• February 10, 2003
• Vol. 59
• No. 5

Insider

By Tom Cunneff

It's good to be the queen—or, at the very least, a pop princess. Take Britney Spears and the royal treatment she received at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Along with other celebs, Spears was invited to drop in at the Motorola House, a rented hilltop home in nearby Deer Valley, sponsored by the tech company and filled with high-end vendors giving out freebies to selected VIPs. Stars such as Dustin Hoffman, Morgan Freeman and Penélope Cruz stopped by and picked up cell phones and other goodies. However, according to a source at the house, Spears refused to be seen at the swag shack, citing an endorsement deal with rival tech firm Samsung, and instead asked selected vendors to come to her. The reps then set up shop in a private conference room in Spears's hotel so she could browse at her leisure. For the record, the singer picked up a Microsoft Xbox videogame system and a line of Kiehl's products, as well as sunglasses by Valentino, Kate Spade and Ralph Lauren. (A rep for Spears didn't return calls.)

It's finally over. Nicole Kidman officially closed the book on her relationship with Tom Cruise. On Jan. 25 movers came and packed up the actress's stuff from the Los Angeles home she once shared with Cruise. Kidman received the five-bedroom house in the divorce settlement, and she recently sold it for $11 million. Her rep tells me she has no plans to buy another residence in L.A. Instead, Kidman is headed to Manhattan, where she has bought a two-bedroom apartment in the Tribeca district. The actress begins shooting Birth, a thriller with Lauren Bacall, in New York City Feb. 12.

Would you buy a used car from this man? Apparently Don Johnson looks trustworthy enough, seeing as he recently managed to sell off four vintage cars—for a grand total of $266,760. The actor, who has decided to get rid of some of the clutter in his life, showed up in person at the Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Jan. 17. Johnson even gave his 1970 yellow Plymouth Barracuda convertible, a car that was featured on Johnson's old show Nash Bridges, a quick spin in front of potential bidders. "Come on, everybody," Johnson pleaded during the auction, "my butt was on that seat." The sales spiel paid off: The Plymouth sold for a whopping $148,500—more than 10 times the 'Cuda's book value.

Everybody is looking to cash in on the runaway success of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Take, for example, auto-repair serviceman Steve Boloven of Dearborn Heights, Mich. Last April, well before the film broke box office records, Boloven bought the wedding gown that Nia Vardalos wore in the movie for $200 on an online auction site. Now he's looking to sell the dress for $1 million on eBay. At least one Greek Wedding fan won't be bidding. "I thought it was ugly," says Vardalos, "and it wouldn't fit me now since I had gained weight for the part. We shot the wedding scenes about seven times, so I wore it plenty." She pauses, then adds thoughtfully, "Does the BO of an up-and-coming actress-screenwriter add to the worth or devalue it?"

• Contributors:
• Hugh McCarten.

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