Cusack working on producing ‘Rush’
Actor and outspoken liberal John Cusack is developing a movie about conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, Cusack’s production company said Friday. The working title is “Rush,” Cusack’s New Crime Productions confirmed, offering no other details.
Hollywood director Betty Thomas, who’s set to work on the film, said the production company is putting finishing touches on a script that will star the actor. Production is set for next year, Thomas said.
Cusack as Limbaugh isn’t typecasting, politics aside. Cusack is a slender, dark-haired 46-year-old, while Limbaugh is 61, balding and portly. But Hollywood’s makeup experts have probably had greater challenges.
Cusack’s credits range from the teen flick “Sixteen Candles” to offbeat films like “Being John Malkovich.” He attended President Barack Obama’s 2008 inauguration but has criticized Obama over his military and civil liberties policies.
Bridge named after Sidney Poitier
A bridge in the Bahamas was renamed Friday to honor Oscar-winning actor Sidney Poitier, with no sign of any protests called for by an opposition politician.
Hundreds of spectators cheered as Poitier and Prime Minister Perry Christie arrived for the rechristening of the Paradise Island Bridge as part of the 40th anniversary celebration of Bahamian independence. The bridge, the largest in the island chain east of Florida, will now be known as the Sir Sidney Poitier Bridge.
Poitier spent much of his childhood in the Bahamas, mostly on sparsely populated Cat Island, and he has served as a Bahamian ambassador to Japan and UNESCO.
There had been some grumbling in the weeks since the government announced its plan to rename the bridge, with critics questioning whether Poitier had done enough in the country to warrant the honor. Celi Moss, an opposition candidate for parliament, and others had called for protests at the re-christening ceremony. But no opponents showed up and the event went off without incident.
The birthday bunch
Actress Lois Smith is 82. Actor-dancer Ken Berry is 79. Tony-winning playwright Terrence McNally is 73. Actor Shadoe Stevens is 66. Singer Lulu is 64. Comedian-actress Roseanne Barr is 60. Actress Kate Capshaw is 59. Comedian Dennis Miller is 59. Actress Kathy Kinney is 59. Singer Adam Ant is 58. Actor Dolph Lundgren is 55. Actress Julie Berman is 29.