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July 10, 2000
Web posted at: 5:04 p.m. EDT (2104 GMT)

From staff and wire reports

Today's buzz stories:

• Eminem's wife reportedly attempts suicide
• Director outs 'Blade Runner' android
• Leno defends workaholic ways
• Bruce Willis impressed by `Kid' co-star

Eminem's wife reportedly attempts suicide

Eminem

STERLING HEIGHTS, Michigan -- Kim Mathers, the wife of chart-topping rapper Eminem, tried to kill herself Friday at their home, a record company spokesman said.

"Eminem is obviously concerned about his wife's well-being," said Dennis Dennehy, director of media and artist relations for Interscope Records, on whose lapel the rapper's work appears. "As far as anything else, it's a private matter, which they'll be addressing privately."

Police said they went to the house about 11:30 p.m. and treated a woman, who was taken to the hospital and later released. They did not identify the woman or say how she reportedly tried to kill herself.

Eminem, whose real name is Marshall B. Mathers III, performed a concert in Auburn Hills Friday night and wasn't at home when the incident occurred. He is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday on assault and weapons charges, after being accused of using an unloaded gun to hit someone whom his wife kissed.

Director outs 'Blade Runner' android

LONDON -- Director Ridley Scott has put an end to the enduring mystery involving Deckard, the hero in his 1982 sci-fi movie "Blade Runner."

Turns out Harrison Ford's 21st-century cop had something in common with the genetically engineered androids he was chasing.

"He is a replicant," Scott told Channel 4 television in a documentary scheduled for broadcast Saturday.

Scott, who directed "Gladiator" and "Alien," wasn't too concerned about revealing the secret, even though he said the film's ambiguity is part of its allure.

"You revisit it constantly, like rereading one of your favorite books," he said. "You always find you get sucked in again."

Leno defends workaholic ways

Leno

LOS ANGELES -- He already earns an estimated $14 million a year for doing NBC's "The Tonight Show." But Jay Leno figures there's no harm in bringing in a few extra bucks on the side.

On top of his "Tonight Show" act, Leno works about 100 stand-up shows a year for corporate clients, earning as much as $100,000 per appearance.

"People always say, 'Oh, money can't make you happy,'" he told the Los Angeles Times. "But if you're already happy, money can make you happier."

He says his work habits aren't a big deal, figuring plenty of non-show business types work just as hard -- but without the fanfare.

Bruce Willis impressed by `Kid' co-star

LOS ANGELES -- When 8-year-old Spencer Breslin auditioned for "Disney's The Kid," Bruce Willis struggled to keep a straight face.

"He kept giggling at how wonderful and alive and funny Spencer was," director Jon Turteltaub said. Surprise: Breslin got the job.

Breslin

"He's a real kid, you know," Willis told CNN's Showbiz Today. "He's talented and interesting to watch and to hang out with, but he's un- Hollywood-ized."

Although "The Kid" is his first feature film, Breslin has made more than 50 TV commercials and a TV miniseries.

In the film, Willis feels sorry for the kid he used to be -- the kid, for his part, doesn't think too much of the grown-up Willis.

But in real life, Breslin can look ahead to 40 knowing exactly what he wants to be: "A police officer and an actor," he said. "A part-time actor and a part-time police officer."