Broadway stagehands to resume talks

New York – With the lucrative Thanksgiving week looming, striking Broadway stagehands and theater producers say they will start talking again – this weekend.

Local 1 and the League of American Theatres and Producers jointly announced Wednesday that they will resume negotiations “at an undisclosed place and time.”

“No comment from either organization will be issued until further notice,” both sides said in a joint statement.

Thanksgiving weekend is one of the best times for business on Broadway, with many shows usually selling out. It may have added to pressure for the union and producers to reignite their deadlocked negotiations, which have languished since last week.

“Today’s announcement … is a very important step forward,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who reiterated his willingness “to help resolve these disagreements and let the shows go on.”

The stagehands walked off the job Saturday, shutting down 27 plays and musicals.

Spielberg to receive Cecil B. DeMille Award

Beverly Hills, Calif. – Steven Spielberg will receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award for his “outstanding contribution to the entertainment field” at the 2008 Golden Globe Awards.

Josh Brolin made the announcement Wednesday at The Beverly Hilton, calling Spielberg a “one-of-a-kind talent.”

The 60-year-old director has won six Golden Globes and three Oscars – best director and best picture for “Schindler’s List” and best director for “Saving Private Ryan.”

He has also received lifetime achievement honors from the Directors Guild of America, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the American Film Institute and the Kennedy Center.

He is in post-production on “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” which will be released next year.

Spielberg will be presented with the Cecil B. DeMille trophy at the 65th annual Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 13. The awards will air live on NBC.

Rumer Willis was named Miss Golden Globe, who assists in the awards ceremony. The honor is traditionally granted to the offspring of a well-known celebrity.

Willis, 19, is the daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, so she is “doubly qualified,” said Hollywood Foreign Press Association President Jorge Camara.

Matt Damon 2007’s ‘sexiest man alive’

New York – Matt Damon has been named the “sexiest man alive” by People magazine, an honor that has been bestowed twice on his pals George Clooney and Brad Pitt.

The 37-year-old actor is featured on the cover of People’s annual issue, on newsstands Friday. Damon, who is married to Luciana Bozan, said the honor came as a surprise.

“You gave an aging suburban dad the ego boost of a lifetime,” he says in a letter published in the magazine. “My 9-year-old stepdaughter now thinks I’m cool – well, cooler.”

Damon, who has a 1-year-old daughter, Isabella, with Bozan, says “all the campaigning” by Clooney and Pitt had finally paid off.

“Unfortunately, after all those years out on the trail, the meet and greets, the fundraisers, the stump speeches, I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that this is a mantle I wasn’t meant to hold,” he says in the letter, which was signed “Matty.”

“Don’t get me wrong, though. I was really shocked and happy (Lucy said I actually blushed) when I heard the news. So I can’t thank you enough for that.”

Nancy Grace in hospital with blood clots

Atlanta – Nancy Grace, who gave birth to twins earlier this month, has been hospitalized with blood clots in her lungs, a complication of her recent pregnancy.

The 48-year-old Headline News talk anchor sought treatment Sunday after she experienced discomfort and began having trouble breathing while on her way to church, said CNN spokeswoman Janine Iamunno.

“She was brought to the emergency room in Atlanta,” Iamunno said in a statement Tuesday. “Her doctors found two blood clots in her lungs, which occurred as a result of the pregnancy. She is currently recovering and is expected to be released by the end of the week.”

Iamunno declined to identify the hospital for security reasons.

Grace gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, after doctors induced labor two months before her due date. The babies were born Nov. 4. John David weighed 5 pounds, 1 ounce and Lucy Elizabeth weighed 2 pounds, 15 ounces.

She had developed a pulmonary edema – fluid in the lungs – and doctors told her it would be better for her health, and that of the children, if they induced labor early, the network said.

Ellen Pompeo quietly marries record producer

New York – Ellen Pompeo promised she wouldn’t have a big wedding. She kept her promise.

Pompeo, who plays Dr. Meredith Grey on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” tied the knot with record producer Chris Ivery last Friday in a ceremonial office at City Hall, with Mayor Michael Bloomberg as a witness.

Pompeo, 38, and Ivery became engaged last November, after dating for three years. In an interview last August, she said they didn’t plan a big ceremony because “we want one thing to ourselves.”

Bloomberg and Deputy Mayor Patti Harris were the two witnesses, and an official from the city clerk’s office performed the ceremony, Bloomberg spokesman Stu Loeser said.