Afternoon Briefing:
Ms. Gross on Mr. Gross-Out: Terry Gross of NPR's "Fresh Air" had kind words to say about shock jock Howard Stern the other day, noting that while she is tired of his penis talk, "He's simply a great talker. Funny, colorful. There's a rhythm and style to his speech that makes you want to listen, like good music. It's the kind of quality Lenny Bruce had, although Lenny Bruce comes out of a jazz sensibility." (Chicago Sun-Times)
Beatles gold at flea market? An Australian music fan came across what could be a treasure trove of Beatles memorabilia -- including photos, documents and studio tapes. If the recordings turn out to be unheard Beatles songs the value could be, as they say, "priceless." (NME)
Berry busts out: Curvaceous Halle Berry complained to the press recently that she keeps busting the seams of her Catwoman costume while doing backflips and cartwheels for the movie's fight scenes. "I can't tell you how many times my pants split right open. Certain parts of my body were exposed. I was having lots of Janet Jackson moments," she said. (Ananova)
Gest keeps gabbing: David Gest, best known around the world as Liza Minnelli's ex, has this to say about his buddy Michael Jackson: "If he is convicted -- which I hope he's not -- he'll kill himself. How could someone like Michael Jackson survive in jail?" (TV Guide)
-- Karen Croft
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Turn On:
Tuesday's episode of "Last Comic Standing" (9 p.m. ET; NBC) whittles the field of comic contenders down to five. Also: Filmmakers Deborah Kaufman and Alan Snitow explore the question of whether water is a public resource or private commodity, and profile the groups involved in the battle for an answer, in "Thirst" (PBS; check local listings).
-- Scott Lamb
Morning Briefing:
Who's fooling who? Pete Townshend is lashing out at Michael Moore after the filmmaker announced to the press that the rocker refused to allow his song "Won't Get Fooled Again" to be used in "Fahrenheit 9/11." "When first approached, I knew nothing about the content of his film 'Fahrenheit 9/11,'" Townshend wrote in a note posted on his Web site. "I had not really been convinced by 'Bowling for Columbine,' and had been worried about its accuracy ... Once I had an idea what the film was about, I was 90 percent certain my song was not right for them." What's more, he says, "I greatly resent being bullied and slurred by him in interviews just because he didn't get what he wanted from me. It seems to me that this aspect of his nature is not unlike that of the powerful and willful man at the center of his new documentary." (Page Six)
Eminem, radio mogul? Eminem and his Shady Records and Interscope labels are teaming up with Sirius Satellite Radio to launch a new hip-hop radio channel this fall. "We'll deliver an uncut hip-hop radio station like never before," the rapper pledged in a statement to the press. He says he'll debut new material on the station and will host a show on the channel himself. (Billboard via RTE Entertainment)
Jenna does Georgetown: First daughter Jenna Bush hasn't been back in Washington long, but already she's making a splash on the twentysomething scene. On Saturday night (or actually in the wee hours of Sunday morning), she was spotted at a Georgetown bar called Smith Point. "[Her] hair [was] cutely pulled back in a pony tail, swapping a little spit with a shaggy college looking student," a witness reports on Wonkette.com. "Jenna kept slurping down the drinks, smoking cigarettes and stood in the corner with Shaggy for a good 10 minutes -- little groping action -- before sitting down at a table with her friends. Jenna was seen adding Shaggy's number into her cell phone." She wasn't on the bar's guest list -- and payed the bar's $5 cover without a fuss. (Wonkette)
No Frog prince: Chris Kattan has been ousted from the Lincoln Center Theater production of Stephen Sondhein's "The Frogs," in which he starred alongside Nathan Lane. He's been replaced -- just before the musical is set to open -- by Roger Bart, who worked with Lane in "The Producers." Word was that Kattan looked "lost" in the part, but he's not commenting. (Playbill.com)
Weird coincidence of the day: The mother of the kid who's accused Michael Jackson of molesting him has gotten remarried and taken her new husband's last name. Her new moniker? Janet Jackson. No wardrobe malfunction jokes, please. (N.Y. Daily News)
Money Quote:
Gay and out Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford on the subtleties of his band's heavy metal look: "I am running around onstage in leather and chains. Hello! But it was all about finding an image that identified with the power of the music. You couldn't put on a tutu and play Judas Priest songs." (N.Y. Daily News)
-- Amy Reiter
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