Missing in Action
Why did Kim Delaney get canned from CSI: Miami?
It's a case fit for a CSI investigator. The victim? Actress Kim Delaney, who has been dropped from the cast of CBS's CSI: Miami after shooting just 10 episodes. The evidence? A spin-off of CSI, TV's most-watched drama, Miami is the highest-rated new program this season, although critics and fans have noted that Delaney, who was a late addition to the cast, never seemed to click with the others on the show. The motive? Ah, well that's where the mystery deepens. The official line from network brass is that Delaney's character, Megan Donner, was "becoming less integral to the series." But was friction with costar David Caruso the real cause? Although Delaney won't speak about CBS's decision, she did tell PEOPLE last month, "It's an ensemble, but he's the boss at work."
Not everyone buys the alpha-male theory. "They acted like old friends," notes one CSI staffer. Says another source: "David has not had anything to do with this." (Caruso didn't return calls for comment.)
Delaney's exit caps an eventful year for the actress. In January she was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving; she later pleaded no contest to reckless driving. In May ABC canceled her drama Philly. Next up? Something close to home. "She doesn't want to leave Beverly Hills," says a friend, "except to someday move to Philadelphia to be near her family."
IT'S A RAP
A quick survey of recent films shows that when it comes to box office clout, rappers delight while divas derail. Why? Hard to say—except in the case of Madonna's recent bomb Swept Away. "It's [expletive deleted]," says the film's director (and Madonna's hubby), Guy Ritchie. "I can't answer more eloquently than that."
[This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]
Doing Rosie's Bidding, for a Cause
Rosie O'Donnell is nothing if not persuasive. Just ask any of the more than 500 people who attended the Nov. 9 Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation's Promise Ball in New York City, where charity auctioneer O'Donnell begged, goaded, pleaded and flat-out bullied the black-tie crowd into bidding on prizes, raising nearly $2.5 million. Herewith, a sampling of Rosie's entertaining (if somewhat blue) salesmanship technique:
•"Whoever spends the most money I will have sex with. Did I say that? That's a horrible thing to say."
•"[Tickets to] the Sports Illustrated swimsuit premiere party. Is it too early to announce? I'm going to be one of the models. There's this amazing two-piece. The way my flub rolls over the bottom—it's something to see. Somebody give me a thousand bucks."
•"Ten tickets to The Graduate. Basically, who wants to see [star] Lorraine Bracco's totally nudie patootie? We're going to open it up at five grand, because I've seen Lorraine's boobs. We were young, we were drunk, but everything's fine."
•"[A Miramax film premiere.] Somebody give me a thousand dollars to go to the premiere of a movie we've never heard of."
My Fair Image-Conscious Lady
Go lightly? Do little? Not residents of Tolochenaz, Switzerland, where Audrey Hepburn lived out the last years of her life. Townspeople have been battling with Hepburn's heirs to keep open a popular museum dedicated to the actress. When the tourist attraction first opened in 1996, the actress's sons Sean Ferrer, 42, and Luca Dotti, 32, loaned memorabilia—including Hepburn's two Oscars—to the museum, which donates its proceeds to children's charities. But the brothers say they've grown increasingly uneasy with the commercialization of Hepburn's image. (Among other things, the gift shop sells Audrey Hepburn jam.) Last week they reclaimed their items, forcing the attraction to shut down. Says Dotti: "My mother wanted tranquility. But [the museum] had become a bit like Graceland."
Romance Update of the Week
Since splitting from Tom Green in December, Drew Barrymore, 27, hasn't wanted for companionship. For anyone who has missed the quarterly reports, here's a 2002 recap:
April 2002
In Beverly Hills with Hollywood heir Brandon Davis
May 2002
...In L.A. with Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti
September 2002
... In Hollywood with rock guitarist Joel Shearer
October 2002
...and most recently, back again with Moretti.
Good Will Funding for a Friend
In 1997's The Rainmaker, Matt Damon played a lawyer fighting for a cancer patient who falls victim to a crooked insurance company and is unable to afford the cost of medical treatments. In a cruel twist Damon learned last winter that Lisa Maniscalco, 40, a producer and legal consultant on the film, was diagnosed with the same type of blood cancer, acute myelogenous leukemia, as the character in the movie. When Maniscalco's insurance policy was canceled in June, Damon, 32, stepped in. On Nov. 8 the actor hosted a benefit at a Fort Lauderdale film festival, which raised more than $40,000—including $10,000 from the star himself—for her medical bills. Says Damon: "I'll continue to raise money and awareness as long as Lisa needs it."
POP QUIZ
with Courtney Love
Recently, Courtney Love has kept busy negotiating for her own reality show, overseeing the release of her late husband Kurt Cobain's journals, starring in the thriller Trapped and sticking up for pal Winona Ryder (see page 76). Love, 38, also found a few minutes to chat with Scoop.
What happened to your MTV reality show plans?
We differed over concept. I said, "If you want to see rock and roll and treat it like an art form, then I'll give it to you. If you want sex, you're going to get that too. But I'm not going to do a game show for you."
When you hosted MTV2 for 24 hours straight, you flashed your breast on live TV. Explain.
What can I say? I love my boobs. I had the implants removed a few years ago. I hated those big fake ones. Now, like a lot of women in Hollywood, I just have a small crescent of silicone at the bottom so my boobs don't sag down to my navel.
We heard you're caring for Kurt's 16-year-old half sister Brianne O'Connor. True?
I'm working on becoming her legal guardian. She was having a little trouble and needed some stability. The good news is I can give her money. The bad news is I'm Mom.
Did you withhold any of Kurt's letters from his just-published journals?
Yeah. There aren't any letters to his daughter [Frances Bean] in there, including the letter I have in the safety-deposit box that says on the envelope "Give to Frances when she's 18." How many times have we wanted to open that?
How's Frances Bean doing?
Great. She's found a calling for now, equestrian.
Has she asked about Kurt's diaries?
I told her that they were coming out and the publicity was going to be just like Shrek's. She's handling things great.
ON THE BLOCK DUSTIN'S DEWELLING
New York City's famed San Remo apartments, where celebs such as Steven Spielberg and Steve Martin keep abodes, will soon be one star dimmer. Dustin Hoffman is selling his lavish triplex on Central Park West for $25 million. The prewar, 8,000-sq.-ft. co-op features six-plus bedrooms, 10 bathrooms, maid's quarters, a library and outdoor terraces with views of the park. Potential buyers should be aware of the hefty $11,000-a-month maintenance fee—which covers, among other things, full-time concierge services.
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