Morning Briefing:
Jackson trial fallout: I know, I know. You were hoping we were all done with this Jackson stuff. But this morning's news cycle brings A) news that 30.5 million people tuned in for the reading of the verdict on Monday afternoon, B) reports that Jackson's accuser is "discouraged" that the jury didn't believe him and having a "difficult time" as a result, C) a chance to look at the video intro to Jackson's official Web site, on which he compares his acquittal to the birth of Martin Luther King Jr., the fall of the Berlin Wall and the release of Nelson Mandela, D) a story about Nancy Grace eating a "crow sandwich" (OK, brandishing it) and talking nasty to a Jackson trial juror, and -- best of all -- E) a report, courtesy of Matt Drudge, that the Jackson camp has demanded that the D.A. return the photos of Michael Jackson's "splotchy" penis that he ordered taken in 1993. Sneddon says he doesn't have access to the photos, which Jackson's people are afraid will be leaked to the press. "Why will you not end this, Mr. Sneddon, once and for all?" a Jackson insider asked, referring to the photos, via the Drudge Report. "Do you enjoy them?" (Copley News Service, N.Y. Post, Associated Press, Drudge)
Star Jones, ambulance blocker? A neighbor of Star Jones and Al Reynolds has tattled to the tabs that the "View" star's driver held up an ambulance rushing to someone's rescue by leaving his van double-parked outside the Reynolds' Upper East Side apartment building and sucking up most of the space on the road. "Their driver just left it idling there, illegally double-parked on a narrow one-way street for 45 minutes. He was nowhere to be seen. Six people had to come out and help guide the ambulance through -- there was an inch of clearance on each side. It took a good five minutes, at least," entertainment publicist Chris Hulbert told Lloyd Grove's Lowdown. "I ran over to their doorman and said, 'Do something!' He called up to Star and Al and tried to get them the hell down there. He just shrugged at me. The driver came down five minutes later, taking his sweet time. By then we had gotten the ambulance through." Hulbert said that Star and Al themselves appeared about 15 minutes later. "They made no apologies," he said. "I was talking to people who said this has happened over and over again. They said her car is always double-parked there." (Lloyd Grove's Lowdown)
Runaway bucks: Looks like "Runaway Bride" Jennifer Wilbanks might not have such a hard time repaying her community the $13,000 she owes them for its search after her disappearance. Page Six reports that Judith Regan has secured Wilbanks and her fiancé, John Mason, a deal with NBC that would involve a book, a TV movie, a "Dateline" special and a "Today" show appearance -- and a $500,000 payoff for their story. NBC News says the deal has nothing to do with them, but Wilbanks did tape an interview with Couric on Monday. (Page Six)
Angie, Aaaangie! In an interview in an upcoming issue of Vanity Fair, Jennifer Aniston reportedly blames Angelina Jolie for the breakup of her marriage to Brad Pitt. "She told [writer Leslie] Bennetts she did want babies with Brad, and that starting a family wasn't the issue," a source told Page Six. "The issue was Brad cheated and she is appalled by the 'family photos' [of Pitt and Jolie] coming out in W." (Page Six)
Also: Bob Geldof has successfully shamed eBay into agreeing to take down the sale of tickets to the Live 8 charity concert for large sums of money by posters on its site. (Associated Press) ... Nicole Kidman reportedly has a new man in her life -- a "well-muscled, handsome guy" she went jogging and hung out with during a recent trip to L.A., but who has yet to be I.D.'ed. (Rush & Molloy) ... Oprah Winfrey says her ancestors hail from South Africa: "I went in search of my roots and had my DNA tested, and I am a Zulu," she told a group in Johannesburg. (N.Y. Post) ... Take that, Ed Klein: Hillary Clinton's 2003 memoir, "Living History," reportedly netted her $2.4 million in royalties last year alone. That's on top of the reported $8 million advance. (N.Y. Post) ... Sad stat: A survey conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center has determined that about 40 percent of Americans consider Bill O'Reilly a journalist, whereas only 30 percent of them think that Bob Woodward is. (L.A. Times) ... Geraldo Rivera has renewed his contract with Fox News, though details of the deal have not been disclosed. (Reuters/Hollywood Reporter) ... Burt Reynolds and his ex-girlfriend Pamela Seals have agreed to settle the lawsuits they'd filed against each other in the wake of their breakup. Terms of the deal they reached were not released. (Palm Beach Post)
Money Quotes:
Tom Cruise on love -- and speculation that his relationship with Katie Holmes is just a P.R. stunt: "I have to laugh. It's just ridiculous. Something magnificent has happened to me and something extraordinary, and I'm so happy I just can't restrain myself." (BBC News)
Larry King on love: "You know when you're in love. It's like seeing pornography. You know it when you see it." (N.Y. Times' Boldface)
Turn On:
Morgan Spurlock's new show, "30 Days," premieres on FX tonight at 10 p.m. EDT.
-- Amy Reiter
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