British actor Bob Hoskins owes his career to being in the right place at the right time - a bar. The Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) star says he had no dramatic ambitions until, one day, a drinking pal of his was filming next door and he, rather tipsy, followed him in. Hoskins says "I walked in and they gave me a script and I read it, and they told me, 'No, out loud.'... And this character was a young thug which was right up my street. So I played the part, and as soon as I started doing it, I thought, 'Well, this is the business.'" And Hoskins says he had to rely on his own instincts as a substitute for any formal drama training. He explains "I had to learn to act my own way. I discovered drama is about private moment - revealing things you don't see. It just has to do with emotional honesty."

Skinny FRASIER star Jane Leeves has shocked friends with her skeletal appearance. Leeves, who plays DAPHNE in the hit sitcom, is a shadow of her former self, having shed dozens of pounds since landing her role on the show. She now ranks alongside the likes of fellow TV lightweights Calista Flockhart, Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox ARQUETTE. A pal says "everyone who sees her is shocked. She's gone from having a well-rounded sexy figure when she started playing Daphne in 1993 to looking emaciated. But when anyone says something to her about how skinny she is, she insists she loves the way she looks... She even joked that the camera adds weight so it doesn't hurt to stay slim." But the sitcom star says she exercises at least four times a week and claims she never worries about dieting because she's on metabolism regulated medication after having her thyroid removed two years ago during a cancer scare. She says "I've been thin my whole life. I now find myself in a restaurant eating more than I want to because I'm afraid that somebody's watching me."

FRIENDS actor David Schwimmer has badly damaged his leg while being whipped into shape by the BRITISH ARMY for his new television role. The 33-year-old actor has just finished training in a South of England boot camp for his role as an incompetent captain in Steven Spielberg's 13-hour television series "Band of Brothers" (2000) (mini). Schwimmer and his co-stars spent ten days undergoing rigorous physical training including five mile runs, an assault course and basic parachute training. But, while the American actors have lost so much weight their uniforms have had to be adjusted, the experience has left Schwimmer on crutches. Co-star TOYE says "David is now on crutches after hurting his leg... We all lost so much weight it is ridiculous. All our outfits are now being altered. None of us fit them anymore. Mine is just so baggy."

Screen legend Elizabeth Taylor has become just another senior citizen living out her days alone. The star's Hollywood mansion, once buzzing with star-studded parties, is now silent - as the only company the eight-times married actress entertains is her dog SUGAR. A close friend of the 68-year-old says."During her heyday, parties with up to 1, 200 special guests were planned to celebrate her birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and engagements."Today, she spends most of her nights at home along in her bedroom watching the shopping network and old movies." And Taylor, who once had the most eligible bachelors in Hollywood falling at her feet, is now reduced to being escorted to parties and charity functions by hired help. A friend says."Her life has changed completely. She always had a handsome, wealthy or interesting aristocrat on her arm. She thrived on falling in love." And pals say, without the men to impress, Taylor is letting her once stunning looks slide. One friend says."Today she's got a closet full of size 16 dresses that look like sacks. She also goes days without having her hair styled - something she'd never do in the past."

Legendary movie star Paul Newman has no intention of saving his fortune for a rainy day - he'd rather put it to good use. The 75- year-old philanthropic creator of the NEWMAN'S OWN food range and the HOLE IN THE WALL GANG camps for ailing children wants to live to see his money benefit the less needy. He says "what would I do with it? I mean I don't exactly live high on the hog and I have what I need I have what my family needs... It's better to give it away in your lifetime so at least you can see some of the benefits of it. I mean these people that horde it and then do something with it after their long gone." And the Color of Money, The (1986) star has seen many of the benefits of his selfless contributions. He adds "we have five camps now for children with life threatening diseases. We have one in Ireland and one in France, one in upstate New York one in Florida and one in Connecticut... And there will be close to 5, 000 kids that will go there this summer without cost."

The decision to cast American actor Johnny Depp to play ROBERT BURNS in CLARINDA - a film about the poet's life - has angered fans of the Scottish poet. The Scots had hoped Scottish actor EWAN McGREGOR would take on the role but McGregor, who is currently in Australia working on the next STAR WARS instalment, can't fit it into his schedule. But producer James Cosmo, who received backing from Scottish aristocrats THE EARL OF CAITHNESS and LORD SINCLAIR for the $27 million movie, believes Depp is "vital to production because of his international appeal." The movie focuses on a love story between Burns and the estranged wife of a Glasgow lawyer who inspired the poet's AE FOND KISS.

Dancer Michael Flatley is threatening to pull his naked photo from a leading woman's magazine after making sure he had complete photographic approval over the sizzling shot. Flatley is reportedly outraged by the nude shot taken by top magazine COSMOPOLITAN. And according to Flatley's spokeswomen, the LORD OF THE DANCE star is not the first celebrity to have taken offense at the magazine's centerfold pictures. Flatley's spokeswomen CAROLINE TURNER says, "Michael has complete photographic approval if he doesn't like it, it won't run... He has made sure he has picture approval because it is a bit of a nerve wracking thing to do... Cosmopolitan has had these problems before. Big names have been cross with the finished result and complained. The thing is, Michael can stop it."

The producers of Tom Hanks movie Cast Away (2000) are going out of their way to avoid the environmental controversy provoked by Leonardo DiCaprio's film Beach, The (2000). Last year 20th CENTURY FOX, which made Beach, The (2000), incurred the wrath of activists in Thailand who accused the company of causing irreparable ecological damage to MAYA BEACH on Phi Phi Island during filming. The WORLD WILDLIFE FUND (WWF) environmental agency said its investigations into the movie revealed CAST AWAY PRODUCTIONS INC had "gone to considerable lengths to avoid the public relations disaster that plagued... The Beach." The WWF says Cast Away Productions have also agreed to an environmental code of conduct with the local landowners, and signed a lease through the NATIVE LANDS TRUST BOARD (NLTB) for access to the island until the end of the year.

A Los Angeles couple ended up entertaining Italian director Roberto Benigni at their home after they spotted him through the window of their restaurant. The couple who were dining at GIRASOLE restaurant in Los Angeles were astonished to see the Life Is Beautiful (1998) director pacing up and down outside. The invited him to join them for a glass of wine, and when they mentioned their children were big fans of his Oscar-winning film, Benigni agreed to go home with them and meet the kids. After waking the children up, the delighted pair played the piano for their hero while the madcap director, not to be outdone, responded by putting on a CD and dancing for the whole family.

SAVED BY THE BELL star Dustin Diamond's childhood earnings have been frittered away by his parents - yet his dad is still living with him. Diamond, who played the nerd SCREECH in the teen comedy has earned millions over the years, but now the 23-year-old actor is nearly broke - and can't get another job. He says."My parents went through my money and a lot of it was wasted. I made about $250, 000 a year. I got 25 per cent of that until I turned 18... My dad used to teach electronics but he gave that up to drive me to auditions. I get a lot of, 'you should be grateful I gave up my career' comments... But 75 per cent of my money went out the window. My mother took some of the money too. She ran off and partied with it. My mom passed away in 1996 but my dad still lives with me. I'm on the borderline of kicking him out." And now Saved By the Bell is off the air, Diamond's career is in trouble. He says "I'm 23, I'm the longest-running geek in history. But I can't get a development deal to save my life."