SALON

Thursday, Mar 20, 2003 7:43 PM UTC

The Fix

Will Smith a no-show at Oscars, Peter Jennings a no-show at war coverage and Monica to host reality dating show.

By

Topics: Walter Cronkite, Barbara Walters,

The intersection of politics and Hollywood has always been a compelling one. The war is now on, and questions in the air include “Is Saddam dead or alive?” and “Will Meryl Streep attend the Oscars?” We don’t have the answer to either one, but the information is trickling in. So far, Will Smith is out, Catherine Zeta-Jones is in (unless she gives birth) (Billboard); Cate Blanchett is out, the Barbara Walters special has been postponed (LA Times) and Meryl Streep is “making noises” about canceling. (Page Six) And those stars who do show may stage a symbolic protest when the living honorees are all onstage at once to celebrate the diamond anniversary. (LA Weekly)

If you want to check out of reality and focus instead on what Britney Spears is up to, we hear she’s dating MTV host Mike Kasem and that he’s being a positive influence on her. Thank god. (WENN)

Where was Peter Jennings? When war broke out at 9:30 p.m. (EST) last night NBC had Tom Brokaw and Desert Storm vet Peter Arnett, CBS had Dan Rather ready to go, but Jennings didn’t show at ABC until about 10 p.m. (Tom Shales) Meanwhile, former anchor and uncle to us all Walter Cronkite was at Drew University last night and said he thought that “The arrogance of our spokespeople, even the president himself, has been exceptional.” (Daily Record)

Monica Lewinsky will host a Fox reality show, starting April 21, called “Mr. Personality.” The concept: A young, single, beautiful woman will court several guys and will make her choice based on their souls, not their baby blues. This will happen because the men will be wearing masks or hoods during the dating process. We think this story sounds like it’s from the Onion, but it’s not. It’s from the Washington Post, so we assume it’s true.

It’s Robbie Williams vs. Madonna in a grudge match! Robbie went on record saying his new release “Happy Easter (War Is Coming)” is not antiwar. Madonna’s song “American Life” will be accompanied by an antiwar video. Both will be out April 14. (Ananova)

Bookmark the Fix here.

Karen Croft is the editor of Salon Sex. More Karen Croft.

Next Article

Related Stories

More Related Stories

Featured Slide Shows

The week in 10 pics

close X
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11
  • Lisa Montgomery embraces her nephew Thursday after a tornado tore apart her home in Cleburne, Texas. The twister killed six people and destroyed entire swaths of the North Texas town.
    Credit: AP/LM Otero

  • Jack McMahon, the defense attorney for abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell, speaks outside the Criminal Justice Center in Philadelphia Tuesday. His client was convicted of killing three babies in his clinic, and will serve multiple life sentences.
    Credit: AP/Matt Rourke

  • A photo taken Monday captures Vice President Joe Biden's response to a Milwaukee second-grader's innovative proposal to end America's epidemic of gun violence. This guy!
    Credit: AP/Jenny Aicher

  • Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., flanked by a grouper-eyed Michele Bachmann, addresses the IRS' admission that it targeted Tea Party groups in advance of the 2012 election. In an op-ed for CNN Thursday, the Kentucky senator slammed the president for his faux outrage.
    Credit: AP/Molly Riley

  • Ousted IRS chief Steven Miller is sworn in on Capitol Hill Friday. Miller testified before the House Ways and Means Committee on the extra scrutiny the agency gave conservative groups applying for tax-exempt status.
    Credit: AP/J. Scott Applewhite

  • Attorney General Eric Holder pauses as he testifies on Capitol Hill before the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday. Holder is under fire, among other things, for the Justice Department's gathering of phone records at the Associated Press.
    Credit: AP/Carolyn Kaster

  • O.J. Simpson sits during an evidentiary hearing at Clark County District Court in Las Vegas, Nev., Thursday. Simpson, who is currently serving a nine-to-33-year sentence in state prison for armed robbery and kidnapping, is using a writ of habeas corpus to seek a new trial.
    Credit: AP/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Jeff Scheid

  • Major Tom to ground control: On Sunday astronaut Chris Hadfield recorded the first music video from space, a cover of David Bowie's "Space Oddity."
    Credit: AP/NASA/Chris Hadfield

  • When it rains it pours. President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference Thursday with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, inexplicably inspiring an #umbrellagate Twitter meme.
    Credit: AP/Jacquelyn Martin

  • A smoke plume rises high above a road block at the intersection of County A and Ross Road east of Solon Springs, Wis., Tuesday. No injuries were reported, but the the wildfire caused evacuations across northwestern Wisconsin.
    Credit: AP/The Duluth News-Tribune/Clint Austin

  • Recent Slide Shows

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook
  • Thumbnails
  • Fullscreen
  • 1 of 11

Related Videos

Comments

 0 Comments

Comment Preview

Your name will appear as username

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href=""> <b> <em> <strong> <i> <blockquote>

follow salon

Most Read

Popular on Reddit

links from salon.com

vote
From global warming to fluoride: Why do people deny science? An interesting question.
48 points49 points | 60 comments
vote
Developers evict historic women’s shelter to build luxury hotel - The 104-yr-old Anna Louise Inn has ended its 2-year legal battle with a Fortune 500 company & will now move. Many view the victory of the insurance company over a community touchstone as a major blow to the city.
31 points32 points | 2 comments
vote
Anonymous rallies behind Kaitlyn Hunt
30 points31 points | 34 comments
vote
The GOP Is the 'Party of Crybabies' for Demanding No One Criticize Their Policies or Donors
21 points22 points | comment
vote
Illinois' fracking and coal rush is a national crisis: Illinois and its Mississippi River banks are becoming another ground zero in the war over climate change.
18 points19 points | comment

From Around the Web

Presented by Scribol
listener_new_rect The Listener: Chekhov's story mirrors Russia's own

Recommendations