Quickies: Michael Jackson Hulks Out; Britney's Pole Position

Wonderwall, Thursday, June 18, 2009, 1:38pm (PDT)

By Kat Giantis

Oh, to be a fly on the wall for this workout session. Turns out Michael Jackson is being whipped into shape for his upcoming live performances in London by none other than Lou Ferrigno, otherwise known as the original Incredible Hulk from the seminal '70s TV series. "Lou and Michael have known each other for a long time," Ferrigno's wife confirms to People magazine. "Lou first trained Michael 15 years ago." But the wispy-looking former King of Pop apparently has set some restrictions on his fitness regimen, including no bulging biceps. "Lou has been visiting Michael to build him up so he can perform his dance routines," a source explains to the London Sun. "But Jacko refuses to lift weights. He doesn't want to bulk up." It remains unclear whether Michael feels the burn with or without his de rigueur surgical mask.

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In other workout news, an unhygienic metal rod has apparently come between Britney Spears and a tony Irish hotel. The Evening Herald reports the popster, who's currently on the European leg of her "Circus" tour, decided to cancel her stay at an exclusive Dublin establishment because it wouldn't outfit her suite with a stripper pole. "She adores working out on a pole as it helps her keep toned during her tour," a source tells the paper. "A request was made to Britney's original hotel ... but they refused point blank. They're well used to having major celebrities there and they're happy to accommodate them, but this was just a step too far." Brit is now said to be staying at the Four Seasons, which, it appears, was able to meet her pole-based exercise needs.

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Mariah Carey may be winning raves for her de-glammed performance in "Precious," but is she ready to follow in the thespian footsteps of Oscar winners such as Nicole Kidman and Gwyneth Paltrow by hitting the London stage? From our "we'll believe it when we see it" file, the London Daily Mirror claims the high-maintenance, Eminem-baiting chanteuse is considering a starring role in a West End production next spring. No details on the play, but Carey would supposedly pocket $24,500 per week for her efforts, or, as she probably calls it, "chump change I found in my couch." "Mariah's done a bit of acting in her time but nothing on this scale," relays a mole. "She was hugely flattered to have been asked and is determined to nail the part." Similar rumors surfaced six years ago, when Carey was reportedly set to star in a London stage revival of the Marilyn Monroe movie "The Prince and the Showgirl." The project never got off the ground.

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"I'm a terrible person to be a sex symbol." So declares Daniel Radcliffe, who admits to the London Daily Express that he's seriously lacking in the wooing department. "I'm no good chatting people up," admits the "Harry Potter" star. "The lust thing generally stops when they meet me because I'm not a particularly sexy person to talk to ... I can't do pick-up lines." But Radcliffe, 19, does have one thing going for him (well, two, if you count the millions he's banked from the wizard franchise). "I have cool taste in music. I think ex-girlfriends have told me that. That's quite sexy," he says. "But they are ex-girlfriends!"