Morning Briefing:
The tale of Brad and Angelina: Angelina Jolie gets misty in the January issue of Vogue, looking back over her courtship with Brad Pitt and narrating how their on-set chemistry during the filming of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" slowly morphed into something more (see some photos from the Annie Leibovitz spread here). "I didn't know much about exactly where Brad was in his personal life," Jolie tells the magazine of their first meeting. "But it was clear he was with his best friend, someone he loves and respects." She goes on: "Brad was a huge surprise to me. I, like most people, had a very distant impression of him from ... the media." According to her version of events, nothing overtly romantic happened between them until after Pitt and then-wife Jennifer Aniston split in January 2005. And things apparently solidified between them because of her kids -- one day, Maddox "just out of the blue called him Dad," says Jolie. "It was amazing. We were playing with cars on the floor of a hotel room, and we both heard it and didn't say anything and just looked at each other. So that was probably the most defining moment, when he decided that we would all be a family." (Vogue via People)
Lohan insists she's sober: Lindsay Lohan was in a chatty mood at a holiday party in Los Angeles on Monday -- explaining why she was arriving late, Lohan told People magazine, "I just left an AA meeting. I've been going to AA for a year, by the way." When asked why she only recently revealed attending the 12-step group, she said, "Well it's no one's business. That's why it's anonymous!" Once launched, she wouldn't stop: "I haven't had a drink in seven days. Or anything. I'm not even legal to, so why would I? I don't drink when I go to clubs. I drink with my friends at home, but there's no need to. I feel better not drinking. It's more fun. I have Red Bull." (People)
"Mallard Fillmore" creator's DUI: Edward Bruce Tinsley, the cartoonist behind the syndicated "Mallard Fillmore" comic strip -- about the life of a conservative duck -- has made his second trip this year to the Columbus, Ind., sheriff's department for an alcohol-related incident. He was arrested last week for DUI after being pulled over with a blood-alcohol level of 0.14 -- twice the legal limit in Indiana -- and was also arrested in August for public drunkenness. (Indianapolis Star)
Add it to the pile: Another "Borat" lawsuit appeared on Tuesday, this time from a man complaining about a scene that didn't even make it into the movie. A South Carolina resident, not named in the suit, says "Borat" actor Sacha Baron Cohen "accosted" him in a restaurant bathroom while pretending to be an attendant. The suit seeks to prohibit footage of the encounter -- which has shown up online and elsewhere -- from being featured on the DVD. (Yahoo News)
Also:
Kevin Federline is apparently mulling a tell-all book about his life with estranged wife Britney Spears -- which would clearly be ghostwritten -- as a means of raising some quick cash. "Kevin is either hoping a publisher will pay him big money for the book," a source told Star, "or that Britney will cough up more cash than what's in their prenup to keep him from spilling the beans." (Star via the Scoop) ... Erstwhile daredevil Evel Knievel -- now 68 -- has filed a lawsuit against rapper Kanye West over West's video for his song "Touch the Sky." The suit claims the video, which features West in a white jumpsuit, attempting to jump a canyon in a rocket, infringes on Knievel's trademark name and likeness -- you can watch the video here. (TMZ) ... Sir Paul McCartney progeny Stella has given birth for a second time -- the designer and hubby Alasdhair Willis welcomed their daughter Bailey Linda Olwyn Willis into the world last week in London. (Telegraph) ... Last week's Nielsen numbers for TV shows are in, and "CSI" has the new top spot; its 23.3 million viewers put it well in front of the week's other big shows. (USA Today) ... Available for appearances at your holiday party: Potsie from "Happy Days" -- actor Anson Williams -- for a fee of $3,000 to $6,000, "American Idol" loser William Hung for a cool $4,000, or Kevin Federline -- in another get-rich-quick scheme? -- who is asking a mere $12,000 to $20,000 to show up. (ABC News)
Money Quote:
Scarlett Johansson on going nude for the February cover shot of Vanity Fair with Keira Knightley: "We were going to be wearing thongs but the stylist snipped them off. Here we are, Keira and I, and we're totally naked, and some guy is on his BlackBerry computer. Everyone was busy working. But I guess it's better than if they were all looking at me. It was surprisingly comfortable." (Esquire via Monsters and Critics)
Turn On:
With Wednesday night comes the third and final installment of the "The Lost Room" (Sci Fi, 9 p.m. EST) miniseries. Plus it's the debut of Jay Bakker's show -- yes, the son of Jim and Tammy Faye -- "One Punk Under God" (Sundance, 9 p.m. EST) and the two-hour opener of "Next Top Model: British Invasion" (CW, 8 p.m. EST).
On the Talk Shows:
Charlie Rose (PBS, check local listings): Henry Kissinger
David Letterman (CBS, 11:30 p.m. EST): Kid scientists, Regis Philbin, Robert Randolph
Jay Leno (NBC, 11:35 p.m. EST): Dakota Fanning, Aaron Eckhart, Twisted Sister
Conan O'Brien (NBC, 12:35 a.m. EST): Jeremy Irons, Aimee Mann
Craig Ferguson (CBS, 12:35 a.m. EST): Rob Morrow, Lucy Lawless, Jet
Jimmy Kimmel (ABC, 12:05 a.m. EST): Shawn and Marlon Wayans, Giuliana DePandi, the Living End
Jon Stewart (Comedy Central, 11 p.m. EST): Ricky Gervais
Stephen Colbert (Comedy Central, 11:30 p.m. EST): Doris Kearns Goodwin
Get more of the Fix here.
To send a hot tip to the Fix, click here.
Shares