Morning Briefing:
Cruise watch: Speaking publicly for the first time since his daughter's birth last week, Tom Cruise proved to be as enthusiastic and eloquent about his feelings on fatherhood as he has been in the past about his feelings for Katie Holmes. "It was everything that we wanted it to be ... It was spiritual. It was powerful. It was indescribable. What words can you use?" Cruise told ABC's "20/20." "It's still something that I'm processing and keep reliving." As Fox 411 points out, Cruise shouldn't have been on the show at all: Two days after Suri's birth, Cruise announced he'd be canceling all "Mission: Impossible 3" promotional engagements; two days later, he appeared on the "20/20" special with the rest of the "M:I3" cast to discuss the movie and, of course, his new baby. (ABC, Fox 411)
Sheen/Richards split gets nasty: In the divorce proceedings between Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen, things have turned grim after Richards filed new paperwork in court on Friday, claiming that her estranged husband once threatened to have her killed, among other things. As the Smoking Gun -- which has the full filing here -- puts it, she alleges he's "unstable, violent, addicted to gambling and prostitutes, and visits pornographic Web sites featuring young men and girls who appear underage." Richards claims that Sheen once told her she was "fucking with the wrong guy," then pushed her to the ground in front of her children and yelled, "I hope you fucking die, bitch!" After the filing, a judge ordered Sheen to stay at least 300 feet away from Richards and their two daughters. Over the weekend, Sheen told People that Richards' claims are "baseless." "Obviously, what has taken place is vile, is unconscionable, is without merit, is a transparent and immature smear campaign," he said on Saturday. (People, Smoking Gun)
Oprah offers Julia a tissue: After Julia Roberts' play, "Three Days of Rain," opened to terrible reviews last week, she got a visit from America's most-cried-on shoulder: Oprah Winfrey reportedly stopped by to throw what a source for Gatecrasher called a "pity party" for Roberts. An Oprah rep confirmed the visit, but declined to label it a pity call. (Gatecrasher)
Also:
"Entourage" actor Kevin Dillon, 40, and his fiancée, Jane Stuart, 27, got married in Las Vegas over the weekend at the Elvis Chapel, and after opting for the Elvis Hound Dog Special -- $349, includes singing Elvis impersonator -- got to keep the Elvis-style sunglasses they were given for the ceremony as souvenirs. (US Online) ... The horror flick "Silent Hill" topped the box office this weekend with around $20 million in sales, followed by "The Sentinel" ($14.7 million) and "American Dreamz" ($3.7 million). (Box Office Mojo) ... "The Sopranos" took on the scourge of celebrity promotional goodie bag giveaways in Sunday night's episode (stop reading if you haven't seen it and want to be surprised), which ended with Lauren Bacall getting punched in the face and robbed for her gift basket after presenting an award at ShoWest. (Too Saucy) ... Tonight on pay-per-view, psychics join hands for a séance hoping to find the spirit of John Lennon at La Fortuna, which was apparently one of the musician's favorite restaurants in New York. "A pay-per-view séance was never his style," Yoko Ono spokesperson Elliot Mintz said, calling the whole thing "tacky, exploitative and far removed" from Lennon's nature. (Reuters) ... Thanks to the magic of combining childhood photos via PhotoShop, TMZ attempts to look into the future and see what celebrity offspring will look like as teenagers, starting with Suri Cruise at age 13. (TMZ)
Money Quote:
Tom Hanks on how "The Da Vinci Code" might prove to be a boon for Sunday services: "I think the movie may end up helping churches do their job. If they put up a sign saying, 'This Wednesday we're discussing the gospel,' 12 people show up. But if the sign says, 'This Wednesday we're discussing "The Da Vinci Code,"' 800 people show up." (Entertainment Weekly via ContactMusic)
-- Scott Lamb
Turn On:
On Monday night, HBO's two-part original miniseries "Elizabeth I" (8 p.m. EDT) airs. On "Charlie Rose" (PBS, check local listings) guest host Cokie Roberts discusses the political situation in France with New Yorker writer Adam Gopnik, philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy and journalist Roger Cohen. And Australian kid-rock sensations the Wiggles perform on "The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson" (12:37 a.m. EDT).
-- Joe DiMento
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