Renee Zellweger

Scoop

UPDATED 06/30/2003 at 01:00 AM EDT • Originally published 06/30/2003 at 01:00 AM EDT

A Star and a Stripe

Renée Zellweger steps out with the White Stripes' Jack White

Down with love? From the way Renée Zellweger has been acting recently, the only direction her romantic life is going is straight up. Zellweger, 34, has been getting friendly with White Stripes frontman Jack White, 27. On June 14 the two were spotted having brunch at Quality restaurant in Hollywood, where, according to an eyewitness, she snuggled up to him and appeared "radiant." Adds the source: "She was glowing when she was with him. She seemed really happy." Afterward, the couple, strolling hand in hand, popped into designer Paul Frank's clothing store—he bought several pairs of plaid pants, she picked up some T-shirts—before speeding off together in an Audi. Two nights earlier the pair had been seen browsing the foreign-film selection at Rocket Video in Hollywood.

Although both sides are mum about the romance, the two first met last year, when White was cast alongside Zellweger in Cold Mountain, a Civil War-era epic. The singer is currently on tour with his ex-wife, White Stripes drummer Meg White.

Pamela Says She's 'Free'
It's over. That's the latest from Pamela Anderson on her relationship with Kid Rock. "The word that best describes me now is 'free,' " says Anderson, 35. "That's all I will say. I'm a mom, and that's where my life is at." Though Anderson wouldn't elaborate, the statement confirms what an insider told PEOPLE last week: that the high-profile couple, engaged since April 2002, have split. Also, the actress's engagement ring was conspicuously missing from her hand at a June 13 restaurant opening in Fort Lauderdale, where she promoted People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Meanwhile Rock, 32, on a tour visiting American troops stationed in the Middle East, couldn't be reached for comment.

SORTING THE STARS
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix hits bookstores June 21, which means another semester at Hogwarts has begun. Every new wizard and witch will enter one of the academy's four Houses by order of the magical Sorting Hat, which determines the true nature of its wearer. How would celebs fare in the sorting process? Alas, Hogwarts has no truly appropriate Hollywood house—after all, how easy would it be to fill Yogador, Friendagwynn, Drinkenpuff and even Nipantuck?

GRYFFINDOR
According to the Sorting Hat song in the book, Harry Potter's house is where "dwell the brave at heart." Michele Fry, an Oxford English scholar who wrote her dissertation on the Potter novels, says Gryffindor students "are not afraid to break the rules or take on challenges."
CELEBS WHO WOULD BELONG
Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Katie Couric, Nicole Kidman, Denzel Washington, Jennifer Garner, Will Smith, Reese Witherspoon, Tiger Woods

SLYTHERIN
"Those cunning folk use any means to achieve their ends," goes the Sorting Hat song. But as headmaster Dumbledore notes in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Slytherin folk also show "resourcefulness, determination [and] a certain disregard for rules."
CELEBS WHO WOULD BELONG
Madonna, Eminem, Shannen Doherty, Simon Cowell, Winona Ryder, Christina Aguilera, Martha Stewart, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs

RAVENCLAW
"This is the academic type," says Potter scholar Fry. "They're quick-witted and really enjoy learning. They're studious, but they're not boring." In Ravenclaw, says the Sorting Hat song, "those of wit and learning will always find their kind."
CELEBS WHO WOULD BELONG
Natalie Portman, Jodie Foster, Hugh Grant, Matt Damon, Steve Martin, Jerry Seinfeld, Edward Norton, David Letterman

HUFFLEPUFF
"You might belong in Hufflepuff, where they are just and loyal," goes the Sorting Hat song. "Those patient Hufflepuffs are true, and unafraid of toil." Adds Fry: "The kids in this house are caring and good at making friends."
CELEBS WHO WOULD BELONG
Oprah Winfrey, Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Aniston, Ray Romano, Jay Leno, Sarah Jessica Parker, Al Roker, Ben Affleck, the Olsen twins

