JT GOES COMMANDO
Jason Bourbe, meet Justin Timberlake.
Timberlake is executive producing a new MTV reality series that’s billed as a “real life ‘Bourne Identity,’ ” MTV announced Friday.
The show, called “The Phone,” begins with two hidden cell phones ringing on opposite ends of a major city. When the contestants answer, a “mysterious guide” tells them they have five seconds to decide whether or not to play the game for a chance of winning a huge cash prize.
The contestants are then thrown into a “collaborative cliff-hanging race against time and odds” to complete their mission, all the while being followed by a helicopter. They keep in touch with their guide via the cell phones.
The series is scheduled to premiere in the fall. No word on whether there will be any J.T. sightings.
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We’re, like, a brand
“Anybody who wants to promote our brand, negative or positive, give me a call.”
That’s what “The Hills” star Spencer Pratt says of his and gal pal Heidi Montag’s, um, business endeavors.
In an interview with the L.A. Times, the couple (left) actually suggests their appearances as the bad guys on the MTV reality show are a commodity.
“Obviously we’re entertainers,” Montag tells the paper. “We are trying to entertain in every aspect of our lives. Whether it’s on the show or in the tabloids.”
Pratt, the consummate business man, breaks it down further.
“Every hour,” he said. “Every different magazine, every blog texts, like, ‘We heard this, we heard this.’ Most of the time, people are just making things up, trying to get you to give a source quote. … It’s the most competitive industry in the world, I would say, the pop culture media game.”
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Danger ahead
Matthew Fox (above) looks unflappable as the mysterious Racer X in the new film “Speed Racer.”
But the star of TV’s “Lost” had some rough moments doing his own stunt fighting while wearing Racer X’s leather racing uniform.
“A couple of times the crotch ripped out,” Fox told the L.A. Times. “The minute you start sweating in leather, it just clings to you, so movement was difficult.”
His goggles also fogged over.
“I wouldn’t be able to see. I hit two stunt guys, which I felt really bad about,” he said. “But they were super cool. The thing you learn about stunt guys is it’s sort of a badge of honor for them.”
Fox wouldn’t say much about the upcoming season finale of “Lost,” except “It’s got a really, really cool ending.”
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Fearless couple
Sarah Larson and George Clooney are just as bad as the rest of us. They, too, liked watching VH1’s “Rock of Love.”
“We caught ourselves rooting for someone or getting frustrated,” Larson tells Harper’s Bazaar, according to excerpts on usmagazine.com. The couple watched marathons of the show while recovering from a motorcycle accident last fall. “And we were like, ‘This is sad.'”
But Larson is no stranger to reality shows, having been a contestant on “Fear Factor.” Her past doesn’t seem to bother Clooney, though.
“He still wants to date me, and I ate a scorpion.”
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HOT DATE
May 19
The date Lily van der Woodsen and Bart Bass are set to wed on the “Gossip Girl” season finale. RSVP at the couple’s wedding Web site,lilyandbart.weddingwindow.com.
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