneak peak on the Internet. The cover was unveiled at 11:59 p.m. Monday on America Online, with more than 100 images of the magazine's models to be featured in the official online launch at 5 this evening. More than 20 video clips will be available at 11 a.m. Wednesday. They also will be available at CNNSI.com. The magazine features Pro Bowl players Warrick Dunn, Eddie George, Tony Gonzalez, John Lynch, Eric Moulds, Terrell Owens, Jason Taylor and Rod Woodson with model Heidi Klum on a Hawaiian beach. Also between the covers in her SI debut is model Gisele Bundchen, known in some circles as actor Leonardo DiCaprio's fiancee. She will be draped in a towel in a "Got Milk?" ad. At 8 tonight, MTV is to show "Uncensored: The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue 2001." Although it's hard to imagine how an hour of television with a PG rating was able to put "uncensored" in the title and get it past the censors.
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Philly.com:
2/21/01
Say it ain't so, Leo!

Brazilian superdupermodel Gisele Bundchen has a funny way of keeping things a secret. Gisele told a Brazilian magazine that "Titanic" superduperstar Leonardo DiCaprio was her fiance. "I never went public with it before because I don't think it's anybody else's business," she blurts. "I don't like talking about my private life." Hmmm, OK, so why are you talking about your private life? Nonetheless, Gisele manages to share more about her guy, calling DiCaprio "a wonderful person with a big heart, very wise, intelligent and sensitive." When asked if El Leo had any flaws, Gisele responded, "Not that I know of." To quote everyone's favorite Wicked Witch in "The Wizard of Oz": "All in good time, my pretty, all in good time." (cackle)
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Seattle P-I:
2/21/01
Model confirms she's engaged to DiCaprio

Is he is or is he ain't? So far, Leonardo DiCaprio's people are saying he ain't, but 20-year-old Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen told Britain's Sky News that she and DiCaprio are indeed engaged. Not that they're in any rush to tie the knot. "For sure, I am not getting married," said Bundchen. "Not for now. I am only 20 and have a great deal of time ahead of me." Rumors began flying last October when DiCaprio, 26, bought Bundchen a diamond ring worth about $180,000. Coincidentally, one of DiCaprio's ex-girlfriends, Liv Tyler, has announced her engagement to Spacehog frontman Royston Langdon, whom she has been dating since 1998. Fox News reports that Langdon popped the question to the 23-year-old actress (and daughter of Aerosmith's Steve Tyler and former Playboy Playmate Bebe Buell) on Valentine's Day.
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Bergen Report:
2/21/01
ONE-LINERS

Has Leonardo DiCaprio finally popped the question to Gisele Bundchen? According to Spanish magazine !Hola!, the supermodel told reporters in Sao Paolo, Brazil, recently that she and the actor are engaged but have not fixed wedding plans. Bundchen's rep didn't return a call, but a source close to DiCaprio was confident that the star was still unbetrothed. . . . Attention "Temptation Island" fans. For those of you who thought Vanessa was going to break up Mandy and Billy on next week's finale, sorry. Vanessa, 22, was reportedly holding hands with fellow Islander Kaya at GQ's Hollywood Party last week. Kaya's girlfriend, Valerie, was nowhere in sight.
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People News:
2/19/01
Gisele confirms engagement

But model denies marriage plans Gisele Bunchen has confirmed that she is engaged to Leonardo DiCaprio, but has, bafflingly, ruled out the possibility of a forthcoming marriage. Speaking in Sau Paulo, Brazil, at a press conference for a C&A publicity campaign that she is heading, the Brazilian model confirmed that the couple are engaged. However, she went on to say: ‘For sure, I am not getting married. Not for now. I am only 20 years old, and I have a great deal of time ahead of me.’ Exactly what Gisele believes her engagement to consist of remains something of a mystery. The pair were first thought to be engaged in October, when Leo splashed out a six-figure sum on a diamond ring for his girlfriend. However, since then reports of an engagement have surfaced and been denied on a fairly regular basis. Both sets of parents joined the couple in their Malibu beachfront home over the New Year, prompting speculation that marriage was imminent. If Gisele’s comments are any guide, possibly Leo is as baffled as the rest of us.
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Telegraph:
2/19/01
All about Eva

Eva Herzigova made her name as a traffic-stopping model for Wonderbra. Now she is the face of Hot Couture, Givenchy's new perfume...

...Who are her best friends? 'My best friends are my family, and I have two great friends back home.' In the business, though? 'Well, in the business, I wouldn't call that best friends. I have lots of friends, but they're not best friends. I think in life you don't have more than two to five best, best friends anyway.' For a year or so in the Nineties Eva was married to Ticco Torres, drummer for the rock group Bon Jovi, who is 20 years older than her, and about a foot shorter. Her name has also been linked to Leonardo DiCaprio and the American model Kelly Rippy.

