ROLL CALL: Lohan Gets Loud, & Alba Gets Serious

Your Daily Dispatch of Celebrity Shenanigans by Tommy Vergason

May 17, 2007

CONFLICTING REPORTS: Lindsay Lohan reportedly raised a screaming ruckus at a New York City hotel Monday night, seemingly over a conflict with rumored flame Calum Best — though reports on exactly what happened differ. THE NY POST’s PAGE SIX claims that Lohan and Best got into a “screaming match” at the Soho Grand that started in the penthouse and ended up in the lobby. “Calum’s clothes were torn, and after a few minutes, they got back into the elevator and went back to their room,” reportedly said one onlooker. THE NY DAILY NEWS’ RUSH & MOLLOY have a different take, reporting that Lindsay returned to the hotel with friends (Best not among them) and “was screaming about how Calum was cheating on her,” claims a source. According to their report, Lohan and Best have been staying in separate suites, and Lohan was “gently escorted to her suite” by hotel management when guests complained about the screaming.

Both reports say that Lindsay and Calum were at Stereo together the following night, and both claim that friends of Lohan do not approve of Best and his treatment of Lindsay. A rep for Lohan had no comment when contacted by PAGE SIX, but Lindsay had a comment of her own for Access’ Dish of Salt correspondent Laura Saltman last night. When asked about her busy week traveling between The Bahamas and New York, Lindsay replied that she’d been in New York for a while, adding, “Don’t you read the New York Post?”

More Celebrity Scoop After the Video!

DAD’S BLESSING: Jessica Simpson has reportedly gotten the “stamp of approval” on her current relationship from someone very important in her life: her father. Joe Simpson commented on Jessica and John Mayer to PEOPLE, reportedly saying, “If Jessica is in love, I love the things she is in love with. I want her to be happy. I’m always a fan of [Mayer]. I love him; he’s got great music.” While Mr. Simpson (who also manages Jessica’s career) was rumored to be unhappy about her previous marriage to Nick Lachey, he reportedly says that Mayer is a different story. “I think the beautiful thing is that [he and Jessica] don’t do the same thing,” he is quoted as saying. “He’s a legend already. There is no competition. He’s a guitarist; that’s his thing. Jessica is a singer. She doesn’t play guitar, so there’s no competition.” PEOPLE spoke to Joe in NYC at the ABC upfront presentation, where he was touting “Women’s Murder Club,” a new show he’s executive producing.

MORE THAN A PRETTY FACE: In a revealing interview with GQ.COM, Jessica Alba opens up about her efforts to be taken seriously as an actress, rather than just a sex symbol. “Right now, I’m just exploring what my contribution to this business is,” she reportedly says, “other than wearing a bikini and getting caught by the paparazzi.” Alba speaks of her upcoming six movies in the interview, reportedly saying that the surge of productivity could help movie execs, as she wryly puts it, in “getting past my hotness.”

MADONNA’S ‘FILTH AND WISDOM’: Madonna is reportedly in production on her first directing project, a comedic short film called “Filth and Wisdom.” JUSTJARED.COM posted photos yesterday from the film’s shoot in Central London, in which Madonna’s adopted son David Banda is seen visiting the set with his nanny. The photos, credited to Pacific Coast News, include a shot of Madonna holding a script and another of her (presumably) blowing kisses to 18 month-old David. “Filth and Wisdom” is reportedly based on Madonna’s own life experiences, and is reportedly planned to be about 30 minutes in length.

CANNES CASTING BONANZA!: Some casting news from the Cannes Film Festival: Sienna Miller is set to star in a film adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s comedic play “A Woman of No Importance,” reports THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, alongside Annette Bening and Sean Bean. Filming will reportedly begin in September. VARIETY reports that Elijah Wood will star as Iggy Pop in “The Passenger,” a biopic of the legendary rocker. The film is scheduled for a Summer 2008 release. And finally, Michelle Williams, Bryce Dallas Howard and Evan Rachel Wood are lining up to play the legendary literary sisters Charlotte (author of “Jane Eyre”), Emily (“Wuthering Heights”) and Anne Bronte (“The Tenant of Wildfell Hall”) in the upcoming biopic “Bronte”, reports VARIETY.