Lou Diamond Phillips has his sights set on a beach house. The actor, who's starring in Lone Hero - a contemporary biker-western - along with Robert Forster (Jackie Brown), spends so much time commuting between Vancouver and Los Angeles that he's decided to scrutinize some waterfront property to share with his wife and three young daughters.
  24 Hours, an action/thriller helmed by Luis Mankdoki (Angel Eyes), has been beset by calamities. First, the film was halted for six days following the sudden death of director of photography Piotr Sobocinski. The Academy Award-nominated D.O.P. died in his sleep of unknown causes. Then, sultry Charlize Theron, who's no stranger to Vancouver and points further north such as Prince George, where she shot Reindeer Games with Ben Affleck, was photographed by a local newspaper looking cold and surly on the set in an over-sized parka.
  Co-star Courtney Love has had more than the weather to worry about. The singer/actress was rushed to hospital after suffering a miscarriage. The normally feisty performer was understandably in less than high spirits, comforting herself by ordering favorite foods such as split pea soup, free range chicken, beef tenderloin and "salad that dances on the plate" from chi-chi celebrity restaurant, Cin Cin.
  Actress Jamie Lee Curtis, in Vancouver for a scant four days reprising her role as scream queen Laurie Strode in Halloween 8, spent most of her time on her cell phone talking to husband Christopher Guest and their two children when she wasn't on camera. The homesick Curtis can't bear to be away from her family, so much so that she didn't even visit Guest when he was here making the doggie comedy Best in Show 18 months ago. Fittingly enough, Halloween is lensed at suburban Riverview Hospital, a mental institution.
- Valerie Gregory

egendary sex goddess Sophia Loren caused a media frenzy in Toronto recently. She held a press conference to promote her new feature film Between Strangers, currently shooting here. Loren was lured to the project by writer/director Edoardo Ponti, who just happens to be her son.
  Actress Jennifer Jason Leigh must be breathing a sigh of relief after wrapping production on the telefilm Crossed Over. Leigh portrayed real life death row inmate Karla Faye Tucker who became the first woman to ever be executed in Texas. Sources close to the project say that Jennifer was so immersed in the role, she insisted everyone call her Karla at all times on the set.
  Toronto seems to be the hot spot for TV stars on hiatus. Coincidentally, Ally McBeal babes Portia De Rossi and Lucy Liu were both in town working on separate projects. De Rossi just wrapped the made for TV movie The Glow opposite Dean Cain, while Liu partnered with Brit actor Jeremy Northam for the spy thriller The Company Man.
  Sylvester Stallone has mellowed since he was last here shooting the race car flick Driven. It seems he's traded in his hot wheels for a set of golf clubs. While shooting his new crime comedy Avenging Angelo, Stallone took time off to tee off. I hear he became a regular at a certain private golf course in the city. He also made a habit of doing lunch at Sassafraz. Also dining at Sassafraz was rock group U2.
  Meanwhile, Shirley Maclaine had a quiet dinner at Bistro 990, and Kate Hudson and Liv Tyler hung out together in Yorkville. They bought make-up and lip gloss at Ice Boutique. Ed Norton was in to browse and Denise Richards has become a regular at the shop. Richards was also spotted over at Aveda buying an aromatherapy candle. Other shoppers included Kirsten Dunst and Brooke Shields.

- Ola Sturik