Full story
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New York Daily News
2/18/01
More Engagement Rumor Mill

An Elusive Engagement Has Leonardo DiCaprio finally popped the question to Gisele Bundchen? According to Spanish magazine ¡Hola!, the supermodel told reporters in Sao Paolo, Brazil, on Thursday that she and the actor are engaged but have not fixed wedding plans. We're still suspicious. ¡Hola! only quotes Bundchen as saying: "For sure, I am not getting married. Not for now. I am only 20 years old. And I have a great deal of time ahead of me." Bundchen's rep didn't return a call, but a source close to DiCaprio was confident that the star was still unbetrothed.
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Entertainment Weekly
2/18/01
Don's Plum finally got its world premiere

It's the movie Leonardo Dicaprio and Tobey Maguire don't want you to see. But Don's Plum finally got its world premiere Feb. 10 at the Berlin Film Festival. Shot in 1995-1996 for $100,000 by first-time director RD Robb, the black-and-white Plum has been the object of curiosity ever since the stars got into a legal wrangle over the film. (The actors, then proto-celebs, allegedly blocked former pal Robb's attempt to find a distributor, arguing they never intended to make a theatrical feature.) In '99, the sides reached a settlement that bars Plum from being screened in the U.S. and Canada. Too bad. Berlin audiences applauded Plum, starring Dicpairo and Maguire as guys hanging at an L.A. diner. Dicaprio won props playing a profane bully who calls women "bitches" and a bisexual guy a "fag". "We don't want to talk about the legal case," says Robb, courting the press like he's king of the rest of the world. "We're glad this is finally on the screen." But not, alas, at a theater near you.
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BusinessWeek
2/18/01
MOVEABLE FEAST -- Is Miramax Losing Its Magic Touch?

The Oscar nominatons are out, and moviemaker Miramax has surprised the experts by garnering several nominations for the faux French film, Chocolat, which was nominated for best picture. Its star, Juliette Binoche, also was one of the best actress nominees, and Judi Dench got a nod for best supporting actress. Impressive as this is, it's a bit of a comedown for Miramax co-chairman Harvey Weinstein, who along with his brother Bob founded the studio. Just a few years ago, Miramax seemed to be on the verge of dominating the Academy Awards. It was so strong in 1996 that it racked up 20 Oscar nominations. Miramax' The English Patient was the big winner, nabbing best picture, best director, and best supporting actress for Binoche. For 1998, Miramax had 23 nominations, including two for best picture: Life is Beautiful and Shakespeare in Love, which won. And at the 1999 awards, Miramax' Cider House Rules was a surprise nominee for best picture, though it deservedly lost out to DreamWorks' American Beauty...

...It could be that Miramax is just at a temporary low point. The company has a raft of new movies on the way, including Gangs of New York, a 19th century crime epic by the great Martin Scorsese starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Cameron Diaz. Other upcoming Miramax features also have a fair quotient of star appeal: Bridget Jones's Diary with Hugh Grant, Serendipity with John Cusack, and Daddy and Them with Billy Bob Thornton, Laura Dern, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Ben Affleck. But this is a long way from Miramax' original mission. Harvey Weinstein has often said he got into films after falling in love with Francois Truffaut's The 400 Blows. The Weinsteins' original aim was to champion such films, even though they don't pull in huge audiences or turn big profits. When the Weinsteins sold their studio to Walt Disney Co. a few years ago, you had to figure they planned to go a lot more Hollywood. I just wish they would do a better job of it than they have lately.

Full story
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Salon.com
2/18/01
How cool is Freddie Prinze Jr.?

Taster's choice Abs of steel and a thing for girls with an appetite -- Freddie Prinze Jr. is the guy everyone wants for a boyfriend. Who needs Mel Gibson to answer the question of what women want? Prinze already knows -- they want someone they don't have to hide their Ben & Jerry's from. Never mind that his girlfriend is still undeniably diminutive, or that he himself possesses a midsection that's more six-pack than beer gut. In a waif-worshiping world, he embraces the sensuality of dining -- and even its booty-expanding consequences. Prinze's sexy, finger-licking-good appeal has buoyed him through a career that already contains more turkeys than a Butterball farm in November. Like Keanu Reeves, even when he's giving a leaden reading of preposterously awful dialogue, he almost gets away with it. There's something devoid of pretension about the guy, something sweetly unstudied and unguarded. He emerges immaculate no matter how much crap he's in. It's a niche no other actor seems able to fill. Leo DiCaprio blew it with his relentless off-screen club trolling and icy untouchability. Seth Green is adorable and talented, but too eccentric to cross over into true star territory. (But if Philip Seymour Hoffman can make the cover of GQ, anything is possible.) Joaquin Phoenix and Christian Bale are attractive and fine actors, but they're busily cornering the market on sociopath roles, something that doesn't necessarily translate into summer blockbuster status. And after those guys, the pickings for the under-30 crowd start to get mighty slim. Only Heath Ledger ("The Patriot") and Chris Klein ("Election") give Prinze a real run for the leading-man money, and even they show signs already of becoming slick Hollywood packages, too glammed up for the goofy, down-to-earth roles that Prinze fills so amiably. Prinze, if he plays his cards right, could eventually go down the Will Smith and John Cusack path -- the star everybody loves for the entirely legitimate reason that he just seems so darn lovable.

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Telegraph:
2/16/01
A glimpse of Leo the young lion

JAM Showbiz:
2/16/01
Star of Buffy talks about Don's Plum

Amber Benson, who plays Willow's girlfriend Tara on "Buffy The Vampire Slayer", has some interesting insight into the controversial indie film "Don's Plum", which stars Benson, Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire. Shot in 1995 and '96 and directed by R.D. Robb, "Don's Plum" focuses on a group of friends "joking and crying, flirting and hurting", according to one reader review on the imdb.com website. "I think the main issue is that it was all done improvisationally, so I think a lot of the actors were afraid that people would think that the characters they were portraying were really them, and some of the things they said and did were a little vulgar," Amber said. DiCaprio plays a lewd, chauvinistic character who, at one point during the film, yells "Girls make me sick," according to the Mr. Showbiz website. "He wanted to be an assh--e times 10," a member of the film's crew told Mr. Showbiz when the controversy began. "The whole idea, originally, was to be an assh--e, be on drugs." Benson thinks that some of DiCaprio's racier moments could be the reason for his and Maguire's strong opposition to the movie. Some have also speculated that DiCaprio's sudden rise to fame in "Titanic" made him leery of appearing in such a raw, nasty role. But DiCaprio's spokeswoman, Nancy Ryder, said in 1998 that both DiCaprio and Maguire had agreed to make the movie as a favour for Robb and did not want it to be released as a feature. The film premiered at the Berlin Film Festival last weekend. Due to a court decision, it will not be released in the U.S. or Canada Picture link: http://www.canoe.ca/PeopleImagesB/benson_amber_160.jpg
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E! Online ~ Ted Casablanca
2/15/01
The Ire Down Below

