Courting disaster

Dennis Rodman comes out of his shell, streams live video from his home to the Web; Ellen DeGeneres looks for those other fish in the sea. Plus: Catherine Zeta-Jones throws a fit, and Survivor plans to sue "Survivor."

Published August 29, 2000 4:20PM (EDT)

Would you pay $29.95 a month to watch Dennis Rodman 24/7?

The erstwhile NBA badboy and the porn company backing RodmanTV.com are hoping that enough people say yes to keep Rodman in hair dye for a while.

That's right. Starting Wednesday, you can dribble away your hard-earned pennies on the only monthly subscription that brings you all Rodman, all the time. While away the hours watching the output of eight webcams placed strategically throughout Rodman's Newport Beach, Calif., home, notorious among neighbors and local police for its near-constant parties (with nonstop noise and publicly peeing participants).

You can check out the action on the patio, the living room, lounge areas and the adjacent beach and boardwalk. And when Rodman travels, he'll take along a camera crew, so you won't have to miss a moment of his wacky party hijinks!

But although the site is being overseen by an offshoot of hardcore porn producer Wicked Pictures, anyone expecting to catch Rodman getting it on in his boudoir can kiss that questionable fantasy so long.

"The cameras are all in the downstairs part of the house," Wicked Vice President Joy King tells Inside.com. "His bedroom is upstairs. So his bedroom is not going to be on-camera."

And don't even ask about the bathroom.

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He kept his feet on the ground ...

"I didn't think I could do it. They wanted a hippie. I'd never been a hippie or smoked pot or all that stuff."

-- Casey Kasem on doing the voice of Shaggy on "Scooby Doo."

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Ellen: Out and about

Worry all you like about Anne Heche's post-breakup state of mind, but don't cry for Ellen DeGeneres.

Just days after the duo announced their split, the resilient comedian apparently clambered right back on the horse.

On Thursday night, DeGeneres was spotted "checking out chicks" at L.A.'s Muse restaurant, which I'm told attracts a big upscale lesbian crowd on Thursday nights.

"She looked fine, back in the saddle," one witness tells me. "Everyone was amazed that she would return to the scene so quickly after the demise of her relationship. But she herself did not look the least bit agitated."

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Then what are they using their trampolines for?

"We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause but we have witnessed a number of injuries as a result of blankets being used as trampolines at concerts."

-- Pearl Jam manager Kelly Curtis asking fans to leave their bankies at home for the band's upcoming concert in Saratoga, N.Y.

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Love is like a box of chocolates ...

Most women would be happy if their hubby (or hubby-to-be) brought them a humongous box of pricey chocolates after the birth of their child. But Catherine Zeta-Jones is apparently not like most women.

The U.K. film site Popcorn reports that the actress flew into something of a rage when her intended, Michael Douglas, arrived at the maternity ward with the tasty giftee in hand. After laying into him for his insensitive gift choice in light of her desire to shed her pregnancy weight before their wedding, she gave the chocolates away to her nurses.

Douglas, chastened, turned up not long afterwards bearing a $25,000 diamond bracelet.

No, I don't suppose he told her to eat it.

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Juicy bits

The Body and the Crusty Homophobe, two peas in a pod? Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura says he and "Survivor" oldster Rudy Boesch have a lot in common. Not only are both men former Navy SEALs (well, sort of -- Ventura was actually a frogman with an underwater demolition team that later merged with the SEALs), but, says Ventura, they both also have a knack for saying offensive things. "It's amazing how Rudy and I come from the same background," Ventura ventured Friday on his weekly radio show. "Me and Rudy say it like it is, regardless if you like it." I wonder what Rudy would have to say about Ventura's bra reincarnation fantasies ...

And speaking of "Survivor" and reincarnation fantasies ... The founder of the rock band Survivor says he's planning to sue the creators of the TV show "Survivor." Reuters reports that Franklin Sullivan III, the man responsible for "Eye of the Tiger," says he trademarked the name Survivor in 1977 and is hoping to file an injunction against the show's use of the name in federal court next month. "After 23 years of selling and performing music in the marketplace, Mr. Sullivan has rights to the famous trademark, Survivor," says Sullivan's lawyer. "We are confident that Mr. Sullivan will be the ultimate winner." It's the thrill of the fight ...

Maybe they should call it "the kiss heard 'round the world." A little lip-smack bestowed by Liz Hurley on her ex-boyfriend Hugh Grant as they hung out on holiday is ricocheting around London gossip circles like a safety-pin dress in a spin cycle. "They were clearly having a great time together and, to look at them, one would have through they were very much together," one witness told the Daily Express tabloid. "Hugh was grinning from ear to ear," exclaimed another in the U.K. Sun. But the Scottish Daily Record clucked that, "their tide certainly seemed to be turning when Liz gave Hugh a quick peck on the lips, but in the end it was no passionate clinch, with Liz straining to avoid any other body contact with Hugh." And there you have it.

Now that Hollywood has optioned virtually every hit TV series from the '70s and '80s for big-screen treatment, it seems they're turning to inanimate objects for ideas. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Jackie Chan is in negotiations with Disney to play "Stretch Armstrong," an action hero based on the rubber-limbed '70s doll. What's next, full feature treatment for "Rock 'em, Sock 'em Robots"?


By Amy Reiter

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