November 16, 1999
Web posted at: 5:41 p.m. EST (2241 GMT)

• Kidman's rib cancans 'Moulin Rouge' for a bit
• Glam-rocker's songs lose hockey-arena glitter
• Quoth the Canadians: Jackson to play Poe in film
• Coleman looks to Net donations at UGO.com

Kidman

SYDNEY, Australia (CNN) -- The upcoming Baz Luhrmann film "Moulin Rouge" has temporarily suspended filming so its star, Nicole Kidman, can recover fully from a fractured rib, says producer Martin Brown.

Kidman suffered the injury four weeks ago while rehearsing a dance routine for the film, being filmed at the FOX Studios Australia complex in Sydney. Only a week of filming had been completed, Brown says. Production is slated to resume November 25.

Kidman's rib hasn't healed as expected, says Brown. "In the light of more accurate medical information, we have taken the most prudent path to ensure that when she does return to work, she is 100-percent fit."

Luhrmann directed the 1992 "Strictly Ballroom" and "William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet" (1996). In "Moulin Rouge," Kidman plays a turn-of-the-century French club star and courtesan who has a passionate affair with a young poet, played by Ewan McGregor ("Trainspotting," 1996). A release date hasn't yet been publicized for "Moulin Rouge."

Luhrmann has called his film a groundbreaking re-invention of the musical form. It's set in 1899, the period in which the artist Toulouse-Lautrec was painting his famous impressions of the cancan-dancing La Goulue and others at Paris' Moulin Rouge.

Glitter

CALGARY, Canada (CNN) -- The National Hockey League's Calgary Flames have pulled Gary Glitter's jock anthem "Rock and Roll, Part Two" from their arena's musical roster. This, after Glitter was convicted last week on child-pornography charges. There are indications that more NHL teams may follow suit.

A British court Friday sentenced the 55-year-old English Glitter -- real name Paul Gadd -- to four months in jail after he pleaded guilty to 54 counts of possessing hard-core pornographic photos of children, downloaded from the Internet. He was cleared of eight charges of sexual abuse levied by a former fan.

Flames spokesman Peter Hanlon says the club was already considering pulling the 1972 hit from its lineup. "We just thought it was time for some new music," Hanlon says, "but after hearing the decision and being made aware of this, it just reinforced for us that we made the right decision."

The Edmonton Oilers are said to be considering taking the tune out of rotation at Northlands Coliseum before the club's next home game this weekend, as are Colorado Avalanche officials for their games at the Pepsi Center. Glitter's most enduring hit -- a mostly instrumental work -- leads fans to shout "Hey!" at certain times in its chorus.

Jackson

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Pop star Michael Jackson is expected to star as 19th century writer and poet Edgar Allen Poe in a film to be made next year, Canadian industry officials say. Pass the amontillado.

Confirming the story from last week's Hollywood Reporter, Louise Lapointe, spokeswoman for Montreal's Bureau of Cinema and Television, says the film's producers haven't yet contacted the bureau. But, she adds, "We are expecting the scenario to be sent to us over the next few months."

Jackson is also expected to serve as executive producer on the film, along with Gary L. Pudney and Jim Green. The motion picture is to mark Jackson's debut as a leading man in a feature film; he had a supporting role in the 1978 musical "The Wiz."

The Hollywood Reporter article says the film, to be shot in Toronto, was to be called "The Nightmare of Edgar Allen Poe." Considered one of the United States' greatest masters of the short story -- and of literary horror -- Poe lived from 1809 to 1849, writing the chilling classic poem "The Raven" (1845) and "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" (1841).

Coleman

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Drained by the expenses of thrice-weekly kidney dialysis and disputes with his parents and managers, Gary Coleman, the star of the 1978-'86 NBC sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes," is asking fans on the Web for a bailout.

UGO Networks Inc., an entertainment Web site targeted at 18- to 34-year-old men, launched the UGO Gary Coleman Celebrity Web-a-Thon this week. Coleman fans who visit the site, also known as UnderGround Online, can make donations and participate in an online auction of Coleman's personal items, including an autographed spatula, and items donated by New York Yankee Derek Jeter and other celebrities.

The site also features Coleman performing a rap song, and a Gary Coleman-style tamagotchi (a computer-animated "pet"). A spokesman for the New York-based public relations firm representing UGO says the site has Coleman's personal approval and cooperation.

The 4-foot, 8-inch actor, 31, filed for bankruptcy protection in August. Coleman said at the time that although he'd successfully sued his adoptive parents for $1 million in 1990, his dialysis treatments for end-stage renal disease have wiped out his accounts. It's said that at one time he was worth $18 million.

Dead-end jobs and legal troubles haven't helped matters. He was working as a mall security guard in 1998 when he allegedly punched a woman who asked for his autograph. A last report, a million-dollar civil suit still was pending in the matter.

Reuters contributed to this report.