Look, as long as we're on things steamy, let me give you a little verbal peek at Tobey Maguire's costume in Spider-Man, which is currently filming in the City of the Fallen Penises. Oops! I got dirty again! Who can blame me with that notorious pic of Tobey, Leo DiCaprio and David Blaine cruising the Internet--which I hear T.M.'s lawyers are dissecting dutifully. Oh, please! If it's real, congrats, Tobey. If it's not, take it as a compliment. And who the hell spends their days technologically enlarging the genitalia of movie stars, anyway? (Besides those docs on Rodeo Drive, that is.) On to some titillating talk that just might put the whole meaty matter to rest: My arachnoid spies who've seen T.M.'s Spider-Man costume model tell me that once Mr. M. hits the big screen in that outfit, little will be left to the imagination--particularly for those who seem to have too much time on their hands. In other words, "It shows everything," said one of my salacious snoopers. Oh, my. I fear this skintight suit will not sate the masses looking for mass. Remember Tom Cruise's underwear in Magnolia? (You know, the tighty-whities that looked like they were holding an ear of corn or a leg of lamb?) That little exhibition served only to erect a fury of confusion and threats of lawsuits from Camp Cruise. Jeez. What is it about celebs and their private parts? Personally, I believe it's not the size that counts. It's the sighs.
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Yahoo News:
2/15/01
ShoWest 2001 to Honor Russell Crowe

ShoWest 2001 will honor Academy Award-nominee Russell Crowe, who has also earned this year Best Actor nominations for a Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and BAFTA, for his role in the DreamWorks' blockbuster ``Gladiator,'' as the Male Star of the Year at ShoWest 2001. Crowe will receive his award at the annual Gala Award Banquet sponsored by the Coca-Cola Co., to be held at the Bally's and Paris Hotels in Las Vegas on March 8...

...In 1995, Crowe make his American film debut in Sam Raimi's ``The Quick and the Dead,'' opposite Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman and Leonardo DiCaprio. His other credits include: ``Heaven's Burning,'' ``Virtuosity,'' ``Breaking Up,'' ``Rough Magic,'' ``The Sum of Us,'' ``For the Moment,'' ``Love in Limbo,'' ``The Silver Brumby,'' ``The Efficiency Expert'' and ``Prisoners of the Sun.''

Full story
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Variety:
2/15/01
Gisele taking sisters, maybe Leo to Rio?

Brazilian belle Gisele Bundchen is leaving everyone guessing about whether movie star Leonardo DiCaprio will be her beau when she steps out at her first Rio de Janeiro Carnival later this month. The curvy 20-year-old supermodel tempted reporters at an advertising launch by hinting she was dating the ``Titanic'' star but refused to say whether he was one of the two male ``friends'' she was taking to Rio along with her four sisters. ``I'm not going to talk about my private life,'' she said at the campaign launch for a clothing retail chain. But Bundchen did assure her local crowd it was too early for her to marry anyone, including heartthrob DiCaprio. ``Not him, not anybody, because I'm too young,'' she said.
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Irish Times:
2/15/01
Choc-full of the top talent

A little-known film starring a young Leonardo DiCaprio, which the US film star has prevented from being screened in America, received its worldwide première at the festival on Saturday. The 1995 black-and-white Don's Plum features a pre-Titanic DiCaprio playing a foul-mouthed teenager alongside an equally youthful Tobey Maguire. The film's director R.D. Robb refused to explain what had upset DiCaprio so much that he went to court to prevent the film being shown in the US. "We have agreed to turn the page . . . we can't talk about it," said Robb of the film which he said involved "85-90 per cent improvisation".

Story source
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Telegraph:
2/14/01
And the raspberry goes to . . .

JOHN TRAVOLTA'S Battlefield Earth, in which he starred as an alien invader, has won eight nominations for the alternative Oscars, the Golden Rasberries, awarded for Hollywood's "stinkers". Travolta produced the film from a book by L Ron Hubbard, founder of the Church of Scientology, which the actor has long supported. Its nominations included worst picture and worst actor for Travolta, while his wife Kelly Preston was tipped for worst actress. John Wilson, founder of the awards, said that the film appeared to be "a shoo-in" to sweep the prizes on March 24, the eve of the Oscars. Little Nicky, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 and The Next Best Thing each had five nominations. The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas were also in the worst picture category. Also nominated for worst actor were Leonardo DiCaprio, Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Worst actress nominations included Melanie Griffith, Kim Basinger, Madonna, Bette Midler and Demi Moore.
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Ananova.com
2/14/01
Scots actors robbed by seven dwarves

Two Scottish actors claim they were robbed by seven dwarves on the Rome underground. Bill Barclay and ex-boxer Rab Affleck were filming Gangs Of New York with Leonardo DiCaprio when the gang pickpocketed £500 from them. The actors described the gang as all tiny gypsies. Barclay said: "We were probably the biggest guys in town. You'd think we'd be the last ones to have a go at but we got dipped by seven dwarves and a dummy." The men said they were getting on the metro train when a woman in front stopped, causing them to grab the handrails. "Then I felt my pockets being dipped," Mr Barclay told the Daily Record. The train doors shut before the men could give chase and the thieves escaped.

