Talking points

Madonna is no Coppola

Madonna brought her directorial debut, “W.E.,” to the Venice International Film Festival last week, but the critical drubbing her work received was hardly welcoming. The film, about American socialite Wallace Simpson and starring Abbie Cornish, was dubbed “an extraordinarily silly, preening, fatally mishandled film” by the Guardian. Variety declared that, “burdened with risible dialogue and weak performances, the pic doesn’t have much going for it.” The singer and first-time director will next head to the Toronto International Film Festival next week.

Murphy to host the Oscars?

Eddie Murphy may have a new gig as the host of next year’s Oscars, according to Deadline. The “Shrek” star is reportedly at the top of the list for director Brett Ratner, who is producing the awards show, and Murphy is said to be “showing interest,” sources say. Murphy nearly secured Oscar gold himself for his role in “Dreamgirls,” but many believe his poorly received comedy “Norbit,” released during Academy voting, dashed his chances.

Lopez cries on set of ‘Idol’

Tensions are high at “American Idol” as Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler prepare for their second season as judges. “Me and Randy [Jackson] and Steve got into our first fight. I got really, really upset,” Lopez tells Ryan Seacrest during a radio interview. The row was apparently over the audition of a female singer whom Lopez found impressive but Tyler and Jackson wanted to dismiss. “She was amazing,” Lopez says. “I thought I was being Punk’d. How can we let this girl go? I was upset.”

Ronson remembers Winehouse at wedding

Mark Ronson took a moment while celebrating his recent wedding to model Josephine De La Baume to acknowledge one absent guest: Amy Winehouse. “Amy was a great friend of both Mark and Josephine and they would have been thrilled to have her with them at their big day, but sadly it wasn’t to be,” a source says, according to Us Weekly. “”Amy would definitely have sung one of her hits at the wedding if she were still alive, as she meant so much to both of them. Her death devastated the pair.”

For more gossip news visit Dorothy Robinson’s Word blog. Follow her on Twitter @DorothyatMetro.