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About a Boy (2002)

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'Vera Drake' Steals British Film Award Ceremony
8 February 2005 (WENN)
Vera Drake director Mike Leigh and actress Imelda Staunton were the big winners at Sunday night's 2004 Evening Standard British Film Awards in London. The gritty drama about a 1950s illegal abortionist was named Best Film and Staunton - who is also nominated at this year's Academy Awards Ceremony - was honored as Best Actress. Paddy Considine was named Best Actor for his performance in Dead Man's Shoes; Shaun Of The Dead star Simon Pegg picked up the Peter Sellers Award for Comedy; and Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason was voted Evening Standard Readers' Film of 2004 at the British capital's Savoy Hotel. The Alexander Walker Special Award, which honors lasting contributions to the British film industry, was presented to Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner - the co-chairmen of Working Title films. The production company has produced a string of successes including My Beautiful Laundrette, Billy Elliot and About a Boy. Nathalie Press and Emily Blunt shared the Best Newcomer award for their performances in My Summer Of Love, and director Pawel Pawlikowski took the Best Screenplay crown. Roger Deakins won the technical achievement award for his cinematography on The Ladykillers and The Village at the ceremony attending by Dame Judi Dench, Kim Cattrall, Charles Dance, Bill Nighy and Colin Firth.

Weisz Turns Down Playboy
9 January 2005 (WENN)
Movie beauty Rachel Weisz turned down an offer to appear nude in Playboy because she doesn't like how the magazine airbrushes its models. The About A Boy star has been invited to strip for the prestigious publication "a couple of times" but decided against going naked - despite her admiration for the high quality of Playboy writing. She says, "I thought about it for a good second, I really did. I imagined it. They do have quite serious pieces in their magazine. They have proper journalism. Their retouching is just not sexy is it?"

Collette To Launch Singing Career
9 August 2004 (WENN)
About A Boy star Toni Collette has shocked fans by turning her back on movies to launch a singing career. The 31-year-old decided to quit acting to make her first album, after the devastating reviews of her film Connie And Carla and she's relieved she has completed her last two films - the drama In Her Shoes, by LA Confidential director Curtis Hanson, and comedy The Last Shot, co-starring Matthew Broderick and Alec Baldwin. Collette explains, "I've been writing music for more than ten years and I think if I don't actually record it, I'll go insane. But I don't want to be one of those crass actors turned singers or indeed singers turned actors. There are two sides to the coin, the notion that if you're a creative person why should it be funneled through one avenue, why shouldn't you leap over into other areas? Then there's the idea you stick to what you do because you're an embarrassment. But I certainly won't be baring my midriff. I won't be purring, there'll be no little sex kitten thing going on, it's just music that is part of me and I want to get it out."

Hugh's Anguish at Girlfriend's Year in Iraq
30 December 2003 (WENN)
Suave British actor Hugh Grant is reportedly "distraught" at the prospect of being apart from his UN worker girlfriend Kasia Komorowicz for a year. The About A Boy star was upset to learn his Polish-born girlfriend may be spending almost twelve months in Iraq, helping to rebuild the war-torn country's computer and telephone systems. Famous bachelor Hugh is said to have grown closer to his 30-year-old love over the festive season, and is determined to make the long-distance relationship work. A source says, "They've grown close and spent time together over Christmas. Hugh knows she loves her job and hasn't done anything to persuade her to stay, though he has dropped hints he doesn't want her to go." Kasia says, "He knows I love my job, so he's happy I am going to Iraq. He has promised to write." Hugh made their three-and-a-half-year romance public at the November premiere of his latest movie Love Actually.