Read more here
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Hollywood.com:
2/13/01
It's All in the Kiss

From the very first on-screen kiss in the silent 1896 classic "The Kiss," audiences have been enamoured of and titillated by watching their favorite romantic stars smooch on the big screen. Hollywood.com would like to celebrate the Kiss, with some of the best, a few of the worst and a bonus kiss, just for movie buffs.

The Classic Kiss

"Titanic" (1997) - Jack and Rose

Even though this is a more "modern" movie, it certainly has one of the more romantic kisses ever on screen.

Jack (Leonardo Dicaprio) thinks he's lost Rose (Kate Winslet) - he believes she is going to marry her cruel fiancé and Jack will never see her again. But wait. Rose has decided to come back to him, after all. In his elation, Jack wants to show Rose how to "fly" by having her stand on the bow of the Titanic with her arms spread wide. The experience is one of absolute freedom for Rose, as she breaks away from all that binds her. In her appreciation, she turns and kisses Jack passionately. At that moment, every woman in the audience wishes she could switch places with Rose - immediately.

Read more here

Variety
2/13/01
Leo stars in slightly sour ``Plum''

Bearing a production date of 2000, U.S.-Danish co-production status and enough producers to crash a cell phone grid, long-unfinished 1995 Amer-indie ``Don's Plum'' finally reveals itself to be an unpleasant and tedious ensembler. Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire star as half of a quartet of male ``bros'' who gather at the titular L.A. ``chill spot'' each Saturday with a new ``hottie'' in tow for a long, raucous night of coffee, French fries, intra-posse abuse and X-rated banter. Neither the creative disaster hinted at by the recent thesp-generated lawsuit that prohibits the film from being screened in North America nor the visionary Dogma 95-ish triumph suggested by improvisational gestation and extensive post work at Lars von Trier's Zentropa shop, pic is more an annoying curio than anything else. It displays outdated cultural references and painfully awkward slang along with post-teen angst and whiny acting. Theatrical prospects in North America are of course zilch for the near future, although if the scandalized titters of Leo's largely female fan base at Berlin fest screenings are any indication, pic could do well with youngsters worldwide for whom the elusive heartthrob can do no wrong. The foreign press in Berlin seemed to go for it as well, suggesting that it would play better overseas even without the legal ban. After numerous unsuccessful encounters in a bizarre cabaret, spacey Ian (Maguire) succeeds in snagging sunny, off-duty waitress Juliet (Meadow Sisto) to tag along to meet his friends at their weekly confab. Nervous Jeremy (Kevin Connolly) brings hitchhiker Amy (Amber Benson), while moody Brad (Scott Bloom) persuades recent bedmate Sara (Jenny Lewis) to attend. Only the trash-talking Derek (DiCaprio) is unable to scare up a date after numerous pleas on a clunky cell phone, arriving stag to the semi-circular booth but soon balanced out by Sara's cheerful friend Constance (Heather McComb). Once seated, the fun begins. Derek promptly offends Amy so much she stalks out, smashing Jeremy's jeep with a baseball bat. An overweight black woman walking by and a greasy mechanic at the next table are made fun of, as is their ditzy yet scheming waitress, a pair of transients, the owner, and everybody else who comes into their sphere. The expletive-filled and increasingly overcaffeinated gab includes discourses on Nirvana, masturbation, the male G-spot and sex in general. Various unprintable drinking games are played that involve the telling of truths. Sara and Constance share a deep kiss. Would-be actor Jeremy has an odd encounter with an attractive and aggressive female producer in the after-hours club attached to the diner, while Derek (who at one point dons false teeth, through which he smokes) has a physical confrontation with Sara, who's fighting a secret drug problem, on a secluded banquette. Brad is outed as maybe bisexual. A disagreement between Ian and Jeremy results in a predawn fistfight, after which they all wander down the deserted boulevard. Action is punctuated by brief, jagged bathroom interludes that find each character confessing or remarking on something directly into a mirror. To hear the creative team tell it, footage was painstakingly assembled from the original three-day shoot (85%-90% improv, per Robb) and a subsequent regimen of reshoots and post-prod sessions outside Copenhagen that eventually stretched for more than a year. Resulting pic is tight enough, although the unrelentingly vicious and insensitive nature of the octet leaves little room for story structure or character development. In light of DiCaprio's subsequent work, it seems genuinely odd that he (along with Maguire) would object so strenuously to the film's existence, ostensibly on the grounds that they weren't aware a feature was being made at the time from sessions they thought were improvs. Nothing less than a younger, pre-fame sketch of his character in Woody Allen's ``Celebrity,'' this is Leo the way a lot of the press cover him and the public imagine him, and is no more or less flattering than, say, his recent turn in ``The Beach'' For his part, Maguire gives the most oddball line readings of the bunch, with a wide-eyed visage and spooky rhythms that hint at an emotional depth the pic around him never begins to plumb. Tech credits are an acquired taste, with exceedingly murky B&W images around the glaringly overlit table complemented by a Dolby sound mix that can't quite hide the hiss of the original tapes. Occasional blasts of tuneful power pop are incongruous but welcome. Although not cited onscreen, collaborative script was based in part on producer Stutman's play ``The Saturday Night Club.''

