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Director Lee Daniels insists he never thought that his new movie, Precious, would have much success.

In fact, he never even thought it would be released in theaters.

"I thought it was going to go straight to DVD," Daniels told me last night at Precious' AFI Fest 2009 presented by Audi premiere in Hollywood. "I mean, who was going to want to see a movie about an obese black girl learning how to read?"

But then he got a call from Oprah Winfrey…

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Paramount Pictures

Beam us up, Scotty!

Zoe Saldana says she's on board to start filming the sequel to this summer's blockbuster megahit Star Trek.

"We're working on it," Saldana, who plays Uhura in director J.J. Abrams' revived sci-fi franchise, tells me. "They were calling to see where we were going to be and how my schedule is next year."

She smiled, "Just that was worth me doing a cartwheel when I got the phone call, because I cannot wait to put on the suit and go back to the Enterprise, take my shirt off and be with all those yummy guys."

For those who can't wait that long for more Saldana, we've got Avatar coming up. Yes, she's seen director James Cameron's much anticipated flick, in which she stars as Neytiri…

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Will the ultraliberal, gay-friendly Sundance Film Festival be hurt by the passage of California's antigay Prop 8?

It's a possibility.

Earlier this week, John Aravosis, editor of liberal political blog Americablog, posted a story suggesting the state of Utah be boycotted in order to punish the Mormon Church for its rabid support of Prop 8, the ballot initiative that has now banned same-sex marriages in California.

The Robert Redford-founded not-for-profit Sundance is located in Park City, Utah, and relies on the yearly festival as its major fundraiser to support its programs and services. Next year's run in January is expected to draw at least 50,000 people, according to festival rep Brooks Addicott.

"Unfortunately, Sundance is located in a really bad state," Aravosis said.

And things got even sticker earlier today...

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Are 50 Cent and Tracey Edmonds dating?

Um, no. But rumors of a possible love match between the hip-hopper and Eddie Murphy’s ex are exploding across the Internet. Reports claim they hooked up at the Sundance Film Festival.

As I first told you, Edmonds attended VitaminWater’s private dinner for 50 Cent on Jan. 19, before his concert later that night at Harry O’s. 

While reports have the two practically inseparable, Edmonds' rep tells me the only interaction they had was a simple hello. “They are not dating,” the rep said.

And speaking of Edmonds’ love life, word from the Thompson Beverly Hills hotel on Saturday had it that Eddie's ex was still wearing the engagement ring he bestowed when he proposed in July.

Onlookers report Edmonds was wearing a “massive rock” that resembled the eight-carat Cartier ring when she stopped by the hotel for Glamour magazine’s Glam Suite with Hugo Boss and Keds.

But no, it wasn’t Murphy’s bauble. Her rep says it was her own amethyst birthstone.

As for Murphy, he’s doing just fine since he and Edmonds split just two weeks after getting married on New Year's Day. He was spotted at the opening bash of Bank nightclub at the Bellagio in Las Vegas on Friday night getting very cozy with female admirers, according to fellow partygoers.

For more about 50 Cent at Sundance, click over to my colleague Ben Lyons' interview with the rap star and actor in the Lyon's Den.

Randall Michelson/WireImage.com, George Pimente/WireImage.com, AP Photo/Dan Steinberg, George Pimente/WireImage.com

I'm back home, but the scoop from Sundance just keeps coming. Read on for the latest scoop on Sarah Jessica Parker, Jessica Alba and a pair of celebs caught stripping down at a party!

First up, Mischa Barton is at Sundance promoting Assassination of a High School President—and I hear she’s finding some time to celebrate her 22nd birthday today. I’m told plans are being finalized for a birthday party in just a few hours. It’s looking like it will be Barton and about 25 friends in a private room at the ChefDance dining series. I also hear Sharon Stone and Jimmy Fallon may also be there for a dinner celebrating their movie, The Year of Getting to Know Us.

But back to Barton: She hit the swag suites and picked up Stella McCartney shades from the Solstice Sunglass Boutique at the Hollywood Life House, along with a pair of not yet available oversize Balenciaga sunglasses.

Also at Hollywood Life, Mena Suvari showed things are still going strong with her boyfriend, party promoter Simone Sestito. I saw the lovebirds hanging out there as Suvari got a pair of limited-edition Asics boots. (Only 100 were made, and they were just for Sundance celebs.)

Meanwhile, I got some more deets on Sarah Jessica Parker’s swagging while she was in Park City. The other day I was the first to tell you that Parker, who hit the festival for the flick Smart People, picked up freebie Spyder jackets, Love from Australia boots and Guitar Hero III at Fred Segal at the Lift. Well, I just got word she also walked away with items from the Scarlet Poppy Arte clothing and linen company and a Glam Rock manicure kit.

