The small crowd gathered at Makor, a music club on Manhattan's Upper West Side, got an unexpected treat on April 2 when Grammy darling Norah Jones surprised the audience and stepped up to the mike. Before she hit it big, Jones had been a regular at the 180-seat club, which is part of a Jewish community center. Jones was back at her old haunt to see her guitarist Adam Levy play, and on a whim she took to the stage for old times' sake. "I can't believe we're here again," said Jones, before launching into a sultry, country-jazz rendition of Elvis Presley's "Love Me Tender." Not something you see every day at your local JCC.
Nicole Kidman apparently has some concerns about the security at her new 4,000-sq.-ft. condominium in Manhattan's West Village. Kidman, who recently sold her L.A. home to move to New York City full time, has bought a unit in famed architect Richard Meier's exclusive new glass-walled project overlooking the Hudson River—along with such famous neighbors as Calvin Klein and rapper Jay-Z. According to sources, Kidman inquired about the possibility of building a private, alternate entrance to the building so that she and her two children wouldn't have to come and go through the main lobby. "I really don't know how you'd do it," Meier says, explaining that exterior construction is complete and that residents are moving in next month. "The security will be very good. The entrance is very private as it is, because there are so few people." A partial solution was worked out for the actress: Kidman will be given access to the building's rear door.
Who will be next Julia? Could it possibly be another Roberts? Following in her aunt's famous footsteps, 12-year-old Emma Roberts is stepping up her acting career. The daughter of Julia's actor-brother Eric Roberts and his ex-girlfriend Kelly Cunningham, Emma has already had roles in 2001's Blow and the upcoming indie film Grand Champion. Now she's started shooting her first lead in a big studio feature, the Miramax family film Spymate, with Spin City's Richard Kind. In the movie Emma plays a genius who is teamed with a chimpanzee. "He's cute," she says of the ape, "but you can't distract him or he'll start kissing and hugging you when he's not supposed to." Emma says she speaks to her celebrated aunt regularly but doesn't ask Julia (or her dad) for career advice. "To me she's just my aunt," Emma says. In fact, when it comes to acting, she looks to another role model. "I really like Reese Witherspoon," she says. "Legally Blonde is my all-time favorite movie."
Margaret Cho is an ambulance chaser. The comedian, a self-confessed eBay junkie, likes to stand out in a crowd—and on the freeway—so she recently plunked down $11,000 to buy a used ambulance on the auction site from a seller in North Carolina. Cho, who's currently on a 35-city tour, says she wanted the meat wagon for her dogs; the roomy vehicle gives her pooches Ralph (named after actor Ralph Fiennes) and Bronwyn space to run around when she takes them on excursions.
Your Reaction
