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And now the moment you've been waiting for: Dan Rather's interview with Ben Barnes, the man who says he now regrets helping George W. Bush avoid service in Vietnam by getting him a spot in the Texas National Guard, will air Wednesday night on "60 Minutes" (8 p.m. ET, CBS). And "The Drew Carey Show" packs it in once and for all, marking the end of the series with both a wedding and a baby (9:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
Morning Briefing:
The truth and nothing but the truth? Kitty Kelley's Bush family bio, "The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty," isn't out until next week, but already her editor, Random House veep Peter Gethers, is stepping up to defend it. Before the book headed to the printers, lawyers went over it "with a fine-toothed comb," Gethers told the Washington Post, as the book's allegations of past drug use by George W. and Laura Bush leaked out in the British press. "It was as extensive a legal read as a publisher could give. Some things didn't make it, and we're 100 percent confident of the things that made it in. We erred on the side of caution because we knew how hard she was going to be hit." (Washington Post)
Losing more friends, influencing more people? Speaking of Bush-bashing books ... former Vanity Fair contributor and perpetual media troublemaker Toby Young has offered an opinion as to why his former mentor Graydon Carter has written "What We've Lost" -- or, as Young puts it in the New York Observer, "Why has this inveterate player of angles, a man who prides himself on never having made an uncalculated move, suddenly made a show of aligning himself with the forces ranged against President Bush?" Sure, it could be a way of ingratiating himself with liberal Hollywood types or Carter's motives could be sincere and passionate, but Young somehow doubts it. Instead, he posits the following: "My own pet theory is that he's abandoned his attempts to conquer Hollywood and is now trying to position himself as a credible Democratic opponent to Michael Bloomberg in next year's [New York] Mayoral election. The one issue Graydon really does care passionately about (far, far more than the 10,000 dead Iraqi civilians he mentions in his book) is smoking. He was absolutely furious when Mr. Bloomberg's goons ticketed him for lighting up in his own office, and I can easily imagine him dwelling on thoughts of revenge as he sucks down Camel Light after Camel Light in the stairwell of the Conde Nast building. What better way to retaliate than running against Mr. Bloomberg on a pro-smoking ticket -- and winning?" (N.Y. Observer)
Advice from an It girl: If you've been longing to read Paris Hilton's guide to heiresshood, "Confessions of an Heiress: A Tongue-in-Chic Peek Behind the Pose," you are apparently not alone. Just one day after its release, the book is apparently selling briskly and is ranked No. 34 on Amazon as of Wednesday morning. So what do buyers get in exchange for the $22 list price? Big thoughts about the subway: "It literally smells like pee. Why can't they do anything about that?" And 23 tips on how to be an heiress, including tip No. 1: "Be born into the right family. Choose your chromosomes wisely." So very helpful. (Amazon.com, N.Y. Daily News)
Also: Sources close to Martha Stewart say she's prepared to surrender to serve her five-month sentence for obstruction of justice at Danbury federal prison for women when a cell in the full-up facility becomes available (Page Six) ... And Donald Trump tells Playboy that the country should fire President Bush after the "total catastrophe" in Iraq and instead hire John Kerry, who he says is "a great guy. He's a very smart guy, and I think he's highly underestimated, and I think he's going to run an amazingly successful campaign. Look at what he did in the primaries. It appeared as if he was off the radar, and all of a sudden he made this great comeback. I have a feeling he's going to do very well" (Playboy via Page Six)
-- Amy Reiter
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