Leo in the News

Added 08/19/97:
As of now the Leo News can be found on the main site [ EC Inside ] in the Hollywood news section called Dish Up.

Added 7/25/97:
Well here's a bit of news. Remember the National Enquirer article about Demi Moore with Leo. (If not you can see read about it further down the page) Well it seems that Demi and her husband Bruce are fed up with the tabloids and they are taking them to court. NE has not been sued yet for the story about Leo, but they could still decide to take action against them.

Also, Leo was reported as attending the service for fashion designer Versace. He was one of the who sat front row at Versace's last fashion show. I have a photo somewhere of Leo at the show, but I have to do some searching to find the right magazine. I'll try to get it soon. I guess all of you heard the rumor that Leo might be one of the people on the hit list of Cunanan, Versace's killer. You can breathe a sigh of relief. Cunanan was found dead in a houseboat in Miami. Apparently he committed suicide. So Leo is SAFE!

Added 6/30/97:
Get a sneak preview of the film of the year..."TITANIC"!! Who can wait till DECEMBER 19th to get a peak?!! 6.7 MB

Added 6/29/97:
From JAM May 12, 1997

Leonardo overboard!

By LOUIS B. HOBSON

HOLLYWOOD -- Leonardo DiCaprio managed to get on one of the first lifeboats leaving James Cameron's Titanic.

He has washed ashore in Paris to begin filming the title role in The Man in the Iron Mask.

This costume epic based on the Three Musketeers was delayed because Titanic ran into rough waters and, as one of the film's stars, DiCaprio could not get shore leave.

In The Man in the Iron Mask, DiCaprio plays evil King Louis XIV and his twin, a man languishing in the castle dungeon.

No one knows the identity of the prisoner because his face is encased in a mask.

To the rescue comes D'Artagnan, played by Gabriel Byrne, and his fellow Musketeers John Malkovich, Jeremy Irons and Gerard Depardieu.

This latest version of the Alexandre Dumas classic is being directed by Randall Wallace, who also wrote the screenplay. Wallace was nominated for an Oscar for his screenplay for Mel Gibson's Braveheart.

Added 6/29/97:
From Mr. Showbiz June 20, 1997

Leonardo DiCaprio Looks for New Room

Leonardo DiCaprio may be moving from Marvin's Room into The Crowded Room. Variety reports that the star of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is in negotiations to play the role of a twenty-something man with twenty- four different personalities. The project is based on the life story of Billy Milligan, as documented in Daniel Keyes's book The Minds of Billy Milligan. DiCaprio, who recently completed work on James Cameron's Titanic, is only the latest in a long line of actors who have coveted the role, which is the kind of part that tends to get Oscar's attention. Over the past few years, Matthew McConaughey, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, and John Cusack have all expressed an interest in playing the mentally unbalanced lead. Nick Cassavetes will helm the pic, landing the job after a number of interested parties, including David Fincher, James Cameron, and Gus Van Sant, turned it down.

Added 6/29/97:
From Mr. Showbiz June 3, 1997

Drew Barrymore, Leonardo DiCaprio Eyed by Woody Allen

Woody Allen may be leaving his sophisticated following behind and going after the "Romeo and Juliet" set. The veteran director is this close to signing Teen Beat pinups Drew Barrymore and Leonardo DiCaprio for his fall project. Variety reports that both stars are in final talks to join Kenneth Branagh in the still-untitled film. Barrymore, who also appeared in Allen's Everyone Says I Love You, will complete her role before winging over to Europe to star in an updated version of the classic fairy tale Cinderella. She's already wrapped Home Fries and The Wedding Singer. DiCaprio, who was to be seen this summer in Titanic before the film was bumped to December, is still on Hollywood's most-wanted list. He's fielding offers from Shine director Scott Hicks for Snow Falling on Cedars, and from Sense and Sensibility director Ang Lee.

Added 6/29/97:
Old news...TITANIC will not be in theaters until December 19th. A long wait ahead. Hey wait a minute...that's my birthday!! Guess I know what I'll be doing:)
More old news...First everyone must know by now that Leo didn't win a MTV movie award:(, but Claire did for Best Female Performance. She seemed a bit rough with him in her acceptance speech, but she did call him..."the BOMB"!