Amy ......... Amber Benson

Brad ........ Scott Bloom

Jeremy ...... Kevin Connolly

Derek ....... Leonardo DiCaprio

Sara ........ Jenny Lewis

Ian ......... Tobey Maguire

Constance ... Heather McComb

Juliet ...... Meadow Sisto

A Polo Pictures Entertainment production, in cooperation with Trust Film Sales and Zentropa Prods. (International sales: Trust Film Sales, Hvidovre, Denmark.) Produced by David Matthew Stutman, Dale Wheatley, Gary A. Lowe. Executive producers, Jerry Meadors, Jerry Beckman, Thomas Mai, Niels Rask Larsen, Peter Aalbaek Jensen. Co-producers: Tawd Beckman, Mathew P. Ettinger. Directed by R.D. Robb. Screenplay, Dale Wheatley, Robb, Bethany Ashton, Tawd Beckman, David Matthew Stutman. Camera (B&W), Steven Adcock; editors, Nabil Mehchi, Paul Heiman; music, Blake Sennett; production designer, Lou A. Trabbe III; associate producers, Bethany Ashton, Joel Michaely. Reviewed at Berlin Film Festival (Panorama), Feb. 10, 2001.
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ING.com:
2/12/01
Another Bad Boat Ride for Jack Dawson?

The Boston Herald is reporting a new casting rumor about the forthcoming maritime disaster flick In the Heart of the Sea. This film will be an adaptation of the non-fiction book In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nantucket author Nathaniel Philbrick. Philbrick's book recounts the tragic 1820 encounter between the whaler Essex and an 85-foot sperm whale off the Galapagos Islands. That incident served as the inspiration for Herman Melville's classic novel Moby Dick. Daniel Day-Lewis may star as the Ahab-like skipper in the picture, which may be one of director Martin Scorsese's upcoming projects. Gossip columnists for The Boston Herald say they've heard a rumor that none other than Leonardo DiCaprio is up for a starring role in the nautical drama. As you know, Leo's had some luck starring in boat movies; 1997's Titanic won a slew of Oscars and is currently the all-time box office champ. Barry Levinson and Paula Weinstein will produce In the Heart of the Sea with Intermedia. Like Leo, the producers have had luck with "doomed boat ride" movies before; they produced this past summer's hit The Perfect Storm. Personally, I don't know whether to believe this Leo rumor or not. DiCaprio and Day-Lewis are currently filming Scorsese's Gangs of New York so maybe that's how this rumor started? Just a hunch on my part. DiCaprio has two other confirmed projects on his plate right now, Johnny Eck and the already delayed Catch Me If You Can. If he were joining Sea, which apparently wants to film before this summer's actors' and screenwriters' strikes, then that would suggest one of those other two projects would have to be delayed or dropped altogether. Just in case this Sea rumor does pan out, though, IGN FilmForce figured all you Leo fans out there would want to know about it.
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The Mirror:
2/12/01
Craig Kelly talks about the Grimley's

Craig Kelly from the original Queer As Folk talks about his fans and his new role in the UK series The Grimley's. The article is continued in the second scan. Hope it's readable. Craig talks about Leonardo near the end of the article.

Page one

Page two
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E! Online:
2/9/01
Chasing Leo

You Don't Have to Be Bionic to Catch Hollywood's $20 Million Man

The Sitch: Everyone's clamoring for Leo, but you just happen to spy His Blondeness on the red carpet at the premiere of his latest epic, T2: Washed Up. What do you do? Wave? Scream? No, you try to get a piece of 'im! Except those pesky-pesky publicists, security guards and jealous fans will try to stop you.

Play the game
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DiCaprio Central:
2/9/01
Friday Fun ;-)

We all love those MadLibs when we were young and foolish. Here is one about Leo that I thought the group would like.

Leonardo DiCaprio MadLib

FOX411:
2/8/01
Dana Giacchetto's Three-Hour Sentencing

At a sentencing hearing that was more like an opera than an afternoon in criminal court, former celebrity money manager Dana Giacchetto was given 57 months in jail by Judge Robert Patterson. The hearing lasted three hours and twenty minutes, ending after 7:30 p.m. It included a memorable, melodramatic statement by Giacchetto and performances by his attorneys worthy of Golden Globes. Giacchetto, who's already served 10 months in prison, will more than likely only spend three more years in jail starting tomorrow. He will get a 15 percent reduction for good behavior and nearly a year deducted from his time if accepted into a drug and alcohol prison program...

...Fischetti also tried to convince the judge that Giacchetto's celebrity-obsessed lifestyle led him to make mistakes. He cited Giacchetto's friendship with Leonardo DiCaprio around the time of Titanic, and also pointed to friendships — which Fischetti exaggerated — with Ben Affleck and Winona Ryder, among others.

