Lawrence.com

Omaha gets a taste of Tinseltown

Omaha, Neb. - A bit of Hollywood came to Omaha as writer-director Alexander Payne returned to his hometown for the premiere of his latest movie, "About Schmidt."

About 900 people crammed into an auditorium Wednesday night to watch the dark comedy, which stars Jack Nicholson -- shown above with Payne -- as a retired widower who goes on a road trip to stop his daughter from marrying the wrong man.

Laughter marked most scenes and applause greeted the closing credits, which included many local people in the Nebraska-based production.

The movie, which co-stars Kathy Bates, Hope Davis and Dermot Mulroney, opens today in New York, Los Angeles and Omaha.

"It seemed like they got, just as I thought they would get, all the jokes and the references," said Payne, who also made Omaha the setting for his two previous films, "Citizen Ruth" and "Election."

Ex-husband takes on Tiegs

Los Angeles - Cheryl Tiegs' former husband has sued the model for allegedly not remitting $20,000 the couple's twin boys earned for posing in a magazine cover photo with their mother.

Rod Stryker, 45, filed the lawsuit Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court. He claims Tiegs was supposed to turn over the money that 2-year-old Jaden and Theo earned for posing for a More magazine cover photo.

But the 55-year-old model "misappropriated the funds for her own use," according to the lawsuit.

Attorney Neal Raymond Hersh, who handled Tiegs' divorce, said late Wednesday he hadn't seen the lawsuit and could not comment.

Stryker filed for divorce in October 2001 after three years of marriage and was awarded full custody of the boys, who were born to a surrogate mother. He was Tiegs' fourth husband and her former yoga instructor.

'Vice' star unloads vehicles

Los Angeles - Don Johnson is clearing out his garage.

Johnson is selling six vehicles from his stable of cars, including a silver Ferrari Testarossa he received from Enzo Ferrari in the 1980s when he was playing Sonny Crockett on the "Miami Vice" television series. Johnson drove a Ferrari on the show.

The actor, who turns 53 Sunday, also is selling cars from his old "Nash Bridges" TV show -- including the yellow 1970 Plymouth Barracuda convertible " and a 1949 Ford pickup truck he received from ex-wife Melanie Griffith.

Johnson's cars are among the expected 800 vehicles on the block at next month's 32nd annual Barrett-Jackson Classic Car Auction in Scottsdale, Ariz. The auction, considered the nation's premier collector-car event, takes place Jan. 15-19 at the Westworld resort in Scottsdale.