Morning Briefing:
When she cleans house, she cleans house: A 35-year-old housecleaner named Lucyna Turyk-Wawrynowicz has been arrested in connection with the swiping of jewelry, credit cards and clothing from the New York City homes of celebrities including Grace Hightower (wife of Robert De Niro), Candice Bergen, Isabella Rossellini and Faith Popcorn. During a search of Turyk-Wawrynowicz's Queens home, police discovered a pair of $95,000 diamond earrings and a couple of pairs of shoes belonging to Hightower as well as a $1,000 suede coat and a couple of cameras believed to be Bergen's. Turyk-Wawrynowicz may also face charges of coercion: When one of her former clients challenged her about items gone missing she allegedly threatened to accuse the woman's husband of sexual harassment if she went to the police. (N.Y. Daily News, N.Y. Post)
Cruising into reverse: Actually ... Tom Cruise's spokespeople are now telling the press that the actor will not press charges against those spritzing pranksters from the Channel 4 TV show "Balls of Steel." But if Cruise changes his mind again, Sharon Osbourne says she'll be right there with him. Osbourne, who got squirted with water outside a London restaurant a few weeks back -- and responded by dumping an entire bucket of water over the head of the squirter -- says she'll happily share information on her unfortunate experiences with Cruise's lawyers. "I was really mortified that one adult could do that to another," she said of her drippy run-in. "I was totally stunned." ("Entertainment Tonight" via Contactmusic.com, UPI)
Small, but big-time nasty: Paris Hilton's pet Chihuahua, Tinkerbell, has been accused of biting a "Today" show producer shortly before being brought on the show by Paris' mother, Kathy. "Kathy knows everyone just wants to hear about or be with Paris, so since Paris couldn't be there, she thought Tink was almost as good," a source told Page Six, adding that Tinkerbell sank her wee teeth into a producer's hand when the woman reached into the dog's Louis Vuitton carrying case. "Tinkerbell wasn't kidding -- she really bit in good," the source said. "The producer had to shake the dog off -- it was a nasty bite. Meanwhile, the entire time this is happening -- on Kathy's lap, mind you -- Kathy is just sitting there doing nothing, murmuring, 'Oh. Soooooorry ...' " (Page Six)
Also: Leonardo DiCaprio has filed an official police report about the slashing of his face by an unidentified woman as he left a party in Los Angeles over the weekend. According to the LAPD, "The investigation is ongoing, and no one is in custody at this time. The motive is unknown." (ITV.com) ... Oprah Winfrey is reportedly thinking of discussing on the air her recent treatment at Hermès' Paris store. The store employees would not let her in to make a purchase moments after closing. "They knew exactly who she was," a friend of Winfrey's (who said she suspects Oprah's race was a factor) told the press. "They specifically said, 'We know who you are.'" (Rush & Molloy) ... Steven Spielberg has reportedly dropped out of the latest round of press interviews for "War of the Worlds," prompting speculation that he's sick of discussing the whole Tom Cruise/Katie Holmes thing. (Page Six) ... Billy Corgan has placed full-page ads in both the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times announcing his intention to reunite his old band, the Smashing Pumpkins. (Chicago Sun-Times) ... The Spice Girls may reunite to perform at the London Live 8 show on July 2. (All Headline News) ... Lindsay Lohan's uncle -- on her mother's side -- has been arrested for fraud for allegedly falsely obtaining a $646,900 federal loan targeted to help his business with its post-9/11 recovery. (Newsday)
Money Quotes:
Runaway bride Jennifer Wilbanks' big revelation during her sit-down with Katie Couric, which aired last night on NBC: "I had a bottle of pills or I had the bus ticket. I decided not to play God that day." (NBC via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
David Sedaris on the tip bucket he puts out at his readings: "People will ask, 'Is that your tip bucket,' and I'll say, 'Yeah.' Then they say, 'Anyway, if you could make this out to Sheila.' Like, would you go to Starbucks and say, 'Is this your tip bucket? OK, anyway ...' Someone a couple of days ago told me that I make enough money from royalties, and I told her, 'It's not your place to tell me how much money I need. I will tell you when I have enough money.'" (BoulderDirt.com)
Turn On:
NBC airs the series "Psychic Detectives," originally shown on Court TV, at 8 p.m. EDT. And A&E offers the grim, but potentially fascinating, "Conversations With Killers," focusing on the experiences of forensic psychologist Park Dietz, also at 8 p.m. EDT.
-- Amy Reiter
Bookmark The Fix here. To send a hot tip to The Fix, click here.
Shares