And how will Jessica Alba shed her pregnancy pounds? While making the rounds at the Kari Feinstein Style Lounge, Ms. Alba was given Reebok fitness equipment, including a treadmill, an elliptical machine and a stationary bike!

Why were Olivia Wilde and Bijou Phillips stripping at Stereo the other night? No, they weren’t getting naked. They were putting on some Scanty thermal sets, because the clothes they were wearing were donated to be auctioned off by Clothes Off Our Back to benefit children’s charities.

Now, whatever happened to the much buzzed about surprise performance by U2 at the Greenhouse after-party for their flick, U2 3D? I’m told they were all set to go—they apparently even had a sound check earlier in the day—but ditched the plans after drummer Larry Mullins Jr. decided not to go to the bash.

U2’s The Edge, however, was around for a few more days. He was spotted on Sunday night at Self magazine and Origins’ launch party for the Harmony Project, a new art group promoting social and environmental causes. The evening included the debut performance of Moby’s new band, the Little Death.

Speaking of music, David Arquette filmed pal Lukas Haas’ performance on Monday night at Teddy’s at the Lift. Earlier that same night, celebs like Jodie Foster, Danny Glover and Andie MacDowell toasted new talent at Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch shindig at the Stein Eriksen Lodge.

Marc Ecko

One shindig I’m definitely miffed I missed was designer Marc Ecko’s Adventures in Wonderland tea party. People in white rabbit costumes greeted guests like Haas, Adrian Grenier, Kim Kardashian and Chamillionaire. The party included displays of Ecko’s artwork, including a mixed-media piece (above) featuring a distraught Humpty Dumpty who appears to be infatuated with Grenier’s most recent reported hookup, Lindsay Lohan.

Jeff Vespa/WireImage.com

Now, take a look at the photo of me to the left. I’m wearing Tundra Gear’s big pink fuzzy Dr. Zhivago-esque hat. As I told you last week, Survivor winner Aras Baskauskas started Tundra Gear. What I didn’t know then is that 10 percent of the company’s profits go to the Cheshire Project, a creative arts program for people with disabilities. And proceeds from the pink number also go to fight breast cancer. Nice!

Well, that's it from Sundance. Maybe. The festival runs until Sunday. You just never know what can happen between now and then.

—Additional reporting by Laura Lane

Paramount Pictures

Lee Marks didn’t know Heath Ledger personally, but that didn't stop him from choking up when talking about the late actor.

Why? Because Marks says it was Ledger's role in Brokeback Mountain that helped inspire his own work in Half-Life, a live-action/animated drama centered around an Asian American family living in Diablo Valley, California. The film, by writer-director Jennifer Phang, premiered last night at the Sundance Film Festival, which is where the actor talked about Ledger's influence on his performance.

Marks (below, left) costars as a teacher whose career is threatened when he becomes romantically involved with a man, played by Leonardo Nam (below, right).

“I always told myself that when I was able to play a gay character, I'd feel that I had arrived as an actor,” Marks said while fighting back tears at the movie's premiere. “I read an article about how Heath developed his character and what the character felt. I watched Brokeback Mountain about 15 times.”

Randall Michelson/WireImage.com

Nam, who grew up in Sydney, Australia, said he and Ledger hung out in the same social circle and shared an acting coach. “He was such a brave actor by the way he directed his own career, making choices such as Brokeback and now doing the Batman movie,” Nam said. "It's dangerous to reprise a role that has already been done by Jack Nicholson. It was incredible to choose that."

—Additional reporting by Laura Lane

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Tracey Edmonds isn’t letting the demise of her marriage to Eddie Murphy get in the way of having a good time.

Edmonds is making the rounds at the Sundance Film Festival. Sources tell me she was spotted on Saturday at VitaminWater’s private dinner for 50 Cent at ChefDance.

“She came through a back entrance and didn’t allow photos,” a fellow dinner-goer told me.

And then on Sunday, I’m told she hung out in the Fuse TV Lounge at Harry O’s during the 944 magazine and Tao party. “She was drinking and laughing with her girlfriends,” an eyewitness said.

Speaking of the 944 and Tao bash, Paris Hilton was there. Her upcoming comedy movie, The Hottie and the Nottie, had been feted earlier in the evening at a Bon Appétit dinner prepared by Iron Chef winner Cat Cora. When the movie’s after-party started at about 11 p.m., Hilton took a trip to the bathroom with two gal-pals. No biggie—except why on earth did her big male bodyguard join them in the loo?

