Spielberg will direct update of ’Harvey’

Spielberg will direct update of ’Harvey’

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Steven Spielberg has a giant rabbit on his mind for his next film.

Spielberg is directing a new take on “Harvey,” the story of a big-hearted eccentric who’s branded a crackpot for claiming to have a 6-foot-tall invisible rabbit buddy.

James Stewart starred in the classic 1950 version of “Harvey,” which was based on Mary Chase’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Novelist Jonathan Tropper adapted Chase’s play for Spielberg’s version, an update set in contemporary times. Casting is just starting, with production expected to begin early next year.

Leonard Cohen’s Israel concert sells out in a day

JERUSALEM — Tickets for a Leonard Cohen concert to benefit Palestinian and Israeli peace groups sold out in less than a day, an Israeli ticket agent said Sunday.

The 47,000 tickets for the Sept. 24 concert at a stadium near Tel Aviv went on sale at 8:30 Saturday evening, and by Sunday afternoon, they were gone, ticket agent Avi Messing told Israel’s Channel 2 TV.

Prices ranged from $90 to $315.

Cohen entertained Israeli troops during the 1973 Mideast war and last performed in Israel in 1975.

Adding Israel to his world tour brought complaints from Palestinian sympathizers, and British fans posted a plea on the social networking site Facebook asking him to cancel the date in response to Israel’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip in December and January.

Cohen’s manager, Robert Kory, said the singer instead decided to make the concert a fundraiser for Palestinian and Israeli groups working for reconciliation.

Mark Wahlberg marries longtime girlfriend

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Mark Wahlberg and his longtime girlfriend, model Rhea Durham, have married in Beverly Hills.

People magazine reports the 38-year-old “Boogie Nights” actor tied the knot Saturday in front of about a dozen friends and family at Good Shepherd Catholic Church.

Wahlberg walked the aisle in a dark suit, and the 31-year-old bride wore a white, strapless dress with silver embroidery.

They have been together since 2001 and have three children.

Jessica Biel makes major musical debut

LOS ANGELES — Jessica Biel sings! That may come as a surprise to audiences who only know the actress from her primarily dramatic work on television and in films, including the long-running “7th Heaven,” and the big-screen “Stealth” and “The Illusionist.”

Biel, 27, marked her musical-theater debut this past weekend, as the Los Angeles Philharmonic presented a three-night run of a concert version of the classic “Guys and Dolls” at the Hollywood Bowl.

For “Guys and Dolls,” Biel took on the role of saintly Sarah Brown, a Manhattan missionary at odds with a gang of gamblers — and eventually in love with one of them. It’s a far cry from one of Biel’s last roles: a stressed-out stripper in the steamy, straight-to-video “Powder Blue.”

Today’s birthdays

Singer Gordon Stoker of The Jordanaires is 85. Singer Tony Bennett is 83. Actor Martin Sheen is 69. Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart is 68. Actor Jay North (“Dennis the Menace”) is 58. Guitarist Randy Scruggs is 56. Actor John C. McGinley (“Scrubs”) is 50. Bassist Lee Rocker (Stray Cats) is 48. Singer-guitarist James Hetfield of Metallica is 46. Actor Isaiah Washington (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Soul Food”) is 46. Keyboardist Dean Sams of Lonestar is 43. Guitarist Stephen Carpenter of Deftones is 39. Musician Spinderella of Salt-N-Pepa is 38. Actress Brigid Brannagh (“Army Wives”) is 37. Actress Evangeline Lilly (“Lost”) is 30. Singer Holly Arnstein of Dream is 24. Bassist Brent Kutzle of OneRepublic is 24.