Morning Briefing:
Trump plays dad: Donald and Melania Knauss Trump are the proud parents of a baby boy, Barron William Trump, after Melania gave birth on Monday. Trump was on the MSNBC show "Imus in the Morning" 20 minutes later (via phone) to tell the world, and has been milking the press attention. He somehow links baby-making with his idea of "staying young": "I continue to stay young, right? I produce children, I stay young," he said. Elsewhere, he took a moment out to wonder if getting pregnant was such a good idea for Britney Spears: "What has happened to Britney? She's put her very successful career on hold to get married and have a baby. Lots of women do that but there's something that just doesn't look right here. The husband? I don't know. I've just never been a big fan. I hope he's OK. He certainly seems to be spending lots of her money." (Yahoo! News, the Scoop)
On "The Return of Chef!": Hoping, it seems, to get the last word in on the controversy over Isaac Hayes quitting the show, "South Park" creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker have scrambled to put together a very special episode for the premiere of the show's 10th season on Wednesday -- "The Return of Chef!" A Comedy Central press release also draws up the show's outline: "The town is jolted out of a case of the doldrums when Chef suddenly reappears. While Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman are thrilled to have their old friend back, they notice that something about Chef seems different. When Chef's strange behavior starts getting him in trouble, the boys pull out all the stops to save him." (Us Online)
In other Scientology news: An ad appearing in this week's L.A. Weekly blames Tom Cruise and the Church of Scientology for the murder of a church member in Buffalo, N.Y., whose son suffered from schizophrenia. "Thanks, Tom Cruise and the Church of Scientology, for your expert advice on mental health," says the ad, telling the story of a woman killed "by the schizophrenic son she was told to treat with vitamins instead of psychiatric care." Elli Perkins was stabbed to death in March 2003 by her 28-year-old son, Jeremy, who allegedly suffered from untreated schizophrenia, according to the Web site mentioned in the ad, PerkinsTragedy.org. Both Elli and Jeremy Perkins were active members of the church in Buffalo. (The Scoop)
The tenant formerly known as: The Smoking Gun is reporting that the artist once again known as Prince is being sued by his landlord in Los Angeles for apparently violating his $70,000 a month lease by "painting the exterior of the [house] with purple striping, 'prince' symbol, and numbers 3121." Prince, who has a new album, "3121," out on Tuesday, has been renting the mansion in West Hollywood from NBA star Carlos Boozer, a Utah Jazz forward, since October, and is planning to host a private concert there for lucky buyers of the new album who find a purple ticket in their CD case, à la Willy Wonka. (The Smoking Gun)
Also:
Jon Stewart has signed on to host this year's Peabody Awards, the broadcast journalism award show, in June. (Peabody) ... Steven Colbert is busy writing a book, due out in September 2007, for the same publisher that put out "The Daily Show" tome "America (The Book)." (Variety) ... In a move that will bring it closer to being the longest-running show in TV history, "The Simpsons" has been given two more seasons by Fox. The new deal will take the show to season 19 in 2008 -- only "Gunsmoke," which had 20 seasons, was on the air longer. (E! Online) ... Showing the remarkable class she's known for, Nicole Richie upset an L.A. family during shooting for "The Simple Life" last week "by stopping an 11-year-old boy in his driveway and asking him, in graphic terms, if he found her attractive." The segment, understandably, won't air when the show starts later this spring. (People) ... Though her last "farewell" tour ended in 2000, Barbra Streisand is reportedly heading out on a national tour again this fall. (Page Six) ... In an impromptu courthouse ceremony in Harrisonburg, Va., last Thursday, Richard Dreyfuss married Svetlana Erokhin. It's his third marriage. (People) ... Thirty-four years after the original film debuted, a video-game version of "The Godfather" is arriving in stores on Tuesday; Variety calls it the "biggest test yet" of Hollywood's relationship with the world of video games. (Variety)
Money Quote:
Rocker Carlos Santana on how his political philosophy differs from that of the president: "I have wisdom. I feel love. I live in the present and I try to present a dimension that brings harmony and healing. My concept is the opposite of George W. Bush." (Associated Press)
-- Scott Lamb
Turn On:
It's a big TV night: Fox airs another two-hour "American Idol" (8 p.m. EST), while ABC goes for two episodes of its new comedy "Sons & Daughters" (9 p.m. EST), and Bravo premieres both the third season of "Blow Out" (9 p.m. EST) and the new series "The Real Housewives of Orange County" (10 p.m. EST). Elsewhere, FX's "The Shield" ends its fifth season (10 p.m. EST), and Spike TV closes the first season of "King of Vegas" (10 p.m. EST).
-- Joe DiMento
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