Hugh: Liz and I Will Never Get Back Together
1 April 2003 (WENN)
British heart-throb Hugh Grant will never rekindle his romance with Elizabeth Hurley - confounding speculation to the contrary. The About A Boy star is still close friends with Estee Lauder model Hurley, but her red hot romance with Indian businessman Arun Nayar means the pair will never get back together. He says, "She's with another guy and, you know, we're good friends. But, no that train has sailed, as Austin Powers would say." But Grant is determined to make some serious changes to his life in the next few years. He says, "I'm ready, baby. I need to get married and have children. Put it this way - If I went to a party tonight and bumped into a fantastic girl - whereas three years ago it might have lead to a short-term relationship, now I definitely keep my thoughts open to the idea of settling down and breeding. Definitely." And he also plans to relinquish the vocation which made him a household name. He says of acting, "I kind of hate it. In fact, I hate it quite a lot - all acting, but especially movie acting."

Oscar Nods -- And All That Jazz
11 February 2003 (StudioBriefing)
Motion picture academy members faced the music and gave Chicago 13 nominations, including best picture, the first time a musical had been so lavishly honored by the academy since the heyday of the genre more than a generation ago. Moulin Rouge was nominated for a best picture Oscar last year and the animated musical Beauty and the Beast was nominated in 1991, but researchers were scouring the record books this morning to see when another musical had been showered with 13 Oscar nominations. At an early morning news conference, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Frank Pierson and Oscar winner Marisa Tomei announced the nominees for the 75th annual awards, set to be handed out on March 24. Other nominees in the best picture category included Gangs of New York, The Hours, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and The Pianist. Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York, with 10 nominations, came in second, followed by The Hours, with nine nominations. The following are the nominees in the top categories:

Best Actor: Adrien Brody, The Pianist; Nicolas Cage, Adaptation; Michael Caine, The Quiet American; Daniel Day-Lewis, Gangs of New York; Jack Nicholson, About Schmidt.

Best Supporting Actor: Chris Cooper, Adaptation; Ed Harris, The Hours; Paul Newman, Road to Perdition; John C. Reilly, Chicago; Christopher Walken, Catch Me If You Can.

Best Actress: Salma Hayek, Frida; Nicole Kidman, The Hours; Diane Lane, Unfaithful; Julianne Moore, Far From Heaven; Renée Zellweger, Chicago.

Best Supporting Actress: Kathy Bates, About Schmidt; Julianne Moore, The Hours; Queen Latifah, Chicago; Meryl Streep, Adaptation; Catherine Zeta-Jones, Chicago;

Director: Rob Marshall, Chicago; Martin Scorsese, Gangs of New York; Stephen Daldry, The Hours; Roman Polanski, The Pianist; Pedro Almodóvar, Talk To Her.

Adapted Screenplay: About a Boy, Screenplay by Peter Hedges and Chris Weitz & Paul Weitz; Adaptation, Screenplay by Charlie Kaufman and Donald Kaufman; Chicago, Screenplay by Bill Condon; The Hours, Screenplay by David Hare; The Pianist, Screenplay by Ronald Harwood.

Original Screenplay: Far From Heaven, Written by Todd Haynes; Gangs of New York, Screenplay by Jay Cocks and Steve Zaillian and Kenneth Lonergan, Story by Jay Cocks; My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Written by Nia Vardalos; Talk To Her, Written by Pedro Almodóvar; Y Tu Mamá También, Written by Carlos Cuarón and Alfonso Cuarón.

Surprise: Documentary Gets WGA Nod
7 February 2003 (StudioBriefing)
Michael Moore was apparently bowled over when he got the news that his Bowling for Columbine had received a nomination for best original screenplay from the Writers Guild of America for its annual screenplay awards -- the first time a documentary has ever been nominated. "I didn't submit this to the Writers Guild," Moore told today's (Friday) Los Angeles Times, "because in the past I knew they don't nominate documentaries. But United Artists did." Other best-screenplay nominees: Antwone Fisher for Antwone Fisher; Todd Haynes for Far From Heaven; Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian and Kenneth Lonergan for Gangs of New York; and Nia Vardalos for My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Nominees for adapted screenplay: Peter Hedges and Chris Weitz & Paul Weitz for About a Boy; Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor for About Schmidt; Charlie Kaufman and (his fictional partner) Donald Kaufman for Adaptation.; Bill Condon for Chicago; and David Hare for The Hours. The awards are due to be presented at ceremonies in New York and Beverly Hills on March 8.

