Taking Names

In it for the art

Actress-dancer Neve Campbell came up with the idea for “The Company,” Robert Altman’s ballet ensemble, which opens in Washington Jan. 23. She produced the movie and stars in it too.

That doesn’t mean she’ll get rich off it, however.

“I’m in the red on this movie. I made nothing, and halfway through, I had to give up my paycheck so the dancers could get paid,” Miss Campbell told the Boston Herald Sunday.

The “Party of Five” TV star, who has been working mostly in independent movies of late, said her big payday for “Scream 3” “is probably the only time I’ll make that money. It was a third film to a sequel; otherwise, I won’t make that kind of cash. It’s so the opposite.”

Opportunity blooms

Ashton Kutcher’s busy schedule — or, depending on whom you ask, his lack of acting talent — may be Orlando Bloom’s good fortune.

With Mr. Kutcher out of director Cameron Crowe’s next project — “Elizabethtown,” a love story with Kirsten Dunst — E! Online is reporting that the male lead may go to Mr. Bloom, who starred in two of the biggest hits of 2003, “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “The Lord of the Rings.”

Broadway ’Singer’

Having resurrected “The Producers” for a second time, it was time for Broadway to find new Hollywood movies to cannibalize for the stage. The latest convert: the Adam Sandler-Drew Barrymore comedy “The Wedding Singer.”

Writer Tim Herlihy will work from his own 1998 screenplay along with Chad Beguelin; the plan is to debut the production for Broadway’s 2005-06 season.

“It’s exciting to be part of the team that’s going to bring this story to life onstage,” Mr. Herlihy said in a statement.

…Meanwhile, the trend of Broadway musicals foraged from rock groups continues apace. Rolling Stone magazine reports on its Web site that “Good Vibrations,” a coming-of-age musical based on the tunes of the Beach Boys, is expected to hit the stage next season, when presumably it will battle “The Wedding Singer” at the box office.

Country bards

It was the worst of times and the even-worse of times for two legendary country music songwriters this past weekend.

Max Barnes, who penned hits for George Jones and Merle Haggard, died in Nashville, Tenn., at age 67, according to Reuters News Agency.

Another country songsmith, Hugh Prestwood, had a different, but no less eventful weekend. He was arrested trying to board a flight bound for Nashville from Long Island, N.Y., with a loaded .38-caliber revolver in his carry-on bag, according to Associated Press.

The 61-year-old songwriter, who lent tunes to Trisha Yearwood, Randy Travis and other singers, also was found with drugs for which he lacked prescriptions.

Still squeaky-clean

The name Osmond seldom, if ever, winds up in gossip pages or tabloid papers, and there’s a reason for that, says Wayne Osmond, a 52-year-old member of the famous singing brood: They’re all preternaturally well-behaved.

If you’re an Osmond, he told the Stuart News, a Florida newspaper, “you don’t really have those feelings of, ’Well, I’m gonna start swearin’ and drinkin’ Jack Daniels.’ You just don’t even think of going there, basically. It’s just a different value system; that’s all.”

He was referring to the family’s Mormon faith.

“We’re Latter-day Saints, and we have a very high moral and ethical code that we live by … it’s not something that’s forced upon us,” Mr. Osmond said. “Anyone can do what they want to; everyone has their free agency. In fact, that’s God’s greatest gift to mankind, his free agency.”

Great for mankind, even better for pro-football players.

Compiled by Scott Galupo from staff, wire and Web reports.