People

Julia Roberts in hospital

Los Angeles — A pregnant Julia Roberts was hospitalized over the weekend after experiencing a series of early contractions, People magazine reported.

The actress was accompanied by her husband, Danny Moder, when she was admitted to an undisclosed hospital Saturday night. The contractions eventually stopped, but she remained under observation, People reported Tuesday, citing unnamed sources.

The 36-year-old movie star is expecting twins — a boy and a girl — in early January.

People said Roberts’ condition wasn’t serious, but that her doctors had advised bed rest until her due date.

Roberts turns 37 today.

Bush top movie villain

London — Readers of a British magazine have rated President Bush the year’s top screen villain, for his appearance in Michael Moore’s documentary “Fahrenheit 9/11.”

Bush beat out a shortlist of fictional film bad guys, including the nefarious Doctor Octopus, played by Alfred Molina, in “Spider-Man 2”; cannibalistic Leatherface in “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre”; Andy Serkis’ creepy Gollum from “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy; and the eyepatch-wearing assassin played by Daryl Hannah in “Kill Bill: Vol. 2.”

Almost 10,000 people voted in the poll, conducted by Total Film magazine. Results were announced Wednesday.

Queen Latifah dropped ‘Ball’

New York — Had things worked out differently, it might have been Queen Latifah in “Monster’s Ball” instead of Halle Berry.

The rapper-singer-actress says she was slated to play the lead in the movie that netted Berry the Oscar for best actress in 2002. Berry was the first black to ever win an Oscar in that category.

“I actually had that role before Halle. But they couldn’t set it up. It would have been me, Sean Penn and Robert De Niro,” Latifah told The Associated Press in a recent interview.

Instead, the low-budget drama starred Berry, Heath Ledger and Billy Bob Thornton.

The return of ‘Kojak’

New York — “Who loves ya, baby?” Ving Rhames does.

Rhames has signed with USA Network to a weekly series of “Kojak,” debuting in March, Bonnie Hammer, president of USA Network and the Sci Fi Channel, said Tuesday. Filming begins in January in Toronto.

Production wrapped in August on a two-hour original movie, which will now serve as the premiere episode for the nine-week original series, the network said.

Telly Savalas starred as the stylish, crome-dome Lt. Theo Kojak in the police drama, which aired from 1973-78.