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JACK BLACK has signed up for a giant new role, playing JONATHAN SWIFT’s fictional adventurer in a new movie version of GULLIVER’S TRAVELS.
The film, to be directed by Shark Tale’s Rob Letterman, will give a modern spin to Swift’s 18th Century masterpiece.
Black will play a travel writer who gets lost in the Bermuda Triangle and washes up on an island of tiny people.
Shooting is scheduled to star in March 2009.
Ted Danson was the last screen Gulliver, starring in a 1996 TV miniseries.

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Hollywood director STEVEN SPIELBERG is leading the tributes to JURASSIC PARK author and filmmaker MICHAEL CRICHTON, who died in Los Angeles on Wednesday (05Nov08).
Crichton, who also wrote sex thriller Disclosure and co-created hit TV series ER, lost his battle with cancer at the age of 66.
Spielberg helped to adapt Jurassic Park for the big-screen in 1993, and the star, who was a close pal of Crichton’s for 40 years, has hailed the author as a great talent.
He says, "Michael’s talent out-scaled even his own dinosaurs of Jurassic Park.
"He was the greatest at blending science with big theatrical concepts, which is what gave credibility to dinosaurs again walking the Earth. Michael was a gentle soul who reserved his flamboyant side for his novels. There is no one in the wings that will ever take his place." ER executive producer John Wells has also expressed his thoughts about the loss of such an "exceptional" man.
He says, "(Crichton) was an extraordinary man. Brilliant, funny, erudite, gracious, exceptionally inquisitive and always thoughtful.
"No lunch with Michael lasted less than three hours and no subject was too prosaic or obscure to attract his interest. Sexual politics, medical and scientific ethics, anthropology, archaeology, economics, astronomy, astrology, quantum physics and molecular biology were all regular topics of conversation."

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Hip-hop mogul SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS was so moved by U.S. President-elect BARACK OBAMA’s win on Tuesday night (04Nov08), he couldn’t stop crying.
The rapper stalled his birthday celebrations in New York as he and a host of celebrity friends cheered the Democrat’s victory.
He confesses, "I was straight up crying. I was with my kids. It was a beautiful thing. I just thank God my prayers were answered.
"I don’t know why God blessed me by having my birthday (on 4 November), but we’re here to celebrate 80 percent of Obama being elected and 20 per cent my birthday." Combs celebrated the historic event alongside pals including musicians Mary J. Blige, Cassie and Pete Wentz and actor Ben Stiller.

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MANDY MOORE and ADAM ‘DJ AM’ GOLDSTEIN are celebrating their newfound romantic reunion by making beautiful music together.
The pair split last year (07), but found love again in September (08) when Moore rushed to Goldstein’s hospital bed following the horrific plane crash he and pal Travis Barker miraculously survived.
Pals claim they have been inseparable ever since, and are even taking their relationship into the studio - where Goldstein plans to remix some of Moore’s hits, to give them a new lease of life.
A source tells America’s Star magazine, "They are falling back in love fast.
"Mandy has always loved Adam and she’s always thought he was a genius when it came to beats and music."

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Pop star PINK has failed to put an end to AC/DC’s reign over the European albums chart - her new LP FUNHOUSE has entered at two, behind the rockers’ BLACK ICE.
High School Musical 3: Senior Year - The Soundtrack has jumped into third place, up 11 spots from last week’s (ends31Oct08) debut at 14.
Metallica’s Death Magnetic is at four and Snow Patrol round out the new top five with another new entry - A Hundred Million Suns.
Meanwhile, in the European singles chart, dance artist Guru Josh Project’s Infinity 2008 leaps up three spots to replace Pink’s So What at number one.
The former chart topper moves down to two, while Amy MacDonald’s This Is The Life sits at three on the new countdown. (MT/WNWCBB/IG) WENN - FIFTH - HOLLYWOOD, SHOWBIZ & PEOPLE NEWS - 06 NOVEMBER 2008

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CHARLIE SHEEN has slammed a U.S. magazine report alleging the star’s marriage to pregnant BROOKE MUELLER is in trouble, blasting claims he indulged in lap dances at a Las Vegas strip club as "inaccurate".
Star magazine this week (begs03Nov08) claimed the actor, who is expecting twin boys with wife Mueller, recently (25Oct08) flew out to Sin City with former Spin City co-star Michael Boatman after a series of raging rows with his spouse.
The article went on to allege Sheen and Boatman headed to Prive and paid for private dances from scantily clad girls at gentlemen’s club Spearmint Rhino.
But Sheen’s representative has shot down the report, accusing Star magazine writers of failing to do their research before publishing the piece.
His spokesperson tells Usmagazine.com, "Star magazine never lets the facts get in the way of good hatchet job. Had the reporter bothered to check, he or she would have learned that the reason Charlie was in Vegas was for a contractual appearance on behalf of Planet Hollywood’s Prive.
"Charlie was in Vegas only four hours. He arrived and left the same evening, not on October 28, as Star reports. Star’s reporting of his alleged behaviour is as inaccurate as the rest of their story." The rep added that Sheen and Mueller’s six-month marriage is fine.

