Celeb Gossip, Find out what the stars are doing now

Hilary Swank is to play a femme fatale in The Black Dahlia, according to Variety.

The feature, helmed by Brian De Palma, revolves around two boxers-turned-cops investigating the brutal murder of Elizabeth Short, a crime that rocked 1940s Los Angeles. Swank’s character is a dead ringer for the victim who became known as the Black Dahlia and proves a dangerous seductress to the cops.

Swank joins Josh Hartnett and Scarlett Johansson in the drama. “This has shaped up to be a strong young cast with material and themes that play to Brian’s strengths,” said producer Art Linson. Shooting starts April 4 in Bulgaria.

‘The O.C.’ star Mischa Barton is in talks to join the cast of Dino De Laurentiis’ adaptation of Giovanni Boccaccio’s 14th century literary classic The Decameron, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Barton would play Pampinea in the period piece about a group of young Florentines who take refuge in the Italian countryside, amusing one another with stories of love and adventure, as the black plague devastates the city.

The film is expected to shoot next year in Florence and Rome, with David Leland at the helm.

Director Matthew Vaughn is in talks to helm Warner Bros. Pictures big-screen adaptation of the classic TV series The Man From U.N.C.L.E., says the Hollywood Reporter.

The series, which ran on NBC from 1964-68, featured the espionage adventures of Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin, agents of United Network Command for Law Enforcement (U.N.C.L.E.) who fight the forces of T.H.R.U.S.H. (Technological Hierarchy for the Removal of Undesirables and the Subjugation of Humanity).

Jennifer Lopez is said to have taken a substantial pay cut in order to play her new role as a down-on-her-luck mum in Miramax’s An Unfinished Life.

Past poor film performances with films such as Gigli and Jersey Girl are thought to be the reasons for Lopez’s usual salary of $12 million dropping to $4 million, according the New York Daily News.

“She felt the role would prove she could act,” a source told the paper.

Nicole Kidman talked to Melbourne Herald Sun newspaper about Bewitched and the special effects in the movie.

The actress was also spotted wiggling her nose the same way her character Samantha does when casting a spell. And contrary to some media reports, Kidman says she needed no special training to achieve the nose-twitching effect.

“I saw some article which said I did five hours of yoga facial exercising,” she said. “I was like, ‘Yeah right.’ Having studied Ms. Elizabeth Montgomery thoroughly, I’ve figured out it wasn’t a nose twitch – it was a lip twitch more.”

Snoop Dogg is set to play the lead role in Boss N’ Up, according to Production Weekly.

The film sees Snoop play ‘Corde,’ a charismatic player who sees a better way of life and financial success in the street game. His mentor is ‘Orange Juice,’ a veteran man of leisure with all the street credibility to back it up. OJ teaches Corde the rules of the game and raises him up as his young prot.

Rapper Lil Jon plays ‘Sheriff,’ a club owner who becomes one of Corde’s business partners. Rapper Trina plays ‘Dominique,’ Corde’s sexy lawyer who helps free him from prison. Production is slated for an early January start.

Rachel Weisz is to play the lead role in the historical drama James Miranda Barry, according to Production Weekly.

The story is set in 1814, and follows a woman of unknown origins graduating from Edinburgh Medical School disguised as a man. Dr. James Miranda Barry has the distinction of being the first woman doctor in the Western world.

She then served in the British Military disguised as a male surgeon for fourty-five years. The scandal of her elaborate deception did not surface until her death.

Other stars lined up include Sean Bean, Sean Pertwee and Janet Suzman. Marleen Gorris is set to direct.

Samaire Armstrong (Tv’s “The O.C.”) joined the cast of Untitled: Lindsay Lohan Lucky Project which will be directed by Donald Petrie, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

In the film, Armstrong will play the best friend of Lohan’s character, who is the luckiest lady around until she meets the unluckiest man. Armstrong’s character is a struggling songwriter whose songwriting comes into play later in the film.

Armstrong will film the role concurrently with the new season of “Entourage,” where she plays the loyal assistant to Jeremy Piven’s talent agent character.