Doing good in Hollywood

Paul Newman is a man of many roles, starring in such films as “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “The Color of Money,” in which he won an Academy Award.

Although he has been incredibly successful as an actor, as well as a film director, he is as much of an inspiration off-screen as he is onscreen. His name is as famous in supermarkets as it is in Blockbuster stores.

The legendary Hollywood star, 83, is owner of Newman’s Own, the company that provides us with all those organic and tasty foods, grossing well over $200 million since its debut in 1983. Newman’s Own has always graciously donated all of its profits and royalties to charities.

As if that’s not enough, Paul Newman has just turned over the entire value of his ownership worth $120 million to charity. Although the humanitarian is speaking loudly about the importance of giving back, he is remaining private about the rumors surrounding his health.

According to numerous U.S. sources, Newman is battling terminal lung cancer but that rumor is being put to rest. Although his health status remains unclear, Newman’s rep just announced that the actor does not have cancer and the rumor is not true.

Music to whose ears?

What is the last movie on Earth that you would guess to be turned into an opera? I’m not lying when I tell you it’s “Brokeback Mountain.” Only in New York City would they turn the award-winning film about gay cowboy lovers into a dramatic musical event. “Brokeback Mountain, The Opera!,” will make its debut in 2013. That gives the NYC Opera five short years to make this wildly inspired idea make sense to the public.

Working through recovery

Unfortunately, Patrick Swayze hasn’t been making headlines lately for his work as an actor, until now. The ‘80s heartthrob, who charmed audiences in hits such as “Dirty Dancing,” “Ghost” and “Point Break,” was diagnosed in March with pancreatic cancer. However, this devastating news isn’t going to discourage the actor from doing what he loves. Swayze, 55, is set to star in the A&E series “The Beast,” in which he will play an FBI agent. It will begin filming this summer in the great city of Chicago. Swayze, who is responding well to treatment at the Stanford University Medical Center, will continue treatment during filming.

Beverly Hill-babies

B-list actress Jessica Alba and D-list actress Tori Spelling, each recently gave birth to a baby girl! Alba and husband Cash Warren, welcomed Honor Marie on June 7. Spelling and her husband Dean McDermott gave birth to their second child, Stella Doreen, on June 9. Their new addition came just in time to help promote the publicity-seeking couple’s Oxygen network reality show, “Tori and Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood,” which will premiere June 17.

Rumor has it ...

George Clooney and girlfriend of a year, former Vegas cocktail-waitress Sarah Larson, broke up over her recent breast augmentation. She underwent the surgery in mid-May, right before he dumped her and sources say it was because he wasn’t a fan of her new enhancements ... Are Cameron Diaz and Sean “P.Diddy” Combs a new item? The two were turning heads at Prince’s Beverly Hills concert on May 30 where they were being quite affectionate and flirtatious. The unlikely couple even enjoyed a romantic dinner before the concert where they shared two bottles of wine.

Deirdre Shattuck resides in Breckenridge and maintains her enthusiasm for celebrity gossip even while living in the mountains.