The big buzz

Pitt to take roles based on kids
New dad Brad Pitt insists the way he goes about choosing roles is much different now that he has three children.

The Oceans Eleven star claims he is much more careful because he wants his children to be proud of his choices. Pitt has a three-month-old daughter, Shiloh, with Angelina Jolie, as well as Zahara, one, and Maddox, five. He explains, “My thoughts these days are, ‘Oh, my God, what did I do? What are they going to see from the past?’ It definitely colours what I’ll approach in the future. I’ll try to be a little bit more mature about my decisions.” The Mr and Mrs Smith star is next set to be seen onscreen opposite Cate Blanchett in the acclaimed drama Babel.

Law still angry over Rock attack
British actor Jude Law is still seething over his Oscar night embarrassment last year — when host Chris Rock made fun of the prolific star’s relentless screen appearances. Law was initially unfazed by Rock’s quips, but he became infuriated when Rock sniped, “Who is Jude Law? Why’s he in every movie I have seen for the last four years? He’s in everything. Even in the movies he’s not in, if you look in the credits he made cupcakes or something.” All the King’s Men star Law says, “At first I laughed because I didn’t think he knew who I was. Then I got angry as his remarks became personal. My friends were livid. It’s unfortunate I had five or six films come out at the same time.”

Kidman blasts biographer
Nicole Kidman is furious with a film critic for writing a unauthorised biography on her after only having one brief phone chat with her. The Moulin Rouge star was shocked when she found out David Thomson was writing a book and was unaware her short interview would be exploited in the form of an explosive biography. Kidman claims she was deceived by the author, who told her he was writing a series of articles on several different films. According to Kidman’s publicist, Wendy Day, “Nicole has never met David Thomson. She has only spoken to him briefly on the phone about her acting processes and various films. He’s a well-respected film writer and she accepted the interview only because she was under the impression he was writing a series of film essays.” The book, entitled Nicole Kidman, hit bookstores in the US this week and paints a picture of the actress as a power-hungry fame seeker who used her 10-year marriage to Tom Cruise to hit the big time in Hollywood. The biography also claims the star is too self-obsessed to give herself to a husband. Kidman married country star Keith Urban in June. Thomson even goes as far as to suggest Stanley Kubrick’s 1999 thriller Eyes Wide Shut ended Cruise and Kidman’s marriage because it mirrored their off-screen relationship too closely. Kidman has not yet announced legal action against Thomson, who in his previous book, The Whole Equation: A History Of Hollywood, confessed to having a huge crush on her.

Leguizamo slams flirtatious Miller
John Leguizamo played a cruel prank on Carlito’s Way co-star Penelope Ann Miller after the pair fell out — by shrinking her costumes. The actor took an instant dislike to Miller during the shooting of the 1993 film. In his upcoming autobiography Pimps, Hos, Playa Hatas, And All The Rest Of My Hollywood Friends, Leguizamo writes, “You really have to know Penelope Ann Miller to dislike her. She’s the kind of girl who would flirt with anyone in the world as long as people are watching.” Leguizamo and the wardrobe department decided to get even with Miller — by taking in her clothes an inch at a time. He writes, “Every day her outfits are getting a little tighter, a little tighter. She goes on a starvation diet. Watch the movie, you’ll see she gets thinner and thinner.”

Pirates breaks $1bn barrier
Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest has become only the third film to break through the $1 billion international box office barrier. The swashbuckling sequel — which stars Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom — now only trails Titanic and The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King in the history books. James Cameron’s Titanic made $1.8 billion following its release in 1997, while the concluding part of Peter Jackson’s trilogy earned $1.1 billion.