Megan Fox dating Shia LaBeouf?

Model-turned-actress Megan Fox has sparked rumours that she is dating her Transformers co-star Shia LaBeouf.

The 23-year-old actress, who called it splits with beau Brian Austen Green recently, has moved on and was spotted having dinner with 23-year-old LaBeouf in New York, reports the New York Daily News.

The pair turned heads as they sat side by side during a dinner with 10 friends on Thursday after attending a West Hollywood party together.

"They definitely seemed into each other... Shia couldn't keep his eyes off of Megan. He literally watched her like a hawk all night," said a source.

The report follows LaBeouf's own confession made last week that he feels a real chemistry with Fox.

"I'm a 23-year-old red-blooded male, so sure there's a lot of real there. She's a beautiful woman," he had said.

Fighting back Teens take on dating violence

Nicole Sowin and Emma Vernon, Greenwich High School juniors, want to stop teen dating violence.

Recently, they asked 12 new members of YNet, a school activist group, if anyone had witnessed or experienced such violence in high school.

Most hands flew up but no one said a word.

"Teen dating violence happens," Vernon tells the group, many among them apparently sombered by what they just learned. "It happens (at Greenwich High School). It happens everywhere. You may not know someone directly affected by it, but it is definitely happening around us."

Teen dating violence, she explains, is a pattern of controlling behavior that can include physical violence, emotional or psychological intimidation or sexual abuse and can happen to anyone of any age, race, religion, sexual orientation or economic level.

Sowin and Vernon head YNet with Chrissy Barnum and are known as its executive committee (ExCom for those in the know). To illustrate the prevalence of teen dating violence, the pair refers to a 2005 Liz Claiborne Foundation national study that says 1 in 3 teens report seeing a friend or peer hit, punched, kicked, slapped, choked or physically hurt by a partner. The study also says nearly 1 in 5 girls say a boyfriend threatened violence or self-harm if presented with a break-up.

Closer to home, the Connecticut Department of Public Health says 361 of 2,256 Connecticut teens surveyed in 2005 reported being hit, slapped or physically hurt by a partner the previous 12 months.

"And that's why we're here," continues Vernon. "We are here to let people know how much it happens, to let people know there is help and how to get it. We are here to prevent teen dating violence."

Participants of YNet - short for Youth Network - raise money and award grants to groups with similar missions, educate the public about teen dating violence, volunteer in programs that help people cope with violence and participate in social change campaigns - all components of what they call socially engaged philanthropy.

"This means working to change conditions and influence laws, policies and the way people think about teen dating violence," says Sowin. "We want to focus on justice, not just charity."

The principle of socially engaged philanthropy is borrowed from the Center For Youth Leadership, a youth activism program at Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk, developed nine years ago by Bob Kocienda, a faculty adviser. It consists of the Senators Community Foundation, a 120-member group whose mission is the prevention of child abuse, and the Peace Project, which aims to promote safe schools and communities with an emphasis on day laborers, human trafficking and teen dating violence.

Today, CFYL acts as the "mothership model" for other area schools: YNet, now in its second year; the Mayor's Youth Leadership Council at Westhill High School in Stamford, which took on safe schools and communities as its mission this year; and Stamford High School, which like YNet, adopted the prevention of teen dating violence.

"The schools have to come to us," says Kocienda, who also serves as adviser for MYLC. "We walk them through the model and how to implement the four elements." The schools are free to choose the issue they wish to address and encouraged to share information and strategy whileremaining autonomous in their efforts.

At the presentation, Sowin and Vernon describe the group's partnership with Domestic Abuse Services at the YWCA of Greenwich since 1996, when it was known as YW-Net, or Young Women's Network (more than a year ago, they took out the W to reflect male participation in the group).

What stands out is their passion, underscoring their authority while supporting the activism they attempt to inspire in the group.

Sowin and Vernon explain their motivation to correct injustice was sparked by growing awareness of the teen dating violence that affects classmates and young women their age. With awareness came indignation. What followed was an opportunity to do something about it.

