Seinfeld's favourite role is playing himself

When NBC’s 30 Rock kicks off its new season Oct. 4, Jerry Seinfeld will be the guest-star doing what he’s done for most of the past two decades — playing himself.

“What happens is that Alec Baldwin, who plays the head of the network, decides to insert me digitally into all the NBC shows to boost the ratings.

“And when I catch wind of this, I come in and protest and try to stop him,” says Seinfeld, the onetime franchise player of NBC’s schedule.

Of course, Seinfeld — who was in Toronto yesterday to promote a labour of love, Dreamworks/ Paramount’s digitally animated Bee Movie he created, wrote, produced and stars in — spent nine seasons playing a guy named Jerry Seinfeld. And he says that’s how he likes it.

“The comedian spends his whole life trying to jettison everything that’s not essentially him,” Seinfeld said. “So when you perform, the audience leaves the theatre feeling they really got to know you — whereas the actor tries to submerge what they are and take on characteristics of a completely different person.

“But ironically, as a standup, acting is the only next logical place to go. And the best way for me to do that is to continue the way I have been for at least 15 years — which is playing myself.”

Even Bee Movie, in which he plays a little buzzer named Barry B. Benson, is really “at least 90 per cent Jerry,” says the movie’s co-director Simon J. Smith. I suggest to Seinfeld that when he finally does play someone not named Jerry Seinfeld, it’s not even a person.

“But it’s close, it’s very personlike, it’s a beeman,” he says, rhyming it with “demon.”

In Bee Movie, Barry is a bee who doesn’t feel he fits into the “corporate” bee realm, and escapes into the human world where he breaks the bee code and speaks to a human named Vanessa (voiced by Renee Zellweger). There he discovers that store shelves are full of honey — stolen from his kind. And he proceeds to sue the human race.

The subtext to Seinfeld’s dip into the pool of children’s entertainment is his newfound role of dad. He has three kids, ages six, four and two with his wife Jessica — a status that admittedly came late in life (he’s 53).

“I was one of those guys who didn’t quite get it,” he says. “I would see couples pushing strollers and I thought ‘Why would you have someone in your house that craps in their pants while they’re looking people right in the eye?’

“But I made this movie and I really learned something. I don’t know why children respond to movies so differently than adults do. They don’t want to see human beings, they want to see human beings represented in some other way. When you show them human behaviour and human action in a cartoon format, they get this amazing look in their eyes. It’s really great,” he says.

Seinfeld cast some friends, including Chris Rock as a mosquito and Michael Richards — who hasn’t had much work these days since that racial incident at L.A.’s Laugh Factory — “in a small part towards the end, he plays an air traffic controller who doesn’t like bees.”

It was his second recent assignment with one or more Seinfeld cast members.

He got Richards, Jason Alexander and Julia Louis-Dreyfus together for the upcoming box set of the entire series, coming out Nov. 6.

Asked if he thinks the Richards scandal would dampen sales, he suggests the opposite and agrees with our suggestion that it might have heightened awareness of the show.

“I don’t think we take it seriously as a factor. No penalties were levied (on Richards),” he says dryly.

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Kate Hudson Draws A Crowd In Boston

Kate Hudson Draws A Crowd In Boston

Kate Hudson has been keeping herself busy on the set of her latest movie, Bachelor No. 2. The comedy boasts a noteworthy cast including: Kate, Alec Baldwin, Dane Cook, and Jason Biggs.

The “You, Me and Dupree” actress most recently was spotted filming a jogging scene along the city’s streets, drawing the attention of Boston area students and residents.

According to producer Greg Lessans, “Bachelor No. 2 tells the story of Dustin (Biggs) and Tank (Cook), whose the biggest jerk in the world. Dustin hires Tank to take his ex-girlfriend, played by Hudson, on a date. The date is intended to go horribly wrong, causing Alexis (Hudson) to return to Dustin.”

“It’s basically about a guy who is such a jerk, who, if I were to cheat on my wife, I would hire him to take her out and show her the worst night of her life so that she would come running back to me,” Lessans added.

Gossip Girls

Enjoy the pictures of Kate on the Boston set of “Bachelor No. 2” (September 24).

Birkhead says he'll sue over Anna Nicole Smith book

– Photographer Larry Birkhead, who was proved in April to be the biological father of former Playboy playmate Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter, said Tuesday he will sue the author and publisher of a new book on Smith’s death that contains allegations he called "pure fiction."