Heather Graham Finds Love
24 January 2003 (WENN)
Austin Powers beauty Heather Graham has struck up a romance with About A Boy co-director Chris Weitz. Weitz, whose first public outing with the 33-year-old actress was at the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, says he met his new belle through Daisy Von Scherler Mayer - director of Graham's upcoming film The Guru. Graham says, "He's a great guy." But the pair's romance didn't get off to the greatest start - Weitz tells magazine Us Weekly that he was so nervous about his first date with the beauty that, he says, "I took her to a really bad restaurant."

Critics Awards All Over the Map
17 December 2002 (WENN)
Three groups of critics – two on the East Coast, one on the West – recently chimed in with their picks for the year's best, and they were pretty much all over the map. Film critics in Los Angeles and Boston announced their choices over the weekend, with About Schmidt charming L.A. and the critics of Beantown making a surprise choice with Roman Polanski's The Pianist. The New York Film Critics Circle added to the obfuscation of any Oscar favorites by going with art house fave Far From Heaven. In fact, the New Yorkers bestowed five awards on Todd Haynes' ode to Douglas Sirk: Picture, Supporting Actor (Dennis Quaid), Supporting Actress (Patricia Clarkson), Director, and Cinematography. In a surprise upset, Diane Lane was chosen best actress over Heaven's Julianne Moore for her performance in Adrian Lyne's Unfaithful; Daniel Day-Lewis walked away with the lead actor award for Gangs of New York. In Los Angeles, About Schmidt's Jack Nicholson tied with Day-Lewis for the lead actor award, while Julianne Moore picked up the Best Actress award for both Far From Heaven and The Hours. Other L.A. awards included Chris Cooper (supporting actor for Adaptation), Edie Falco (supporting actress for Sunshine State) and Pedro Almodovar (director for Talk To Her). Boston critics heaped awards on The Pianist's Adrien Brody (lead actor) and Roman Polanski (director), and made other surprise choices for lead actress (Maggie Gyllenhaal for Secretary), supporting actor (Alan Arkin for 13 Conversations About One Thing) and supporting actress (Toni Collette, named for both About a Boy and The Hours). All the critics did agree on one thing, though: Alfonso Cuaron's Y Tu Mama Tambien was named best foreign film by all three groups. --Prepared by IMDb staff

Hugh Grant Loves Superficial Women
21 August 2002 (WENN)
Actor Hugh Grant loves being famous because it means he gets to meet loads of really superficial women. The About a Boy star says that the type of girls who are attracted to him tend to be focused on the fact that he's a well-known, rich movie star - and that's just the way he likes it. He says, "Stars attract a certain kind of superficial woman. And I like superficial women." And the Notting Hill hunk reveals that he's quite capable of employing his own brand of artifice to pick up hot chicks - including one occasion when he deliberately reopened a cut picked up in a game of rugby because it impressed the girls at his school. He says, "I have already tried the cheapest tricks. The girls seemed to like me with the cut but it soon started to heal. So I just cut it open again using my mum's razor blade. It was pathetic."

Hugh's Aston Mangled
17 July 2002 (WENN)
Actor Hugh Grant is an angry man - a motorist has reversed into his custom-built Aston Martin. The About A Boy star only received his $240,000 hand-built V12 Vanquish two weeks ago, which he had waited two years for, and will now have to pay $12,000 to repair the large dent caused by the reckless unknown driver. While Hugh happily played golf with pals at a west London golfing range, little did he know another motorist was damaging his prized possession before fleeing the scene. A friend of Hugh's says, "The car is his pride and joy. He had been terrified about something happening to it, but he didn't expect an accident after just a few weeks. Hugh had stopped off to hit balls with some friends. When he finished he found a massive dent in the car. He was absolutely livid. He had no idea who reversed into it. He just can't believe that after waiting all that time the car is damaged already."