"They're here, they're loud and they're proud," says Suzanne Adam, director of Domestic Abuse Services at the YWCA, a member agency of the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence. To demonstrate how committed Vernon, Sowin and Barnum are, she describes the Purple Promise, a 20-hour volunteer training program given by DAS required of the YNet ExCom and available to any group member who wishes to help out at DAS.

Their commitment, adds Adam, supports their efforts to become agents for change, allowing them to take ownership of their activism. Doing it their way also lends credibility to what they do among their peers.

"It's part of what makes them special and effective," she says.

That effectiveness is the natural outgrowth of the four elements that make up socially engaged philanthropy, says Kocienda. "We want them to ask themselves: 'What do you want? What's in your heart? What's bothering you?'

Kocienda says socially engaged philanthropy inspires faith in social change but reminds group members that results take time. "It's really a learning opportunity, a chance to make a lifetime commitment to something. With that kernel, they learn how to find the resources and do social activism.

In 2006, the Peace Project released "I Love You, Baby," a comprehensive survey about teen dating violence that includes a survey of 458 Fairfield County students. It says 75 percent believe verbal abuse is a serious issue among peers who are in a relationship, 41 percent had a partner who kept constant track of them and 26 percent had been punched, kicked or slapped by a partner within the previous 12 months.

Sowin and Vernon cite these statistics to YNet's new membership. They also cover this year's activities, including tomorrow's House Party at the YWCA, a commemoration of Domestic Violence Awareness Month that blends music, comedy, dance and narrative to describe the effects of teen dating violence on teens and the larger community.

For YNet's Walk A Mile in Her Shoes this Saturday, members will recruit up to 361 male friends and relatives - the number symbolizing the statistic from CDPH - to don women's shoes and walk down Greenwich Avenue. For Drop Dead Day, yet to be scheduled, 361 activists will take to the athletic fields and drop to the ground in silence.

Sowin, Vernon and Barnum hope to hold up to four schoolwide public awareness activities like Drop Dead Day and four community-wide activities like House Party by January, which might include releasing balloons at once, moments of silence or distributing cards with statistics and hotline numbers during school events and around popular teen hangouts.

They also plan to hold fundraising dances and events during the year.

It's all part of a plan to get the word out, affect change and make a difference.

"Dating violence happens," says Vernon. "It might seem to be behind closed doors because people don't want to acknowledge it exists. But that's why we're doing this."

They are also doing it to help anyone who needs it.

"YNet needs to be out there so they know who we are," says Sowin.

'The Ritz' Is Back After 3 Decades

Terrence McNally's "The Ritz" was born during the 1970s sexual revolution, an era of liberation extravagantly celebrated at the Continental Baths, a gay New York bathhouse where an unknown Bette Midler, Barry Manilow, Wayland Flowers and others once performed for a towel-clad audience.

Today, its author calls the play, set in a bathhouse not unlike that exotic establishment, "a period piece."

"There was a time at the height of the AIDS crisis that I would not have allowed a revival ..., but I think we're ready to see it again," McNally says.

Enter the Roundabout Theatre Company, which has revived the comedy at another iconic 1970s landmark, Studio 54, in a production directed by Joe Mantello and starring Kevin Chamberlin and Rosie Perez.

"`The Ritz' is a sex farce, my tribute to Feydeau," says McNally, the author of "Love! Valour! Compassion!" and "Master Class" as well as the books for such musicals as "Kiss of the Spider Woman," "Ragtime" and "The Full Monty," referring to Georges Feydeau, the master of French farce during the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century.

"I always wanted to write in that style, and it's the only play I've done that way. I remember `The Ritz' with great affection and I've often wonder why I never wrote another one (farce). I think part of the reason was that it was just so much work. Farces are really fine-tuned. They are like Swiss watches.

"And they are very hard to get going all the exposition. But once they do, all you have to say is, `I'll think I'll go in the next room' and the audience gets hysterical. They know what's in the next room."

