Morning Briefing:
Letterman vs. O'Reilly, the next round: Bill O'Reilly appears on "The Late Show with David Letterman" tonight, but Page Six has already seen the tape and reports the goods. After calling the Fox pundit a "bonehead," Letterman ventures a question on the war:
Letterman: Let me ask you a question -- was there more heinous, more dangerous violence taking place before in Iraq, or is there more heinous, dangerous violence taking place now in Iraq?O'Reilly: Oh, stop it. Saddam Hussein slaughtered 300,000 to 400,000 people, all right, so knock it off... It isn't so black and white, Dave -- it isn't, 'We're a bad country. Bush is an evil liar.' That's not true.
Letterman: I didn't say he was an evil liar. You're putting words in my mouth, just the way you put artificial facts in your head!
Letterman later admits he hasn't read O'Reilly's book, "Culture Warrior" -- "I looked at it. I said, 'What is it, a book on sailing?' " -- and ends the interview by looking at his watch: "Oh, gosh, where has the time gone? I have no idea what I'm talking about -- but I don't think you do, either." (Page Six)
Smith fight moves to the Bahamas: Larry Birkhead -- the Anna Nicole Smith ex who claims her newborn daughter was fathered by him, not lawyer Howard K. Stern -- has filed a second lawsuit against Smith, this time in the Bahamas. Birkhead's new suit claims that Smith has a methadone addiction (which Stern enables) and seeks to have his name replace Stern's on baby Dannielynn Hope's birth certificate. (E! Online)
Baby No. 4 for Jolie? The sourcing couldn't be much sketchier, but the Globe reports that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are applying to adopt a child from India, with a source telling the magazine, "They hope to be able to bring the child home by Christmas." The source adds that "they'd like to name the child India to honor its homeland." (The Globe via the Daily Mail)
Also:
Nicole Richie is getting professional help with her weight issues, her rep said in a release yesterday: "Nicole Richie has decided to undergo diagnostic treatment to determine why she's not been putting on any weight.... [T]his is not a treatment for an eating disorder." (People) ... A judge in Malawi has reset the date for a court hearing of the case by human rights groups pushing for a review of Madonna's recent adoption. It's now scheduled for Nov. 13. (Associated Press) ... The Weinstein Company, which is distributing "Shut Up & Sing," the Dixie Chicks documentary, says that NBC refused to air national ads for the movie because the trailer is "disparaging to President Bush" (the ads have run on NBC in New York and Los Angeles). (Variety) ... Clear Channel, the nation's largest radio company, is reportedly going up for sale -- the company said yesterday it had hired Goldman, Sachs & Co. to help determine its options, and was in talks with three large private equity groups. (Los Angeles Times) ... "Press Play," the newest album from Sean "Diddy" Combs, finished at the top of the Billboard charts this week, selling 175,000 copies. (Fox 411) ... Liz Taylor is denying rumors that she's planning to marry photographer Firooz Zahedi (it would be her ninth marriage): "We are not, never have been and will never be romantically involved." (BBC News) ... "Shut the fuck up! Shut up if you can't take a joke!" -- Barbra Streisand's instantly infamous comments to a heckler at one of her recent shows -- has been made into the inevitable dance remix. (via TMZ).
Money Quote:
Anne Hathaway defends her nude scenes in "Havoc" and "Brokeback Mountain": "I grew up studying classic painters. They certainly didn't shy away from nudes. I don't find anything morally reprehensible about it. I think it is different to pose in a pair of hotpants on the cover of Stuff magazine. That's something I'm just not interested in doing." (ContactMusic)
Turn On:
On Friday night, it's the season premiere of both "Las Vegas" (NBC, 9 p.m. EDT) and "Masters of Horror" (Showtime, 10 p.m. EDT) -- starting with a story from "Poltergeist" director Tobe Hooper -- and the 40th anniversary broadcast of "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" (ABC, 8 p.m. EDT). On Saturday, it's the debut of the animated movie "Hellboy: Sword of Storms" (Cartoon, 9:30 p.m. EDT) -- with voices by Ron Perlman, Selma Blair and Doug Jones -- and Natalie Maines talks about her career on "VH1 Storytellers: Dixie Chicks" (VH1, 9 p.m. EDT).
On the Talk Shows:
Charlie Rose (PBS, check local listings): Annette Bening, Ryan Murphy and Brian Cox talk about "Running with Scissors"
David Letterman (CBS, 11:30 p.m. EDT): Bill O'Reilly, Jeff Altman, Tilly and the Wall
Jay Leno (NBC, 11:35 p.m. EDT): Ashton Kutcher, Jenna Fischer, Amos Lee (repeat)
Conan O'Brien (NBC, 12:35 a.m. EDT): Nathan Lane, Padma Lakshmi, Kris Kristofferson (repeat)
Craig Ferguson (CBS, 12:35 a.m. EDT): Danny Bonaduce, Gene Pompa, Mew
Jimmy Kimmel (ABC, 12:05 a.m. EDT): George Lopez, Clay Aiken (repeat)
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