It's the Top Sum for Two Weeks
11 June 2002 (StudioBriefing)
Paramount tallied up its final weekend receipts for The Sum of All Fears Monday and reported that the sum was $19.2 million, making the movie the biggest money maker for the second week in a row. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, which received mixed reviews on Friday, debuted in second place with $16.2 million. Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones dropped to third place with $14 million, while Bad Company premiered in fourth place with a disappointing $11 million. Sony's Spider-Man, in its sixth week, completed the top-five list with $10.3 million. Overall, the box office was up 9.5 percent over the same weekend a year ago, with the top 12 films earning $103.3 million.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. The Sum of All Fears, Paramount, $19,230,111, 2 Wks. ($62,314,003); 2. Divine Secrets of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Warner Bros., $16,167,412, (New); 3. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, 20th Century Fox, $14,011,713, 4 Wks. ($255,106,352); 4. Bad Company, Disney, $11,007,367, (New); 5. Spider-Man, Sony, $10,311,062, 6 Wks. ($370,428,183); 6. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, DreamWorks, $9,303,808, 3 Wks. ($53,648,859); 7. Undercover Brother, Universal, $7,301,145, 2 Wks. ($23,619,365); 8. Insomnia, Warner Bros., $6,122,478, 3 Wks. ($52,017,508); 9. Enough, Sony, $3,782,592, 3 Wks. ($33,813,043); 10. About a Boy, Universal, $2,653,520, 4 Wks. ($32,448,670).

Not Dim This Sum
10 June 2002 (StudioBriefing)
The Sum of All Fears sold the biggest sum of movie tickets for the second week in a row, taking in an estimated $18.7 million. The "chick flick" Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood opened in second place with about $16.4 million. Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones slipped to third place with $13.9 million, while the Chris Rock-Anthony Hopkins starrer Bad Company tanked in its debut with just $10.5 million. Even though the box office was up about 8 percent from the comparable weekend a year ago, analysts expressed surprise that -- given May's outstanding performance -- the box office was not performing more robustly. "I think we're just in a lull," Exhibitor Relations chief Paul Dergarabedian told Reuters. "It's a little slow now, then some big movie will come along and set the world on fire again."

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. The Sum of All Fears, $18.7 million; 2. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, $16.35 million; 3. Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones, $13.9 million; 4. Bad Company, $10.5 million; 5. Spider-Man, $10 million; 6. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, $9.4 million; 7. Undercover Brother, $7.3 million; 8. Insomnia, $5.9 million; 9. Enough, $3.6 million. 10. About a Boy, $2.7 million.

Some Sum!
4 June 2002 (StudioBriefing)
The box office over the weekend turned out to be every bit as weak as the sum of the studios' fears--weaker, in fact. Despite a deluge of blockbuster offerings, total ticket sales dropped to $116.8 million, nearly 5 percent below the same weekend a year ago, the first time they have fallen below last year's figures in 16 weeks. Paramount's The Sum of All Fears knocked Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones out of the top spot after only two weeks as it debuted with $31.1 million, while Clones collected $21 million. Spider-Man continued to show strong legs as it took in $14.3 million, bringing its five-week total to $353.6 million. Universal's Undercover Brother premiered in the No. 4 spot with $12 million.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. The Sum of All Fears, Paramount, $31,178,526, (New); 2. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of The Clones, 20th Century Fox, $21,002,876, 3 Wks. ($232,324,344); 3. Spider-Man, Sony, $14,317,411, 5 Wks. ($353,823,544); 4. Undercover Brother, Universal, $12,037,685, (New); 5. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, DreamWorks, $11,303,814, 2 Wks. ($38,750,089); 6. Insomnia, Warner Bros., $9,945,321, 2 Wks. ($41,612,802); 7. Enough, Sony, $6,808,026, 2 Wks. ($27,148,463); 8. About a Boy, Universal, $4,126,600, 3 Wks. ($27,846,180); 9. Unfaithful, 20th Century Fox, $2,942,606, 4 Wks. ($45,674,344); 10. The New Guy, Sony, $1,415,261, 4 Wks. ($26,818,276).