Full story
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Seattle Times:
2/8/01
Celeb. financial adviser gets 4-years

A financial adviser who stole millions from young celebrities and other investors was sentenced yesterday to four years and nine months in prison. Dana Giacchetto, 38, had pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges accusing him of squandering nearly $10 million of his Hollywood clients' money. The boyish defendant mixed with the likes of actors Matt Damon and Cameron Diaz, and singer Alanis Morrisette. All became clients with his business, The Cassandra Group, as did actors Leonardo DiCaprio, Ben Stiller and Courtney Cox Arquette. "I'm not the one-dimensional, mendacious con the press has made me out to be!" Giacchetto said before his sentencing. He asked for mercy from U.S. District Judge Robert Patterson. Patterson gave Giacchetto the maximum sentence allowed after scolding him for not cooperating with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC, seeking to reimburse victims, is investigating whether any money was stashed in overseas bank accounts.
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Philly.com:
2/8/01
57 months in jail for moneyman

Dana Giacchetto, the fallen money manager for Hollywood celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz, was sentenced yesterday to 57 months in prison for bilking his clients out of more than $9 million. Giacchetto, 38, pleaded guilty in November. Giacchetto's lawyers said their client had abused alcohol and prescription drugs and asked that he be considered for a special drug rehabilitation program that could reduce his term by a year. The judge agreed to cinsider it. At one time, Giacchetto's list of celebrity clientele included Diaz, DiCaprio, Ben Affleck, Courteney Cox, Ed Burns, Matt Damon and superagent Mike Ovitz.
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LA Times:
2/7/01
Memories of Gable

Letters to the LA Times,

Joe Hyams' tribute to Clark Gable warmed my heart ("A Man's Man Off the Screen Too," Jan. 28). Growing up and watching him in "Gone With the Wind," among many other movies, I always knew I was watching a real man, not like the male so-called "stars" of today--Matt Dillon, Ben Affleck, Leonardo DiCaprio, et al.

Will they eventually grow up and outgrow their teenage audiences, or fade away? Funny, I was a teenager when Gable was in his heyday and I never outgrew him--he was the personification of what a star should be. I don't think we will see his like again--at least in my lifetime.

JANE COLLINS Cherry Valley
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Fox 411:
2/7/01
Dana Giacchetto: Cops on His Payroll?

Celebrity money manager to the stars Dana Giacchetto will most likely be sentenced today for securities fraud. His appointment with Judge Robert Patterson and U.S. Attorney David Lewis is set for 4 p.m. at the federal courthouse in Manhattan. Last week, bankruptcy receivers attempted to depose Giacchetto concerning the whereabouts of his clients' missing funds. He refused to cooperate after previously agreeing, way back on August 2, to help investigators. Of course, that was when he pled guilty. A lot has happened since then. (A link to this columnist's recent five-part series on Giacchetto is at right.) Giacchetto continues to fascinate because of his ability to bilk so many prominent Hollywood players. Among them: Leonardo DiCaprio, Courteney Cox, Cameron Diaz, Michael Ovitz. Christopher Cuomo — son of former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo, and now an ABC News correspondent — was his legal adviser through the spring of 1999.

Full story
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NY Post:
2/6/01
I'm a video game freak

LEONARDO DiCAPRIO: "I'm a video game freak. A product of that generation. I've had every video game there is. It becomes a drug." Those 11 people who saw "The Beach" will recall his surreal video game sequence where he actually turned into a player inside a game.
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NY Post:
2/6/01
GISELE: LEATHER LOOK

S&M aficionados will get a kick out of next month's W. The magazine carries a photo spread on Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen showing her as an S&M-addicted housewife. Clad mostly in Helmut Lang for the provocative pictures, Bundchen is portrayed as a leather-bound dominatrix in half the shots, which are juxtaposed next to images of her as a suburban mom. Also in the issue are photos of a scantily-clad Kate Moss, who is seemingly locked in a velvet box.
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Mr. Showbiz:
2/5/01
Leo Poops on Paparazzi

Those paparazzi stalking Leonardo DiCaprio may want to keep a safe distance from the star, given what went down Thursday in Rome. According to both the New York Post and the New York Daily News, an outraged DiCaprio grabbed the handiest thing to throw at some pesky photographers — which just happened to be horse manure. Reportedly, DiCaprio, who's on location in Italy's Villa Borghese shooting the period picture Gangs of New York, blew his lid after paparazzi swarmed over three injured extras. It's not clear whether the photographers were to blame for the accident, which occurred when horses hitched to a carriage carrying two women and a girl got spooked and tipped the carriage over. When the shutterbugs swarmed in, Leo reportedly scooped up some manure in a cup and hurled it at the photogs — and word has it that his aim was true. "[The photographers] were so busy taking photos that they were impeding the ambulances," a "close friend" of Leo's tells the Post. Co-star Cameron Diaz resorted to just yelling at the paparazzi, the tabs' sources say. One of the extras was hospitalized overnight while the other two were treated and released. DiCaprio's rep, Ken Sunshine, did not comment on the excrement hitting Leo's fans, but he did say that his client and Diaz visited the hospitalized extra. Shooting on the Martin Scorsese film was suspended for the rest of the day, "out of respect" for the extras, according to the New York papers.

Salon.com:
2/5/01
Juicy bits

Leonardo DiCaprio: Shit missile. While filming a scene for Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York" in Rome on Thursday, the lanky actor reportedly lost his shit after a pack of paparazzi moved in too close. The photographers were apparently angling to get a shot of three extras who were injured when the horse pulling the carriage they were riding in got spooked and sent them tumbling. In what may have been an effort to get the photographers to back off to allow help through, DiCaprio flung a cup of horse manure at a particularly pesky paparazzo. Hey, shit happens
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Guardian/Observer:
2/5/01
Accident holds up Scorsese's Gangs

Filming on Martin Scorsese's The Gangs of New York was halted for a day after an on-set accident left a trio of extras in hospital. The injuries occurred when a horse-drawn carriage capsized in the Villa Borghese park in Rome, harming two women and a young girl. "It was decided out of respect for them to suspend the day's shooting," said publicist Larry Kaplan. Italian news agencies, however, claim that the situation was exacerbated by a stand-off between the paparazzi and the film's star Leonardo DiCaprio , who began pelting the press with manure as they gathered to photograph the crash. Sources on set claim that DiCaprio was angered that the press were preventing medical aid from reaching the park. Yesterday, he and co-star Cameron Diaz are reported to have visited the extras in hospital.
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E! Online:
2/5/01

TROUBLE IN GANG LAND: Production temporarily shut down last week on the Leonardo DiCaprio-Martin Scorsese film Gangs of New York, which is filming on location in Italy, after a horse-drawn carriage tipped over, injuring three extras. No one was seriously hurt.

