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U2, Britney
Spears, Charlotte Church, Melissa Rivers
Jun
24, 2003 11:58 am US/Central
CHICAGO (CBS
2) SCARE FOR
SUPERSTAR: Death threats against rock star and
humanitarian Bono are being taken very seriously both by the
U2 lead singer, his personal security team and the British
authorities. The added security measures have come about
following a special investigation by Britain's Royal Mail
service, aided by the U.K's famed Scotland Yard. According to
the London Sunday Mirror, two dozen extremely abusive
letters-containing foul language, racial insults and death
threats-were sent to the music superstar, over a period of the
past two years. Reportedly, all of the letters originated in
Southeast London and were addressed to Bono, care of his
management company in Dublin, Ireland. Scotland Yard is so
concerned about the content of the letters, it is conducting
extensive DNA research and other forensic testing to trace the
mail to the person who wrote the vicious attacks on Bono's
attempts to fight AIDS and relieve Third World
debt-particularly in Africa. One letter contained this threat:
''You have been warned and you and your do-gooder friends had
better watch out. F*** the foreigners and help your own
people.'' The initial tip to the letters' contents came from a
London post office sorting room where an employee was
intrigued by strange lettering on an envelope addessed to
Bono, written in a very unusual, neon-bright shade of green
ink.
STAR SPEARED: News that pop tart Britney Spears is
slated to get a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame has some
folks in Tinseltown tittering. While fame in filmdom is not
the only criteria (as Lional Richie's well-deserved star
presentation proved last week), Spears youth and lack of movie
experience does make the decision seem a bit premature. (The
singer and actress has appeared in four films and has only
starred in one-the much dissed''Crossroads'').
NEW PEW FOR CHURCH: The rift between former ingenue
opera singer Charlotte Church and her parents has grown even
wider. Not only has the young singer moved in with her
part-time deejay boyfriend Steven Johnson, Church is now
saying she has no interest in her former fame and glory and is
only interested in playing gigs at small venues in Wales, near
the home she's sharing with Johnson in Cardiff-where the
couple are writing contemporary R&B songs, far different
than the traditional arias that brought Church world-wide
fame.
CAN WE SPLIT? Melissa Rivers, her mom Joan Rivers'
co-star in the red carpet world of televised awards shows and
a recent participant on the ''I'm A Celebrity-Get Me Out of
Here!'' reality TV show, is now officially divorced from
husband and horse breeder John Endicott. While no details were
included in the June 19 filing in Los Angeles (and available
at the smokinggun.com website), it is assumed Rivers' strong
pre-nuptial agreement saved her from paying Endicott anything
near the $3 million her mother shelled out for the ''Dr.
Zhivago''-themed wedding extravangaza at New York's Plaza
Hotel in 1998. Rivers' reportedly is joking she's still
waiting for a refund on the wedding, though she's wild about
her 2-year-old grandson, Edgar, named for her late husband.
Joan jokes that the kid calls her ''Nana New Face, since he's
never seen me without a bandage''-an obvious reference to
thecomedienne's well-known love of plastic surgery.
SEEN ON SCENE: Oscar-winning director Sam
Mendes-unfortunately solo and without new bride Kate Winslet-slipped
into town to catch one of the final performances of pal
Richard Greenberg's ''The Violet Hour'' at Steppenwolf. The
next time the play will be seen will be at the Manhattan
Theatre Club in the Big Apple in October, with Scott Foley,
Robert Sean Leonard and Jasmine Guy starring in that
production....Joanie Laurer (formerly Chyna with the World
Wrestling Federation) was spied with her fiance Sean Waltman
at the River North hotspot Buzz, after recording back up
vocals for local pop singer Reggie
Benjamin's new
CD....Chicago's socialite chanteuse Shelley MacArthur wowed
the crowd at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's ''Swing into
Summer'' gala at Sandi and Bill Strong's Lake Forest estate
Saturday-a nice kick-off for her upcoming gig in the Hamptons
July 18 and an October 20 date at New York's famed Towne Hall,
where MacArthur will be a headliner for the New York cabaret
convention.
NATE'S FILM FEST: Lincoln Park's 3-Penny Cinema owner
Jim Burrows reopened the Skokie Theatre last weekend by
playing a ''double feature tribute'' to Chicago actor Nate
Davis: ''Holes,'' directed by Nate's son Andrew (''The
Fugitive'') Davis, and ''Almost Salinas,'' starring Oak Parker
and ''Frasier'' dad John Mahoney, produced and directed by
Evanston's Terry Green of Strata Productions.
Bill
Zwecker
(? 2003 CBS 2 CHICAGO. All Rights Reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or
redistributed.)
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