Morning Briefing:
Who's your daddy? You have to feel for poor Jennifer Aniston. She's suffered through speculation that her not-yet-ex-husband has already impregnated Angelina Jolie, and now new reports are surfacing that Jolie's adopted son, Maddox, has begun calling Pitt his "daddy." The New York Post reports, "According to Us Weekly, while filming an Edwin Jeans commercial for the Japanese market in Lancaster, Calif., Maddox started crying for Pitt, yelling, 'Where's my daddy?'" And what about Angelina's recent whirlwind adoption tour, which took her to Africa and Russia in search of babes for her brood? "Pitt and Jolie are serious about building a family," says the Post. "Pitt's name was left off adoption papers for little Zahara Jolie, whom [Angelina] recently took in from Africa, only because his divorce is not yet final." (N.Y. Post)
Jacko jurors bank on books: Two of the jurors who acquitted Michael Jackson of molestation charges in June have had a change of heart, and -- surprise, surprise! -- are planning to publish "tell-all" books about the trial. Both Eleanor Cook, 79, and Ray Hultman, 62, claim they were originally convinced of Jackson's guilt, but their votes were later influenced by the other jurors and the prosecution's bizarre behavior. Larry Garrison, president of Silver Creek Entertainment, tells the N.Y. Daily News that "Guilty as Sin, Free as a Bird" is the working title of Ms. Cook's tome, which he will co-author with the aid of Ms. Cook's granddaughter. Hultman will get a hand in writing "The Deliberator" from Stacy Brown, a former Jackson family friend and co-author of Jacko bio "The Man Behind the Mask." Though their release date is still unkown, Garrison tells the Daily News, "These books are going to rock the nation." (N.Y. Daily News)
Fox's idle investigation: When an ABC Primetime special aired in May accusing "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul of having an "inappropriate sexual relationship" with Corey Clark, a former "AI" contestant, Fox was quick to say they would "look into the matter." But last week, when the subject was broached once again at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, Fox programming president Peter Liguori responded brusquely, stating, "We're addressing it as we speak." But his stall tactics no longer seem to be working. Reuters reports this morning, "You can verify a phone bill statement in two days. You can talk to the guy who sold Abdul the suit she allegedly bought for Clark and all the other witnesses in two weeks. Heck, you can develop a TV series based on this scandal in less time than it is taking to investigate it. Being thorough is one thing; foot-dragging and playing for time is another ... The name or names of the investigators should be made public as well as the findings. Anything less smacks of a cover-up ..." (Reuters)
Mimi miffed about Cruise Mimi Rogers has canceled her U.K. publicity tour because reporters seem much more interested in hearing about the actress's ex-husband, Tom Cruise, than in her new gig on the poker circuit. "Mimi is in England, participating in the World Poker Exchange, and she granted an interview, and they make it mostly about Tom," an insider tell MSNBC's "The Scoop." "And she wasn't terribly happy with the pictures they used, either." Rogers is also apparently annoyed by the reports of Tom's newfound romantic streak. She's been quoted as saying, "He proposed to Katie while they were up the Eiffel Tower, but with me he didn't do anything dashing, like going down on one knee. It just, well, it just sort of happened." Then again, according to Rogers' account of their marriage, Cruise also wanted "to be a monk" and refused to sleep with her, in order to "maintain his celibacy." (The Scoop, Talk Entertainment)
Also: Mike Tyson may soon be taking his oversize talent into another arena. The former heavyweight champ, who has fallen on hard times lately in the ring, is reportedly in talks with representatives of the porn star Jennifer Jameson to co-star in an upcoming X-rated film. The Daily News reports, "The free-spending pugilist, who was pummeled recently by the tax man, says he told Jameson's people, 'I need the money up front.' Does he have what it takes to make it big? According to Zoo magazine's Pedro Fernandez, the answer is yes, and then some. Fernandez writes, "according to court documentation from Tyson's rape trial, his member is at least 14 inches long. If Tyson brings out some of the ferocity that made him a champion, he could definitely become a successful porn star" ... Despite taking flack for their irritating reality show, "Chaotic," Kevin Federline and Britney Spears just won't stop embarrassing themselves on camera. This week's Star reports, "Kevin Federline wants to cash in on the baby he's having with Britney Spears by making the birth a televised event." Online gossip source the Bosh has the whole scenario set up: "Can't you just picture it? Every time Britney has a contraction, Kevin will be there to mock her by singing "Oops I Did It Again" ... Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen may have a touch of OCD. She recently told Jay Leno that she has to stop herself from cleaning friends' homes whenever she visits them. "I'm obsessed. I think I have a disease, actually ... I like everything clean. You can actually eat off the floor of my house, that's how clean my floors are. They're so clean because I clean them myself, so I know" ... Holly Hunter, 47, is four months pregnant with twins by her longtime love, the British actor Gordon MacDonald. The twins will be the first children for both Hunter and MacDonald, and there is no report yet that the couple has plans to marry ... Jennifer Aniston has backed out of plans for a "Friends" reunion show, citing a desire to distance herself from her former character, Rachel Green. A source says: "All the cast members are up for a documentary based on the show, which would have featured exclusive interviews with the cast, except Jennifer Aniston."
Turn On:
Who says eating disorders aren't funny? Tonight at 10 p.m. EDT, FX premieres "Starved," a comedy chronicle of four friends in their 30s struggling with bulimia, compulsive overeating, and anorexia. I'm hysterical just thinking about it!
-- Sarah Karnasiewicz
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