For Rivals, Nothing To Fear But Fears
3 June 2002 (StudioBriefing)
Indicating that Hollywood thoroughly misjudged how audiences might react to thrillers about terrorism, Paramount's The Sum of All Fears beat out Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones to take over the top spot at the box office over the weekend with an estimated $31.2 million. Clones, in its third week, earned about $20.7 million. Continuing to amaze, Sony's Spider-Man, earned around $14.5 million in its fifth weekend, to bring its 31-day gross to $354 million. Opening in fourth place was the low-budget blaxploitation spoof Undercover Brother, which took in a solid $12.1 million. DreamWorks' Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron completed the top five with an estimated $10.7 million. Studio soothsayers admittedly had a difficult time forecasting how the box office would perform on Sunday, given high interest in the deciding game of the NBA Western Conference playoffs, but clearly they believed a lot of people would be staying home. If their estimates hold (final figures are due to be released later today -- Monday), the box office will have posted a 4-percent drop from last year, the first time in 16 weeks that it has underperformed against last year's totals.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. The Sum of All Fears, $31.2 million; 2. Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones, $20.7 million; 3. Spider-Man, $14.5 million; 4. Undercover Brother, $12.1 million; 5. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, $10.7 million; 6. Insomnia, $9.8 million; 7. Enough, $6.8 million; 8. About a Boy, $4.1 million; 9. Unfaithful, $3 million; 10. The New Guy, $1.5 million.

Box Office Has $200-Million Weekend
29 May 2002 (StudioBriefing)
Box office records toppled over the four-day Memorial Day weekend, according to figures released Tuesday by Exhibitor Relations. For the first time ever, total receipts came in at more than $200 million. Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones also crossed the $200-million mark in its second weekend, getting there faster than any other film in history with the exception of Spider-Man, which also set two more records by climbing past the $300 million mark on Friday and by earning more money for a fourth weekend than any other film in history -- $35.8 million. Exhibitor Relations chief Paul Dergarabedian told today's (Wednesday) Los Angeles Times: "It's now a foregone conclusion that we'll have a record-breaking summer."

The top ten films over the four-day Memorial Day weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of The Clones, 20th Century Fox, $60 million, 2 Wks. ($201,309,716); 2. Spider-Man, Sony, $35.8 million, 4 Wks. ($333,641,492); 3. Insomnia, Warner Bros., $26,068,419, (New); 4. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, DreamWorks, $23,213,736, (New); 5. Enough, Sony, $17,213,137, (New); 6. About a Boy, Universal, $9.8 million, 2 Wks. ($21,752,225); 7. Unfaithful, 20th Century Fox, $7.6 million, 3 Wks. ($40,996,564); 8. The New Guy, Sony, $5.4 million, 3 Wks. ($24,388,438); 9. Changing Lanes, Paramount, $1.9 million, 7 Wks. ($64,448,728); 10. The Scorpion King, Universal, $1.8 million, 6 Wks. ($87,916,715).

New Films Also Draw Big Crowds
28 May 2002 (StudioBriefing)
Three newcomers rounded out the top five, each of them performing strongly. The well-reviewed Al Pacino-Robin Williams thriller Insomnia earned $26.2 million to place third. DreamWorks' animated Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron chalked up $23 million and the Jennifer Lopez drama Enough overcame mixed reviews to pull in $17.5 million. (It cost only $38 million to make.)

The top ten films for the Memorial Day weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones, $61.2 million; 2. Spider-Man, $36.5 million; 3. Insomnia, $26.2 million; 4. Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, $23 million; 5. Enough, $17.5 million; 6. About a Boy, $10 million; 7. Unfaithful, $7.7 million; 8. The New Guy, $5.5 million; 9. Changing Lanes, $2 million; 10. The Scorpion King, $1.9 million.

