Michael's doc in seclusion
Bill Zwecker: We haven't heard much from -- or about -- Michael Jackson's personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray in recent weeks. Seems the controversial medico has been holed up with his legal team at the Beverly Regent Hotel in L.A. -- presumably working on a defense plan for charges the doctor is expected to be facing in the Jackson case.

Dating like it's 1989
Bill Zwecker: You just know there will be jokes made about ''has beens'' and ''been there, done that,'' but it looks like Paula Abdul and funnyman Arsenio Hall may be rekindling a romance that first ignited 20 years ago!

'Pirate Radio' set was one big 1960s music fest
Bill Zwecker: Along with outfitting his entire cast with iPods featuring some 300 songs from the mid-’60s, "Pirate Radio" director Richard Curtis felt it important to have that music blasting from speakers all over the boat, during lunch breaks or any time they weren’t filming specific scenes. ‘‘You just couldn’t escape it — nor did we want to,’’ said actress Talulah Riley.

England: their cup of tea
Bill Zwecker: Seems music mogul and superstar Jay-Z -- and his equally talented and successful wife Beyonce -- are quite taken with jolly old England. Word has it, the couple (aided by Madonna's own real estate agent) have been scouting for both a house in Mayfair (London's priciest 'hood) and an estate in the countryside near Oxford.

Incident nags Chris' career

Despite his various apologies, Chris Brown's efforts to atone for assaulting Rihanna may not be enough to satisfy fans.

Prejean won't go quietly
Bill Zwecker: A year from now, let's hope it will be ''Carrie Prejean ... who?'' But for now the controversial ex-Miss California USA is still snaring headlines. There are conflicting reports about the settlement Prejean made with pageant officials over their demand she pay them back for breast implants they financed.

No high-tech tyranny for 'Carol'
Bill Zwecker: Academy Award-winning South Side native Robert Zemeckis laughed out loud when called ''Mr. Motion Capture'' by a Chicago reporter. ''I guess there's some truth to that. I've been called worse,'' said the director, who has been in the forefront of the technology known as motion capture, or performance capture -- previously showcased in Zemeckis' ''Polar Express'' and ''Beowulf.''

Kiefer Sutherland drinking 'day and night'

The good news: Kiefer Sutherland virtually never goes anywhere he needs to drive unless someone is chauffering him.

Local actor a perfect fit for postal ads
Bill Zwecker: No question about it: Five little words have changed Mike Bradecich's life. Thanks to those ever-present U.S. Postal Service commercials, the actor's ''If it fits, it ships'' line has made the former Second City ensemble member and longtime Chicago-based actor and filmmaker a familiar figure to millions across the country.

Not the E.N.D. for Fergie
Bill Zwecker: Even though Josh Duhamel has denied the National Enquirer story he had a fling with a stripper, I've learned wife Fergie doesn't believe him. Yet, despite that, a source close to the Black Eyed Peas superstar tells me the singer is sticking with her marriage to the "Transformers" star for now.

Stripper? What stripper? Fergie isn't buying Josh's story
Bill Zwecker: Even though Josh Duhamel has denied the National Enquirer story he had a fling with a stripper, I’ve learned wife Fergie doesn't believe him. Yet, despite that, a source close to the Black Eyed Peas superstar tells me the singer is sticking with the marriage for now. ‘‘[Fergie's] been around musicians for too long. She understands show business marriages are not like other people’s,’’ my source added.

Reining in Lindsay's dad
Bill Zwecker: The stakes are very high in Lindsay Lohan's world this weekend. I've learned the actress and her mother, Dina, are attempting to orchestrate a ''summit'' with Michael Lohan, their estranged father and ex-husband.

Life imitating 'Gossip'
Bill Zwecker: There's lots of gossip from the set of ''Gossip Girl,'' including updates on the romance between Blake Lively and Penn Badgley -- whose characters, as we know, used to date on the show.

This is it for Janet, LaToya
Bill Zwecker: More raw emotion in the Jackson family: I've learned that Janet and LaToya Jackson got into expletive-filled screaming matches in three separate phone calls this week. Janet is furious about LaToya continuing to give press interviews about Michael, his kids and the "This Is It" film.

Bullock gets mom wish

Over the years, Sandra Bullock has told me on several occasions she would love to become a mom. After marrying Jesse James at age 40 in 2005, Bullock even joked, ''I became a bride late, so maybe I'll become a mother late as well.''

Taylor x 2: Swift, Lautner more than 'just friends'
Bill Zwecker: While Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner say they're just friends, it's a cover for their romance -- another celebrity attempt to keep their relationship under the radar. At a Los Angeles restaurant the other night, the two couldn't keep their eyes (or hands) off each other.

