MAMBA GOSSIP

Ryk turns down The Bachelor for the Olympics

Olympic hero – and possibly one of the most desirable men in the world – Ryk Neethling has reportedly turned down the opportunity to be the bachelor in question in the American reality television series The Bachelor. It seems that the show’s filming in September will come just too soon after the Olympic Games at which he’ll be representing South Africa. The 30 year old hunky swimmer, who’s training in Arizona, said that he’s keen to return home straight after Beijing and that his focus is solely on bringing home more Olympic gold. We’d love to see Ryk on television every week but knowing he’s close to home makes us feel all warm inside.

Hubby cheats on Sarah Jessica Parker?

Sex and the City star Sarah Jessica Parker seemed to have the perfect marriage with long-time actor husband Matthew Broderick, but things have apparently changed. US tabloid, Star, has reported that Matthew has been cheating on Sarah Jessica with a younger woman. The two reportedly met when Sarah Jessica was filming the SATC movie and the fling has been sizzling ever since. Perhaps in response to the apparent stresses in her marriage, Sarah Jessica has been spotted at public events minus the famous mole on her chin. It’s been claimed that the growth was surgically removed, not for health reasons, but just because she felt like it. Could comments from nasty critics who had nothing good to say about that massively amplified mole on the big screen have played a role?

Christian Bale gives Batman a bad name

They say there’s no such thing as bad publicity but the recent arrest of Christian Bale on the eve of the new Batman film’s massive opening in the US probably didn’t impress studio bosses. Christian was arrested after an altercation with his mother and sister in a hotel room argument. Details are sketchy but is claimed that the two women demanded money from the actor, and his mother (a former circus clown – yes you read that right) insulted his wife Sandra ‘Sibi’ Blazic. The star reportedly became enraged and some kind of scuffle ensued. The actor was released shortly after the arrest and was back on the job at the Dark Knight Barcelona premiere on Thursday night. The scandal hasn’t had much of a negative impact on the film: it’s been breaking box-office records since it opened.

Hairspray the sequel?

Hairspray creator John Waters has been hired to write an outline of a possible Hairspray movie sequel. John wrote the original low-budget film that led to the hit stage musical which in turn led to the recent Hollywood blockbuster. While director and choreographer Adam Shankman is set to return there is no word if the yummy Zac Efron, recently proudly photographed with another gay favourite David Beckham at the ESPY Awards, will once again take part.

George Michael “relieved” after cruising arrest

Singer George Michael has said that getting arrested for cruising in a Los Angeles public toilet in 1998, which led to him being outed by the media, was a “huge relief.” In an interview on Good Morning America the star said that “It was a very eventful and bizarrely dark period for me that I thought was going to go on forever. It was a huge relief and it took me about a year to admit to myself that I had done it, deliberately.” He went on to add, “The truth is, cruising has gone on for as long as there have been men trying to hide their sexuality.”

Rocky Horror set to be remade

A Rocky Horror Picture Show remake? We never thought that anyone would be so brave (or foolish) as to take on the task of remaking the cult film, but it seems that this may just happen. It’s been reported that the proposed remake will use the film’s original screenplay by Jim Sharman and Richard O’Brien but may include changes to the musical score. We’d like to see a Hollywood actor with the balls to try step into Tim Curry’s (very high) shoes. Brendan van Rhy, who is currently playing the sweet transvestite in the Joburg stage production to great acclaim, might however be an option.

About that Meryl Streep / Madonna feud

While Madonna’s brother Christopher Ciccone continues to make television appearances to promote his tell-all backstabbing book about his sister, actress Meryl Streep has commented about her long-standing feud with the star. Turns out, according to Meryl, that there isn’t one: The New York Times said in 1991 that Meryl was furious about Madonna “stealing” the role of Evita from her and claimed she said: “I could rip her throat out. I can sing better than she can, if that counts for anything.”

Speaking recently to USA Today to promote the film musical Mamma Mia!, Meryl denied making the statement: “No, I didn’t say it. That’s one of those things you can never erase from whatever it is, the Internet. Why would I say that? I was out of the running by the time they got the movie together. It’s a fabulous story, though. Oh, and I don’t think I can sing better than her. And I certainly can’t dance better.” Well, there you have it.

Casper Van Dien bares all again

You may remember the highlight of the 1997 science fiction film Starship Troopers being the scene in which we saw the drop-dead-gorgeous Casper Van Dien in the buff in a sizzling shower scene. It’s a much treasured film moment here at Mamba Mansions and one that is set to be repeated. While Casper’s career as been in the toilet for a number of years, he’s now set to appear in the third Starship Troopers sequel (the second went straight to DVD). And, true to form, he’ll be flaunting his still exquisite bod on camera as evidenced by these new pictures. Yay!

Spotted…

Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo relaxing poolside at the Beverly Hills Hotel while recovering from his knee surgery. He may be overdoing the tanning a tad though, he’s looking positively ‘well-done’ and leathery.

Bloody Project Runway runner-up Rami Kashou was rushed to the emergency room after a fight at The Abbey in West Hollywood. The designer was apparently struck in the face with a martini glass. A martini glass? Now that’s a gay bar brawl….