"I’ve instructed my attorney to sue Rita Cosby, the publisher and any source that spits out some of that false, defamatory information that’s in there," Birkhead said Tuesday on CNN’s "Larry King Live." "If I were Rita Cosby, I’d be very concerned."

Among the allegations in Cosby’s "Blond Ambition: The Untold Story Behind Anna Nicole Smith’s Death," are that Birkhead and Howard K. Stern, Smith’s attorney and companion, had an affair — and that an intimate moment between the two was caught on videotape.

"That’s totally false and it’s defamatory," Birkhead said. "I’ve heard the sources from that, and those sources are people that don’t — that haven’t been in Anna’s life and haven’t even met me."

Cosby, a former MSNBC anchor, and her publisher, Grand Central Publishing, did not provide statements to CNN on the matter despite requests to do so.

Birkhead said Cosby’s sources on the Stern allegations were two maids, whose reliability is questionable, and Jackie Hatten, a woman who claims to be a friend of Smith’s — and who, according to the book, says she is the one who walked in on Stern and Birkhead.

"Jackie Hatten has never met me," Birkhead said. "There was nothing to walk in on because, you know, nothing like that’s ever happened, and there’s definitely no video of it." And by the end of her life, Smith was no longer in touch with Hatten, he said.

In a statement issued to TMZ.com, Hatten said she has not read the book, but "Rita Cosby is such a reputable reporter and person, I can only assume it is true and credible. I am happy the American public will finally know the truth."

Smith, 39, died February 8 in a Florida hotel room of an accidental drug overdose. Her death sparked a legal battle between Stern and Birkhead over the paternity and custody of her infant daughter, Dannielynn.

A Bahamian court, citing DNA tests, declared Birkhead the father of Dannielynn in April. At that point, Stern, who was listed as the girl’s father on the birth certificate, said he would not fight for custody.

Ron Rale, a former Smith attorney and a friend of Stern’s, told "Larry King Live" Stern would "absolutely" join in the suit against Cosby. Stern’s attorney, Lin Wood, "is a monster," Rale said, "and this guy is going to go after Rita Cosby and the publisher."

Asked by TMZ.com about the video earlier Tuesday, Cosby said, "I have not seen the videotape, but I will say that we have enough corroborating people who say that they have. We know people who clearly have been told there is a videotape that exists and have talked to people who have seen the videotape."

Stern and Birkhead, she said, were previously engaged in a legal struggle against each other and appeared to be enemies, but "now they’re friends … and it begs the question why. I think the American public should be concerned about the state this little girl is in. If you read the book and they believe these guys are in cahoots and are in it for fame and money and not this little girl’s interests at heart."

Birkhead said Cosby’s comments are "crazy … she says she’s never seen the video that she reports in her book that exists, and now she’s backpedaling, saying, ‘How else could you explain two guys that are enemies now get along?’ and trying to make sense out of something that she never verified in the first place."

Birkhead told CNN Cosby never called him to verify the allegations or told him she was writing a book. Birkhead also noted that he has only temporary custody of Dannielynn and that he is still seeking permanent custody in a Bahamian court.

He also angrily denied other allegations in the book.

Breaker Morant and Suburban Girl Announced

Posted September 26, 2007 by JoshImage Entertainment has announced the Blu-ray releases for the Australian film ‘Breaker Morant’ and the Sarah Michelle Gellar/Alec Baldwin romantic-comedy ‘Suburban Girl’. Both are planned for released on January 15th, and both will be day-and-date with the DVD release. No specs have been announced at this time.

: Based on a true story, Edward Woodward (TV’s The Equalizer) unforgettably stars as the controversial folk hero and Renaissance man Lt. Harry “Breaker” Morant. As South Africa’s Boer War draws to a close, Morant and two fellow Australian soldiers are court-martialed for murder. Their only hope lies in a small-town lawyer who fights passionately for their lives.

: Based on stories from the bestselling book The Girls’ Guide to Hunting and Fishing, Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Grudge) stars in this funny and disarmingly wise romantic comedy set against the exhilarating backdrop of New York City. Gellar is Brett, a naive associate book editor embarking on her first big job. Brett is overwhelmed until she develops a romance with the seasoned literary star Archie Knox (30 Rock’s Alec Baldwin) and is introduced to a glamorous new world. But when she faces a family crisis, Brett must make the decision of a lifetime as this girl from the `burbs finds herself at a big-city crossroads.