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Movie heartthrob ANTONIO BANDERAS is set pick up a brush and easel and play SALVADOR DALI in a new biopic of the Spanish surrealist artist.
Con Air filmmaker Simon West is onboard to direct the movie - which will blend music with CGI to capture Dali’s "inventiveness and colour", reports Daily Variety.
The newspaper claims Banderas is in "final negotiations" to play his compatriot, who died in 1989 at the age of 85.
The project, due to begin shooting in early 2009, is one of three Dali biopics in the works. Al Pacino will play him in Dali & I: The Surrealist Story, and Rob Pattinson will star in Little Ashes.

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Singer BARBRA STREISAND has commended Americans for voting President-elect BARACK OBAMA into office on Tuesday (04Nov08) - because his victory has "regained the respect of the world" for the U.S.
The 66-year-old political activist has long been an active supporter of the Democratic Party, raising awareness for global warming, gun control, and speaking out against the country’s 2003 invasion of Iraq.
And she insists the new U.S. President’s election has already united the world.
She says, "I am so proud of our country… miraculously overnight we have regained the respect of the world. From England to Africa, people are celebrating Barack Obama’s victory… proof that he is the first truly global President.
"President-elect Barack Obama rejected the idea of an America comprised of blue states versus red states… and (Tuesday) night he proved to each and every one of us that we are truly the United States of America." Obama will be inaugurated into office on 20 January (09).

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Fashion mogul TOMMY HILFIGER has traded his $50 million (£31.5 million) New York apartment to move into the former home of SEAN ‘DIDDY’ COMBS.
The designer has reportedly rented the four-floor Park Avenue pad through to next year (09).
Hilfiger is reportedly paying $50,000 (£31,520)-per-month for the five-bedroom, seven-bathroom apartment while he continues to build out his own duplex in Manhattan’s posh Plaza Hotel in the hope of finding a buyer.
The luxurious space formerly owned by rap mogul Combs boasts a living room with 17-foot (5 metre)-high ceilings and a fireplace, a media room, a gourmet kitchen and a private elevator, according to the New York Post.
Combs’ former home was taken off the market in September (08) after failing to sell for a reported $13 million (£8.2 million).

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Actor TOM ARNOLD is drawing on his own painful experience of sexual abuse as a child and turning it to his advantage for a role in new movie GARDENS OF THE NIGHT.
The comic plays Alex, a paedophile in the harrowing drama, about a young girl who endures years of abuse at the hands of captors after being kidnapped from her family.
Arnold was just four years old when his 19-year-old male babysitter started molesting him, and he suffered for three years before the horror finally stopped.
He has since made peace with his past and now admits that his own experiences have helped him to fully develop the character.
But it wasn’t an easy decision to take on the project.
Arnold, 49, says, "It was a tough choice. I was a smart kid, and (my molester) still got to me. So I wanted to portray a paedophile in a way no one has seen before in order to explain how these things can happen. I even wore the same clothes as him in the movie. Showing this guy meant so much to me."

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Latin actor ARTURO CARMONA has been assaulted by thieves in Mexico after he was threatened with a gun to hand over his watch.
The star, 32, was sitting in his car in Mexico City when the robbers pounced in broad daylight and ordered him to take off his watch.
He tells TV show La oreja, "I was speaking with my mom on the phone. And I could hear my mum who was so frightened and worried. I was distracted, and I wasn’t cautious about my surroundings." Carmona is one of hundreds of victims targetted by thieves in Mexico, where street violence has been on the rise.

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Comedienne WHOOPI GOLDBERG is in for a gender-bending new role - the actress has been cast to play a man on a new episode of U.S. TV drama LIFE ON MARS.
Goldberg will appear in the British TV remake as a soulful underground New York radio personality who goes by the name of Brother Love Butter.
Her character gets involved in the search for a Puerto Rican man accused of murdering a young African-American girl in the cameo role.
The episode is set to air in the U.S. on Thursday (06Nov08).