Russell at Play

Apparently, married life hasn't completely tamed Russell Crowe. On June 5 the actor, 39, hosted a dinner at a posh suite in Sydney's W Hotel for the Rabbitohs, his favorite Australian rugby club, which has been languishing in last place this year. In a pep talk for the down-on-their-luck squad, Crowe "talked about mateship and playing the game as a bit of fun rather than a chore," says club spokesman Jonathan Elderton. But what had started out as a classy event soon turned into a rough-and-tumble affair when Crowe produced a rugby ball and challenged the room to a game of "knee footy." The players and Crowe dropped to their knees, then played a fierce game of rugby in the suite's dining room. According to Sydney's Sunday Telegraph, Crowe was "put into the wall in a fierce driving tackle." When the hijinks petered out after 3 a.m., Crowe picked up the $20,000 tab for meals, drinks and damages and returned the next day to tip the hotel's wait staff. The party, says Elderton, "obviously paid dividends, because we won the [next] match, 41-14."

Rugby success isn't all the star has to crow about. On June 10 Britain's Daily Mirror reported that Crowe and his new bride, Danielle Spencer, 32, are expecting their first child. Crowe's publicist refused to comment, but notably, the Mirror's showbiz columnist is Niki Waldegrave, Spencer's cousin.

Survivors

CBS has high hopes for its ail-star edition of Survivor, which will pit 16 of the most memorable contestants from past seasons against each other to compete for a $2 million pot. But there's a hitch: Some of the former castaways aren't sure they want to come back. Survivor Australia winner Tina Wesson playfully says she is thinking of holding out for a bigger prize, "considering Uncle Sam will take a million of it." Survivor Africa winner Ethan Zohn hopes for a $5 million payoff and notes "they can't have an all-star show without the [past] winners." Series host Jeff Probst has a message for the hesitant: "If 2 million and pride is not enough, then stay home." So far, says Probst, the likely candidates to appear on next year's show are Richard Hatch, Rudy Boesch and Susan Hawk, all from the first season.

POP QUIZ

with Bernie Mac

Comedian Bernie Mac may be a cutup on his FOX sitcom The Bernie Mac Show, but when it comes to the business part of showbiz, Mac is a no-nonsense guy. Scoop caught up with the star during an L.A. publicity stop for Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, in which Mac, 45, plays Bosley's brother (replacing Bill Murray from the first film).

You're promoting the Charlie's Angels sequel, but we hear you haven't seen the movie yet.
I'm not that kind of guy. I like to do [my acting] and then get the hell out of there.

So will you ever see it?
I usually watch any film that I do once, and that's with the family at the premiere.

Do you not like movies?
I love movies. That's what my wife and I do all the time. We'll see one movie [in a multiplex] and then sneak into another. It's just hard for me to watch myself.

What was Father's Day like in your house?
My wife and daughter tried to plan a big dinner thing for me, but I had to fly [to L.A. to do publicity]. That's a painful part of what I do. I miss out on birthdays and Christmas and stuff.

Are you worried about being compared to Bill Murray?
I'm a fan of Bill's. But I hadn't seen the original movie [when I was asked to play the role]. So I watched it three times. I wanted to see what Bill brought, because I didn't want to bring anything similar.

For the movie, you worked with beautiful women every day. How did you keep your mind on the job?
When you're trying to tell a story and put it on film, you ain't got time to be somewhere else in your mind. The fact remains that they look good in a bathing suit—but professionally you ain't nowhere there.

Do you improvise performances?
I stay on the page, and then the director tells me to "Bernie-Mac-it," and I do my thing. When I start "Bernie-Mac-ing," I put my stamp on it.

Ever think of yourself as a star?
When I was a kid watching James Cagney and Bette Davis and Joan Crawford and Robert Mitchum, I would think, "What would it be like to be like them?" I'm still a fan. I don't ever want to lose that.

ON THE BLOCK

COWABUNGALOW! A BEACH BOY'S RETREAT
Brian Wilson is headed back to the waves, offering his 4,100-sq.-ft. Lake Arrowhead, Calif., retreat for $1.9 million and hoping to move to Malibu. But it's not a return to Surfing U.S.A. for the 61-year-old original Beach Boy. "His daughters are into horseback riding, and the family feels that Malibu is better suited for the girls' interests," says Realtor Lynne B. Wilson. The house, 100 miles northeast of L.A., includes five bedrooms, an office library and a custom-built sound system.