The plot of "The Ritz" could not be more ready-made for confusion: Straight garbage collector (Chamberlin) from Cleveland on the run from a Mob relative finds refuge in a gay bathhouse where a determined yet talent-free entertainer named Googie Gomez (Perez) mistakes him for a Broadway producer.

Not many theaters could produce "The Ritz" today making it perfect for the nonprofit Roundabout, according to the playwright.

"It's an ambitious play in terms of its physical size," McNally explains. "A small theater can't do it. There's close to 30 people in it, a lot of people with one or two lines. You can't say it's a bathhouse and only have the principals on stage. Where's everybody else?"

Then there's the large set, designed here by Scott Pask. It's three levels, and has, in keeping with French farce, "a lot of doors," McNally says.

Mantello had always been interested in reviving the play, which had a yearlong run on Broadway in 1975 and won a Tony for Rita Moreno, who originated the role of Googie Gomez. Serious thoughts of resurrecting "The Ritz" first surfaced after Perez went into the Broadway revival of McNally's "Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune," which Mantello directed in 2003.

"We all loved working with her, and Joe said Rosie was the only one who could do Googie Gomez now," McNally says. "Rosie is from Brooklyn. She is of the streets and of the people."

"They didn't have to twist my arm," Perez says with a laugh. She had read "The Ritz" in high school and then again in college. Plus she had been a fan of Moreno's since watching her on "The Electric Company."

"At first, it was a bit of a struggle for me because Rita Moreno is such an icon," the actress recalls. "I was putting a lot of pressure on myself. When I called her to ask her for her blessing in passing the torch, she said, `You don't need my blessing. Just make Googie your own and make her real.'"

The idea for "The Ritz" grew out of McNally's teaching days when he was a playwright-in-residence at Yale University more than three decades ago.

"I was assigned three or four students and I met with them twice a week, kind of a mentor program," McNally recalls. "At the same time, Bob Brustein (head of the Yale School of Drama) asked me to write a play."

Out of that request came what was then called "The Tubs," slang for the baths. The play had a well-received production at the Yale Repertory Theatre and was picked up by Broadway producer Adela Holzer.

"It got its title changed because at the same time a play came along off-Broadway called `Tubstrip,'" McNally recalls. "Everyone thought it would be confusing. At the time, I was very bummed, but now, in retrospect, I'm glad. `The Ritz' is a better title."

The play, a success with most of the critics, became one of the first plays with unapologetic gay characters to reach a mainstream audience.

"I kept thinking, `It's quite subversive. This play's being done on Broadway and no one is saying anything (against it),'" McNally says. "I think the play is about homophobia, and it celebrates liberation, exactly what Stonewall (the start of the gay rights movement in 1969) was all about.

One of the actors in the original Broadway production was F. Murray Abraham, who appeared as a frequent customer at the Ritz.

"I played a very flamboyant, very `out' homosexual," Abraham recalls. "He was someone who made a lot of noise about being gay in a happy, fun way. But, in fact, he was the sanest person on stage. That was a very important step. I think it's still important for people to understand. If you are gay, then be out. It's much healthier."

And Abraham had no hesitation about playing a gay man.

"Not a chance," he says. "It's a great part. The thing I discovered was how naive I was. Because I'm straight, they said I had to visit gay bars to see what the world was like. ... I had no idea how hot it was. People walking around in towels. All that steam. And there was powerful music happening all the time. It was a very sexy atmosphere."

The setting of "The Ritz," was considered quite exotic in 1975, according to McNally. "But based on rehearsals and a reading we did earlier this year, I think it still works," he says.

"I don't think people go to my plays for their plots. They are not melodramas `Oh, what's going to happen next.' I am more interested in what happens moment to moment between two people. But `The Ritz' is not like that. It has subplots. There are four different stories in `The Ritz.'"

According to Abraham, McNally "writes for actors. His plays are a pleasure to do, but what he says is important, too. And he's like a fountain he keeps on writing and writing and writing."

