Afternoon Briefing:
Justin Timberlake gets a byline: No shortage of news on young J.T. this week. Not only was he part of the media event that wouldn't die, he's now set to play a fledgling journalist working on his own big story in the film "Edison," written and to be directed by David Burke. To get ready for the role he'll be shadowing a real reporter, whose identity is definitely off the record. (MTV)
A room with a view: Remember the days when media bigwigs showed off and had two-martini "working" lunches at the Four Seasons? Now that's not enough. Richard Parsons, Time Warner's chairman, has a $25 million office with views of Central Park, a screening room and concierge service so he won't need to go out to eat. But he's not splurging. He says he won't join the company's health club, where membership costs $23,500 a year. (N.Y. Post)
Fear of boobs is spreading like a virus: What with the congressional hearings Wednesday and some lawmakers proposing that fines be levied on networks for showing "indecent" material, "NYPD Blue" producer Steven Bochco might be forced to cut a 15-second sex scene from a March 2 episode. Bochco is refusing to edit the piece himself, saying "To suddenly find objectionable something that three days earlier would not have been is a hysterical knee-jerk response. I can't stop them, but I think it's really lame." (USA Today)
The next Bono? Actress Minnie Driver is calling for an end to the negative effects of globalization on workers in developing countries. During a trip to Cambodia with Oxfam she saw workers wearing shirts that said "Made in Cambodia by us ... US$.025 per hour" and came away from her visit politicized. (IMDb)
Don't encourage him: Former world heavyweight champ George Foreman says he's training for a return to the ring. The 55-year-old, who came back at age 45 to beat Michael Moorer, has not fought since 1997. (AFP)
It's that time of the year again: Valentine's Day gets people to think about very strange things in an attempt to sell love. This year's wackiest idea has to be from a British maker of frozen pizzas, whose new product -- called "Pizzagra" -- will contain foods considered aphrodisiacs: artichoke, asparagus, ginger, chocolate and banana. Sounds less like a recipe for passion than indigestion. (CNN)
--Karen Croft
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Bill Clinton didn't make it to pick up his award along with Justin and Beyoncé, but that didn't prevent him -- and Mikhail Gorbachev and Sophia Loren-- from winning a Grammy. The multinational trio shared the Grammy for best spoken-word album for children for their retelling of Sergei Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf."
In this new animal-friendly version of the classic tale, "Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf/Beintus: Wolf Tracks," released by PentaTone Classics in September and featuring the Russian National Orchestra, the wolf is paraded to the zoo after his capture but is instead released back into the wild. (The New York-based Wolf Conservation Center, which helps reintroduce captive wolves into the wild, is one of several charities chosen to share in the album's proceeds.)
"Forgetting his triumph, Peter thought instead of fallen trees, parched meadows, choked streams, and of each and every wolf struggling for survival," Clinton narrates, clearly feeling the wolf's pain. "The time has come to leave wolves in peace."
To listen to a clip from the album, click here.
Morning Briefing:
High-profile snacking: Charlize Theron, Ben Kingsley, Clint Eastwood, Sophia Coppola and their fellow Oscar nominees gathered in Beverly Hills yesterday for the annual pre-Academy Awards lunch. (Yahoo)
Paris returns: Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie are headed back to your screen -- and maybe to your town. Fox has signed the "Simple Life" co-stars to a second season -- this time with a road-trip twist. (E! Online)
The fall of an institution? The man who owns the notorious porn site Whitehouse.com, Daniel Parisi, is thinking of selling the domain name and relinquishing his X-rated career because his kid's about to start kindergarten and he's worried he might get teased. (Associated Press)
Inspired choice: Michael McKean has been tapped to take over the role of Edna Turnblad from Harvey Fierstein in the Broadway production of "Hairspray" in May. (N.Y. Post)
BREAKING NEWS! Anna Nicole Smith is not -- I repeat, not -- a Size 6. (Page Six)
-- Amy Reiter
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