Turn On:
Olympics watch: The women's soccer gold medal game, in which the 1991 World Cup "Fab Five" Mia Hamm, Kristine Lilly, Joy Fawcett, Brandi Chastain and Julie Foudy will again show their stuff (though Chastain might not show quite so much of hers), is among Thursday's highlights. And the U.S. basketball team heads off against undefeated Spain in the quarterfinals (8 p.m. ET, NBC) ... If you have the stomach for it, Gwyneth Paltrow talks about motherhood on "Oprah" (4 p.m. ET, ABC).
Morning Briefing:
Déjà vu all over again: William Kennedy Smith has been accused of sexual assault by a former personal assistant, who on Wednesday filed a lawsuit against the Chicago doctor (JFK's nephew) seeking $50,000 in damages. In 1991, Smith was tried for and acquitted of rape and battery in Florida. (ABC7Chicago.com)
Unseen attack: The producers of the now-closed "Siegfried & Roy" show in Las Vegas are resisting a request by the government that it turn over a videotape of the performance during which performer Roy Horn was attacked by a 600-pound white tiger. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has requested a copy of the tape to use in its investigation of the attack, but the show's producers said that, while they would be willing to show the authorities a tape, they did not want to hand one over outright because the images "would quickly end up in the hands of the media who would then sensationalize this horrible tragedy." (Reuters)
A friend fur real: As People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals steps up its campaign against Cindy Crawford -- whom it had considered an ally -- for agreeing to become the new face of Blackglama furs, photographer Todd Oldham, for whose August 1994 PETA campaign Crawford posed, has stepped forward in the model's defense. "Cindy was acting as a model, not a spokesperson," when she posed for him as a favor a decade ago, PETA supporter Oldham said. "Even though Cindy and I do not agree on the subject of wearing fur, she posed with full integrity." (Lloyd Grove's Lowdown)
Blind item worth contemplating: "Which medal-winning U.S. Olympic team has been severely scolded by its coach for doing the nasty in public places? Their smooth-skinned sexcapades are the talk of the Olympic Village." (Rush and Molloy)
The simple-minded life? The announcement of the safe return of Paris Hilton's pet pooch, Tinkerbelle, has not stopped the canine conspiracy theories. Yesterday, rumors surfaced that the Chihuahua returned to Hilton was not Tinkerbelle, but a "body double" closely resembling the wee doggy. And today comes word that Hilton may not have lost her dog in the first place. "While the celebutante was putting out APBs on her missing mutt, he was exactly where she left him," reports Page Six. "According to a friend of hers, it seems that Paris, in slightly cloudy shape, had dropped the pup off at her grandparents' house. When Tinkerbelle's plight started getting press, the grandparents' housekeeper called and reminded Paris where her pooch was." Hilton's camp is denying the story. (Page Six, Rush and Molloy)
Also: Tommy Hilfiger has signed a deal with CBS to star in his own reality TV show (Page Six). He follows his daughter, Ally, who starred in last year's MTV reality show, "Rich Girls" ... The guests at Maureen Dowd's "Bushworld" book release party included Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather, Charlie Rose, E. Jean Carroll, Jim Cramer, Helen Gurley Brown and Morley Safer (Page Six) ... Ashanti, Quentin Tarantino and Queen Latifah are lining up to star alongside Kermie, Fozzie, Gonzo and the gang in a Muppet reinterpretation of "The Wizard of Oz," in which Miss Piggy plays the Wicked Witch, of course (Hollywood Reporter).
-- Amy Reiter
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