As Perez puts it, "I have never met a more funny, lighthearted playwright in my life and I've met a lot of them. And you get happy with him. It builds your confidence. That's what makes doing `The Ritz' so much fun."

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Actress Marsha Hunt Still Spry at 90

Marsha Hunt turns 90 on Wednesday, but you'd hardly know it. Her lovely face remains, remarkably, relatively unlined. She's slim and vigorous. And she has total recall of her life in Hollywood, including the infamous blacklist that almost killed her career.

Her 89th year has been a busy one. She was a guest of honor at the Noir Film Festival in San Francisco, where one of her films, "Raw Deal," was shown. And she later acted in a short noir drama filmed nearby. "I got it in one take," she says proudly.

Last spring, the mid-century screen star recited a traditional poem at the Hollywood Bowl's annual Easter sunrise service. She was supposed to read the selection, but because of an eye ailment she memorized all 96 lines, getting through it "without a net to catch me."

She recently produced a CD of pop songs by young Tony London, accompanied by the Page Cavanagh Trio.

And she's the subject of three paper doll collectables dressed in the high-fashion designs she wore on the screen, as well as a coffee-table book, "The Way We Wore," a gallery of her studio fashion photos.

Then there's the fan mail. "It pours in," she says, because of screenings of her movies on cable's AMC, TCM (which is showing a half-dozen of her movies on her birthday) and European television.

Hunt talked volubly during a recent interview at the sprawling San Fernando Valley ranch house where she's lived for more than six decades.

The blacklist is not among Hunt's favorite topics of conversation, but she agreed to discuss that period in Hollywood history, when congressmen hauled actors, writers and directors into hearings to test whether they were communists. Scores of careers were ruined.

At the time, Hunt who had signed petitions promoting liberal ideals and was belonged to the Committee for the First Amendment was doing a lot of work in that new medium called television.

"I was hot," she recalled. "I did the first Shakespeare that was coast to coast on TV. I was on the cover of Life magazine. I did a lot of talk shows, and three networks offered me my own talk show."

Upon returning from vacation in Paris, the offers for her own show were rescinded. She soon found the reason: She had been accused of leftist leanings by Red Channels, a publication that targeted supposed communists.

"I had one phony excuse after another, and I realized that I was now a leper," she said.

She figures she was targeted because she had spoken out at gatherings that opposed the red hunts "but none of them had any whiff of communism."

She had to wait seven years before the offers started again.

"It was never really over," she commented. "They never really acknowledged it because this was strictly illegal. It was restraint of trade, against the law in this country."

She was born Marcia Virginia Hunt in Chicago and reared in New York City, where her father was an insurance executive and her mother a vocal coach and opera singer. She skipped college to attend drama school, modeling as a sideline.

When she was 17 in 1935, she paid her first visit to Hollywood, telling interviewers that she wasn't interested in movies. This, despite she had "dreamed my whole life about being in films." The headline read, "Model Spurns Films." The result: four offers from studios. She chose Paramount Pictures.

After 12 films in two years and another year idle, she was dropped and eventually started making films at MGM as a per diem player.

"MGM was sheer magic," she remarked. "When I arrived at the studio for a one-day role, they parked my car. I went on the set and found a director's chair with a sign on it, `Miss Hunt.' Another sign was on my dressing room. I said to myself, `Any studio that treats a one-day player that way, really knows how to make pictures.' They won my loyalty."

She signed a contract with the studio and soon moved from B movies to A-list films.

Even though MGM boasted "more stars than there are in heaven," Hunt found there was no caste system. She recalled being in a shop at the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong, where she had ordered a custom-made dress. It wasn't ready and she was leaving for the U.S. She looked up and saw Clark Gable beside her. She had never met him, but he knew who she was.

"I can pick up your dress and deliver it when I get home," he said. Two weeks later, Gable rang the bell at her house and delivered the dress to her astonished husband. (She was married to director Jerry Hopper from 1938 to '43, then TV/screen writer Robert Presnell Jr. from 1946 until he died in '86.)

