Morning Briefing:
Trump vs. Rosie vs. Barbara: The ire of the Rosie O'Donnell and Donald Trump media feud was apparently momentarily refocused Monday when O'Donnell returned from vacation. According to reports Tuesday in Page Six and Gatecrasher, she is furious with Barbara Walters, creator of "The View," for not denying more vehemently Trump's claim that Walters regretted hiring O'Donnell for her show. In a reported blowup minutes before the show aired, O'Donnell said: "You went all around this and never called [Trump] a liar. You never said, 'Donald is lying.' You never called him a liar." When Walters protested, O'Donnell shot back, "You're a [bleeping] liar." Things were patched over quickly on-air, with Walters saying, "Let me say definitively, everything that he said I said about her is untrue." O'Donnell also opened a new front in her battle with Trump, whose new "Apprentice" debuted on Sunday (the lowest-rated "Apprentice" debut yet), saying, "The guy, he's obsessed with me, obviously." (Page Six, Gatecrasher, Reuters, Associated Press)
Jolie retracts scolding: Angelina Jolie says her comments about Madonna's recent adoption (see Monday's Fix) were taken out of context and that she never meant to criticize. "The article included many falsehoods," Jolie said in a statement released Monday, scolding Gala, the French magazine in which the interview appeared. "I said many positive things that were omitted. I feel we must focus on the present and I encourage everyone to be supportive so that every child can adjust nicely to their new home." Jolie said she actually has a lot of sympathy for the pop queen. "I have been horrified by the attacks she's been subjected to," she said. "All that should count is the happiness of her little David." (People)
Borat disappears as Oscars grow near: With the Oscar ballots due in from Academy voters this Saturday (the nominations won't be announced until Jan. 23), the Los Angeles Times has the first newspaper interview with the man behind Borat, Sacha Baron Cohen. (The paper itself notes there is a whiff of Oscar campaigning in the timing; Cohen's publicist first called to set up the meeting the day after "Borat" got its Golden Globe nomination.) Cohen complains about the difficulty of staying in character for so long during filming: "It was exhausting. I had to be that way all day and all night, because even if the tiniest detail had gone awry, it could've made them suspicious. I mean, even if I went to the bathroom, I had to make sure I went to the bathroom as Borat." He also says he has little sympathy for the people featured in his movie who have since complained about being duped. "This wasn't 'Candid Camera,'" he tells the paper. "There were two large cameras in the room. I don't buy the argument that, 'Oh, I wouldn't have acted so racist or anti-Semitic if I'd known this film was being shown in America.' That's no excuse." (L.A. Times)
Also:
R.E.M., Van Halen, Patti Smith, the Ronettes and hip-hop pioneer Grandmaster Flash are the five acts who've been chosen for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. (BBC News) ... Howard Stern marks his one-year anniversary on satellite radio Tuesday, and as the Boston Globe notes, he has led the migration to satellite from traditional radio: Sirius, which had just 600,000 subscribers when it announced the deal with Stern in 2004, last week announced it now has more than 6 million. (Boston Globe) ... It's been nearly a decade since James Cameron directed a feature film for Hollywood -- the last one was some movie called "Titanic" -- but on Monday he announced his next project, a combination of live action and computer graphics called "Avatar," which will come out in 2009. (L.A. Times) ... Tech gossip sites have reached a frenzied pitch -- and even the Wall Street Journal has chimed in -- over the rumor that Apple is about to release a cellphone. An announcement is expected later today. (Macrumours) ... The split between Marilyn Manson and Dita von Teese is about to turn into an ugly custody battle -- the couple didn't have any children, but they do have pets. "They are fighting over custody of the cats," says a source close to the goth couple, "not so much the dogs." (Page Six) ... Iwao Takamoto, the cartoonist who created both Scooby-Doo and Muttley the dog, has died at age 81. (BBC News)
Money Quote:
John Stamos, who graduated from Uncle Jesse on "Full House" to an intern on "ER," says the old "House" crew still stays close: "The cast is all a pretty solid group of people -- we've all gone through stuff together, Mary-Kate's stuff and the occasional rehab. We go to dinner a couple of times a year, and I talk to Dave Coulier and Bob Saget almost every day. Bob's such a pain! He calls to tell me he's too busy to talk. He's got a game show! I said, 'Lighten up! I'm saving lives on TV!'" (Ladies' Home Journal)
Turn On:
Queen Latifah hosts "The 33rd Annual People's Choice Awards" on Tuesday (CBS, 9 p.m. EST), HBO starts reairing Episodes 1 through 12 of "Rome" (beginning 8 p.m.) in the run-up to the season premiere on Sunday, and Discovery's "Really Big Things" (9 p.m. EST) travels the world in search of ... really big things.
On the Talk Shows:
Larry King (CNN, 9 p.m. EST): Kiefer Sutherland and the cast of "24"
Charlie Rose (PBS, check local listings): "Understanding the Human Genome": James Watson, Paul Nurse, Eric Lander, Craig Venter
David Letterman (CBS, 11:30 p.m. EST): Penélope Cruz, Gary Muledeer, Ben E. King
Jay Leno (NBC, 11:35 p.m. EST): Ben Affleck, Jewel
Conan O'Brien (NBC, 12:35 a.m. EST): Donald Trump, Mos Def
Craig Ferguson (CBS, 12:35 a.m. EST): Jonathan Silverman, San Diego Charger Antonio Gates, Greg Proops
Jimmy Kimmel (ABC, 12:05 a.m. EST): Donal Logue, Lou Dobbs, Shiny Toy Guns
Jon Stewart (Comedy Central, 11 p.m. EST): Harry Frankfurt
Stephen Colbert (Comedy Central, 11:30 p.m. EST): Jim Cramer
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