L’AQUILA, Italy—George Clooney has toured the ruins of Italy’s recent earthquake and told the survivors he’ll shoot a film in their mountain region.

The actor inspected crumbled buildings during a visit on the sidelines of the G-8 summit in L’Aquila. The April 6 quake left thousands homeless and killed nearly 300 people.

Italy is holding the summit there to show solidarity with the victims.

On Thursday Clooney visited a tent camp for the homeless and kissed four women and shook hands with residents.

The actor said in September he’ll shoot part of a film in the area, which could help the local economy. The movie will be a thriller about a killer who tries to hide out in an Italian town.

Actor Bill Murray accompanied Clooney to help draw attention to the quake victims.



NEW YORK—Robin Williams is bringing his standup act back to HBO.

The cable network says a special of Williams performing in Washington will air in December. The show is part of the 57-year-old actor-comedian’s “Weapons of Self-Destruction” tour.

Williams has done four solo specials on HBO. The most recent, which aired in 2002, received five Emmy nominations. His relationship with HBO dates back to his appearance on a “Young Comedians” show in 1977.

Williams co-stars with John Travolta in the upcoming Disney comedy “Old Dogs.”



NEW YORK—James Bond and the Boy from Oz are coming to Broadway.

Daniel Craig, the latest cinematic Bond, and Tony winner Hugh Jackman will star in “A Steady Rain,” which opens Sept. 29 at the Gerald Schoenfeld (SHOWN’-felled) Theatre. Previews begin Sept. 10 for a 12-week engagement.

“A Steady Rain”—Keith Huff’s play about a pair of Chicago policemen—was a big hit in Chicago, where it received rave reviews two years ago.

Jackman won a Tony for his portrayal of Peter Allen in “The Boy From Oz.” It will be Craig’s Broadway debut.



LOS ANGELES—Michael Moore’s latest documentary now has a title—and a theme that resonates with recession-weary audiences.

Moore’s look at the consequences of big business will be called “Capitalism: A Love Story.” The documentary is due in theaters Oct. 2.

Overture Films says “Capitalism” examines the disastrous effects of corporate profiteering.

Regarding the “Love Story” mentioned in the title, Moore jokes that he felt it was time to make a “relationship movie.” He said it would make a great date flick because it has “lust, passion, romance and 14,000 jobs being eliminated every day.”



LONDON—Fiery horses and a cloud of dust, but no hearty “Hi-Yo Silver.”

A British horse racing track said Thursday it asked the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra to give a recital at its finishing post, hoping to wow spectators and spur the animals to quicken their pace.

Kempton Park race course, just south of London, staged the unique event on Wednesday, as the orchestra played the “William Tell” Overture, the “Lone Ranger” theme song, during a horse race.

Organizers said it was the first race staged with a live soundtrack.

Hopes that the music would encourage a speedier race were dashed—winning horse Action Impact covered that one mile, three furlong course (2.2km) in two minutes and 20.34 seconds, more than two seconds off the record pace.



LOS ANGELES—Michael Jackson’s dermatologist says he on occasion gave the pop star the painkiller Demerol but warned him about using the powerful sedative Diprivan.

Dr. Arnold Klein tells CNN’s “Larry King Live” that Demerol was among the strongest drug he prescribed Jackson and doesn’t know how he got Diprivan, usually administered by anesthesiologists in hospitals.

Investigators looking into the cause of Jackson’s June 25 death have homed in on drugs given the insomniac musician. Diprivan was allegedly found in Jackson’s home.

The dermatologist says: “If you took all the pills I had given him in the last year at once, it wouldn’t do anything to you.”

Klein said Wednesday he discovered that Jackson was using Diprivan while on tour in Germany. Klein told Jackson the drug was dangerous: “I told him he was absolutely insane.”



—The Associated Press