Turn On:
The perfect alternative for those of you who can't bear to watch President Bush accept the Republican nomination for president Thursday night (check local listings)? "Burning Man: Where's the Fire?" (9 p.m. ET, Trio) a 1999 documentary about the annual countercultural festival that has spurred the imagination of a generation.
Morning Briefing:
Too much twinnage? Some people were less than impressed by the Bush twins' giggling, jibing convention speech the other night, in which they poked fun of their parents and their grandparents. (Karl Rove was heard to gripe to a colleague, "Whoever approved this, I'm going to put on a slow boat to China.") But at least one of their grandparents stepped up to support them on Wednesday. "I thought they were wonderful," former President George H.W. Bush told reporters. "They gave a great speech. Somebody's sniping at 'em today, but I don't know why ... See, those girls have never really kinda liked all the politics, but because of their love for their dad, they're out campaigning. I think they did a superb job. Of course, I'm not objective." The elder Bush made his comments after seeing the Broadway musical "Hairspray," based on the John Waters film, which the younger Bush is also slated to see. "Maybe he'll change his mind about gay marriage," a hopeful Waters told Page Six. "He's certainly not going to leave feeling more right-wing." (Rush and Molloy, Page Six)
Another kid? Did Michael Jackson pay $2 million to a second kid who accused him of fondling him in 1993? No, not the kid who stepped forward that same year and to whom Jackson paid $20 million. This is a different kid, the 12-year-old son of a Neverland employee. "Primarily, what he would admit to was inappropriate touching -- something which in California would be a misdemeanor kind of crime," Jim Thomas, the Santa Barbara County sheriff back in 1993, told "Dateline" in a segment airing Friday. "But what it did do is that it also helped corroborate the other victim. Because you had two boys we don't believe had ever met giving us the same kinds of statements, saying the same things had happened." ("Dateline" via N.Y. Daily News)
Pain in the neck, but not serious: Charlize Theron is expecting to make a full recovery after injuring her neck during a fall from a trampoline on the set of the sci-fi thriller "Aeon Flux" earlier this week. She was performing one of her own stunts at the time and was rushed to a Berlin hospital and then flown back to her home in Los Angeles, where she will rest up before returning to work in a few weeks. (The Celebrity Cafe, Rush and Molloy)
You loved it the first time ... Kevin Smith has announced that he's working on a sequel to the low-budget flick that put him on the map 10 years ago, "Clerks." The new film, "The Passion of the Clerks," will check in with the characters a decade later. "We're going to shoot it in January, a low-budget affair," Smith said. "It feels good. It's real good, real down, dirty, funny, kinda sweet but really, really funny and biting." (MTV News)
And speaking of "The Passion" ... Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" DVD sold a whopping 4.1 million copies on its first day of release in the U.S. While inpressive, that's well shy of the 8 million copies the "Finding Nemo" DVD sold on its first day of release or the 7 million "Spider-Man" sold on its first day out. (Rediff)
When Harry met Mira: Who will direct Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix? Quite possibly Mira Nair, whose "Vanity Fair" just opened this week. Nair says she's been approached to direct the fifth Harry Potter flick, but has yet to decide whether to take it on. "I read it over the weekend and I'm still deciding," Nair said. "I'm not letting all this go to my head." (Guardian)
Money Quote:
Al Franken on his rough treatment at the hands of Republican party "goons" on the convention floor: "They are on the floor with earpieces, they surround me and don't let me move. I try to move forward or talk to a delegate and they get in front of me, they follow me, and when I try to talk to someone who wants to talk to me they don't let me ... I love Republicans and I think this is sad." (Editor & Publisher)
-- Amy Reiter
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