Here's Claire's acceptance speech at the MTV Movie Awards
Thanks Tiffany :)
Gnarly! I won! Cool! Um...Leo won this award called the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. And I was there, and he wasn't. And I was kind of offended, and I know we're supposed to be really supportive of each other and everything, but we do have that competitive edge and...I won! But I love Leo, and.. and I couldn't have done this, um, this performance without his help, obviously, because I would have been kissing my hand! Um.. but uh, yeah, so Leo's the bomb and just brilliant and Baz, the director, is phenomenal and incredibly smart and um he has a really cool accent, cause he's Australian. Um, so, thank you-est very-est much-est! Thank you!
Note: Guess where Claire picked up the habit of saying "the Bomb"? Leo! Yeah! It seems to be one of his favorite phrases.

Leo did get picked by People Magazine as one of the 50 Most Beautiful People!! He didn't make it to the top 5 in the online poll done by People Online, but we know that was just a technical mistake in the computing of votes. Don't we!!
Leo and Claire were also in an issue of Entertainment Weekly called "The It List". They gave out celebrity titles. Leo was tagged as The Babe, while Claire was dubbed The Ingenue.
Also it seems that Leo is over with Kristen Zang. Who'll be next? Maybe one of you;)

Added 4/24/97:
Info from Entertainment Weekly April 22, 1997

IF GOD is in the details, then viewing the nearly three-hour Titanic might just be the religious experience director James Cameron promises. From the White Star emblem on the table settings to the 775-foot-long, 10-story re-creation of the luxury liner itself, no expense was spared in the pursuit of accuracy--to which the budget ($180 million and rising) attests. "If you went back in a time machine to the ship, this is exactly how it looked," says Cameron.

The film does, however, veer from history in at least one respect--its tale of star-crossed love between a dreamy artist named Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Philadelphia crumpet Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet) is fiction. Obstacles they overcome to keep romance afloat include an intrigue with a very large diamond. "You fall in love, and then your love is tested by a trial. Here, that trial is life or death," Cameron says, "and that is when the story gets interesting." Right down to a possible Hollywood-style twist ending: At press time, Titanic's elaborate postproduction was reportedly jeopardizing its July 2 opening date. --Paula Parisi

Added 4/22/97:
Info from Tracy's Newsletter and B! April 22, 1997

Now you can place your own vote for the MTV Movie Awards at MTV. You get to vote in each category but you can only vote once. So make your vote count!!
Thanks Tracy :)

Added 4/19/97:
Info obtained From Celebsite and Mr. ShowBiz April 18, 1997

Nominations for that most fitting tribute to the subtle craft of acting--the MTV Movie Awards--have finally been announced. The nominations were decided by a national poll of MTV viewers, and we can only guess that the six nominations for the Claire Danes/Leonardo DiCaprio teen-suicide flick, William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet, had less to do with the audience's fascination with the classics and more with the popularity of its teen stars.

DiCaprio and Danes were also nominated for Best Male Performance and Best Female Performance, respectively. But their competition is pretty stiff: DiCaprio faces Tom Cruise (Jerry Maguire), Will Smith (Independence Day), Eddie Murphy (The Nutty Professor), and John Travolta (Phenomenon). Danes is up against Sandra Bullock (A Time To Kill), Neve Campbell (Scream), Helen Hunt (Twister), and Madonna (Evita). In the Best Movie category, the nominees were Independence Day, The Rock, Scream, Romeo & Juliet, and Jerry Maguire. Also nominated for Best On-Screen Duo, Best Song -- #1 Crush by Garbage, and Best Kiss!

The awards ceremony will be held June 7 in Santa Monica, California, and will air on MTV June 12. But if you miss it, you may be able to catch one of the four hundred repeat airings of the extravaganza.

Added 4/19/97:
From Mr. ShowBiz April 15, 1997

Titanic Crew Scrambles, Release May Be Delayed

James Cameron's Titanic--the $200- million disaster flick set to hit theaters July 2--has hit a snag. Cameron, an early proponent of computerized special effects in movies like The Abyss and Terminator 2, decided that a scale model of the luxury liner sinking in a bathtub just wouldn't cut it for his film, so he's thrown buckets of money at effects artists to hone digital disaster effects. And he's still throwing buckets at them--in the form of overtime. Pixel-pushers are toiling night and day at their computers to finish Titanic's effects in time for its Independence Day weekend release, but it doesn't look good. "We all know it's going to be postponed," a source close to the production told Variety. "It just hasn't been made official yet." The film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, is already the most expensive ever made, and further delays would send the budget skyrocketing even higher. July 18 has been discussed as the latest summer release date Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox--which are co-distributing the movie--will accept. If the special effects are not finished in time, the film would likely be held for a Christmas release.

