The Beat

Bill Syken

June 11, 2007

ELISABETH SHUE (Leaving Las Vegas) was so serious about soccer as a teenager in the 1970s, she played in a boys' league since there was no girls' league in her part of New Jersey. A fictionalized version of her story is told in the new film Gracie. Produced by Shue and her brother Andrew (Melrose Place), the movie also deals with her family's attempt to cope with the death of her older brother. "We feel it's a wonderful story that people can learn from," Shue (above right, with star Carly Schroeder) told the Chicago Tribune.... Who wouldn't want to watch a TV show in which Vanilla Ice runs the risk of being gored by a bull? Figuring the answer was "nobody," the Country Music Television network greenlit Celebrity Bull Riding Challenge, featuring the rapper, actor Stephen Baldwin and Rocket Ismail, among others. The show, hosted by cowboy Ty Murray, debuts on Aug. 10.... The Food Network has found the perfect judge for a chocolate bake-off: Chocolate Thunder. On July 17 former NBA center Darryl Dawkins will appear on The Next Food Network Star, where he'll drop some chocolate knowledge on eight contestants vying for their own show.