Turn On:
Those without TiVo Tuesday night will have to choose between "The 2004 Vibe Awards" (8 p.m. ET, UPN), which were surprisingly action-packed (see below), the season premiere of "The Amazing Race 6" (9 p.m. ET, CBS), and the premiere of the new medical drama series "House" (9 p.m. ET, Fox).
Morning Briefing:
Awards-show stabbing: Violence broke out an hour into the taping of Vibe Magazine's two-hour award show last night when a knife-wielding member of Death Row Records chief Marion "Suge" Knight's posse lunged after rap star Dr. Dre as he began to accept a Vibe Legend award from presenters Quincy Jones and Snoop Dogg, according to a witness. The would-be attacker was allegedly then blocked by members of rapper 50 Cent's entourage, though one unidentified man was reportedly stabbed. The event was quickly canceled, and stars -- including hosts Tyra Banks and L.L. Cool J -- beat it out of there. "Russell Simmons ran out of here crying," the witness said. But hey, don't worry. The witness also helpfully reported, "Whoever was stabbed was definitely not a celebrity." (NY Post)
President Hanks: Watch your back, Sen. Clinton. Michael Moore is talking up Tom Hanks as the perfect Democratic candidate to make a run for the presidency in 2008. "We need to find our Arnold," Moore said over the weekend. "You know, Americans want to vote for someone that they trust, that they like, that has a friendly face. They don't expect their president to be the one who's actually setting the policy and writing the laws. They know Bush doesn't do that. They want the person in charge, though, to be someone who will make them feel safe and someone who they like and who they trust. Americans love celebrities, they love movie stars, and when they get the chance to vote for them, they do." There's just one glitch in Moore's plan: Hanks isn't interested in the job. Not one little, itty-bitty bit. "That will never, ever, ever happen," he said. (Lloyd Grove's Lowdown)
Twinkle, twinkle: You've been waiting so patiently to hear about the details of Star Jones' corporate-sponsored, freebie-filled wedding to Al Reynolds on Saturday at St. Bartholomew's church in New York and the subsequent reception at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. "There had to be 20,000 flowers -- wholesale about $150,000 worth, if she paid for them," one witness told Rush and Molloy. "All white in one ballroom, and pink and red in the other -- orchids, gardenia, roses, hydrangea in tall and short silver vases, flowers and pearls spilling out of silver boxes and silver candelabra of differing heights on every table." The bride wore a strapless white gown and a huge diamond necklace on which her initials intertwined with those of her groom. Donald Trump and Samuel L. Jackson, among the 500 who attended, left early, though Jackson later returned -- in time to tuck into the eight-tier wedding cake. But the highlight of the ceremony was provided by Chris Rock, who, when the pastor asked if anyone knew any reason why the couple should not be married, failed to hold his peace: He broke the tense silence by crashing his kneeler to the floor. At least he didn't break into his "married and bored ... single and lonely" routine. (Rush and Molloy)
Bath-elor party: The real action apparently took place before the wedding, at Reynolds' bachelor party at the Time Hotel on Friday night, which had a "Roman Baths" theme. "It was so uncomfortable," a source told Page Six. "You had to sign a confidentiality agreement to get in and then you were sent to the penthouse, where they made you get naked." The 60 male guests were all given bathrobes to put on. "We sat basically naked in a freezing room for a couple of hours. There were only two bars and they were sponsored by Hypnotiq, Remy and some awful beer. At 11:50 p.m., 10 topless girls came out. They were butt-ugly except for two of them who simulated lesbian sex on the bed. Ten people left immediately -- it was very uncomfortable." Reynolds himself, by the way, will be significantly less comfortable if he exits the marriage before the couple's two-year anniversary: The prenup specifies that if the marriage doesn't hit that two-year mark, Reynolds has no claim to Jones' assets. (Page Six)
Also: Jennifer Krum, who won Howard Stern's "Miss Amputee 2004" last week, is posing for Playboy to, in her words, "send the message to people who are amputees, or have issues with confidence or don't find themselves attractive or sexy -- that you can be attractive or sexy, even if you're an amputee" (Lloyd Grove's Lowdown) ... The number of children fathered by Ol' Dirty Bastard has finally been determined: seven -- three with his wife, Icelene; four from out-of-wedlock relationships -- each of whom will get a share of his estate, according to the rapper's manager (N.Y. Daily News) ... Victoria Gotti's teenage sons, Carmine and John, got beaten up by another teenager at a Long Island mall, on Saturday after they allegedly harassed the teen's 15-year-old sister. According to a witness, they "pinched her butt and made disgusting comments," causing her brother to leap to her defense (Page Six) ... New York Times columnist William Safire has announced that he'll give up his Op-Ed duties in January, though he'll continue to write his "On Language" column for the Times magazine. "It's time to leave when you're still hitting the long ball and have something else you want to do," he said. He plans to dedicate himself full-time to leading the Dana Foundation, an organization that supports brain research and immunology, of which he has been chairman for four years (Washington Post)
Money Quote:
Kanye West on his unexpected loss to country singer Gretchen Wilson as best new artist at the American Music Awards (he was on his way down the aisle to accept the award when he realized he hadn't won): "I felt like I was definitely robbed and I refused to give any politically correct bullsh-- ass [comment]. I make the music from my heart ... and to be able to get 'Jesus Walks' on the radio and everything that's happening, I was the best new artist this year, so get that other bullsh-- out of here. ... I don't know if I'll be back next year." (MTV.news)
-- Amy Reiter
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