After that, the heiress headed over to Harry O’s, where she jumped on stage during Velvet Revolver’s performance to bang a drum or two. Then she made her way to the Green Door Mansion to hang in the Dom Pérignon VIP room. The snowstorm was in full force by the time she wanted to leave. Hilton had to stay put for about an hour until the closed roads were reopened to traffic.

Meanwhile, Kirsten Dunst did her best not to be seen. She ran into Main Street Deli at about 9:30 p.m. on Sunday to get away from the crowd. “She just wanted the back door to ditch out of here because there were people following her,” an eyewitness said.

At about the same time, Dave Matthews was down the block at Butcher's having dinner. When a young female fan sent him a beer, he insisted she come over to meet him.

Sundance runs until Saturday. I’m going to have a lot more for you as the week goes on.

—Additional reporting by Laura Lane

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On Sunday, I told you my spies saw hotel heiress Paris Hilton and former My So-Called Life star Jared Leto getting cozy at the Sundance outpost Hyde at Village at the Yard.

Well, now you can see it. Click over to dlisted.com for a look at the lip-lock in question.

Still, no word if there are shots featuring Hilton's other alleged Sundance smooch...with Simon Rex!

James Devaney/WireImage.com

Sarah Jessica Parker was just spotted pickin’ up some freebies at Fred Segal at the Lift.

She took home a Royalty jacket from Spyder, two pairs of Love from Australia boots and Guitar Hero 3 for her son, James.

AP Photo/Dan Steinberg

My day started yesterday at about 8 a.m.

There was no time for breakfast, but I was able to down a quick cup of coffee before heading to the Kari Feinstein Style Lounge to interview Emily Blunt about her new movie Sunshine Cleaning. (The movie, costarring Amy Adams and about two sisters who open a crime-scene cleaning company, is one of the most buzzed about flicks of the festival).

 I’ll have more of my chat with Ms. Blunt later this week, but I must tell you that she revealed something quite, um, big about her singer boyfriend, Michael Bublé. When one of her posse handed her a box of size XL condoms from Proper Attire, she laughed, "These will be good for Michael."

E! Networks/Comcast Entertainment Group

I finally grabbed something to eat at the MySpace Café at the Lift, where Tom Arnold barreled in and quickly explained why he was so, well, wet. "I’m a sweater," Arnold said while wiping his forehead with a napkin before taking off for a ski-lift interview with David Carr of the New York Times. "I sweated when I was on cocaine, and I’m still sweating when I’m off cocaine."

I walked across the street to the Kenneth Cole Reaction suite and In Touch café, where Colin Hanks was spotted sipping Divine Chocolate Hot Cocoa. Paris Hilton was in the night before when the space became the nightly Park City outpost of New York City nightclub Stereo. She actually showed up between the parties for the Woody Harrelson flick Transsiberian and the launch of AnAmigo.com, a Facebook-like Website for dogs. Yes, dogs!

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Will Lindsay Lohan be heating up Sundance with Adrian Grenier?

The maybe-couple are expected at tonight’s imawake.com party. The Entourage star is performing with his band, the Honey Brothers. And Lohan, I’m told, is flying in for the shindig.

I'm Awake's goal is to plant 100 million trees by 2020 through its sale of T-shirts, hats and wristbands.

Also expected at the party is Paris Hilton, who was also romantically linked to Grenier this summer. However, Hilton and Grenier have always insisted they were just friends. Grenier was apparently advising the hotel heiress on how to become more green.

More Sundance 2008:  Full coverage from E! Online

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Just call it Swagdance. As many movies and parties as there are at Sundance, there are at least as many freebies. Celebrities will be gifted with just about everything here, from simple bottles of water to luxurious European getaways.

Here's the lowdown on what has already gone down, and I’ll have plenty more to report as the fest unfurls.

But Kardashian didn’t stop there. She scooped up some Lia Sophia jewelry, a white Treesje bag and some LnA T-shirts.

While checking out the headphones, Bones star David Boreanaz asked about installing Klipsch wall speakers in his home.

Jerome Ware/ZUMAPress.com

Klipsch is giving back in return. They’re asking celebs to sign some Klipsch XF-48 speakers that will be auctioned off for the WGA’s Industry Fund on charitybuzz.com.

One film-festival judge, Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden, walked away with a pair of New Balance sneaks.

And hey, eating is free, too!

Donovan Leitch and model wife Kirsty Hume and their adorable little blond-haired daughter, Lilac, had breakfast at the T-Mobile Diner at Village at the Yard, as did Rex Lee.

I've got more for ya. But you'll have to click below for my Planet Gossip Now videoblog.

More Sundance 2008:  Full coverage from E! Online