Insider

For the past 23 years, Carrie Fisher and Penny Marshall have thrown themselves a joint birthday party every October (Fisher’s b-day is Oct. 21; Marshall’s is Oct. 15) at Fisher’s Beverly Hills home. As is often the case, the soiree, held this year on Oct. 19, was one of the glitziest events of the season. Among the 300 guests were Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Meg Ryan, Courteney Cox Arquette and David Arquette, Nicole Kidman, George Lucas, Matthew Perry, Mike Myers, Uma Thurman and Mark Wahlberg. Fisher, who celebrated her 46th birthday, and Marshall, who turned 59, poked fun at their advancing years with party favors that included adult diapers and denture cream, while the wait staff served dinner dressed in medical garb.

To the carry-on items that might get you hassled at airport check-in, we can now add Emmy statuettes. Security guards at LAX stopped New York-bound Laura Linney on Sept. 22 when they noticed a sharp-edged, fabric-wrapped parcel in her bag. A sheepish Linney identified the offending item as an Emmy. The curious guards then asked, “Did you win it?” Indeed she had—just hours earlier as outstanding lead actress in a TV movie for Show-time’s Wild Iris. With that, the trophy and its owner were permitted to board. Says Linney: “I was surprised they let me on the plane with it.”

Following a sold-out screening of his new anti-gun documentary Bowling for Columbine at California’s Mill Valley Film Festival on Oct. 11, Michael Moore stopped his Q&A with the audience to single out veteran actor Ed Asner, who was on hand for a tribute from the festival. An elated Moore told the crowd, “When I first started out I sent out thousands of letters to everyone in Hollywood asking for assistance. I received one response, with a check—and that was from Ed Asner. And this is the first time I’ve been able to thank you publicly.”

Call it a test run: Actress Carmen Electra and Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Dave Navarro, who have been engaged for a little over a year, recently bought a place together—a Beverly Hills three-bedroom house. “We’re turning one of the bedrooms into a closet,” reports Electra, 30. Adds the never-been-married Navarro, 35: “She’s very Imelda Marcos over here with the shoes.” As for when the nuptials will take place, Electra, who was previously wed for nine days to NBA bad boy Dennis Rodman, will only specify next year. “Living together could be a really scary thing,” she says, “but [so far] it’s been amazing.” Gushes Navarro: “I’ve never been happier.” His housemate laughs. “Okay, I’m going to puke now.”