‘Zoolander’ sequel revealed on runway
Derek Zoolander and Hansel are so hot right now. The airheaded male models played by Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson in the 2001 couture comedy “Zoolander” are set to catwalk their way back to the big screen Feb. 12, Paramount Pictures announced Tuesday.
The studio confirmed the long-gestating sequel “Zoolander 2” in splashy, ahem, fashion: During the Valentino show at Paris Fashion Week, Stiller and Wilson made surprise in-character runway appearances to close out the proceedings.
The crowd erupted as Stiller appeared in a dark suit and overcoat – giving his best Blue Steel face, naturally – and Wilson showed off some light-blue silk pajamas. The two even got some face time backstage with fashion queen Anna Wintour. A representative of Valentino told the Los Angeles Times that the top-secret deal has been in the works for months.
Having directed, co-written and starred in the original film, Stiller is directing once again, from a script by Justin Theroux, with whom he previously collaborated on “Tropic Thunder.”
Stiller has been hinting at a “Zoolander” comeback for years, and during that time several of his costars have indicated they’d be game to return, including Will Ferrell and Christine Taylor (Stiller’s wife).
Singers aims to perform in space
British soprano Sarah Brightman is aiming to perform where no professional singer has ever gone before: the International Space Station. The 54-year-old said Tuesday she is working with composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, her ex-husband, to create a song she will sing in space after she blasts off Sept. 1 in a Russian Soyuz rocket.
Brightman, known to many for her role years ago in the musical “The Phantom of the Opera” and for a duet with tenor Andrea Bocelli, told reporters she felt “overwhelmed” and excited – but not yet nervous – as she prepares for her trip.
“I would like to sing something from space,” she said. “We’re trying to work out all the technical details, obviously it’s quite a complex thing to do.”
Brightman would not disclose the cost of the trip – reportedly more than $50 million – but maintained she is paying for it herself.
On the journey, arranged by the private space company Space Adventures, the singer will be part of a three-person team and spend 10 days aboard the space station. She began training in January at Star City near Moscow, spending hours every day learning Russian, becoming familiar with all the space equipment and training in high g-force launch simulators.
The birthday bunch
Singer Bobby McFerrin is 65. Actor Wallace Langham is 50. Singer Lisa Loeb is 47. Actor Terrence Howard is 46. Rock musician Rami Jaffee is 46. Actor Johnny Knoxville is 44.