Forget Ex-Muppet Yoda; Call In The Count
21 May 2002 (StudioBriefing)
Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones took in far less at the box office on Sunday than the studio had estimated -- $6.2 million less. Twentieth Century Fox executives were at a loss to explain the huge drop -- 21 percent -- from Saturday to Sunday, particularly given the fact that in 1999 ticket sales for The Phantom Menace dropped less than 10 percent on the first Sunday. (Some analysts had expected the box office actually to exceed the 1999 result, since Monday was a holiday in Canada.) With ticket sales close to record levels, analysts were reluctant to suggest that the drop-off might have been due to poor word of mouth. Several other films also earned somewhat less than expected, crushing earlier assumptions that the box office had set an all-time record for the weekend.

The top ten films over the weekend, according to final figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations (figures in parentheses represent total gross to date): 1. Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones, 20th Century Fox, $80,027,814, 1 Wk. ($110,169,231); 2. Spider-Man, Sony, $45,036,912, 3 Wks. ($285,573,668); 3. Unfaithful, 20th Century Fox, $10,013,104, 2 Wks. ($29,535,202); 4. About a Boy, Universal, $8,557,630, (New); 5. The New Guy, Sony, $6,478,078, 2 Wks. ($17,305,157); 6. Changing Lanes, Paramount, $3,106,537, 6 Wks. ($61,563,318); 7. The Scorpion King, Universal, $2,912,675, 5 Wks. ($85,191,780); 8. The Rookie, Disney, $1,727,205, 8 Wks. ($70,510,783); 9. Murder By Numbers, Warner Bros. $1,672,454, 5 Wks. ($29,911,694); 10. My Big Fat Greek Wedding, IFC Films, $1,135,207, 5 Wks. ($5,669,706).

Atta Boy About A Boy
20 May 2002 (StudioBriefing)
The only other film to debut over the weekend, the romantic comedy About a Boy, starring Hugh Grant, took in $8.4 million on only 1,200 screens (versus 6,000 screens for Star Wars and 7,500 for Spider-Man), to wind up in fourth place, behind the second week of Unfaithful, starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane, which earned $10.3 million. About a Boy, which drew mostly positive reviews, is expected to add 500 screens next weekend.

The top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations: 1. Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones, $86.15 million; 2. Spider-Man, $46 million; 3. Unfaithful, $10.3 million; 4. About a Boy, $8.4 million; 5. The New Guy, $6.5 million; 6. Changing Lanes, $3.1 million; 7. The Scorpion King, $2.7 million; 8. The Rookie, $2 million; 9. Murder by Numbers, $1.7 million; 10. My Big Fat Greek Wedding, $1.2 million.

Movie Reviews: About A Boy
17 May 2002 (StudioBriefing)
Presented as counter-programming to Star Wars, About a Boy, starring Hugh Grant, is being greeted today with far greater affection by the critics than its blockbuster rival. A.O. Scott in the New York Times, who scorned the new Star Wars prequel, predicts that audiences will "succumb to the movie's warmth and bonhomie." Roger Ebert, who also expressed disappointment with the Clones episode, gives About a Boy 3 1/2 stars, praising Grant's performance and giving special kudos to Paul and Chris Weitz, the directors responsible for American Pie. The brothers, he says, "now give us a comedy of confidence and grace." And Ann Hornaday writes in the Washington Post that the movie "is that rare romantic comedy that dares to choose messiness over closure, prickly independence over fetishized coupledom, and honesty over typical Hollywood endings." On the other hand, Kenneth Turan expresses disappointment with the film in his review in the Los Angeles Times, writing that although it has "warmth and charm ... there's a potential for something better still that never manages to get realized."

