Turn On:
NBC posits the theory that the end of days is at hand with the first episode in the six-part miniseries "Revelations," airing Wednesday at 9 p.m. EST, and Fox proves it with "Stacked" (8:30 p.m. EST), the new scripted comedy starring Pamela Anderson.
Morning Briefing:
Yes, she is: After months of speculation that Britney Spears is with child, the 23-year-old newlywed singer has posted the following note on her Web site: "Dear fans, The time has finally come to share our wonderful news that we are expecting our first child together. There are reports that I was in the hospital this weekend. Kevin and I just want everyone to know that all is well. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Love, Britney & Kevin." For details, we turn to what Spears recently dubbed the "false tabloids," where we discover that the pop star is believed to be carrying a girl; that she's cut out the cigarettes, the Red Bull and the partying; that hubby Kevin Federline has been toting around baby books and copies of Fit Pregnancy and Parents magazine for her to read; and more details than we really need about that trip to the hospital Spears refers to in her Web posting. Oh, and she's probably about four months along. (BritneySpears.com, National Enquirer, N.Y. Daily News, Us Weekly via N.Y. Post)
Reality bites, Part 1: It appears that no one has told Nick Warnock and Katrina Campins, whom you may dimly remember from the first season of "The Apprentice," that their 15 minutes were up long ago. An e-mail has just appeared in our in box inviting us to an "Apprentice" Viewing Party hosted by Warnock and Campins this Thursday, April 14, 8 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at MAKOR on New York's Upper West Side. But it gets sadder. The price to sit alongside these two reality show losers and watch Donald Trump fire people on TV? $25. The e-mail ends: "Tell a Friend." What the hell -- tell two!
Reality bites, Part 2: Former "Restaurant" star Rocco DiSprito was made to wait an hour for a table at New York's Serendipity 3 eatery the other day, just like the other common folk, when he showed up with his two nieces. Then, when he'd waited his turn and just about finished his meal, someone finally recognized him and asked what he was up to these days. He told the fan, "I am currently unemployed; I am on welfare." (Lloyd Grove's Lowdown)
Jackson trial update: The stepfather of Michael Jackson's young accuser testified on Tuesday that Jackson's people had offered the boy and his family protection, a house and help with college educations in exchange for their agreement to appear in a video to counteract fallout over Martin Bashir's Jackson documentary -- but the stepfather said he instead asked for monetary compensation, which he did not receive. The latest in a series of shaky prosecution witnesses, the stepfather also told the court that, though the boy's mother called him in distress during the time she says she and her sons were held captive by Jackson employees, he also met her at a Brentwood nail salon during that time and found her "by herself." (N.Y. Daily News, Associated Press)
Also: Sharon Stone is reportedly poised to adopt another child, a baby boy who would be a brother to her son Roan, whom Stone and then-husband Phil Bronstein adopted four years ago. (Us Weekly via Rush and Molloy) ... Joaquin Phoenix has checked himself in to rehab for treatment of alcoholism. According to the actor's spokeswoman, "He was uncomfortable with the way that he was living his life and found the courage to deal with the disease." (Reuters) ... Jennifer Aniston has reportedly lost six pounds and begun smoking more since splitting with Brad Pitt. (Lloyd Grove's Lowdown) ... Joan Kennedy has put her family's $3 million Cape Cod estate up for sale, but her children, who were recently awarded temporary guardianship over her as she struggles with alcoholism, are exploring legal options to block any sale. (Rush and Molloy) ... ODB's widow, Icelyne Jones, revealed at a press conference that she has maintained a sample of the late rapper's DNA with which to test the paternity of the numerous children who claim (and are widely believed) to be his children from relationships outside his marriage to her. (N.Y. Post) ... Publishers are taking turns this week looking at a book proposal by Laci Peterson's mother, Sharon Rocha. (PublishersMarketplace.com via Rush and Molloy) ... Lindsay Lohan's father has pleaded not guilty to felony charges of aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle in connection with a car crash on Long Island in February in which he was found to have nearly double the legal limit of alcohol in his bloodstream. Currently being held without bail, he faces 1 1/3 years to 4 years in prison if convicted. (Associated Press) ... David Letterman reported for jury duty in White Plains, N.Y., on Monday and was considered for a medical malpractice case. Ultimately, however, he was excused. (Assocated Press)
Money Quote:
Salman Rushdie on the dangerous effects of President Bush's post-9/11 policies: "What I think plays into Islamic terrorism is ... the curious ability of the current administration to unite people against it ... This go-it-alone attitude gets people's backs up." (Reuters)
-- Amy Reiter
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