The Fix

Justice Scalia calls for more "sexual orgies" to "eliminate social tensions"; Minnelli accused of abusing another male intimate; and Clinton is up, about and buying ice cream!

Published October 1, 2004 9:17AM (EDT)

Turn On:
America's brightest high school science students design robots and duke it out to compete for honors in the "Super Bowl of engineering" in the documentary "First Robotics," airing Friday night at 9 p.m. ET on the Science Channel.

Morning Briefing:
Here comes the judge: Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia may have a lot of controversial opinions, but he recently shared one with an audience of students at Harvard University that is stirring up controversy in a whole new way. Saying he takes pains to keep his personal views on social issues out of the courtroom, he shared this: "I even take the position that sexual orgies eliminate social tensions and ought to be encouraged." Oh my. (Harvard Crimson)

Richie, famous and mad? Is Nicole Richie ticked off at Paris Hilton over Hilton reportedly calling two African-American men "dumb n--s" in that recently surfaced videotape? Hilton was not present at Richie's 23rd birthday bash in Los Angeles the other night, the New York Daily News reports, acknowledging that schedule conflicts or bad weather could also have been to blame. Then again, it may be Hilton who's pissed at Richie; the guy trying to peddle the tape to the media, thus far not identified in the press, is an ex-boyfriend of Richie's. Simple life, complicated relationships. (Rush and Molloy)

The belter: Snicker as we did at David Gest's allegations that Liza Minnelli beat him repeatedly during their marriage, Gest may be poised to get the last laugh. Another Minnelli intimate, her former chauffeur M'hammed Soumayah, has filed a lawsuit contending that the singer battered him during drunken rampages and looking to collect "money damages arising from personal injuries." Soumayah, Minnelli's right-hand man for 10 years before she canned him in August, "couldn't take her physical abuse, which he received more than his fair share of," a source told the New York Post. (N.Y. Post)

Also: Courtney Love is not only in the midst of defending herself in two separate assault suits -- on either coast -- but also fending off allegations that she has failed to pay nearly $50,000 in travel expenses to a California travel agency, more than $37,000 for unemployment insurance taxes for her personal employees and various charges to her New York condo (Reuters) ... Clinton is up, around and buying ice cream (low-fat frozen yogurt, actually) at his local deli (N.Y. Daily News)

Money Quote:
Oprah Winfrey dismissing the suggestion that she may have presidential aspirations: "Why would I run for office when I have the best job in the world right now? I'll bet both the presidential candidates were wishing they could reach as many people on a daily basis as I do." (Rush and Molloy)

-- Amy Reiter

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By Salon Staff

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