Morning Briefing:
Martha vs. Trump, continued: There's no end in sight for the Martha Stewart/Donald Trump hatefest. Stewart was a guest on her daughter Alexis' Sirius Satellite Radio show on Thursday, and responded to Trump's nasty letter even though she'd promised to leave the subject alone on her own show earlier. An excerpt:
Martha: He sent the letter to the press before he sent it to me.
Alexis: A normal businessman doesn't really behave this way.
Martha: Donald is not a normal businessman. Remember Donald was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
Alexis: Or up his ass.
Trump called Rush & Molloy to respond to the show: "Nice. What a crude statement. But then Alexis is used to making crude statements. Too bad she couldn't put two words together on her mother's show. She was terrible."
Martha and Alexis also discussed the news that Trump's kids Donald Jr. and Ivanka would be replacing sidekicks George Ross and Carolyn Kepcher in the next season of "The Apprentice," which starts next week: "Guess who is replacing Carolyn Kepcher on the next version of the show?" asked Martha. "His daughter Ivanka!" "I feel sorry for her," said Alexis. "She seems like a nice girl. It must be hard to have such a freak for a father." (Rush & Molloy)
Katie's dad would like his money back, please: Between her film career, pregnancy and upcoming marriage to Tom Cruise, it doesn't look like getting a college degree is something in Katie Holmes' future, and now her dad would like his deposit back from Columbia. Holmes was accepted to the Ivy League school way back in 1998, when "Dawson's Creek" premiered -- and when it became a hit, she kept deferring admission. Last week, her dad, Martin, wrote the school asking for the $500 deposit -- which is apparently nonrefundable -- that he had to pay to keep her spot open all these years. (TMZ)
"American Idol" nonshocker: A segment on the Maxim photo session featuring "American Idol" hopeful Becky O'Donohue injected a fresh bit of "scandal" -- albeit short-lived -- into the TV show. O'Donohue apparently appeared in a photo shoot for Maxim magazine in 2004, posing with her twin sister, Jesse. The shots, which originally ran on the magazine's Web site, were made news again by an Extra TV segment. (The pictures were so popular that Maxim's servers were overloaded on Thursday.) But the attention didn't help O'Donohue: She was among the semifinalists who were get cut from the show on Thursday night. (Reality World TV, Extra TV, News.com)
Also:
Former child star Brad Renfro pleaded guilty to attempted heroin possession on Thursday and was ordered to go back into rehab. The 23-year-old was arrested during a drug sting operation in December on Los Angeles' Skid Row. (E! Online via Yahoo! News) ... Rumors are circulating that Britney Spears' hubby, Kevin Federline, has been trying to put the moves on Jessica Simpson, though their P.R. people insist they're "just old friends." (The Scoop) ... Reese Witherspoon did herself no favors with the British people by not showing up to accept her British Academy Award and not even bothering to offer a good excuse. (Fox 411) ... Director Lee Tamahori, who was arrested last month in Los Angeles for soliciting an undercover cop, agreed to a plea of criminal trespass on Thursday in exchange for having the prostitution charges against him dropped. As part of the agreement, an L.A. city spokesman said Tamahori would not be able to loiter, congregate in alleys or accept rides with the intent to engage in prostitution. (Associated Press) ... Star magazine is upset that People poached its Feb. 14 story about the secret affair between "Skating With the Celebrities" stars Kristy Swanson and Lloyd Eisler. Eisler's pregnant wife, Marcie, has since left him, but the real lesson of the story, according to the magazine, is that "Star, yet again, stays true to its motto of 'Breaking Celebrity News First!'" (Star)
Money Quote:
Kanye West, clarifying that he's addicted to porn, not sex: "You sit down with these f**king journalists and the second you say what you think, they use it against you. I say, 'yeah, I like porn,' then it's all: 'Kanye West: Sex Addict.'" (ContactMusic)
Turn On:
Lucy Lawless returns to her guest role on "Battlestar Galactica" (Sci Fi Channel, 10 p.m. EST), while tonight's coverage of the " Winter Olympic Games" (NBC, 8 p.m. EST) features the Championship Gala -- where the figure skating medal winners get to let their hair down -- plus the women's giant slalom final, the men's 10,000-meter speed skating and the four-man bobsled. On Sunday, it's the "Winter Games: Closing Ceremony" (NBC, 7 p.m. EST) and the finale of Masterpiece Theatre's "Bleak House" (PBS, check local listings), as well as the season premiere of "Iron Chef America" (Food Network, 9 p.m. EST).
-- Scott Lamb
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