Added 4/12/97:
From Tracy's Leo Newsletter E-mail Tracy to join!
Be sure to tune into Entertainment Tonight on Monday. There'll be a special on the Titanic! Thanks to Sabrina and Tracy

Added 4/7/97:
From People Online 4/14/97

STAR CROSS'D STARS: Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes shine at the London premiere of "William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet."

Added 4/3/97:
Excerpt from Addicted To Noise, the on-line rock & roll magazine - http://www.addict.com/
With the original soundtrack still kicking strong in the Top 20 on sales of over three million, comes the release of Music from the Motion Picture: William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet Volume 2 (April 8), a 24-track mix of music and dialogue that completes the first album's mission.

Romeo & Juliet Soundtrack As promised, the CD is a cut-and-paste mix of story-telling set to music that weaves the classic story together with Craig Armstrong's ominous techno score and remixed versions of songs that didn't fit on the first album. The result is a shotgun blast style that accurately captures director Baz Luhrmann's quick-edit update of the story while still managing to squeeze in remixes of One Inch Punch's "The Montague Boys," "Kym Mazelle's "Young Hearts Run Free," Quindon Tarver's scene-stealing cover of Prince's "When Dove's Cry" and the Butthole Surfers/Dust Brothers collaboration "Tybalt Arrives."

With the inclusion of tracks like the "Gas Station Scene" and "Kissing You (Love Theme from Romeo + Juliet), Luhrmann (one of the album's Executive Producers along with Nellee Hooper), who's also credited with scripting the collection, manages to put yet another modern spin on Shakespeare's most enduring tale by re-birthing it as a by-turns-classical and contemporary opera set to sometimes pounding beats alongside swelling string arrangements. Fact is, what other album do you own that has both the Butthole Surfers and Wagner on it?

Added 3/30/97: From People Online 3/25/97

Setting: Oscar night at the bash thrown by its distributor, Miramax Films, at Ian Schrager's Mondrian Hotel in Los Angeles.

"...the final stage of the Miramax party, it didn't kick in until 2:30 a.m., when Winona Ryder, Claire Danes, Leonardo DiCaprio, Glenn Close and others gathered in a 12th-floor hotel suite.
...the party showed no signs of letting up. If you don't believe me, just ask Quentin Tarantino, who holds bragging rights as the last celeb to leave--at 5:30 a.m."

Added 3/30/97: I have received several e-mails from people expressing their disbelief in the rumor I reported about the price of the Romeo and Juliet video. *See entry made on 3/18/97They say that they have never heard of a video costing so much. I once again checked with my friend, who is an owner of a video store, and she told me that it would be priced more like $106. I did my best to explain the reason to the people who e-mailed me. Luckily I also received an e-mail from John Mason with his explanation. It is so much better than I could ever explain it. He graciously agreed to let me print it on this page.

Hi Donna,
I was reading your Claire Danes page and I noticed in the news section you mentioned that if you were wishing to purchase R&J, it was going to be priced at $70-$100. I am unsure if you realize it, but most videos that come out are priced at this, it is called "priced to rent" as opposed to "price to buy" like many kids and Disney movies. This really isn't so bad, the price goes down in a couple of months to a affordable level. The studios do this to rack in the bucks from the rental companies and cover their backs in case the tape doesn't do what they expected. In a month or two you can also expect to see the tape sold as previously viewed from stores that no longer desire the massive amount they ordered and wish the 100% profit, and often sell it for $4-$10. If I am just wasting your time with something you already know, then much apologies - I just felt compelled when I saw the word "Ouch". Thanks, and nice page!!!!

John Mason

Thanks again John for the great explanation and letting me use your letter. I have one more suggestion. I've been checking with my local video stores and they've only been ordering a few copies (usually only two) of the video. I've already put my name on the list to buy a used copy. Since my friend only ordered two copies, I will be the only one to get a used copy from her store. Now in larger metro areas this is not likely to be a problem. If you live in a smaller city or rural area you might want to get your name on a list, for a used copy, as soon as possible.

Added 3/23/97: ATTENTION Everyone who loved the first s-track of Romeo &Juliet...don't fret!! A second one is coming>>>>>>>ON APRIL 8 . The same time as the video. Watch out for it!!!!!
Information provided by ~Jessica~ Thanks a bunch!