Alec Baldwin, Vanessa Redgrave and others to appear at Hamptons …

When Vanessa Redgrave talks, Alec Baldwin listens. And talks back. That’ll be the plan, at least, when Baldwin moderates a conversation with the legendary British actress as one of the highlights of the 15th Annual Hamptons International Film Festival, to run from October 17th through the 21st.Redgrave, who will be represented in the festival line-up with the world premier of “The Shell Seekers,” co-starring Maximillian Schell, will receive this year’s Golden Starfish Award for Career Achievement in Acting.Director Sidney Lumet will also be chatting it up before the public, in conjunction with festival screenings of his upcoming film, “Before the Devil Knows Your Dead,” a thriller about some serious family dysfunction, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke and Albert Finney.

Bahamas to hold inquest in death of Daniel Smith

NASSAU (Reuters) – The long-awaited inquest in the Bahamas into the death of the son of former Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith will begin on October 30, and could last two months, a senior judge in the Bahamas said on Monday.

Bahamas Chief Magistrate Roger Gomez said at least 35 witnesses were expected to give evidence, including Smith’s longtime lawyer and companion, Howard K. Stern. The inquest would be conducted by Magistrate William Campbell, he added.

Smith’s son, Daniel, 20, died at Doctors Hospital, Nassau, on September 10 last year, just three days after his mother gave birth to a daughter, Dannielynn.

A private autopsy found he had a cocktail of drugs in his bloodstream. An official inquest by Bahamian authorities has been repeatedly postponed.

Smith, a former topless dancer once married to late billionaire oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall, died in Florida last February of an accidental prescription drug overdose and is buried alongside her son at Lakeview Cemetery in Nassau.

Her death touched off a battle for custody of her daughter, Dannielynn, who could one day inherit a fortune if her late mother’s estate wins the right to inherit some of Marshall’s millions. Los Angeles photographer Larry Birkhead eventually won custody.

Anna Nicole Smith Psychiatrist Forced to Close Office

Dr. Khristine Eroshevic, the Anna Nicole Smith pal who allegedly wrote 11 different prescriptions found in the former model’s hotel room after her death, was forced to close one of her three Los Angeles-area offices last month, sources close to the doctor told FOX News.

Apparently, what was once a thriving business is now just hobbling along. Sources said Eroshevich was accustomed to seeing a few patients a day … but now that’s dwindled to a few each month.

The doctor, who is at the center of a Drug Enforcement Agency investigation, blames it on bad press and the fallout from being accused of filling a medicine cabinet on behalf of the Marilyn Monroe-wannabe pin-up girl.

Eroshevich, meanwhile, has threatened to sue any media outlet that she deems responsible for ruining her reputation.

Sources also said Eroshevich is planning to sell her Studio City, Calif., home where she was a neighbor of Smith’s and move to New York. She’s apparently depressed and simply wants to cut her losses.

FOX News has also learned that lawyers for Eroshevich have been in contact with the DEA. The feds have told reps for the doctor that by law they have five years to file charges against her.

On Tuesday, Eroshevich boarded a plane for the Bahamas, where she will spend a week with Smith’s former companion Howard K. Stern.

Stern is the subject of a shocking new book accusing him of having had a sexual liaison with the father of Smith’s baby, Larry Birkhead.

Stern, who had claimed to be the father of Smith’s baby daughter Dannielynn before Birkhead was proven to be her biological father, and Birkhead both plan to sue the author of the book, which also claims the two men worked together after Smith’s death to manipulate the media and maximize profits.

Birkhead says he'll sue over Anna Nicole Smith book

– Photographer Larry Birkhead, who was proved in April to be the biological father of former Playboy playmate Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter, said Tuesday he will sue the author and publisher of a new book on Smith’s death that contains allegations he called "pure fiction."

"I’ve instructed my attorney to sue Rita Cosby, the publisher and any source that spits out some of that false, defamatory information that’s in there," Birkhead said Tuesday on CNN’s "Larry King Live." "If I were Rita Cosby, I’d be very concerned."

Among the allegations in Cosby’s "Blond Ambition: The Untold Story Behind Anna Nicole Smith’s Death," are that Birkhead and Howard K. Stern, Smith’s attorney and companion, had an affair — and that an intimate moment between the two was caught on videotape.

"That’s totally false and it’s defamatory," Birkhead said. "I’ve heard the sources from that, and those sources are people that don’t — that haven’t been in Anna’s life and haven’t even met me."

Cosby, a former MSNBC anchor, and her publisher, Grand Central Publishing, did not provide statements to CNN on the matter despite requests to do so.

