12-23
F. Gary Gray received a secial achievement award from the African American Film Critics.

12-19
According to Variety, The Entourage has been officially picked up as a half hour series. When and how many episodes is still to be determined, but look for Mark in the pilot episode when it pops up on HBO. Better start saving some pennies! This also might have some bearing on Mark's schedule. If he is intimately involved, don't be surprised if you don't hear much about  any upcoming film productions until the Fall  2004. - which would be the earliest the series would hit the air.

In one of the alternative weeklies in SF, there was an antidote on Mark and an interview he did on HDTV from the interviewer Robert Wilonsky: Among life's most embarrassing moments is having to explain to Robert Duvall or Kevin Costner or Mark Wahlberg what high definition and HDNet is, though they seem to know who Mark Cuban is, because he bought them all within the past 13 months. I am pretty sure they all think they're being Punk'd.

LOL I could of told him what it was. I don't get the channel but the interview will be airing multiple times on the network the next 2 weeks. You can check the schedule and how to get it at HDTV's site.

Kazuko wrote to me to let me know that it looks like director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later) has taken over for Michael Mann on the Worcester  Cold Storage film.  No idea if Mark is still wants to do it since he had said it was too much like TPS, but working with Mann, he'd be willing to do it.

Site note, while looking at my stats for the site, I noticed someone from E!Online was on my site for over half an hour! Ted Casablanca you're supposed to find gossip for us in Hollywood, not on my site! LOL But seriously, how about confirming those Boston Herald stories of y'all running around Boston for Mark's True Hollywood story?

12-14
Not exactly Mark related (it does note he was at the opening performance) but there was an interesting article in the Boston Globe about Dave MacLaughlin (writer of Southie and the play Back to Before) and opinions from Boston writers on the Boston/LA contrasts.  Michael Patrick McDonald - writer of All Souls had this to say: 

"People in Los Angeles don't tell stories. They talk about celebrities. It's shocking.

And I think a lot of people who move there from Boston can't write or can't create, not just because they miss Boston, but because there are no stories. There is no art in LA"

Hope you caught the second part of Angels in America. It will run again in seperate one hour chunks this week. And in January in a 6 hour airing on HBO2.

12-10
Pretty quiet, but looks like The Entourage has finished filming for the time being according to an article in Variety about Adrian Grenier (plays Vince Chase).

Also in Variety was a bit from Jude Law on working with David O. Russell: The actor will essay his first comedic role for director David O. Russell in "I Heart Huckabee's," whose cast includes Hoffman, Naomi Watts and Mark Wahlberg.

"I met David for the first time about a year after 'Three Kings' had come out," recalls Law. "We had a really insane and spiritual dinner and when I got the script out of the post, it was like everything that had been germinating in my memory of meeting him all those years before.

"Working with him shifted a lot of the goals I'd always set myself. I left with a great confidence because he inspired a performance that I never thought I'd give."

12-02
I don't read French well, but here's a French interview with Mark from DVDrama, pretty much a bunch of stuff that you've read ad nauseum, but he does mention the Micky Ward project and the legal problems that have since been resolved. Also confirmed he won't be in Ocean's 12.

According to DVD Times, look for The Italian Job DVD in Western Europe (Region 2 - Mark's version, Caine's been out in your neck of the woods for awhile) March 8th. No details on specs yet.

The Ben Stiller Show is out on DVD in the US and Mark was a guest on the show way back in 1992 (episode 12)! BenStiller.net description of the episode was: Tabitha Soren (Garofalo) hosts "Ben Stiller's Music News", reporting on a trio of back-up singers named Vanilla Heat. Suing the entire music industry for discrimanation are Val (Stiller), Kim (Odenkirk) and Mosely (Dick). Convinced that men cannot get work singing back-up, the bitter threesome have over 700 cases pending in court. A couple of defendants, Casey Kasem and Marky Mark, appear as themselves to express their confusion.

12-01
While Mark was back east for the holidays, he did do a little Thanksgiving in LA via his foundation for A Place Called Home by funding their annual Thanksgiving dinner. If you recall he went to their anniversary party in late September.

Besides stops in NYC earlier in the week, Mark along with Donnie according to local papers would be attending the play Back to Before, a play written and directed by Southie screenwriter Dave McLaughlin, which stars their big brother Robert. The play runs til Dec. 20th. Mark was spotted opening day.

Robert also has gotten behind a project to build a youth center and Mark's Foundation may be putting some fundraising muscle behind it according to the Dorchester Reporter - thanks to Kazuko who found the story.

And the December issue of In Style (Julia Roberts on the cover) has an article about stars and their charities. Mark is included in the profiles. Nothing huge, just a short quote and a full page Black/White (well it's kinda reddish/brownish actually) pic of him in Armani - of course!

And finally my usual political blurb - Today is World AIDS Day. There are  approximately 40 Million people infected with HIV. 14,000 people get infected every day and 3 million have died of HIV/AIDS in just this year alone. There are drugs that lower viral loads, but it is not a cure. And very few people can afford these life extending drugs even in 'rich' countries such as the US. Because of the US economy, some cities have resorted to lotteries to determine which of the poor receives the funds to pay for these drugs. 

Our new governor in California has a "proposal to create a waiting list for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program. Schwarzenegger proposes freezing enrollment in the program after Jan. 1 and allowing enrollees only with attrition in the program." Why is it the poor are always the victims of bad times?

