Afternoon Briefing:
About face: ABC has just announced that Corey Feldman, the former child actor ("Gremlins," "The Goonies," "Stand by Me") who once counted Michael Jackson among his closest friends, is now ready to discuss certain "sickening" details about his relationship with Jackson. And he's planning to do so with none other than Martin Bashir, the British journalist turned ABC newsman who captured that infamous footage of Jackson discussing his penchant for sharing his bed with children, including the young boy now accusing him of molestation. "I started looking at each piece of information, and with that came this sickening realization that there have been many occurrences in my life and in my relationship to Michael that have created a question of doubt," Feldman tells Bashir in an interview airing on "20/20" Friday at 10 p.m.
The interview marks a startling reversal for Feldman, now 33, who has defended Jackson in the past. Appearing on "Larry King Live" in November 2003, Feldman insisted that all was kosher between him and his older bud. "We shared rooms a couple of times," he said. "Never shared a bed. But ... one time we went to Disneyland and we went to the Disneyland Hotel and, you know, he was ... so much of a gentleman ... he actually offered his bed and allowed me to sleep in his bed and he took a cot. And he slept in the cot." What's more, Feldman, who was 13 when Jackson befriended him, told King, "I have to be completely honest, because I couldn't do it any other way ... I've never seen him act in any inappropriate way to a child," including toward him. Then again, even in the King interview, Feldman allowed that he was taking "more of a neutral stance" toward Jackson's current case, in contrast to his outspoken defense of Jackson when similar allegations against him surfaced more than a decade ago. "Michael and I have had our personal issues through the years," Feldman said, "and we've had our differences and for that reason, I'm not here as a cheerleader." At this point, that appears to be putting it mildly. (ABC News, CNN's "Larry King Live")
Turn On:
On Tuesday night, "The Amazing Race 6" (CBS, 9 p.m. EST) wraps things up with a two-hour season finale, and on the 100th episode of "Gilmore Girls," subtitled "Wedding Bell Blues," Richard and Emily Gilmore renew their vows in a lavish ceremony (The WB, 8 p.m. EST). Or you can get a little more thinky with "Frontline: House of Saud" (PBS, check local listings), which focuses on the U.S./Saudi relationship -- for better and for worse -- over the years.
Morning Briefing:
Go-Go-Go-Daddy: I suppose we shouldn't be surprised. That boob-centric GoDaddy.com ad that aired early in the first half of Super Bowl XXXIX? The one where the busty young woman in a spaghetti-string tank top jiggled and wiggled around before a Congressional decency committee? Two interesting facts about that ad have emerged this morning: 1) Fox pulled a scheduled repeat of the ad from the last two minutes of the game, possibly in response to objections from the NFL. (GoDaddy.com president and owner Bob Parsons says he's discussing with his lawyers whether to sue Fox for damages his company has suffered from the unceremonious last-minute yank.) And 2) The sequence in the ad where the young woman's spaghetti-strap snapped -- a wardrobe malfunction, get it? -- was the most TiVo-ed Super Bowl ad moment of the year. The game itself, by the way, got the third smallest audience of any Super Bowl in the past 10 years, but still, combined with a post-game "The Simpsons" episode, set the record for the most viewers to tune in to Fox on a single night ever. (Reuters, Variety, MSNBC)
A father's support: The parents of the woman who has accused Bill Cosby of drugging and groping her at his home a little more than one year ago are speaking out on behalf of their daughter. "She's not the type of person to lie. ... When she says something, it's the truth," her father told the Toronto Sun. The 31-year-old Canadian woman's dad says his daughter considered Cosby a "great friend and mentor" before the alleged violation took place, adding that as a consequence, "She feels a sense of betrayal and feels justice has to prevail. We have to put a stop to this." (Toronto Sun via N.Y. Daily News)
Also: Talk is escalating that Drew Barrymore and her boyfriend of more than two years, Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti, have split up, though Barrymore's rep denies it. (Lloyd Grove's Lowdown, Page Six) ... Dennis Rodman refused to pose for a photo with figure skater Oksana Baiul during his appearance on behalf of PETA at New York Fashion Week because she was wearing a fur jacket. (Lloyd Grove's Lowdown) ... William Stadiem, who wrote the book "Dear Senator," in which Strom Thurmond's illegitimate black daughter went public with her story, is locking horns with the book's publisher, Judith Regan, who he says is trying to deny him proper credit for the book and has shut him out of the publicity tour. (Rush and Molloy) ... Kate Moss has reportedly posted the $280,000 bail for her boyfriend (or possibly ex-boyfriend) Pete Doherty, the former lead signer of the Libertines, who was being held on charges of robbery and blackmail after a scuffle with a friend (or possibly former friend). (Rush and Molloy) ... Britney Spears is suing an insurance company for the more than $9 million she claims it owes her after a knee injury forced the cancellation of her tour last year. The insurance company claims she failed to disclose a prior injury. (N.Y. Post) ... Jury selection in the Michael Jackson trial has been delayed due to the death of the sister of Jackson's lead lawyer, Thomas Mesereau Jr. (Associated Press) ... John Dean has penned a column in the Los Angeles Times in which he claims that he's heard that the Watergate source known only as Deep Throat is gravely ill and that "we'll all know one day very soon" just who he is. (L.A. Times via N.Y. Daily News) ... Sylvester Stallone has started his own magazine, backed by American Media, called Sly and set to hit newsstands on Feb. 14. (Page Six) ... Oscars producer Gil Cates says that, to save time at this year's ceremony, some winners will accept their awards from presenters perched in the audience rather than on the stage. (Reuters) ... "Sex and the City"'s Kristin Davis has signed on to co-star in an ABC TV show called "Soccer Moms," about two suburban housewives who team up as private investigators. (Reuters/Hollywood Reporter)
Money Quote:
Mortifying correction of the day, from the Washington Post's Names & Faces column: "A Feb. 5 Names & Faces item on an Evite to Michael Saylor's birthday party was based on a copy of the invitation that had been partially forged before it was sent to The Post. The original Evite from MicroStrategy's CEO said the party will be 'exotic, mysterious and ebullient,' but it did not say 'erotic.' It said 'Think "Alias" (the TV show), but sexier,' but did not include 'much sexier,' as was reported. The original also specified 'cocktail dresses,' but did not say 'the shorter the better.' And, the original did not end with -- or even contain -- the words 'no one leaves alone.' Nor was there anything in the original invitation unfit for a family newspaper. The birthday celebration involved dinner and dancing at the Ortanique restaurant for about 200 guests."
-- Amy Reiter
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