Nicole Kidmaneveral years ago, Nicole Kidman made a $10,000 bet with George Clooney that the Ocean's Eleven star would be married by the time he was 40. Clooney has defied Kidman's prediction… and has had a great time doing it, I might add. Clooney turned 40 last year…. And true to her word, Kidman recently mailed him a cheque. She told a friend that she received the cheque back with a note from Clooney suggesting going for double or nothing for his 50th birthday.

  Steven Bing, the guy that Elizabeth Hurley says is the father of her child, is hopping mad. Bing made headlines when he publicly questioned whether he was, in fact, the biological father. He's now suing the UK tabloid The Mirror for printing his phone number and encouraging irate readers to call him at home and give him a piece of their mind. Bing's lawyers have set $10 million as the price to ease his embarrassment. Bing has also reportedly hired a private detective to try to prove that Hurley was seeing other men while they were together and weren't in the exclusive relationship that she claims. Who says chivalry is dead?

  Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have been best pals for ages… and the two have helped each other out on many fronts. Now we hear that Damon is engaged to Affleck's personal assistant, Odessa Whitmore.

  The Scary Movie series continues with a spoof of all things Star Wars, Harry Potter and Lord Of The Rings. It's called Scary Movie 3: Episode One - Lord Of The Brooms.

David Spade  Just Shoot Me star David Spade is in talks to play the lead in the comedy Former Child Star, about a grown-up kid's entertainer who hires a foster family to recreate the childhood he never had. In other Spade news, the diminutive funny guy was recently dumped by his statuesque girlfriend Caprice, who has since been seen in the company of the aforementioned Steven Bing.

  Robert Downey Jr.'s drug problems may have cost him a job in Canada. His past arrests may prevent him from shooting The Incredible Mrs. Ritchie in Calgary in May. The role was created especially for Downey, but may have to be re-cast.

  Guy Ritchie is lining up a great cast for his next film. It's called Love, Sex, Drugs and Money, and no, it's not about his marriage to Madonna (although she does appear in the film). The romantic drama will also star Jennifer Aniston, John Turturro, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Canadian Bruce Greenwood.

  Martin Lawrence is now in talks to film a remake of the Dudley Moore/Bo Derek romantic comedy 10. Lawrence would play a married record company executive who falls in love with a model and chases her to the Caribbean. No word as to the female lead.

  And some sad news from Hollywood. Director Ted Demme died suddenly at the age of 38. Demme, who was the nephew of Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme, received critical acclaim this year for Blow, starring Johnny Depp. Demme was apparently in full cardiac arrest when rushed to hospital by paramedics after a Sunday afternoon basketball game.

  Julia Roberts is doing Full Frontal. Now before you get excited, Full Frontal is the new Steven Soderbergh film and, unlike most of her films, it's a low budget affair...without nudity. However, the cast is anything but low budget, with names such as Brad Pitt, David Hyde-Pierce and David Duchovny on the bill.

  Fat Albert, the classic Bill Cosby Saturday morning cartoon, is being adapted for the big screen. Forest Whitaker will direct a live action film inspired by Fat Albert and all his unusual buddies, including Weird Harold. The studio is hoping that the film will be the first of many from a long-running franchise.

Robert De Niro  Robert De Niro may be one of the finest actors in the biz, but what keeps audiences coming back is his comedies. He is currently working on sequels to Analyze This and Meet The Parents.

Adam Sandler  Perhaps Jack Nicholson is deciding to go the same route. He is rumored to be co-starring in the next Adam Sandler film called Anger Management. Sandler would play a meek business executive who gets lessons on aggression from Nicholson… who turns out to be a psychopath. Now if that ain't comedy, I don't know what is. And speaking of De Niro, after he pulled out of the crime comedy Scared Guys, producers called up… Adam Sandler. Small world.