Gene Simmons is no longer welcome in Borders bookstores. At least he's been barred from doing in-store signings for his new book, "Sex, Money, Kiss." Apparently recent signings have gotten a little -- um -- out of hand. "My fault women come in and lift their tops or stick their butts in my face for me to autograph? The book's 'Sex, Money, Kiss' not the New Testament," the Kiss frontman tells N.Y. Post gossip Cindy Adams. "See, bookstores are quiet places. The first word you learn there is 'Ssshhh.' They're not equipped for a party atmosphere. My fans aren't swinging from chandeliers, but they're enthusiastic and often in cleavage." In cleavage?
Moving on from T to A: Beyoncé Knowles says she's as sick of the whole "Bootylicious" thing as the rest of us. "It's really silly. I wrote a song called 'Bootylicious,' maybe three years ago. And now the word is in the dictionary. To be honest, I hate the word," the Destiny's Child singer turned actress tells Reuters, adding, "I'm glad I wrote it. It's a fun song. It's just a word, like someone is feeling confident. I wrote it because I was gaining weight, and I felt like for all the people that feel like I do right now, I'm going to write this song and make people proud of their curves. But now everywhere I go, everybody is saying, 'booty-this' and 'booty-that' and it's really irritating."
Money Quote:
"American Pie" pie mauler Jason Biggs on his current search for a girlfriend: "I've been checking out the Web sites, bro. And the Village Voice has some wonderful personal ads on the back page." (N.Y. Post)
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Oprah Winfrey, warmonger? Sweden's Broadcasting Commission apparently believes she is. The media watchdog organization has censured one of Winfrey's shows run on Swedish TV back in February for showing a bias toward a U.S. military attack on Iraq. "Different views were expressed, but all longer remarks gave voice to the opinion that Saddam Hussein was a threat to the United States and should be the target of attack," the broadcasting commission announced Wednesday in a finding that has no legal or financial penalties. Oprah's show is reportedly one of the most popular daytime TV programs in Sweden, a country that strongly opposed the war in Iraq. (Reuters)
Spike Lee, meanwhile, took the opportunity during a recent appearance before a crowd at the University of Redlands in Redlands, Calif., to point out something that bugs him about his fellow Americans. "We as a people are more concerned with J.Lo and Ben Affleck than these so-called weapons of mass destruction," he told his audience on Tuesday. Excellent point, Spike. (Associated Press)
Now, back to J.Lo and Ben Affleck ... Turns out Affleck didn't fly to Miami on Tuesday for a heart-to-heart chat with his former fiancée as the tabloids reported yesterday. Nope. Instead, the tabs report today, he flew to Georgia to hang out on his $7.1 million estate with brother Casey and his dogs. (N.Y. Daily News)
Best of the Rest
Page Six: Thomas Hyland, the former NYPD detective on whom Mark Ruffalo's "In the Cut" character is based, was "not invited" to the film's premiere, says cop colleagues called him "Hollywood Hyland" for a while; at party for Madeleine Albright's new book, Tina Brown and Harvey Weinstein said to have been stiffly civil to one another, but Graydon Carter "smiled a very small smile and went straight to the bar" when he saw Brown arrive; R&B singer Usher surprises girlfriend Chilli, of TLC, at a New York fashion show; Arianna Huffington set to rake it in at $1,000-a-head bash at NYC home of MTV chief Tom Freston and his wife, Kathy, to fund her California gubernatorial campaign; Heidi Klum won't pose for Playboy after all, but Daryl Hannah will. "I just thought 'What the hell,' " Hannah explains.
Rush and Molloy: James Gandolfini, who turns 42 today, seen tossing back shots of Stoli with "Sopranos" daughter Jamie-Lynn Sigler and her husband in NYC club despite promise of continued sobriety; Madeleine Albright says she's "very concerned about the foreign policy of this country"; Steve Buscemi makes appearance at Nanette Lapore fashion show.
Boldface Names: At party for Wyclef Jean's new album, "The Preacher's Son": three Tibetan monks blessed Jean then posed for photos with Don King; Jean vowed to "buy no more cars" and instead "get into some heavy property and real estate," about which he planned to speak with party guest Donald Trump; King was heard to declare, "I'm still sparring with the government. I'm going to Iraq to support the troops. So I'm gonna be the black Bob Hope"; Trump, whose date was "Survivor" producer Mark Burnett, danced and was described as follows: "He was standing, swaying stiffly from side to side, eyes narrowed, chin pointed up, as if he were appraising the value of the show," prompting Jean to ask him to "sit down."
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