The "60 Minutes 2" scandal has caused some wags to predict that CBS will replace Dan Rather, when he retires this spring from "The Evening News," with an "outsider," someone who can help the network "rebuild its credibility." What is CBS looking for? Considering Rather, his contemporaries, and the two in-house candidates -- "60 Minutes Wednesday's" Scott Pelley and White House correspondent John Roberts -- the requirements seem clear: A shapely salt-and-peppered head, a strong jaw and a clear, silken complexion.
Can you pick out CBS's Pelley and Roberts from our own nominees above? The names are listed at the bottom of the page.
-- Kerry Lauerman
Turn On:
Friday night at 9 p.m. EST, Fox airs the new series "Jonny Zero," in which Franky G plays an ex-con fighting to stay straight on the streets of New York after serving time for manslaughter in Sing Sing. And don't forget to watch the Golden Globes on Sunday night on NBC starting at 8 p.m. EST.
Morning Briefing:
Swastika scandal, Day 2: The furor over Prince Harry's swastika scandal is still raging. The British tabloid the Sun, the first publication to run the now-infamous photo of Harry attending a costume bash on Saturday in full Nazi regalia, reports in today's edition that Prince Charles is "incandescent with rage" over Harry's poor choice of costume and is none too pleased with William, either, as the elder son not only attended the party with his bro, but also helped him pick out his costume. There's been talk of Harry and William being ordered by the royal family to make amends for their monumental gaffe by traveling to Auschwitz to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the concentration camp's liberation on Jan. 27. "There will be no publicity and they will go with a Jewish charity," an unnamed royal source told the Sun. "Their father has visited Auschwitz himself and believes Harry and William would both benefit by grasping a greater understanding of the horrors by actually visiting." Meanwhile, the boys' aunt, Sarah Ferguson, has stepped up to tell the world that Harry has suffered enough. "The thing is that sometimes we all do things where the ramifications of our actions are perhaps afterthoughts," Ferguson, who knows what it feels like to have a scandalous photo of herself (two words: toe sucking) snickered at the world over, said in a TV interview. "It's all very well to come down hard on him, but he's been through a lot, and I fully support him 100 percent. I hope the world accepts his apology. He deserves a break, really." Ferguson added that she felt the late Princess Diana, Harry's mom, "would be so proud of him." (The Sun via Reuters, CNN)
More than you ever wanted to know: Here's something to mull over as you watch Jamie Foxx make his way through awards season: Somewhere out there is a collection of explicit photos, stolen from Foxx's Vegas apartment, of the actor pleasuring himself and various women. And now he's commenting about the X-rated pix. "Here's what you can tell everybody," Foxx tells GQ. "There's no farm animals involved. There's no men involved. And to be honest with you? [The photos are] nice." New York Daily News gossips Rush and Molloy, who broke the news of the photos a few months back, are commenting about them, too. "Having seen some of the shots ... we can confirm the above statements. And they do demonstrate that the Golden Globe nominee is, um, one of Hollywood's biggest stars." Oh, and one more thing, Foxx also shares that his favorite part of the female anatomy is the "posterior": "I like big-boned women. I like curves. I like to feel them. That's what drives me." And there you have it. (Rush and Molloy)
Sure, it's funny to you: The State Department is insisting that, contrary to the impression you might get from all that vitriol spewed by Sacha Baron Cohen's character Borat Sagdiyev on "Da Ali G Show," Kazakhstan is not a "a wild den of misogynistic dog-shooting Gypsy- and Jew-haters," as faux Kazakh journalist Borat once put it, but rather a perfectly nice country with little record of anti-Semitism. And the Kazakhstan embassy is not particularly amused by Borat's antics and slurs. "I do have a sense of humor," embassy spokesman Roman Vassilenko tells the Forward newspaper. "But it's not quite helpful and perhaps harmful to portray a country where 'Throw the Jew down the well' is a famous folk song." (Lloyd Grove's Lowdown)
Also: Bernard Kerik, who has cited plans to "finish my second book, which is now under way," is rumored to have a book deal with Miramax, negotiated before it all hit the fan for him, but Miramax is refusing to confirm. (N.Y. Daily News) ... Tipper Gore has reportedly been telling pals that Al is considering making another run for president in 2008. (Page Six) ... Pamela Anderson says she turned down a chance to play the part Teri Hatcher now plays on "Desperate Housewives" because the producers told her she'd have to dye her hair brown for the role and "blond is my trademark." (N.Y. Post) ... Queen Latifah has been tapped to host the Grammy Awards on Feb. 13 in Los Angeles. (N.Y. Post) ... An actress named Sholeh Bocchelli has filed suit against Michael Jackson, saying he fathered twins by her -- Isaiah Jackson and Jeanpierre Jackson, born in Los Angeles on Nov. 26 -- and is now holding the boys, conceived through in-vitro fertilization, at Neverland and failing to provide her with access to them. The Jackson camp says there is "no truth" to Bocchelli's allegations. (Celebrity Justice)
-- Amy Reiter
Candidates pictured in top graphic:
1). CBS's John Roberts
2). Sitcom star Ted McGinley
3). Family Research Council president Tony Perkins
4). Gov. Mark Warner, D-Va.
5). CBS's Scott Pelley
6). Baseball/Jockey star Jim Palmer
7). Principal Skinner
8). Grecian-Formula model.
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