SHARON STONE has been pencilled in to star as Hollywood legend LANA TURNER in a biopic about the American mobster JOHNNY STAMPANATO.

The sultry BASIC INSTINCT actress is an "ardent fan" of the THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE star, who died five years ago. Turner had a tumultuous private life including a violent relationship with Stampanato which ended in 1959 when her 13-year- old daughter Cheryl Crane stabbed him to death in a fit of rage. She went on to marry a total of eight times.

A source close to the movie says, "Sharon is totally fascinated by Lana's life and career." (CPT/WNWCAN/RP)

Martial arts movie star JACKIE CHAN was almost sold as a baby - to pay for his mother's hospital bill.

The energetic RUSH HOUR actor was born to impoverished parents, who couldn't even pay for the medical care his birth required. Chan says, "The British doctor told my father 'I'll give you 200 US (dollars) but then you walk away and I have the child.' "My father said OK but family and friends managed to find the money." (KL/WNV/CPT)

KYLIE MINOGUE is to have her tongue cut out and be left to die - in a gruesome horror movie.

The pint-sized singer and actress plays a student film-maker in new Australian film CUT - which will be released straight to video next month (FEB01) - and, in a flashback scene, is attacked by her psychotic boyfriend in true slasher style. Minogue recalls, "I was doing the screams and muffled noises and looking at my tongue lying on the table.

The next day I went to my singing coach. We were doing warm-up exercises and my coach said 'It's really strange, your tongue isn't doing what it's meant to do.' "I realised that the day before I'd been watching my tongue being pulled out. My brain must have absorbed this and thought my tongue wasn't there anymore, and stopped me being able to use it properly." (NMD/HET/KW)

JULIA ROBERTS only signed on to star in OCEAN's ELEVEN so she could flirt with her hunky male co-stars.

The ERIN BROCKOVICH star will join BRAD PITT, GEORGE CLOONEY, MATT DAMON and CASEY AFFLECK for the high profile movie, which will be directed by her pal STEVEN SODERBERGH.

She says, "I'm just looking for a good time in Vegas. I was furious Steven didn't put me in TRAFFIC, so I think he threw me a little mercy friendship bone with Ocean's Eleven. "He said to me, `You're the only girl, you'll like it'." The film starts shooting later this month (JAN01). (MB/WN/KW)

Hollywood star RENEE ZELLWEGER has tragedy in her past - the senseless suicide of a boyfriend, who killed himself as she fought her way to fame.

The beautiful JERRY McGUIRE star first met SIMS ELLISON at a bar in Austin, Texas, America, while she was at university studying English and acting. Renee soon moved to Hollywood, California, to pursue her dream, and Sims, battling depression over the break-up of his band PARIAH and the loss of his love, shot himself in June 1995 - aged just 28.

A former friend of the star's says, "They were perfect together, like a married couple. After Renee moved to Los Angeles, Sims reached out to her from time to time in an attempt to reconcile but it wasn't the same. "By the summer of 1995, he couldn't take it anymore." Heartbroken Renee rushed back to her home town of Katy, Texas to mourn her lost love, giving up her first feature film role - but within a year she was back in Hollywood, starring in MY BOYFRIEND'S BACK. (NFA/WNTSU/PDD

Hollywood star RENEE ZELLWEGER has tragedy in her past - the senseless suicide of a boyfriend, who killed himself as she fought her way to fame.

The beautiful JERRY McGUIRE star first met SIMS ELLISON at a bar in Austin, Texas, America, while she was at university studying English and acting. Renee soon moved to Hollywood, California, to pursue her dream, and Sims, battling depression over the break-up of his band PARIAH and the loss of his love, shot himself in June 1995 - aged just 28.

A former friend of the star's says, "They were perfect together, like a married couple. After Renee moved to Los Angeles, Sims reached out to her from time to time in an attempt to reconcile but it wasn't the same. "By the summer of 1995, he couldn't take it anymore." Heartbroken Renee rushed back to her home town of Katy, Texas to mourn her lost love, giving up her first feature film role - but within a year she was back in Hollywood, starring in MY BOYFRIEND'S BACK. (NFA/WNTSU/PDD

KURT RUSSELL has been offered $5 million (?3.3 million) to be seduced by SHARON STONE.

The movie star may just save the BASIC INSTINCT sequel after reports circulated last week (ends05JAN01) that the lack of a strong leading man had prompted the cancellation of the sequel. Filming is due to start shooting later this year (01). (KL/LAT/KW)

TRAFFIC has been named the best film of the year (00) by the DALLAS-FORT WORTH FILM CRITICS' ASSOCIATION.

STEPHEN SODERBERGH, the director of the winning movie and smash hit ERIN BROCKOVICH, was named the Best Director. RUSSELL CROWE was named Best Actor for GLADIATOR, and LAURA LINNEY beat JULIA ROBERTS to the Best Actress award for her performance in YOU CAN COUNT ON ME.

British-made movie AARDMAN ANIMATION's CHICKEN RUN won the best animated film award - while the booby-prize went to JOHN TRAVOLTA's sci-fi flop BATTLEFIELD EARTH, which was named the worst film of the year. (KW/WNWCAN)

When Vianne (Juliette Binoche), a mysterious stranger, and her child arrive in a tranquil French town in the winter of 1959, nobody could have imagined the impact that she and her spirited daughter would have on this community stubbornly rooted in tradition. Within days, Vianne opens a very unusual chocolate shop, filled with mouth-watering confections, across the square from the church. Her ability to perceive her customers' private desires and satisfy them with just the right confection, coaxes the villagers to abandon themselves to temptation…

On the run after being framed for laundering drug money, investment banker Daryl Chase (Orlando Jones), steals another mans passport in order to take on an new identity... Unfortunately the new identity ironicly turns out to be that of a more wanted man!

When a novelist discovers that a young basketball player also has a gift for writing, they form an incredible bond that forces the young star to make his biggest decision yet - to shoot hoops or write books…

Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat) strives to recover a magical sword that has suddenly disappeared. His quest will be far from easy as his love for Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) complicates matters, and the journey will no doubt make him prey to some highly skilled assassins...