Grant Out-partied By Old Man De Niro
13 May 2002 (WENN)
Hugh Grant was out-partied by movie veteran Robert De Niro when the pair shared a lad's night out recently. De Niro, who co-produced Grant's latest film About A Boy, proved he had more staying power than the Brit, who is 17 years his junior - as well as being a greater hit with the ladies when they socialized around London's premier night-spots. Grant says, "Normally when I go into a club people notice me and pay attention to me, but with Bob I am ignored, almost pushed to one side! He is the center of attention, he's the one they are interested in. Let's say he hits it off with the women of 20 or younger, I hit it off with the over sixties." But Grant has an excuse for why De Niro had more staying power during their marathon party spree. "You'd be in the car and say, 'That was a wild club, '" Grant claims, "and you turn to Bob and he's going 'Zzzz' fast asleep! He has this way of nodding off between clubs. Very handy."

Rachel Weisz: Ms. Popular
25 April 2002 (WENN)
English rose Rachel Weisz was the most popular girl in college, according to fellow Cambridge student Chris Weitz. Chris, who directs Rachel in new movie About A Boy, was at Trinity Hall in the English town at the same time as she was. The movie-maker recalls, "Rachel was already a bit of a star at Cambridge. She was the girl everybody wanted to date. The closest I ever came was when somebody mistakenly put a postcard intended for her in my pigeonhole because of how similar out names are. I thought about using it as an excuse to go see her, but it seemed like too thin a pretext. She's supposed to have the same irresistible effect in the movie. She has to have the audience fall in love with her within about 20 minutes of screen time, which is about as long it takes Hugh Grant's character to succumb, and she pulls it off brilliantly."

Floppy Trademark Tires Angry Grant
18 April 2002 (WENN)
Angry actor Hugh Grant has had enough of his bumbling Englishman trademark - because its not the real him. Grant's foppish characters have won him fans in America, who see him as the epitome of the English, but Grant has finally had enough of being perceived in this fashion. The About A Boy star says, "There's a perception that I'm this floppy-haired public school person. I never went to public school. I was playing a character in Four Weddings And A Funeral and Notting Hill, and it's not really me." He angrily continues, "I've always been slightly exasperated that people assume that is me, and therefore I do feel patronised when people say, 'Yeah, he's got another side to him - he's really edgy.' I do, kind of, want to ram their microphones down their patronising throats."

Hurley's Sister: Damian Looks Like "Beast" Bing
16 April 2002 (WENN)
Elizabeth Hurley's sister Kate has branded the actress' ex- boyfriend Steve Bing "a beast" - but says her sibling's new baby looks like him. Kate launched a stinging attack on Bing - who denies he is the father of Hurley's newly born child Damian, despite the star's claims to the contrary - because she says her famous sister has been reduced to tears since the birth because of his behaviour. The literary agent was reported to have said at an after-party for the London premier of About A Boy, which stars the actress' ex- partner Hugh Grant, on Sunday, "It's tough for her, she has been in tears. I was with her when she left the hospital and she was in floods of tears about the whole thing." However, Kate says her sister's parentage claims are supported by the 12-day-old baby boy's appearance. She said, "Let's just say that Damian looks like both sets of parents." Liz, currently staying out of the public eye in her singer friend Sir Elton John's Windsor, England residence, is thought to have brokered a $2.1 million magazine deal for the first pictures of her and her first child.

Nicolas Really Can Play Mandolin
14 May 2001 (WENN)
Captain Corelli's Mandolin star Nicolas Cage discovered a real talent for playing the mandolin during filming of the movie. Cage said that he had no musical talent before he became the mandolin-playing star of the movie. But, the man who taught him to play, musical director Paul Englishby, says Cage quickly became an accomplished player. Although the movie soundtrack was recorded by mandolin expert Giovanni Parricelli, Cage was required to play the instrument during the filming. "Cage actually played it and there is lots of footage of him doing that. It was incredible," says Englishby. "He really is very talented. Nicolas used to go away for the weekend. He had a private jet and one weekend he asked me to go to Venice with him so he could have his music lessons." Englishby is now teaching Hugh Grant to play guitar for his latest role in the film version of the Nick Hornby novel About A Boy.