Turn On:
A week before he'll be officially chosen as the Dem's veep candidate, John Edwards appears on "Larry King Live" (9 p.m. ET; CNN) for an hour-long discussion. Is America ready for a drama about the lives of New York firefighters? How about one starring Denis Leary? All these questions and more will be answered during the Wednesday night series premiere of "Rescue Me" (10 p.m. ET; FX).
-- Scott Lamb
Morning Briefing:
Echoes of "Billie Jean": Michael Jackson's spokespeople are denying reports -- which ran as "exclusives" in both the National Enquirer and Us Weekly -- that Jackson is expecting quadruplets via a surrogate mom (reportedly an aspiring actress who used to hang out with Prince and who wrote a fan letter to Jackson a few months back, prompting him to impregnate her in a $4,000-a-night Miami hotel room). "It's not true and we're not going to comment further on stories of this nature," said Jackson's lawyer Brian Oxman. (N.Y. Daily News)
The many faces of Bush twindom: New to the unrelenting media spotlight, Jenna Bush has already learned how to express herself just so to photographers. A photo of her sticking her tongue out at the press pool during an appearance Tuesday has quickly made the rounds. And really, if you have time, it's rather fascinating to look at the whole Bush twins slide show in which this photo appears. (Associated Press)
Related quote from Alexandra Kerry, daughter of the other guy: "I think sometimes the press likes to perpetuate controversy. Some of it has been mean-spirited." She's talking about the media's coverage of inconvenience to Bostonians anticipated during the upcoming Democratic National Convention. (The Boston Herald via Drudge)
Franken's moment: Al Franken has beaten Bill O'Reilly. At least as far as the Arbitron ratings for their radio shows on Air America and Inifinity, respectively, for the desirable 25-54 demographic go. Going head to head from 2 to 3 p.m. in New York City, from April through June, Franken got a 2.6 market share and O'Reilly a 1.1. However, Rush Limbaugh edged them both out with a 3.1 share. (Drudge)
Martha's plans: Stay tuned for Martha Stewart's Guide to Everyday Living in Court. "I think I'll write a book because I think it could be helpful to other people, just about what lawyer to choose, how to behave, how to attend an interview," Stewart told Larry King on CNN this week. "There's no how-to book about this. There isn't. And not that it's going to be a big bestseller, but for anybody who has to go through this process, there should be some guidelines because guidelines would help." And Martha is always there to help. (CNN via Associated Press)
Oh and also? Britney Spears' fiancé, Kevine Federline, became a father again yesterday when his ex-girlfriend Shar Jackson gave birth to their second child ... Kirsten Dunst and Jake Gyllenhaal have split up, but say they "remain the best of friends" ... Michael Moore has stepped up to the plate to back up Linda Ronstadt, writing to the president of the Aladdin Hotel & Casino who recently ejected the singer for praising Moore: "Invite her back and I'll join her in singing 'America the Beautiful' on your stage. Then I will show 'Fahrenheit 9/11' free of charge to all your guests" ... and Mary-Kate Olsen is headed home this weekend after six weeks in treatment for an eating disorder. (Rush and Molloy)
Money Quotes:
Line from winning entry in the annual Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest for bad writing: "She resolved to end the love affair with Ramon tonight ... summarily, like Martha Stewart ripping the sand vein out of a shrimp's tail." ( Associated Press)
Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream co-founder Ben Cohen on his Pants on Fire Tour, in which volunteers drive around the country toting a 12-foot-tall effigy of President Bush with flames shooting out of the bottom of his "Mission Accomplished" flight suit: "In a polite society, you don't go up to a person and look at them in the face and say, 'You're a liar.' We think it's a lot more dignified and there's a lot more decorum to say, 'Excuse me, sir, your pants are getting a little warm, don't you think?'" (Associated Press)
-- Amy Reiter
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