Hunt made three films with Greer Garson_ "Pride and Prejudice," "Blossoms in the Dust" and "Valley of Decision," and had one encounter with Greta Garbo.

Garbo thought of cutting the long hair she had worn in every movie. One day Hunt, who wore a short feather cut, got a call to report to the Garbo set where the star inspected her hair and nodded. Garbo wore the cut in "Two-Faced Woman," which happened to be her last movie.

How does Hunt feel about reaching 90?

"I'm so delighted about all of it," she said with enthusiasm. "I've had the fullest 90 years imaginable. I can't think of a year that was wasted. They were so crammed with variety and privilege and opportunity.

"I can't wait for the next 10. Then I'll look and see if it's worth hanging around for."

Roger Moore Receives Hollywood Star

Best known for playing James Bond on the big screen, Roger Moore now has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in front of an address that includes the spy's signature 007.

Moore, 69, received his permanent spot on Hollywood Boulevard on Thursday, accompanied by friends and family.

Moore made seven Bond films, starting with "Live and Let Die" in 1973 and ending 12 years later with "A View to a Kill" The British actor paid homage to the number of women he kissed on-screen while adapting Ian Fleming's leading man.

"Sadly, I had to retire from the Bond films," Moore said. "The girls were getting younger or I was just getting too old."

Moore has done some acting since leaving the Bond franchise. He has raised funds for UNICEF in underdeveloped countries and received a Commander of the British Empire award from the British government in 1999. He also was awarded a knighthood in 2003 for his work with UNICEF.

Moore's star sits in front of 7007 Hollywood Blvd., an ice cream parlor that claims to be the birthplace of the hot fudge sundae.

Pierce Bronsan is the only other actor who played Bond on the big screen to receive a star on the Walk of Fame

'Fat Wedding' Star Filming at Acropolis

ATHENS, Greece Nia Vardalos, star of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," stood under a big reflector on Saturday, filming a new romantic comedy among the dramatic ruins on the Acropolis.

The scene will appear in "My Life in Ruins," also starring Richard Dreyfuss, and follows a decision by Greek authorities to relax their ban on any commercial use of ancient sites.

Authorities vetted the script for historical accuracy and convened a panel of senior archaeologists to give final approval.


"Imagine how I feel being here shooting a movie ... I can't believe things like this can happen to me," Vardalos said late Friday before the Acropolis shoot.

Released in 2002, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" was a surprise international hit and earned Vardalos an Oscar writing nomination.

On Saturday, dozens of tourists gathered round a tiny set to take pictures of Vardalos. The 45-year-old Canadian actress plays a tour guide and has already been filmed at Delphi and Ancient Olympia, birthplace of the Olympic games a big deal for a girl brought up Greek.

Director Donald Petrie denied suggestions the script was watered down to secure access to ancient sites, saying restrictions to protect monuments were obvious.

"If the script had had a paintball war in ancient Olympia, I think they would have said no," he said.

"The only major restriction for us is that we treat the sites as they are. We don't bring in fake Roman columns," he said, smiling.

The love interest for the film is Alexis Georgoulis, an actor in a local television series.

"It's a romantic comedy, and we wanted a Greek actor who was experienced but not necessarily well known internationally," Vardalos said. "We found Alexis Georgoulis. He's a great kisser, a great actor and a great guy."

Dreyfuss said he had always wanted to come to Greece and was enjoying his time here.

"This (movie) is about the ever present possibility of love," Dreyfuss said.

"My Life in Ruins" is the first major project helped by the Hellenic Film Commission, recently created by Greece's Culture Ministry to lure international filmmakers to Greece.