LEO ADD: Italian media reporting DiCaprio was so incensed by paparazzi snapping pictures of the accident that he hurled horse manure at them. Leo's rep would only say, "Mr. DiCaprio was on his way to the hospital to visit the victims of the accident."
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Leofans.com:
2/2/01
Valentino Awards Clip

A clip to the Valentino Awards showing DiCaprio's acceptance was posted on the German Fan board and also the FOB thanks to Susanna.

Clip

Treggy also created a page with Stills psoted by Gabi from the German board and the above clip.

Treggy's page

Link to German Message board
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NY Daily News:
2/2/01 Leo Fights Fire With … Yecch!

Leonardo DiCaprio threw a Titanic-size fit in Rome yesterday, tossing a cup of horse manure at a persistent paparazzo. Details were still sketchy at press time, but I understand that this is what happened: DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz were on location in the Villa Borghese shooting "Gangs of New York" with director Martin Scorsese. Because they were shooting outside, the paparazzi were everywhere. Two women and a 12-year-old girl, all of whom were performing as extras on the movie, were standing beside a horse-drawn carriage, which was being used in the shot, when the horses got spooked and the carriage tipped over. It's still unclear whether the horses were reacting to the shutterbugs, but what's certain is that the three women were injured by the falling carriage. When an ambulance arrived and the paparazzi began swarming, Leo lost it. According to sources both on and off the set, the actor scooped up some manure in a cup and angrily hurled it at one of the photographers. And his aim, apparently, was good. I'm told Diaz was just as outraged at the paparazzi, but she did little more than yell. The 12-year-old extra and one of the women were treated at a hospital and released. The other woman had to stay the night, but her injuries were not listed as serious. A statement out of the "Gangs" office in Italy said that shooting was suspended for the rest of the day. Production was expected to resume this morning. One source said that DiCaprio, although mad, "was mad for a good reason. "He acted out of outrage," said the source. DiCaprio's rep, Ken Sunshine, would say only that his client and Diaz "were on their way to the hospital [last night] to visit the woman who was most seriously injured."
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NY Post:
2/2/01
LEO IN ROME: BEEN THERE, DUNG THAT

LEONARDO DiCaprio could be looking at another lawsuit after he hurled horse manure at Italian paparazzi in Rome's Villa Borghese park yesterday afternoon. The star became agitated after a horse-drawn cart tipped over and injured three extras - two women and a little girl - on the set of Martin Scorsese's "Gangs of New York." Photographers following the shoot started snapping away at the accident, enraging DiCaprio so much that he started to throw dung at the lensmen. "Leo was angry because the photographers were taking pictures of the accident. He thought the cameras, which weren't supposed to be there in the first place, had spooked the horses and contributed to the accident. Then they were so busy taking photos that they were impeding the ambulances," said a close friend. A distraught DiCaprio is said to have told pals afterward he was worried about being sued over his poop-plastering of the paparazzi. "All I know is he is on his way to the hospital to visit the accident victims," said Ken Sunshine, DiCaprio's rep. Meanwhile, filming on the epic was suspended for the day "out of respect" for the extras.

Variety:
2/2/01
``GONY'' extra in the hospital

Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz visited the ``Gangs of New York'' extra in the hospital who was injured during filming on the Villa Borghese location in Rome Thursday. Two other players received minor injuries during the scene when a horse, drawing a wagon, bolted. But the duo did not require a hospital stay after being taken from the location by ambulance. It was during the removal of the injured when paparazzi descended on the group and an irate DiCaprio heaved a container of horse manure at the paparazzi. The film had been ducking them but Rome is the place where the term ``paparazzi'' was born, y'know. Film reps say the lensers have been hiding in men's and women's rest rooms, under tables, etc. and in this case, the reps says they were interfering with the victims being loaded into the ambulances -- that's when Leonardo reportedly took umbrage -- and aim.

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Orange County Register:
2/2/01
Hollywood oddities are still out there for eBay folks

Some people are born cool. Some people achieve coolness. Other people have coolness thrust upon them. And then there are those who try to buy coolness on the Internet. The History Channel sold a piece of Hollywood cool on eBay last week. It was a pair of Frank Sinatra's cashmere slippers, a gift from Liza Minnelli. Unfortunately, the auction on the footgear ended Friday. But, in coming weeks, as part of the cable channel's nightly program "History's Lost and Found," it will put up a number of other cool items for bid. Among them: Gen. Douglas MacArthur's inscribed copy of his "Old Soldiers Never Die" speech, a kamikaze pilot's helmet and goggles (worn only once), a pair of Sir Walter Scott's shoes, a Spanish bullfighter's costume that belonged to Ava Gardner's lover, and two lockpicks that helped the great Harry Houdini escape. I can't say that I am interested in any of those items, or the Chairman of the Board's slippers, which Frank rejected because the size 11 gunboats didn't fit. He reportedly told an aide to return the shoes (for store credit) but not to tell Liza that he didn't like them. But I have faith in the History Channel. If they dig deep enough, I'm sure those good folks can come up with a few cool items from Hollywood's past that would be of interest to someone like me. Perhaps I could make a few suggestions, just to point the History Channel in the right direction. I would definitely enter a serious bid for: The wet socks worn by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in "Titanic." If they've been cleaned and folded, I'm not interested.