Birkhead said Cosby’s sources on the Stern allegations were two maids, whose reliability is questionable, and Jackie Hatten, a woman who claims to be a friend of Smith’s — and who, according to the book, says she is the one who walked in on Stern and Birkhead.

"Jackie Hatten has never met me," Birkhead said. "There was nothing to walk in on because, you know, nothing like that’s ever happened, and there’s definitely no video of it." And by the end of her life, Smith was no longer in touch with Hatten, he said.

In a statement issued to TMZ.com, Hatten said she has not read the book, but "Rita Cosby is such a reputable reporter and person, I can only assume it is true and credible. I am happy the American public will finally know the truth."

Smith, 39, died February 8 in a Florida hotel room of an accidental drug overdose. Her death sparked a legal battle between Stern and Birkhead over the paternity and custody of her infant daughter, Dannielynn.

A Bahamian court, citing DNA tests, declared Birkhead the father of Dannielynn in April. At that point, Stern, who was listed as the girl’s father on the birth certificate, said he would not fight for custody.

Ron Rale, a former Smith attorney and a friend of Stern’s, told "Larry King Live" Stern would "absolutely" join in the suit against Cosby. Stern’s attorney, Lin Wood, "is a monster," Rale said, "and this guy is going to go after Rita Cosby and the publisher."

Asked by TMZ.com about the video earlier Tuesday, Cosby said, "I have not seen the videotape, but I will say that we have enough corroborating people who say that they have. We know people who clearly have been told there is a videotape that exists and have talked to people who have seen the videotape."

Stern and Birkhead, she said, were previously engaged in a legal struggle against each other and appeared to be enemies, but "now they’re friends … and it begs the question why. I think the American public should be concerned about the state this little girl is in. If you read the book and they believe these guys are in cahoots and are in it for fame and money and not this little girl’s interests at heart."

Birkhead said Cosby’s comments are "crazy … she says she’s never seen the video that she reports in her book that exists, and now she’s backpedaling, saying, ‘How else could you explain two guys that are enemies now get along?’ and trying to make sense out of something that she never verified in the first place."

Birkhead told CNN Cosby never called him to verify the allegations or told him she was writing a book. Birkhead also noted that he has only temporary custody of Dannielynn and that he is still seeking permanent custody in a Bahamian court.

He also angrily denied other allegations in the book.

Optical company focusses on breast cancer

ClearVision Optical Co. in Hauppauge is focusing on a charity that is near and dear to its employees: Breast cancer research.More than than 90 percent of the company’s employees are women. And during a company meeting one of the female employees suggested that the eyewear manufacturer and distributor do something for women’s causes. The topic turned to breast cancer and the president David Friedfeld, asked how many employees knew someone who had illness, said spokeswoman Trish Graham. More than 70 percent raised their hand, she says.So the company teamed up with international designer Max Azria of BCBG to design and produce breast cancer sunglasses, pink-rimmed glasses with the breast cancer ribbon on the sides. ClearVision owns licenses to produce eyewear for the clothes and accessories designer.

The team donated all the sales proceeds and raised $35,000 for the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund, named for the mother of actor Alec Baldwin, who grew up on Long Island. Carol Baldwin is a breast cancer survivor.The company’s charity work helped it to snag the small business achievement award at a recent Hauppauge Industrial Association ceremony.But the team isn’t done yet.It is now trying to raise an additional $60,000 by the end of the year to donate to an international breast cancer fund.

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WHO: Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, Alec Baldwin

Tina Fey, Tracy Morgan, Alec Baldwin

An open letter to Tina Fey:
Dear Tina. You don’t know me, but I am a television reviewer. For the past several years I have been in thrall to your delicious beauty and unique sense of comedic timing. I even forgave you for rewriting Heathers. All I ask is that you continue kicking ass on the new season of 30 Rock. And maybe for a kiss.

Of course, building a successful second season is a daunting task. Though your show survived initially low ratings, it make be more difficult to overcome the public thrashing of co-star Alec Baldwin for his voicemail rants. And Tracy Morgan’s repeated run-ins with the law haven’t helped. I’m just hoping we don’t learn about some Rachel Dratch tri-state killing spree before the premiere.

Because, we need you, Tina Fey. America needs you. SNL hasn’t been the same since you left and 30 Rock is our best, last, only hope for some sweet, sweet comedy.

More on 30 Rock:
:: 30 Rock on Wikipedia
:: Tina Fey on Celebrity Wonder
:: Alec Baldwin on Celebrity Wonder