People: ‘Moulin Rouge’ to moolah, green
Nicole Kidman remains the queen of Hollywood when it comes to cash.
Kidman, who earns as much as $17 million per movie, tops The Hollywood Reporter’s fifth annual list of highest-paid actresses.
In second place, with $15 million per movie, was Reese Witherspoon, who won the best-actress Oscar this year for her performance in “Walk the Line.”
She was followed by Renee Zellweger, Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz, who each also get in the neighborhood of $15 mil per film.
Rounding out the top 10 were Halle Berry ($14 million), Charlize Theron ($10 million), Angelina Jolie ($10 million), Kirsten Dunst ($8 million to $10 million) and Jennifer Aniston ($8 million).
Kidman, 39, ranked second on last year’s list behind four-time top-earner Julia Roberts. Roberts didn’t make the cut this year, staying home to spend time with her 2-year-old twins.
A dream job
Beyonce Knowles says she enjoyed working with Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy on the upcoming “Dreamgirls” and is looking forward to doing more film roles.
“Usually, when you have Oscar-winning actors, sometimes they are not so supportive. But I could just watch and learn,” the 25-year-old singer says.
“Dreamgirls,” adapted from the Broadway musical based on the story of Diana Ross and The Supremes, stars Foxx as a car salesman who becomes a Motown music impresario, Murphy as a flashy R&B singer and Knowles as his backup singer who becomes a star.
Feel-good film
R&B megastar Usher, who wowed Broadway with his turn as Billy Flynn in “Chicago,” is in line to portray the incomparable James Brown in an upcoming biopic.
Black Eyed Peas babe Fergie is reportedly hot to play one of Brown’s four wives.
Celine and not heard
Celine Dion has canceled several performances of her Las Vegas show “A New Day” and backed out of Monday’s Billboard Music Awards because of a highly contagious respiratory infection.
“Star” lights-out
Country singer Buddy Jewell has pulled out of a tour to recover from a broken wrist.
Jewell, TV’s original “Nashville Star” winner, was hurt in a fall from a ladder while hanging Christmas lights at his home.
More yellow Pages?
Greg Page, the lead singer of the hugely popular Australian children’s singing group The Wiggles – known for his bright yellow T-shirt – will stop performing after being diagnosed with a chronic condition that causes dizziness, fatigue and nausea.
Page’s understudy will step in, and Red Wiggle Murray Cook says he doesn’t expect kids to notice the difference.
“Children tend to center on one thing,” Cook says, “so if he’s wearing the yellow skivvy, he’s got black hair – he’s pretty much Greg.”
The birthday bunch
Actress Julie Harris is 81. Actress Cathy Lee Crosby is 62. News anchor Stone Phillips is 52. Actress Lucy Liu is 38. Rapper Treach (Naughty By Nature) is 36. Singer Nelly Furtado is 28. Singer Britney Spears is 25.