Jewish World Review Feb. 6, 2004 / 14 Shevat, 5764

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Consumer Reports


Glittering Grammys; a laurel for Janet; Haryl's heart


http://www.jewishworldreview.com | NEW YORK — This Sunday's Grammy Awards will be about a lot more than music. No, not surprise exposures of naked flesh — quite the opposite.

Look for the baubles, bangles and beads adorning the famous female skin. Christina Aguilera and Celine Dion were spotted this week at a fine jewelry boutique in Los Angeles loading up on sparklies to show off on television.

There are also persistent rumors that brand-name celebs are often paid to wear all that brand-name jewelry, but officially, everyone denies that money changes hands.

Nicole Kidman, Elizabeth Hurley and Scarlett Johansson are among the stars that our sources claim may have landed such payments — Kidman from Bulgari, Hurley from Chopard and Johansson from De Beers.

So was Hurley really paid $200,000, as sources claimed, to wear Chopard jewelry?

"She wears Chopard because we have a good relationship with her," said the Chopard spokesperson. Hurley's rep elaborated: "Elizabeth wears Chopard jewelry because she likes it — not because she's paid."

And what about Johansson getting a rumored $50,000 from De Beers for wearing their Wildflower Cluster earrings and a bracelet for the Golden Globes — as well as a complimentary necklace at the Palm Springs International Film Festival?

"She should be so lucky. Absolutely not!" said De Beers flack Joan Parker. Johansson's rep did not return calls.

And Bulgari reps slap down rumors that Kidman was compensated to wear their products — especially the multi-stone necklace collar and wrist cuffs that stole the show at last May's Cannes Film Festival.

"She's never been paid to wear any clothing, any jewelry, any anything," said Kidman's PR rep, Leslee Dart.

"It definitely happens, but everyone will deny it," a fashion industry insider told us Wednesday. "It's not the Harry Winstons, the Fred Leightons or the Neil Lanes. But some of the other brands — they have the huge diamonds, but they don't have the style."

"The Girls," as they are known, are used to super-VIP treatment. "We can create things, and we will amend the jewelry for the celebrity," said Harry Winston's Carol Brodie. "We'll change an earring overnight if they need it. . . . Harry Winston has never paid a celebrity to wear our jewelry, but when someone purchases, that's a different story."

De Beers' Parker likewise acknowledged: "We do give discounts to celebrities. I really don't think I want to disclose how much, though."

Neil Lane outfitted Charlize Theron, Debra Messing and Diane Lane (no relation) at the Golden Globes, and he's expecting to be equally well-represented at the Grammys.

But he said he doesn't pay. "There are many financial deals in Hollywood," Lane says, "but that is not something that I partake in. It's not about me, it's about the girl, and when you pay someone it's not about the girl anymore, it's about the jeweler."




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DARYL'S HEART

Movie siren Daryl Hannah is certainly taking her latest role seriously — that of celebrity spokesperson for the American Heart Association's "Go Red for Women" campaign.

"I was up at 5 o'clock this morning, and I've been doing interviews all day — that's why I sound a little brain-dead," Hannah told me Thursday as she launched her effort to raise awareness of heart disease among women. "The statistics are really frightening. In this country, half a million women die of heart attacks every year, and 80 percent of them are preventable."

Hannah, who reprises her star turn as homicidal blond Elle Driver in Quentin Tarantino's upcoming "Kill Bill: Vol. 2," said John Sayles' "Silver City" — in which she plays the black sheep in a politically powerful family — will be out in the spring.

But now that Valentine's Day is looming, what about her own heart? How's her love life? Is she available?

"Are you asking me out?" Hannah parried with a giggle.

Just asking her to discuss her romantic status.

"Um, I prefer not to."

Meanwhile, Hannah revealed she's a tad underwhelmed by the candidates running for president. "I'm definitely interested, but I'm always sort of disappointed by my options."

What about presidential candidates — or, for that matter, actresses — availing themselves of Botox or other cosmetic enhancements?

"That is a choice that people can make for themselves, but personally I wouldn't have plastic surgery because I keloid, and I would be afraid," the 43-year-old actress answered. "And I kind of think putting something inside your system like a horse tranquilizer or something can't be good. I think the best way to stay young-looking is to be healthy and happy."

THE BRIEFING

A LAUREL FOR JANET: CBS and MTV have wasted no time disclaiming responsibility for Janet Jackson's breast-baring stunt and roundly condemning the breast's owner. But at least one member of the Viacom corporate family is standing by the embattled pop star. On Thursday, BET issued a press release touting Jackson's participation in its 10-part Black History Month series, "Pass It On." The release quotes BET President Debra Lee: "Janet is a believer in the individual and collective greatness of African-American men and women." BET spokesman Michael Lewellen explained: "Obviously there is some positive news amidst the storm that continues to rage. But the timing is purely coincidental. This is the first week of Black History Month, after all."

NO SHORTAGE OF THOSE IN HOLLYWOOD: For a plot device involving the Drudge Report, NBC's "The West Wing" has been attempting for weeks to contact cybergossip Matt Drudge in order to obtain his permission to show an image of his Web site on television. "We've been e-mailing and calling for the past month and half, and we never got a response," show staffer Laura Ducat told me Wednesday, the same day Drudge finally gave his answer. "I will not be a prop in Aaron Sorkin's fantasy White House," he told me. "I'm too busy covering the real one." To which Ducat riposted: "Sounds to me like he's a prima donna."



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© 2003, Creators Syndicate