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Official DiCaprio Web Site:
2/2/01
Leonardo DiCaprio Receives Valentino Award in Rome

Leonardo, along with legendary director Martin Scorsese (who is currently directing "Gangs of New York"), and famed Italian actress Virna Lisi, received the Rudolph Valentino Awards 2000 in a ceremony at the Cavalieri Hilton Hotel in Rome on January 27, 2001. One of the most prestigious events in the Italian film community and attended by many of its most prominent members, the ceremony received enormous international media attention. The Valentino awards, which are gold statuettes created by the Italian sculptor Aurelio Mortet, are given each year to a director, an actress and an actor "whose talent and charisma have carried them, like Valentino, to the pinnacle of worldwide success." This year, the international jury decided that the award should go to the leading Italians in the world of cinema. The following were Leonardo's remarks after receiving the Valentino Award. "Good evening everyone, I first want to start off by thanking Rafaello Fitto, the President of the region of Puglia, where Mr. Valentino was born, and Carlo Apollonio, President of the Rudolph Valentino Award. And also a special thanks to the distinguished jury of tonight's event. As you may have guessed, my name, DiCaprio, is a distinctly Italian name coming from my father. But what you probably don't know is that my middle name, Wilhelm, is German. Now, that of course is because my mother and grandmother, who are here tonight, are both native to Germany. Now the reason that I raise this point is because as a child I had the wonderful opportunity to spend many summers in my Grandparents home in Germany, learning about the culture, the people, and even picking up some of the language. Now even though my whole life I grew up with such an obviously Italian name, so Italian in fact, that starting out in this business, I was strongly advised by agents and managers to change it to the Americanized Lenny Williams; simultaneously insulting both my Italian and German heritage, I nonetheless stayed with my real name Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio and was always extremely proud to be of Italian heritage. But to be honest, I never really understood what that meant, until now. Living in Rome for the past five months, I have been struck by the passion of the people, the beauty of the art and culture, and of course the ever-continuing impact that Italian history has worldwide. But what it all comes down to and what impressed me most of all is the overwhelming pride that we Italians take in who we are. And that is shown to me everyday by the Italian professionals I work with at Cinecitta, and is also why this award means so much to me. Now one other thought that occurred to me just today as I was walking through some of the museums here in Rome, was looking at works of art that have endured for hundreds and hundreds of years. Yet they are still as captivating and relevant today as they were during the time they were created. It made me realize how young our art, film really is. And it made me think about how our art form will progress over the next 500 years, only time will tell. What will people think when they look back at the work that we are creating? One thing I do know is that as the history of our industry unfolds, there is one filmmaker whose work will positively last through the ages. That is another Italian-American you are honoring here tonight and someone who I have the distinct privilege of working with here in Italy, Mr. Martin Scorsese. Also a congratulations to the wonderful Virna Lisi. And thank you again for this very, very special award. Grazie"
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Excite News:
2/1/01
Not even Cate Blanchett can carry Keanu

The South may be the most interesting region of this country. I know I think so and it seems that a lot of the people who are making movies think so too - the most recent film being The Gift, directed by Sam Raimi...

...Giovanni Ribisi has fallen from the sweet and charming medic he played in Saving Private Ryan. He played that role so aptly that I made a note to watch out for him in the future. Then he appeared in The Mod Squad and The Other Sister. He probably took the role of Buddy Cole to exhibit his acting prowess, proving that he could play any role he desired, like Leonardo DiCaprio in What's Eating Gilbert Grape? However, shuffling around in dirt coveralls and screaming about a "blue diamond" do not constitute good acting.

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Christian Science Monitor:
2/1/01
High drama in Hollywood: Strikes ahead?

Pressure is mounting on studios, as writers and actors team up to improve what they say are long-outdated contracts. From trendy Spago Restaurant on Sunset Strip to Disneyland and Venice Beach, America's entertainment capital is a town on the edge. With one major union embroiled in contract talks that could decide the future of thousands of movie and television writers, still more talks are pending in coming weeks for actors...

..."As all the networks are, we are preparing for it," says Stu Bloomberg, co-chair of ABC Entertainment Television Group. "We have some benefit in having 'Millionaire' on [our schedule], as well as 'Whose Line Is It, Anyway?' as well as a very vibrant news division that has magazine shows." Studios are also stockpiling some films or rushing others through production. Among movies that might be delayed are future releases of Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Steven Spielberg, as well as sequels of "Men In Black," "Jumanji," and "Batman."

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International Herald Tribune:
2/1/01
In Utah, Video Rental With Extra Cuts

The shelves appear much like those in any other small video rental shop. There are plenty of hits to choose from, such as "Titanic," "Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan" and a nice mix of comedies and dramas. But movie buffs would quickly discover that the CleanFlicks outlets that recently opened here and in Pleasant Grove nearby are different from other stores that offer the same titles for rent. Owing to the strong religious beliefs and editing skills of the owner, Ray Lines, all the videos available at CleanFlicks have been relieved of scenes that include sex, violence and profanity. In the CleanFlicks version of "Titanic," Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet never appear without their clothes; in "Schindler's List," Liam Neeson as Mr. Schindler does not have sex outside his marriage; in "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," Steve Martin does not say naughty words, and in "Saving Private Ryan," soldiers die but they do not bleed a lot. And business is booming.
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