James Woods: Soul of good cheer

Mr. Scary Guy gets scared; Drew Barrymore says wartime is unsafe. Plus: Leno -- autograph my hog!

Published October 10, 2001 4:03PM (EDT)

Maybe James Woods could use a few lessons in conquering fear from Billy Bob Thornton.

"I won't get on an airplane unless it's an absolute necessity," Woods tells the Calgary Sun. And that's just one of the ways the creepy actor has seen fit to adjust his life in light of the recent terrorist attacks.

"I won't go into a stadium, and I won't attend a big public event," he says. He's also refusing to travel to New York for the premiere of his new movie, "Riding in Cars With Boys," despite a specific request from Mayor Giuliani.

"I think too few people have grasped the reality we're totally and irrevocably at war," Woods opines.

And though he refuses to comment even now about the four Middle Eastern-looking men he told the FBI he encountered a few months back, he will say this. "I've spent a great deal of time lately talking to the FBI and have learned some startling things. I'm convinced, as they are, that there will be more horrific acts of terrorism."

Nice of him to cheer us all up.

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The threat from within

"I've never worked in a time of war. I'm not experienced in this. It's very unsafe when you don't know how to function."

-- Drew Barrymore, who also stars in "Riding in Cars With Boys," on the dangers of junketing in dangerous times.

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When dimples and khakis just aren't enough

Colby Donaldson may have lost the big money on "Survivor: The Australian Outback," but he won something much more valuable: Jeff Probst's undying regard when it comes to his way with the ladies.

"Going out with Colby, you just saddle up and go for the ride," Probst tells TV Guide Online, revealing that he and the Texas tuffguy are cruisin' buddies to this day. "I've never seen more women give their numbers to a guy. Never!"

Never underestimate the effect of a Harley and a 10-gallon hat.

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The Professor and Mary Ann's torrid love affair, revealed?

"It answers all the questions, finally, but not really, but kind of."

-- Bob "Gilligan" Denver on "Surviving Gilligan's Island: The Incredibly True Story of the Longest Three-Hour Tour in History," which may have the longest TV-show title in history and airs on CBS this Sunday night.

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Juicy bits

Speaking of Harley guys, Jay Leno is hopping off his bike and onto the philanthropic bandwagon. The late night funnyman has been asking celebrities appearing on his show -- Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Denzel Washington, Nicole Kidman, John Travolta and Pamela Anderson, among others -- to sign one of his Harley-Davidson motorcycles. On Sunday, he put the much-scribbled-on ride up for auction on eBay. The moolah raised will go to the Twin Towers Fund. The bidding, which will end Oct. 17, currently stands at $73,200. Who knew they made leather chaps with such deep pockets?

All you people who had your legs ... I mean, fingers ... crossed for Sharon Stone can relax. The actress was released from the hospital on Sunday after undergoing surgery for a brain hemorrhage. Doctors at the University of California, San Francisco, say they expect her to make "a full recovery." She is, says UCSF chief of cerebrovascular surgery Michael Lawton, "completely intact neurologically " and "will have no medical restrictions on her personal or professional activities." In other words, she may yet "Basic Instinct" again ...

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Miss something? Read yesterday's Nothing Personal.


By Amy Reiter

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