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Entertainment
Thursday, April 29, 2010
International
Marilyn Monroe writings to be released this fall
AP Photo, file
Actress Marilyn Monroe is shown on the set of her last movie, ‘Something’s Got To Give,’ in Los Angeles in this April 1962.
Musings about life, literature and other rarely seen writings by Marilyn Monroe will be published this fall. Farrar, Straus & Giroux announced Tuesday that “Fragments” would come out in October. Editor Courtney Hodell said the book would include poems, photographs, reflections on third husband Arthur Miller and other men in Monroe’s life, and references to works by Samuel Beckett, James Joyce and numerous other authors. “I think the book will show that she was a really thoughtful person
with a real interior life,” Hodell said. “She was a great reader and someone with real writing flair. There are fragments of poetry that are really quite beautiful, lines that stop you in your tracks.” The book features a long essay about Monroe’s first husband, James Dougherty; notes about acting and the roles she was working on; lists of resolutions and a letter to acting coach Lee Strasberg. Monroe wrote on everything from spiral bound notebooks to stationery from the Waldorf Astoria. The writings date from 1943, when Monroe was a teenager, to near the end of her life. Monroe was found dead in her Los Angeles home in 1962 at age 36, her death ruled a probable suicide, although theories of murder have proliferated. Hodell said there were passages by Monroe that “make her seem suicidal,” but declined to say what years the passages were written. Hodell also declined to say whether Monroe referred to Joe DiMaggio, her second of three husbands, or President John F. Kennedy, with whom she was widely rumored to have had an affair. But Hodell did say that “there’s stuff about all of her relationships here.” The book was commissioned by Anna Strasberg, who manages Monroe’s estate and is Lee Strasberg’s widow.
Tests shed light on condition of Bret Michaels An already ailing Bret Michaels has been diagnosed with another medical malady. After suffering a brain hemorrhage last week, the audacious 47-year-old glam-rock reality TV star has developed a side effect that causes seizures, according to a statement posted Tuesday on the former Poison frontman’s website. The condition, called hyponatremia, stems from a lack of sodium. The statement did not indicate if Michaels had actually suffered any seizures. Michaels was conscious and in critical but stable condition in the intensive care unit of an undisclosed hospital. The statement said he was remaining positive and responding well to tests and treatments. “Even though today was a minor setback, doctors remain hopeful for a full recovery and plan to release more specific information next Monday,” it said. Michaels, a contestant on “The Celebrity Apprentice,” suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage, which causes bleeding in the fluid-filled spaces around the base of the brain. He was rushed to the hospital on Friday with a severe headache. “Doctors state Michaels is very lucky as his condition could have been fatal,” according to the statement, which was also provided by
A view of the Hollywood sign in the Hollywood Hills in Hollywood, California in this December 13, 2009 file photo. REUTERS/Fred Prouser/Files
Playboy’s Hugh Hefner helps rescue Hollywood sign Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner on Monday donated the last $900,000 sought by a conservation group for a land purchase needed to save the famed vista of the Hollywood sign from being spoiled by development. Hefner’s key role in reaching the group’s fund-raising goal was announced by Los Angeles city officials, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the San Francisco-based Trust for Public Land at a news conference in the Hollywood Hills. The land trust needed to collect a total of $12.5 million by this Friday under a deal with a group of Chicago investors who bought the 1,820-foot (555meter) ridge, called Cahuenga Peak, from the estate of billionaire Howard Hughes in 2002. The trust will now purchase the 138acre (56-hectare) adjacent parcel
AP Photo/Dan Steinberg
In this Jan. 10, 2010 photo Singer Bret Michaels arrives at the NBC Universal Winter 2010 press tour party in Pasadena, Calif.
Michaels’ New York-based publicist Joann Mignano. “With further testing and rehabilitation, they are hopeful that Bret will gradually improve as the blood surrounding the brain dissolves and is reabsorbed into his system, which can be a very painful recovery and take several weeks to months,” the statement said. Michaels was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 6. He had an emergency appendectomy April 12 after complaining of stomach pains before he was scheduled to perform in San Antonio.
and turn it over to the city to be incorporated into the surrounding Griffith Park, preventing any construction that would mar the postcard-perfect view of the Hollywood sign nearby. “My childhood dreams and fantasies came from the movies, and the images created in Hollywood had a major influence on my
life and Playboy,” Hefner said in a statement. “As I’ve said before, the Hollywood sign is Hollywood’s Eiffel Tower and I’m pleased to help preserve such an important cultural landmark.” Other private donors to the Hollywood sign preservation effort included actor Tom Hanks and director Steven Spielberg, the land trust said.
Emily Blunt Explains ‘Captain America’ Snub Emily Blunt turned down a role in upcoming blockbuster The First Avenger: Captain America because she was reluctant to commit to a long-term franchise. The actress was offered the chance to play Captain America’s love interest Peggy Carter in the forthcoming comic book adaptation, but rejected the role because she wants to remain open to other projects. She tells MTV.com, “I’m a big supporter of (director) Joe Johnston and I think that Captain
America is going to be really fun and I gather that the story is really interesting. It just wasn’t what I wanted to do next, to be honest. There’s definitely a high commitment level and I’m not someone who likes to plan too much ahead. That would also be an issue for me as well.” Blunt previously gave up the part of the Black Widow in Iron Man 2, which was later handed to Scarlett Johansson, due to scheduling conflicts, but the 27 year old re-
mains optimistic she’ll get to star in a comic book film soon. She adds, “I don’t tend to be fatalistic about these things. I think for me the job always has to be the right thing at the right time. Neither of them happened to be that.” Blunt’s fiance John Krasinski was the front runner to play Captain America but the role eventually went to Fantastic Four actor Chris Evans, while rising British star Hayley Atwell was handed the leading lady role.