I suppose we shouldn't be surprised,  Arnold's hero, Ronald Reagan did not mention AIDS until 1987. It was that year that a family of sons who became infected as hemophiliacs were nearly killed by arson by fearful and ignorant people. They had been banned from their school because they had AIDS in 1996. I guess you have to nearly die before anything happens. It would not be until 1990 - ten years after the epidemic was first recognized by the CDC (Center of Disease Control) that the Ryan White Care Act was passed by Congress. By then 100,000 had died. We're now 22 years into this epidemic and we have a government telling reseachers they may be disqualified if they use certain words like gay, sex worker, or transgender in their grant applications for the NIH (National Institute of Health).  Henry Waxman - who has been in the forefront of HIV/AIDS for years, wrote several letters to the Department of Health & Human Services about how a list of 'targeted' scientists from the conservative Traditional Values Coalition got into the hands of the HHS/NIH. They have yet to respond.

Next week, a little mix of AIDS, politics, religion and drama to stir the blood even more. HBO premiere's the epic play Angels in America Sunday. The play won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, as well as 2 Tony Awards for Best Play. Considered one of the most important works in American drama in the past 50 years, it should be something to behold - starring Al Pacino, Emma Thompson and Meryl Streep.

11-24
TIJ didn't do too well in Germany, pulling in just $1.3 Million in 4th place opening week, bringing it's overseas total to $61.4 Million.

According to the Calgary Sun, Tim Burton is NOT going to direct POTA 2: Burton says he won't be involved in any sequel to his Planet of the Apes.

"No, no, no, never. After having made Batman Returns, I realized it's not a good idea for me to do sequels."

11-15
With TIJ finally opening in Germany, look for Mark in Gala Magazine - a German publication - according to Ananova.

Kazuko found some pics from Huckabee's from Empire Movies and Giginteractive.

More from the Boston Herald on the E! True Hollywood Story on Mark: the E! crew will wrap up their expose on Mark Wahlberg by checking into the WILD-AM studios this afternoon to rap with program director Rick Anderson. The PD actually jumped on Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch's tunes way back when

The Hollywood Reporter reports The Entourage has been cast and Mark will be making a cameo in the pilot which is lensing this month. Adrian Grenier and Jeremy Piven star in Mark's executive produced venture: "Entourage" centers on movie star Vince Chase (Grenier) and his closest circle. Piven is set to play Chase's agent, Ari Jacobs. Kevin Connelly and Jerry Ferrara will play Chase's best buddies, while Kevin Dillon will play his older brother.
 
Courtney Peldon (Fox's "Boston Public ), Arielle Kebbel ("Soul Plane") and Angela Patterson also have been cast in the pilot, which started filming this month in Los Angeles.

[...]Emmy winner David Frankel (HBO's "Band of Brothers") has come on board to direct.

Zapit also had notes: ... the pilot, which was written by Doug Ellin ("Kissing a Fool" and Steve Tompkins ("The Simpsons," "The Bernie Mac Show").

The Boston Globe reports the legal dispute over the rights over Ward's life story has been settled. (Story first reported August 2003) Mark & Donnie are reported to be interested in starring in the movie.

11-10
The Boston Herald reported that they are doing a E! True Hollywood Story on Mark and it's scheduled to air next year - Jan. 18th!

   
2003 © [email protected]

Fina wrote to me the other day and sent some pics from the San Sebastian Film Festival she took of Mark.

Read that Mark was in Maxim's German edition talking about celebrities and politics. Anyone seen it?

For fans in India, Aitbaar is said to be a remake of Fear and set to open December 12th.

NBC has officially cancelled Boomtown. :( Maybe USA the cable network will be kind enough to pick them up or ABC - that network really needs better programming. Write those letters! Also for those in the UK, Boomtown comes out on DVD next week., hopefully it'll show up on our shores so we don't wear out those tapes.

10-26
Still charity hopping, early last week at the 5th Annual Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation Celebrity Golf Classic - raising money for pediatric AIDS and this weekend at Playstation's Triple Double Charity tournament to raise money for Mark's foundation.

10-19
According to USA Today, HBO has only one series scheduled to premiere next year and it's not The Entourage.

More charity hopping for Mark, this time with the Carl Wilson Foundation  this past Thursday and at a Cure Autism Now fundraiser with Huckabee co-star Lily Tomlin. People has a small blurb from Mark on Ella.

In related news, Boomtown has been put on hiatus by NBC. With no time frame on when it will be back, it looks like NBC may drop it. As a former Homicide: Life on the Streets watcher - NBC has always threatened to cancel great intelligent shows. If enough fans make a fuss, they'll return it. Details at SaveBommtown.com

And look for Robert - Mark & Donnie's older bro - in Mystic River as Kevin Savage.

10-04
The Italian Job DVD hits the US & Canada this Tuesday.

The Italian Job continues to open in Europe, pulling in $37 Million in 29 countries so far.

In other news, Mark has been busy as ever this past week. Hitting some charity parties in LA including the  opening of the Donald J Pilner Boutique and an anniversary party for A Place Called Home - a center in South Central LA for at risk youth in the area. Thanks to Kazuko for finding the link. Then it was off to Boston for a fundraiser for the foundation with Celtic Paul Pierce, where brother Donnie strutted the runway in some fancy duds.