Many females looking to try Sugar Daddy dating for the first time often asks what they need to do in order to meet a great guy. It is not surprising t

Many females looking to try Sugar Daddy dating for the first time often asks what they need to do in order to meet a great guy. It is not surprising that some of the members who joined MillionaireCupid.com to try out mutually beneficial relationships for the first time are often overwhelmed or disappointed. However, many of our members have formed successfully Sugar Daddy arrangements, and in this Women’s Guide to Sugar Daddy dating, I hope to share some of their success secrets.
Unlike what most people may think, sugar daddy dating isn’t the sort of relationship between a wealthy guy and a younger girl. To be specific, sugar daddy dating is really an arrangement between two people, where one is wealthy and the other is young and beautiful. Think of “Hugh Hefner” the king of all sugar daddies, and you will immediately understand what sugar daddy dating is all about.
Does it involve Sex and Money?
Many people often write to ask me if money and sex is involved in sugar daddy dating, and my answer is absolutely yes! Now tell me which relationship does not involve either money or sex? The traditional marriage involves both money and sex, and thus sugar daddy dating is no different. Except that in this case, it starts off as an arrangement – that is, an understanding between the two people involved that there are no commitments or expectations.
What is an Arrangement?
So what exactly is a sugar daddy arrangement? There are many types. In Hugh Hefner’s case, he dates many of his playgirls, and in return, they get an allowance, a boost in their career and even a room of their own in his Playboy mansion. Hugh Hefner becomes a benefactor and a lover. But there are many types of sugar daddy arrangements, for example, a married man looking for a mistress, an executive looking for a sexy “personal assistant”, a retired millionaire who wants a beautiful travel companion, a Hollywood producer who is looking to mentor a gorgeous aspiring actress, or a busy guy with at extra room in his home looking to sponsor a struggling college student with a rent-free arrangement.
Women’s Guide to Sugar Daddy Dating
Finding the arrangement that is right for you is a complex process, as many of the members on MillionaireCupid.com will tell you. As such, I have complied a list of “best practices” or a step by step guide used by some of the more successful sugar babies.
Step 1: Keep an open-mind. You must be open-minded to participate in sugar daddy dating. You will be certain to encounter all kinds of sugar daddies. You may find most sugar daddies are generous, wealthy and respectful, while you will most likely encounter the rude, crude, perverted, pretentious, and abusive types. As with normal dating, you need to keep an open-mind, and understand that just because you meet a bad person does not mean that everyone is bad. There are bad apples everywhere.
Step 2: Know what you want. The best way to screen out the bad apples, or men who are undesirable is to know exactly what you want and what you do not want in a sugar daddy arrangement. Put together a list of the things you look for and the things you will never tolerate. An example of what you may be looking for could include the following: respectful, generous, smart, can afford an allowance of at least $3,000 a month, and must be attractive.
Step 3: Be upfront about the budget. Yes, most people may say that it is superficial to talk about money up front, but when it comes to sugardaddie arrangements, the budget is the key to a happy relationship. By asking the question “what is your budget” upfront, you will be able to immediately separate the men from the boys, the haves from the have not’s. As for men who tell you its superficial to be asking about “budgets” upfront, tell them its superficial to be selecting someone based on “good looks”. Sugar daddy dating is about money and looks.
Step 4: Use your common sense. This is by far the most important rule. No matter what someone may say, do not trust them blindly. Trust must be earned. So if a man tells you he has so much money, don’t just take his words for it. Do your own research. Also, if your sugar daddy decides to help you by giving you an allowance, never accept a check if you don’t know him well. We have heard of horror stories of guys giving girls a check only to turn around to place a “stop order” on the check. These are the “bad apples” we talk about – men who have no business being sugar daddies. So, if you forget about all the other rules, this is the one you always must remember to use your common sense.
Final Advice
For those women who are willing to keep an open mind, sugar daddy dating may just be for you. I personally know of many happy sugar babies who have found successful sugar daddy relationships through MillionaireCupid.com. Beyond the four key steps I outlined above, the most important part of sugar daddy dating is to have fun. When you look at how Hugh Hefner and his playgirls conduct themselves, you will understand that life is short, and life is about trying anything once and having fun while you are at it. So for all those aspiring and future sugar babies out there, I wish all of you the best of luck!