Volume II features all the songs you've been missing including the awesome dance mix of When Doves Cry by Junior Vasquez and excerpts from the outstanding Original Motion Picture Score.
For more information about the soundtrack and the upcoming Soundtrack 2, click on the cd cover.

Added 3/18/97: At long last the greatest movie of 1996 will be available at your local video store! The Romeo & Juliet video will be released for rental on April 8th. But if you're looking to purchase it be prepared to pay a hefty sum. Rumors say it will cost you from $70-$100. OUCH!

Added 3/18/97: From Mr. Showbiz Tuesday, February 25, 1997
Los Angeles magazine has released its list of the most important people under forty. And while the mag singled out E.R. star and new Batman George Clooney; Claire Danes and her Romeo and Juliet co-star Leonardo DiCaprio; and Sense and Sensibility star Kate Winslet, it seems that the list might have been more appropriately called the most powerful couples under forty. On the list are Brad Pitt and his fianc�e, Gwyneth Paltrow; Will Smith and his girlfriend, Jada Pinkett; and A Time To Kill co-stars Sandra Bullock and Matthew McConaughey, who, even with their denials of an affair, are more of a couple than most Hollywood couples. "What we were looking for was talent that has not yet reached its full potential and promises to define the next generation of actors," said writers Nancy Griffin and Holly Sorensen in the mag.

Added 3/18/97: From Mr. Showbiz February 24, 1997 Leonardo DiCaprio is growing up--fast. The actor, who was last seen as the teenage Romeo in last year's William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, has committed to star as a lawyer in the thriller Slay the Dreamer. DiCaprio will play Jeffrey Jenkins, an ambitious young attorney who believes that the assassination of civil-rights leader Martin Luther King was a planned conspiracy, and not the work of a single man. Samuel L. Jackson is in talks to play Reverend James Lawson, a real-life minister who launched an investigation into King's assassination.

Added 3/16/97: Leo was nominated for the Blockbuster Entertainment Award in the following category:

Actor - Romance
Leonardo DiCaprio - Romeo & Juliet
Ralph Fiennes - The English Patient
Robert Redford - Up Close and Personal
All Leo fans rejoice...Leonardo is the WINNER!!
Find out how his Romeo & Juliet co-star, Claire Danes did at the awards.

Added 3/16/97: "Our Romeo is a little more hard-core and a lot cooler," DiCaprio recently told Premiere of the movie's po-mo take on the classic tragedy. "They both were people who had guts."

For one of the hottest young actors in Hollywood today, Leonardo DiCaprio sure doesn't act like one. When most stars his age are affecting a hip world-weariness -- playing in an angsty band, say, or griping about the hassles of fame -- DiCaprio is more like the gangly guy in study hall who gleefully mimicks the teachers, plays "karate" with his buddies, and teases the cute girls. So while critically lauded for his performances as troubled sons in "This Boy's Life," "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?," and "The Basketball Diaries," the star himself seems to be a normal and happy 21-year-old. , "[Fame and talent are] nothing I can't handle. How could it be a burden?" DiCaprio told one reporter last year, before reverting to typical goof-ball sarcasm. "'I can't! I can't ignore my burden!'"

In fact, the 21-year-old prodigy who seems to have no hang-ups (no complaints about his childhood, his long-split parents, and the perks of fame) and hyperactively acts his age (brimming with sarcasm, enthusiasm, and, self-admittedly, hormones), may just be the best argument for curbing booming Ritalin prescriptions. Who needs moody actors? But the disparity between DiCaprio's lyrical, mature performances and his off-screen impishness -- moonwalking and teasing his costars between takes, taming his silky mop of hair with headbands -- does provoke a question: Where did this stringbean get all that talent? "My only explanation is that he's like a medium," observed "Total Eclipse" director Agnieszka Holland of DiCaprio. "He opens his body and his mind to receive messages coming from another person's life."

Added 3/16/97: Article from E! Online 2/3/97 Gabriel Byrne is savvy and swashbuckling in The Man in the Iron Mask--he'll play D'Artagnan of the Three Musketeers in the film. Byrne joins Leonardo DiCaprio, John Malkovich, Jeremy Irons and Gerard Depardieu.

Added 3/16/97: Article from E! Online 1/23/97