On hiatus between seasons, TV stars are singing, romancing, making movies and...Looking for llamas?
DEBRA MESSING
Scale model: The Will & Grace star went deep as a Las Vegas mermaid while filming a scene for the upcoming Sin City drama Lucky You.
PATRICK DEMPSEY
GREY'S ANATOMY STAR AND RACE BUFF
"I will be in France for the LeMans."
MEGAN MULLALLY
The actress hit the road with her band Supreme Music Program before returning to work on Will & Grace and a new NBC daytime talk show set to make its debut in 2006.
REBECCA ROMIJN & JERRY O'CONNELL
The couple took to the water on May 25 in Hawaii, where they strolled the sand and tandem-kayaked.
He's due back for Crossing Jordan later this month.
MISCHA BARTON
When in Rome: In Italy filming the drama The Decameron, The O.C. star practiced amore with boyfriend Brandon Davis at Rome's Piazza Republica on May 29.
KIEFER SUTHERLAND & EVA LONGORIA
In an arresting development, 24's man of action and the Desperate Housewives' devilish attraction (on May 26) team up as Secret Service agents in a political thriller The Sentinel, due out next year.
Not Yet Roomies
Yes, Katie Holmes still loves Tom Cruise. "He's the most amazing man in the whole world," she said at the May 31 Tokyo premiere of Batman Begins. But according to a source close to the actress, she hasn't moved in with him yet or converted to Scientology—though she is interested in understanding it. Cruise also has a nonadmirer: Brooke Shields (inset), who objected to his criticism of her use of antidepressants to counter postpartum depression. "Tom should stick to saving the world from aliens and let women who are experiencing postpartum depression decide what treatment options are best for them."
Video Julia
The Oscars are nice, but could it be that Julia Roberts secretly covets one of those MTV Moonmen awards? That could explain her starring role in the new Dave Matthews Band video "Dreamgirl"—although there's an even likelier reason: She and Matthews have been friends for ages. Roberts shot the video May 25-26 in Harlem and Brooklyn. After wrapping she and husband Danny Moder joined Matthews and two friends at Dos Caminos, a Park Avenue Mexican restaurant, arriving after midnight and dining on tuna seviche, chicken tacos and chimichangas.
Jessica with a Twist
News flash! Jessica Simpson's amazingly flexible neck may help her keep an eye on pesky paparazzi.
POP QUIZ
Tony Awards Host
Hugh Jackman
Hugh Jackman returns June 5 to host the Tony Awards for the third consecutive year. A Tony winner himself—Jackman, 36, earned the honor last year for his Broadway debut, portraying the late Peter Allen in The Boy from Oz—the song-and-dance man took a few minutes to talk about the show with Scoop.
Three years in a row? They must love you.
[Laughs] I don't know about that. They might've asked a few other people first. But I'm thrilled.
What kind of star treatment do you get as a host?
I get the biggest dressing room in the house. I get very well looked after.
What have you learned from past years?
That I needed contact lenses [to read the Tele-PrompTer]. I went to the eye doctor, who told me that legally I couldn't drive [without wearing corrective lenses].
Are you planning any audience participation?
There's always stuff happening during the commercial breaks. Last year Sean Combs got dragged up onstage, and I asked him to sing a version of "Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'," and he kindly accepted.
You brought The Boy from Oz out for the opening of the Wynn Las Vegas hotel. How fun was that?
I went down into the audience to do some ad-libbing, and there was Elizabeth Taylor, and I of course sat in her lap. I got Steven Spielberg up onstage. [Former President] George Bush said, "Now here's my card. I'd really like you to send me that song. I'll send you the money." And I said, "I think I'm good for a CD."
Many new musicals are based on movies. Does that hurt originality?
I'm not a snob creatively. It's been said, "There's nothing new under the sun." Everything comes from an idea, and an idea means nothing in the end unless it's pulled off with grace, creativity and skill.
If you could bring one of your films to Broadway, which would it be?
X-Men.
So we can expect to see Wolverine: The Musical?
[Laughs] I don't know.
ON THE BLOCK
RICK'S RANCH
PRICE: $29 million
PLACE: near Grand Junction, Colo. Far from his old NYPD Blue streets, Rick Schroder made a home on the range for 15 years. The actor has now decided to sell "Mesa Mood," a ranch that sprawls over nearly 15,000 acres of forest, lakes and streams, plus more than 40 springs, and features a three-bedroom custom log cabin and three guest cabins.
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