• December 16, 2002
• Vol. 58
• No. 25

Insider

By Tom Cunneff

Even though Val Kilmer's next film, Wonderland, is a small independent project, he apparently still expects big-star treatment. According to a source close to the movie, in which Kilmer plays the late porn star John Holmes, the actor got upset recently when he arrived on the set and discovered that his trailer was parked too far away. When director James Cox told Kilmer there was no way to move the trailer that day due to the late hour, the actor threw a tantrum, screaming, "I want my trailer moved! I don't care if you have to get extras to pull it all the way across the street!" Shortly afterwards a black Humvee arrived and before long, Kilmer's trailer was towed to the actor's desired location. A rep for Kilmer denies there were any problems, saying, "The shoot went amazingly well."

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck celebrated their first Thanksgiving together just as the Pilgrims intended—shopping and gambling the holiday away in Las Vegas. First the stars had a dozen friends and family members flown in to meet them at the gambling mecca. Then on Thanksgiving Day, a number of ritzy stores in Caesars Palace's underground mall closed themselves off to the public so that J.Lo, Ben and their party (including Lopez's mom and grandmother) could do a little private shopping. At Gucci, Affleck got a sweater and some slacks, while the Lopezes walked out with shoes, boots and bags. Affleck picked up the whole tab, paying the four-figure bill with a wad of cash, which he said was gambling winnings. At Versace, Lopez tried on a variety of outfits, including a gold metal mesh top, and modeled them for Affleck. The actor even played peek-a-boo through the shop's window with a gathering crowd of camera-toting fans. Later, after tipping the parking valet $200, they headed to a local car dealership and picked up two new Mercedes for a cool $150,000. Talk about holiday excess.

Speaking of interesting Thanksgivings, George Clooney spent his turkey day at Chuck Barris's Upper East Side apartment in Manhattan. For those trying to make the connection, Clooney directed Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, the upcoming biopic based on the former Gong Show host's bizarre memoirs. Clooney arrived with Mind star Sam Rockwell—both brought a pricey bottle of wine. Following the feast the group watched football and listened to the soundtrack from Clooney's 2000 movie, O Brother, Where Art Thou? The party finally broke up at around 1 a.m.

Everyone's always hitting Tyra Banks up for advice on how to break into modeling. To help answer that question she created Supermodel, a new reality series for UPN which begins production in January. Viewers will get to watch as an ordinary girl is turned into a fashion model. Banks hopes that'll mean the end of people asking for guidance at inopportune moments. Like the time at a Parisian restaurant when a girl followed Banks into the bathroom and slipped her a message under the stall door. Said Banks: "Honey, I'll help you but let me get back to my seat first."

• Contributors:
• Hugh McCarten.

More From This Article

SEND E-MAIL TO [e-mail]