Madonna's angle with Cruz
Bill Zwecker: There's word Madonna has put her friend Penelope Cruz in a bit of a bind. While the two have been friends for several years, Cruz is beginning to think that Madonna recently has pursued her only to get close to filmmaker Pedro Almodovar -- the Spanish director and writer who made Cruz a star.

Stars' new paparazzi fear

A rash of high-profile burglaries in Los Angeles has led the L.A. police to set up an informal special section inside a burglary investigative unit, according to a police source.

Whitney's 'Truth' tactics

There's big buzz behind the scenes in Whitney Houston's inner circle over how to react to the upcoming tell-all by the comeback diva's ex-husband, Bobby Brown. The Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing But ... is set for release next month.

How should Whitney respond to Bobby's book?
Bill Zwecker: There’s quite a bit of buzz behind the scenes in Whitney Houston’s inner circle over how to react to the upcoming tell-all by the comeback diva’s ex-husband, Bobby Brown: The Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing But ..., set for release next month and including Brown’s allegation that Houston married him for career reasons, to quell long-whispered rumors she was a lesbian.

Papa Joe grabs for Michael Jackson gold
Bill Zwecker: One thing about Joe Jackson: He sure is busy cashing in on his superstar son's death. Given Michael Jackson's final concerts had been scheduled for London and were instant sellouts, Papa Joe has moved to make some serious moolah tied to the release of ''This Is It,'' the upcoming film of Michael's final rehearsals for that tour.

Joe Jackson making big moolah talking about Michael
Bill Zwecker: One thing about Joe Jackson: He sure is busy cashing in on his superstar son’s death. Given Michael Jackson’s final concerts had been scheduled for London and were instant sellouts, Papa Joe has moved to make some serious moolah tied to the release of ‘‘This Is It,’’ the upcoming film of Michael’s final rehearsals for that tour.

Amy's new addiction: Balloon Boy news
Bill Zwecker: Greetings from ''across the pond,'' where I ran into Amy Winehouse -- of all people! -- Sunday night at a cozy little Italian restaurant in the West End. I won't identify the eatery, since the controversial singer was so thrilled ''to find a restaurant in London without a pack of paparazzi lurking outside. ... I'll have to make this my favorite place, until the press finds out.''

Salman Rushdie: The man with a golden memory
'I have to admit the first thing that leaps into my mind is my very odd Chicago connection," acclaimed author Salman Rushdie said as he settled into an easy chair in a corner of the ninth-floor reading room at the Harold Washington Library Center, shortly before he received the 2009 Carl Sandburg Literary Award Thursday evening.

'Moon' for mismatched?

Could there be something of a feud brewing between Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, co-stars of the much-anticipated sequel to "Twilight"?

Vampire vs. wolfman: Is 'Twilight' star jealous?
Bill Zwecker: There’s some interesting buzz from folks who worked on the much-anticipated ‘‘New Moon’’ vampire flick. Could there be something of a feud brewing between the movie’s co-stars Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner? A key ‘‘New Moon’’ production staffer tells me Pattinson is getting ‘‘a little jealous’’ of all the attention his fellow screen bloodsucker Lautner is getting lately.

Are Rihanna and Chris Brown still seeing each other?
Bill Zwecker: Though reps for both Rihanna and Chris Brown continue to deny the two stars have reconnected -- a strict violation of that court order banning Brown from having any direct contact with Rihanna -- a close associate of the Barbados-born beauty and R&B superstar insists the duo have secretly been meeting.

Jackson mom holds kids' financial fate

Something tells me we'll be hearing financial details regarding Michael Jackson's estate for a long time to come.

Chicago film fest jury's sole goal: Fairness
Bill Zwecker: For most of the people checking out the dozens of film offerings from more than 30 countries at the 45th annual Chicago International Film Festival, it's an experience that is pretty casual. Yet for five key individuals, there's a lot more involved.

TomKat on same page
Bill Zwecker: You can be sure that the news Tom Cruise has allowed beloved daughter Suri to be enrolled in a Roman Catholic preschool in Boston will generate buzz that the superstar Scientologist has lost a battle with his wife, Katie Holmes, over their child's early education.

2 Taylors -- a love story?
First we had Paris (Hilton) and Paris (Latsis), and while that short-lived romance fizzled ages ago, we now have yet another same-name coupling, thanks to Taylor Swift and ''Twilight'' and ''New Moon'' star Taylor Lautner.