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Actor TOM ARNOLD was abused as a child by his male babysitter.
The comedian, 49, has revealed he was molested by a 19-year-old from the ages of four to seven as he was growing up in Ottumwa, Iowa.
He tells People magazine, "(The abuse) started shortly before I turned 4.
This guy would babysit me three or four times a week. He wanted me to play a game, and he wanted me to learn it so I could play it every time. I knew it was weird and I was scared, but I didn’t know what sex was." Arnold kept the abuse a secret from his parents - because the unnamed babysitter bribed him with sweet treats and threatened to hurt his dad if the news ever got out.
He adds, "The guy gave me a candy bar at the end of the game. I wasn’t allowed to have candy at my house, and I felt ashamed that I took the candy.
And I was afraid of him. The message was clear he would hurt my dad if I told, and the thought of losing my dad was impossible." But the abuse finally came to a stop after three years when Arnold made a threat of his own against the teen.
He explains, "There was an incident when I was seven. The guy had showed me his gun and aimed it at my dad one day when he arrived home from work. A few days later, I stole my dad’s gun and went out in the middle of the street, waived it around and pointed it at his house. It caused a stir in the neighbourhood to say the least. After that, I think it slowly stopped. I remember it as him moving away. " But Arnold, a reformed addict, is now ready to put his painful past behind him - after tracking the man down and confronting him over the abuse: "During my last week of drug and alcohol rehab in 1990, I told what had happened to me for the first time… With the help of a private investigator, I found him and confronted him at his office. Coming out of the building, I felt pure joy."

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LATEST: Supermodel CAROL ALT has been ordered to pay ex-husband RON GRESCHNER’s legal fees after losing a lawsuit against him over an investment made during their marriage.
Alt must pay the $31,622 (£19,934) in attorney’s fees and expenses, Manhattan Federal Judge Colleen McMahon ruled on Wednesday (05Nov08).
The 47-year-old sued Greschner for $9 million (£5.7 million), accusing him of cheating her out of her share of an $18 million (£11.3 million) profit from a water filtration business venture they entered into as a married couple.
She alleged his failure to share the cash with her was in violation of the terms of their divorce settlement, which was finalised in 2001 after 18 years of marriage.
But she lost her courtroom battle last week (beg27Oct08) when McMahon ruled that Alt had filed her claim too late.
The former couple separated amicably after the model failed to conceive following her battle with cancer.
Greschner has since remarried and is a father of five.

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British dance group THE PRODIGY have scored a guest appearance from FOO FIGHTERS frontman DAVE GROHL for their upcoming album - their first in five years.
The Firestarter hitmakers’ last LP, Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned, was released in 2004 and the trio is currently working on the follow-up, due for release in 2009.
And they reveal the former Nirvana drummer personally approached the band to contribute to the LP, titled Invaders Must Die, reports British music magazine NME.
Keyboardist Liam Howlett says, "Dave emailed me, asking what I was up to and asked if he could send some stuff.
"He laid down a week’s worth of drums, we got really inspired by it. We did some more work and over the internet it all came together." Grohl is also reported to be featured on the track Run With Wolves.

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Rockers STATUS QUO and their celebrity friends have helped to raise $158,000 (£100,000) for a British charity by auctioning off star interpretations of their classic single and album covers.
The Down Down hitmakers asked 50 of their famous pals, including rockers Alice Cooper, Brian May, and playwright Sir Tom Stoppard, to draw their own versions of the CD artworks to go under the hammer in aid of The Prince’s Trust.
One version of the Heavy Traffic album artwork, by wildlife artist David Shepherd, attracted bids in excess of $26,860 (£17,000).
And Status Quo frontman Francis Rossi is delighted to be able to give to the charity, which helps to get troubled young people back on their feet.
He says, "It’s marvellous because normally these things can go down a damp squib.
"The fact that we reached £100,000 is very nice. The Prince’s Trust is for young people that are not articulate or come from a poor background. Nobody gives them a chance. It’s such an unusual charity. It’s not the kind of charity that most people give to.
"People are not usually concerned about some young kid from a council estate background."

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LATEST: Late music executive SHAKIR STEWART will be remembered by family and friends in a ceremony this week (ends07Nov08) at his college Alma mater.
Stewart - who succeeded rap mogul Jay-Z as head of Def Jam Records - was found shot dead in his Atlanta, Georgia apartment last Saturday (01Nov08).
He is believed to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
The 34-year-old, who signed rappers Rick Ross and Young Jeezy to the label, is set to be honoured on Friday (07Nov08) at King’s Chapel at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia.
Stewart worked for Def Jam since 2004.

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Veteran rockers THE WHO surprised fans at their New York City gig on Wednesday (05Nov08) night when they brought out MICHAEL J. FOX as their special guest.
The band took to the stage in the Big Apple as part of Fox’s annual A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Cure Parkinson’s event.
And the charity bash was given a special boost as the Back To The Future actor, a Parkinson’s sufferer himself, joined The Who’s Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend for a rendition of Magic Bus.
Fox rocked out with Townshend as the pair traded riffs throughout the track as he declared: "This is almost worth getting Parkinson’s for!" Fox wasn’t the only Hollywood celebrity at the event - newlyweds Ryan Reynolds and Scarlett Johansson, and actress Julianne Moore were also in attendance.

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