Afternoon Briefing:
Larry King's memory: In our item below, Larry King says that he has never even heard of the adult diapers Depends, but an intrepid Fix reader alerts us to a July 4, 2001 interview in which King had a chat with actress June Allyson that included this exchange: "KING: We are back with June Allyson. Tell me about Depends. How that came together for you, how suddenly, you became this hit commercial artist. ALLYSON: It was very strange, they came to me and asked me if I would like to do the commercial, and I thought, I don't know -- it is not a pleasant subject. And I thought, well, I talked to my mom and I said you know, they want me to do this commercial about incontinence, and I don't know if I want to do that or not." (CNN)
Will Madonna be Dixie Chicked? Madonna has been quoted as saying that President Bush and Saddam Hussein are alike because "both are behaving in an irresponsible manner." (BBC)
Tighten those belts, boys: Word is the Weinstein brothers are being pressured by the big Mouse to cut back on costs (since they've already burned through their $700-million annual budget and there are four months left to go in the fiscal year). The cuts may be as high as 20 percent, or 100 out of the 450 jobs at Miramax, worldwide. The Disney-Miramax contract is up for rethinking in 2005 and there is much speculation that the biggies may part ways. Harvey Weinstein joked recently that he and his brother had placed an ad in the Times: "Two execs looking for a company to run. Resumes available upon request." (LA Times)
Where's Aaron? The creator of "West Wing," Aaron Sorkin, has been given a big-screen assignment: the adaptation of George Crile's nonfiction thriller "Charlie Wilson's War." The story is about how a congressman from Texas and a CIA agent assisted Afghan rebels in the war with the Soviets in the 1980s. (TV Guide)
The big O: Orlando Bloom's stock is rising. He was named Britain's sexiest actor not too long ago. Now People magazine says he's one of the hottest 50 bachelors alive. Bloom's attitude is that he'd like to follow Johnny Depp's and Brad Pitt's career paths: "They created a heartthrob thing, then went against it," he says. "You kind of have to." (Ananova)
--Karen Croft
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Turn On:
And you thought last week was former president week: first, Ron Reagan, whose comments about the current president have stirred controversy, talks about his late father on "Dateline NBC" (8 p.m. ET; NBC). Then Dan Rather is on "Larry King Live" (9 p.m. ET; CNN) to talk about his interview with former President Clinton -- and be sure to catch the actual interview this Sunday on "60 Minutes" (7 p.m. ET; CBS).
-- Scott Lamb
Morning Briefing:
And the most powerful celebrity of the year is ... Mr. "Passion" himself, Mel Gibson. Forbes magazine has used its formula combining earning power with star power -- tabulating press clips, TV and radio mentions, magazine covers and Web hits -- to determine that Gibson is this year's most potent force. Also in the top five: Tiger Woods, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Cruise and the Rolling Stones. Last year's topper, Jennifer Aniston, fell to No. 17, and Britney Spears, who was No. 1 in 2002, did not make this year's list at all. (Forbes magazine via Money)
Certainly you didn't expect him to be happy about it: Michael Jackson has lashed out at whoever it is who has leaked the settlement details of the sexual molestation case brought against him in 1993. "These kinds of attacks and leaks seek to try the case in the press, rather than to a jury who will hear all of the evidence that will show that I did not, and would not, ever, harm a child," Jackson said in a statement. "I have always maintained my innocence, and vehemently denied that these events ever took place." (Associated Press)
Back to Aniston for a minute: Those recent reports that she's pregnant? "False," insists her rep, Stephen Huvane. (MSN Entertainment)
Also not taking care of a child for a while: Eminem's ex Kim Mathers. After violating the terms of her probation by ditching her court-ordered drug treatment program, Mathers is back in the clink in Michigan. In light of Mather's struggle with drugs, a judge has awarded Eminem full custody of the couple's daughter, Hailie Jade, now 7. (E! Online)
A vast right-wing conspiracy against Carter? Graydon Carter, that is. Intimates of the mud-slung Vanity Fair editor are alleging that the White House dispatched a "Republican operative" to leak incriminating information about Carter to the L.A. Times in order to discredit him. Why? Because he's writing a Bush-bashing book. The alleged "operative" sent to do Karl Rove's dirty work? Endeavor literary agent Tom Strickler, who, according to L.A. Weekly reporter Nicky Finke, is "as much a Republican operative as Martin Sheen is the real president of the United States." Finke also reports that when she called to follow up on the tip, Carter's buddy and New York Times Washington correspondent Todd Purdum called her a "c---," though he later sent her an e-mail apologizing for his use of the word. (L.A. Weekly)
Chelsea plants rumor via pastry chef: Longtime White House pastry chef Roland Mesnier has told the press that, at the unveiling of the Clinton portraits the other day, Chelsea pulled him aside and asked him to bake her favorite cobbler for her wedding. "She didn't give me a date, but there could be something in the air," Mesnier said. (AFP)
Also rumored to be considering a hobble down the aisle: Britney Spears. Reports are afoot that Spears' boyfriend, Kevin Federline, has A) moved into both of the singer's homes and B) asked Spears to marry him and had his offer accepted. "Kevin was with her throughout [her] whole [recent knee] surgery and by her side the whole time," said Spears rep Leslie Sloane Zelnick. "She's pretty lucky to have him, but I don't know if she's engaged or not." (Page Six)
Press briefs: Larry King fans will be relieved to know that he's issued a statement about claims by two French artists that they found Depends in his trash, which they they took photos of. "They must have been in someone else's garbage. I've never heard of Depends. I wouldn't know what a Depends looks like," says King. "I wear Jockey shorts, briefs, size 32." (Page Six)
Michael Moore's biggest fan: Madonna (or Esther, if you prefer) gave "Fahrenheit 9/11" a rave review at her show in Madison Square Garden Wednesday night. "I have never cried so much in a movie in my life. I urge each and every one of you to see it," she said. Then she told Moore, who was in the audience, "The world needs more people like you." (Rush and Molloy)
Money Quotes:
Kim Cattrall trying to make nice to "Sex and the City" fans after pissing them off by refusing to come to terms on a deal to make an "SATC" movie: "Life is really about beginnings and endings, and this was one of the hardest, most difficult decisions in both my personal and my professional career. I've had six amazing years at HBO and with my 'Sex and the City' family. I want to thank all the fans for their support." (Entertainment Tonight via MSN Entertainment)
Ben Affleck on life after the Bennifer media mayhem: "It's the sort of vague calm you get after vomiting where the vomit itself is rather unpleasant, but when it's over it does bring you a strange kind of peace." (BBC's Radio 1 via MSN Entertainment)
-- Amy Reiter
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