Kidman Is Hollywood's Highest Paid Actress

Move over Julia Roberts.

Nicole Kidman is now the highest paid actress in Hollywood, according to The Hollywood Reporter, who releases an annual list of the industry's top moneymakers. Kidman now demands roughly $17 million per picture, with actresses Reese Witherspoon ($15 million) and Rene Zellweger ($15 million) rounding out the top three.

While Kidman's last couple movies, Bewitched and The Interpreter, have been anything but box office hits, she does supply the voice of Norma Jean in the current box office champ, Happy Feet. Kidman will also star alongside the current James Bond, Daniel Craig, in next summer's sci-fi epic, The Invasion.

Legendary Director Altman Dies

Robert Altman, who helmed such famous films as M*A*S*H, Gosford Park, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, and The Player has died at the age of 81.

Altman was a 5-time Academy Award nominee for his work, but his only Oscar was an Honorary one that he accepted at the 2006 ceremony. It was during his acceptance speech that Altman revealed that he had gotten a heart transplant 10 years earlier, but never told anyone because he feared he might become unemployable in Hollywood. But in the end, it wasn't Altman's heart, but complications from cancer that was the cause of his passing.

Altman's final movie was 2006's A Prairie Home Companion.

Bond Is Back

Today marks the long-awaited debut of a brand-new James Bond with the theatrical release of Casino Royale.

The role of 007 is now being played by Daniel Craig, in what promises to be a grittier, more realistic portrayal of the character. Early reviews are good, as most of the major critics have heaped praise on Craig's performance and the movie's storyline, which takes viewers back to Bond's first mission as a Double-0 Agent.

Casino Royale is the 21st "official" James Bond movie in the series.

Oscar Winner Jack Palance Dies

Actor Jack Palance, best known to modern audiences for his Oscar-winning role of “Curly” in City Slickers, died on November 10th at his home in Montecito, California. He was 87 years of age.

Palance made a career out of being the bad guy in movies, starring in many Westerns on both television and the big screen. Palance was a World War II vet and a recipient of the Purple Heart. His big acting break came when he got the chance to be understudy to Marlon Brando in the stage version of “A Streetcar Named Desire”. In addition to his role in City Slickers and its sequel, Palance’s latter years saw him take black-hat roles in movies like Batman and Tango & Cash.

But Palance will probably best be remembered not for his roles, but for how he accepted his first and only Oscar trophy: by doing one-handed push-ups on stage in front of host Billy Crystal.

60 Minutes' Ed Bradley Dies

60 Minutes correspondent Ed Bradley has passed away due to complications from leukemia. Bradley died this morning at Mt. Sinai hospital in New York.

Bradley had been working for 60 Minutes for over 25 years, and gained 19 Emmy Awards for his work on the program. He had worked for CBS in one capacity or another since 1971.

Bradley was 65 years old.

The Doctor Is Out...Of The Closet!

In an announcement that surprised virtually no one, actor Neil Patrick Harris publicly admitted that he was gay this past week.

Harris is perhaps best known for his role as a kid doctor on the series Doogie Howser, MD. He currently stars on the CBS show, How I Met Your Mother.

Harris was quoted as saying that he is “quite proud to say that I am a very content gay man living my life to the fullest."