Lindsay Lohan and ... Warren Beatty

Lindsay Lohan and … Warren Beatty | Rob Thomas, Out of the Matchbox | Liz Smith Always Has a Home Here

What does Warren Beatty have in mind for Lindsay Lohan?

He has something, because Beatty is apparently dangling a new movie role in front of the irrepressible Lindsay. But it has some strings attached to it.

What I’m told is that Warren, the smartest guy in Hollywood, bar none, wants Ms. Lohan to come live under his roof — at least one of his guest roofs — while he shoots this movie.

And wait, you’re wondering, what movie is this? Beatty is said to have a script he wants to direct and star in, with La Lohan possibly playing his daughter. (If it’s his love interest, well, I’m not going there and I’m sure Warren isn’t either.)

Lindsay is said to know this is a chance of a lifetime and a way to re-start her languishing career. Recent efforts, like that horrid John Lennon murder movie Chapter 27, haven’t left her in the greatest shape. On the plus side, she’s clean, sober, happy and looking great.

But Lohan is a gifted actress with a lot of baggage and reputation for not making it to the set always on time and in one piece. So Beatty’s proviso sounds like a smart idea. And how bad it can be to live up on Mulholland Drive under the aegis of Annette Bening? I can hear a lot of young actresses heading to the phone now to try and get that gig.

Lindsay has a lot of friends in the business including Conde Nast/Vanity Fair genius editor Ingrid Sischy. The former pilot of Interview magazine is said to be eager also to help Lindsay get back on track, and has offered her (the right kind of ) magazine covers. So it’s up to Lohan, who’s wasted too much time playing at life and a career.

Lindsay, pack your bags!

Rob Thomas, Out of the Matchbox

Rob Thomas, the hot young songwriter from matchbox twenty, is planning his second solo album release in May.

This follows his blockbuster album from 2006, called "Something to Be," which featured several hits including "Lonely No More" and "Street Corner Symphony."

The new album is called "Cradle Song." I’ve heard about 10 tracks from it, and let’s put it this way: Atlantic Records is going to have a great summer. There are at least four hot singles awaiting radio play including "Her Diamonds" and "Someday."

Rob is probably the single strongest songwriter in pop and rock right now, the leader in his generation. He doesn’t get a lot of publicity because he’s married so long to beautiful Marisol, with whom he lives quietly in the New York suburbs. He never appears in tabloids, and is a stranger to the paparazzi. I guess to make him "hip" we’ll have to start rumors of an affair with (fill in the blank).

Indeed, if this were rock and roll in the heyday of the early 70s, Thomas would be up there with Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Don Henley and all those superstars. His music can range anywhere from rock to a Cat Stevens kind of folk-country.

Last year, by the way, Rob went out on the road with matchbox twenty on a sold out tour. They promoted their greatest hits album with six new tracks including "How Far We’ve Come," an anthem that was one of the most played songs of the year. And Rob’s already won the Songwriters Hall of Fame award bestowed upon younger superstar composers. He’s in a rare league with Alicia Keys, John Mayer, NeYo, and John Legend — they’re the future of rock and pop.

Liz Smith Always has a Home Here

It’s been some time since the New York Post ran Liz Smith, the queen of all gossip, on a daily basis. After tomorrow, her column will cease to run in that paper. Never say never, I’ve no doubt Liz will rise like a phoenix one day at New York’s popular tabloid.

Liz’s column has been running in Daily Variety, and starting next you’ll be able to find it on the website she co-owns and operates with a bunch of smart ladies called wowowow.com. But to have no Liz Smith in a New York newspaper? It just shows how out of touch some people are in this town.

This column you’re reading is 10 years old in July. For a while before that, I also wrote New York magazine’s Intelligencer column. If you like what you see, I can tell you that I stole the formula from Liz a long time ago. Hers is the template for gossip and entertainment dissemination. Still breaking stories in her — gasp! — 80s — Liz has managed to maintain her own integrity while still walking that fine line with celebrities and executives. She doesn’t back off from a fight, but also knows who the good guys are. And they know she’s one of them. How else would she have lasted so long?

So we’ll keep reading Liz wherever she is, and you’ll see plenty of references to her column here. I’m sure in short order Liz will be back in print in NYC. Or maybe not — after all, we know the internet is the place to be. And Liz is right in the forefront of it with her Wowsers!