universal studios

• Entertainment Tonight has not retracted its false story that the Jolie-Pitt twins were born, although Angelina's attorneys say someone posing as her personal assistant, Holly Goline, sent out the incorrect story. — AP
• In other Jolie-Pitt news, the bidding over Brad and Angelina's baby photos is allegedly up to $15 million, with People and OK! Magazine as the final two in the game. — TMZ
• Made of Honor star Michelle Monaghan is expecting her first baby, due in late Fall. — lilsugar
• There are rumors that Hillary Clinton is conceding the race for President tonight; do you think she will end her run? — CitizenSugar
• Legendary rock and roll singer Bo Diddley died of heart failure yesterday at age 79, after months of illness. — AP
• Tatum O'Neal is blaming the death of her Scottish terrier for causing her to fall back on drugs and says she is happy she was arrested before she could use again. — NY Post
• Sarah Larson is devastated over her breakup with George Clooney, which was apparently sudden and unexpected since the two had discussed the possibility of marriage, according to her friends. — Fox News
• The fire at Universal Studios this weekend was ruled accidental, as it started from workers using a blowtorch to repair a set. — E! Online

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A fire broke out at Hollywood's Universal Studios around 4:30 a.m. Sunday morning. Nobody was seriously hurt, though the fire destroyed some set pieces and soundstages, including the courthouse square used for Back to the Future. According the AP, "Two mock New York and New England streets used both for movies such as Bruce Almighty, Spider-Man 2 and Transformers and as tourist displays were a total loss," and in addition to the courthouse square, "the famous clock tower that enabled Michael J. Fox's character in Back to the Future to travel through time was damaged." Thousands of videos were also destroyed, though Universal has duplicates of all the lost footage.

Today officials are saying the fire took over 12 hours to extinguish due to low water pressure and because "the sprinkler system on the outdoor sets was nearly useless." The cause of the fire is still unknown.

Many of the people quoted about the fire can't help but quip that the incident was just like what filmmakers crave when making a disaster film, except, you know, real.

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• Tatum O'Neal was arrested in NYC at 7:30 p.m. last night for buying cocaine and crack. Tatum said she was doing research for a movie role, but police found a pipe on her.— NY Post
• Yves Saint Laurent died of a brain tumor Sunday night at his home in Paris. The fashion icon was 71 years old. — FabSugar
• Sex and the City broke every R-rated comedy record, earning $55.7 million over the weekend and taking the number one spot at the box office. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull went down to second place with The Strangers coming in third. — BuzzSugar
• Ted Kennedy underwent surgery at Duke University Medical Center this morning for his malignant brain tumor. Following the surgery the senator will be treated with chemotherapy and radiation. — CitizenSugar
• Jack Black's second son was born about a week ago, the actor revealed at his Kung Fu Panda LA premiere, and the baby is named after his father. — lilsugar
• A fire at Universal Studios broke out on a backlot stage early Sunday, destroying a Back to the Future set, the King Kong exhibit, and a video vault. — AP
• As expected, Charlie Sheen and Brooke Mueller were wed Friday night in a small ceremony in Los Angeles. — People

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Well, Harry Potter fans, it's official: Universal Studios in Florida is opening a Harry Potter theme park called "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" in 2009. The park will include the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the Forbidden Forest and Hogsmeade village. The Variety article continues:

"The plans I've seen look incredibly exciting, and I don't think fans of the books or films will be disappointed," said author J.K. Rowling, who has been working with a creative team to make sure the park resembles the books and films.

The Potter park will allow visitors to view the iconic locations in Rowling's magical world, like Dumbledore's office in Hogwarts and the shops in Hogsmeade. Some locations may be in upcoming books.

Actually, I think this has the potential to be fun, and hopefully not too cheesy. The sketches for the theme park look pretty cool, so to view them, read more

If you're planning on visiting Universal Studios anytime in the future, you'll still get a taste of the thrilling rides that attracts so many people each year. What you won't get a taste of? Trans Fats.

Like so many others, Universal Studios has jumped on the healthy band wagon and stopped serving trans fats in 90% of the food served at its parks in efforts to combat heart disease in America. Walt Disney Co., announced in October that it will serve more nutritious kids' meals and phase out the artificial fats at its resorts as well.

Universal Studios has even gone a step further and added healthy side options too, including salads and fruit bowls. If you still can't fathom going to a theme park and not having fries, then you still can, they just won't be nearly as bad for your heart. NYC has already made the decision to ban trans fats and Massachusetts is on its way to banning them as well.

Fit's Tip: For now, skip the churro, a Spanish fried-dough pastry, because they will not be trans fat-free until the end of 2007.