Ed Burns Set To Buy JFK Jr's Apartment

Actor EDWARD BURNS looks set to be taking up residence in the loft apartment of the late JOHN F KENNEDY JR. Kennedy, who was tragically killed, along with his wife CAROLYN BESSETTE and her sister LAUREN last summer when their plane crashed off Martha's Vineyard on America's East coast, left behind him a multi- million dollar penthouse in New York's trendy Tribeca neighbourhood. Now Saving Private Ryan (1998) star Burns, who is the boyfriend of AUSTIN POWERS beauty HEATHER GRAHAM, has negotiated a deal to buy the plush pad for less than the $2. 5 million asking price. But before he and Graham can bring a touch of Austin Powers magic to the place, he still needs approval from the property's co-op board.

 

 

April 4, 2000
 Celebrity Financier Charged With Fraud

Reports from several sources indicate that New York-based Dana Giacchetto was charged Monday in Manhattan Federal Court with three counts of securities fraud connected to a misappropriation of at least $6 million in client funds. According to Variety, the 37-year-old broker faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1.5 million fine.

Monday's actions are the latest developments in a scandal that began to unfold in December, when Giacchetto was abruptly cut loose by more than a dozen of his clients. That considerably lessened a pool that at one time reportedly included Hollywood stars Affleck, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Cameron Diaz, Heather Graham, and Ed Burns, among other high-profile investors.

Giacchetto, who was out of the country Monday, will reportedly surrender himself to U.S. authorities, possibly as early as today.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has filed a separate civil grievance against Giacchetto, alleging that he diverted $20 million from the accounts of his clients, possibly keeping more than $4 million of that amount for himself.

Just last spring, Giacchetto and his Cassandra Group Inc. basked in the reflected glory of profile pieces in both Vanity Fair and The New York Times Magazine.

Giachetto's attorney, Andrew Levander, reportedly declined to comment on the charges pending against his client.

 

January 31, 2000
 Sundance Ends in Tie for Best Film

Dubbed the Year of the Woman, the Sundance Film Festival justified the hype, sort of, bestowing top honors on a pair of contrasting films that focused on women, one of which was directed by a woman. Karyn Kusama's Girlfight, an original urban drama about a Brooklyn high school girl with a yen for boxing, and Kenneth Lonergan's subtle You Can Count on Me, a story about small-town siblings, starring Laura Linney, shared the Grand Jury Prize for top dramatic film.

"This year we saw a new formula," said former New York Times critic Janet Maslin before presenting the award to Girlfight. "Girl meets boy. Girl slugs boy, and maybe they live happily ever after." Kusama, who also won the dramatic directing award, supposedly modeled the smashing screen debut of 21-year-old Michelle Rodriguez after Marlon Brando in The Wild One.

"It was a wild ride," said Kusama, who told Mr. Showbiz those stories of her maxing out her credit cards to finance the film just weren't true. Meanwhile, an enthusiastic Rodriguez, who weighs in at about 200 pounds lighter than Brando, blew kisses from the stage and threw jabs for photographers afterward.

Lonergan, a first-time director but accomplished scripter (with Analyze This and the upcoming Rocky and Bullwinkle to his credit), was also a double winner, taking home screenwriting honors. "It is nice to have what you do come out the way you want it," Lonergan said after winning his award.

The hour-and-a-half ceremony moved more quickly than last year's awards program. It got off to a bad start, though, when an audience member refused to remove her shoulder bag and coat from the open seats on either side of her. Realizing she had space issues, Mr. Showbiz moved on.

The screen above the stage touting sponsorship for each award was a little disconcerting, especially for an independent film festival. Then again, Kevin Spacey said it best earlier in the festival, "Business is in the air. Can't you smell it?"

The proceedings were enlivened by director Kevin Smith's wisecracking presentation. Before handing out the award for best dramatic director, Smith unfolded a bitter "letter" from Robert Redford, whom he called Butch. "Wasn't I better than Hoffman in All the President's Men?" Smith said, reading aloud. "P.S.," he concluded, "F--k Slamdance."

If that attitude was missing from most films — there were few especially ambitious films or surefire hits — the generally strong slate proved that the line between Hollywood and independent film continues to blur, for better or worse. This year's festival makes one thing certain, indie filmmakers have as much dramatic sense and technical proficiency as their big-shot counterparts. — Larry Terenzi

Other top awards:

Grand Jury, Documentary:
Long Night's Journey Into Day, focusing on post-apartheid South Africa and directed by Frances Reid and Deborah Hoffman

Grand Jury, Documentary Director:
Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman for Paragraph 175, about Nazi persecution of homosexuals during the Holocaust

Best Performance:
Donal Logue in Jenniphr Goodman's superlative comedy The Tao of Steve, which generated some of the festival's heaviest buzz

Ensemble Acting:
The cast of Maggie Greenwald's Songcatcher — including Golden Globe winner Janet McTeer — about a musicologist's foray into Appalachia at the turn of the 19th century

Audience Award, Best Drama:
Two Family House, Raymond DeFelitta's intimate film about tolerance and acceptance set in Staten Island after World War II

Audience Award, Documentary:
Marc Singer, whose doc Dark Days, an unsettling portrait of a homeless community existing underneath Manhattan also won Best Cinematography in a documentary and the Freedom of Expression Award

Audience Award, Foreign Film:
Britain's marijuana comedy Saving Grace, directed by Nigel Cole and starring Brenda Blethyn

Cinematography:
Tom Krueger for Committed, a film about a woman's self-discovery written and directed by his sister Lisa Krueger and starring Heather Graham

 

July 1, 1999

Shagadelic Car, Memorabilia on Sale

You may never have Felicity Shagwell's cellulite-free body, but baby, you can buy her car.

New Line Cinema has put the flag-emblazoned 1965 Corvette from the Mike Myers comedy hit The Spy Who Shagged Me on the block, as well as items from Shagged, Dumb and Dumber, Pleasantville, and more. These fabulous frivolities include:

As of Wednesday night, the swinging Corvette had attracted an astounding bid of $200,100. That's almost seven times what a pristine Corvette convertible would cost from a dealer. Do these people realize that Heather Graham is not included with the car? And Dr. Evil's togs are fetching offers of $1 million — ahem, actually, $5,100.

Each auction, co-sponsored by America Online, is open from one to two weeks. Future auctions will feature the roller skates worn by Graham's character Rollergirl in Boogie Nights (again, Graham is not part of the deal), the fashionable fur boots sported by Jim Carrey in Dumber, and Mini-Me's toy grand piano from Shagged.

A portion of the profits raised will benefit the Legal Aid Society and City Meals on Wheels. The auction can be accessed through the New Line (www.newline.com) Web site.