Morning Briefing:
Model no more?: As unsurprising as it may be to learn that a runway model uses cocaine, the taped revelations about Kate Moss' drug use may spell the end of her career. The British tabloids have closed in for the kill -- News of the World says Moss has had flings with Sadie Frost and Davinia Taylor, including a three-way with Frost and former husband Jude Law; the Mirror says she's split with Pete Doherty, who was seen kissing another man at a disco in Ibiza. While Christian Dior, Burberry and H. Stern have all avoided saying whether Moss would continue to represent them, H&M has made a decision. After initially saying it would keep its ties with her after her apology, the retailer is dropping Moss in its autumn and winter ad campaign. "H&M will cancel the planned advertising campaign with model Kate Moss. After having evaluated the situation, H&M has decided that a campaign with Kate Moss is inconsistent with H&M's clear dissociation of drugs." (N.Y. Daily News, London Mirror)
"Dumbed-down, tarted-up": After talking about how much he missed covering Katrina after the Emmys on Sunday, former CBS face man Dan Rather has come out swinging at what he calls the "new journalism order." Between the pressure that politicians "of every persuasion" put on news organizations and the "dumbed-down, tarted-up" style of coverage, Rather said the news is suffering. "All of this creates a bigger atmosphere of fear in newsrooms." When asked if he thought the Nixon administration -- with whom Rather frequently and famously fought during the Watergate years -- used the same type of repressive forces as the current Bush administration, Rather said, "No, I do not." The remarks came on Monday as he addressed the Fordham University School of Law in Manhattan, while he occasionally fought back tears. HBO Documentary and Family president Sheila Nevins, also speaking at Fordham, said, "When a man is close to tears discussing his work and his lip quivers, he deserves bosses who punch back. I feel I would punch back for Dan." (AP)
Martha talks straight on fur, euphemizes jail: Just before her new show, "The Apprentice," is due to debut on Wednesday, Martha Stewart has shown up in a very different kind of reality video: talking about the horrors of the fur trade in a short but disturbing film on the PETA Web site. She says, "I used to wear real fur, but, like many others, I had a change of heart when I learned what actually happens to the animals." PETA V.P. Dan Mathews says, "I wrote a letter to her asking her if that stole she wore when she was found guilty was real fur and she wrote back that it was fake and that her daughter had really opened her eyes on that whole issue," adding that the video was filmed on the set of her talk show and "she offered us delicious vegetarian dumplings from a just-completed cooking segment." Meanwhile, Martha continued to make light of her prison experience, explaining on "The Late Show with David Letterman" that she called it "Yale." "I lived through it, actually, with flying colors, if you can live through 'Yale' with flying colors." (MSNBC, AP)
Also:
A Manhattan judge has dismissed charges against Christian Slater for "allegedly groping a woman's bottom" (as the BBC puts it) as long as he doesn't commit a crime for the next six months. Slater was arrested in May after the woman flagged down police to report what had happened, leading to the actor being arrested outside a bar a few blocks away ... Appearing on Oprah on Monday, Jennifer Aniston made it clear she's ready to get back aboard the dating wagon and that she's moved on from Brad. "It's the media that won't move on," she said. "You just want to say, 'Come on, people! Turn a page!'" ... The list of visitors trying to get in to see jailed Times scribe Judith Miller had grown so large it has a backlog. Since her incarceration in July, she's had 99 visitors, including names like John Bolton, Bob Dole and Tom Brokaw. "She's very popular, and it's kind of hard to get on the schedule," friend Ellen Chesler told the Washington Post -- she saw Miller in July but has not been able to get back. "She has to turn people away" ... The critics may have hated it, but this weekend's Emmy Awards got the biggest audience in three years for the show, drawing in over 18.5 million viewers according to Nielsen Media Research ... In the first stage of his tax-evasion trial, Richard Hatch has pleaded innocent to all charges, calling the grand jury indictment "absurd." "They thought I was going to accept two years in jail for something I didn't do." If found guilty on all charges, Hatch faces a maximum of 75 years in prison ... New in bookstores this week is Marlon Brando's posthumous (obviously) high-seas pirate adventure, "Fan-Tan." Co-written by director Donald Cammell -- who shot himself in 1996 -- and published against Brando's wishes, the book, according to Publisher's Weekly, "will delight readers who love movies, Marlon Brando, sea stories, Chinese pirates or adventure tales."
Money Quote:
Mariah Carey on her plans to move to England to record her next album -- and pick up some of the local flavor: "I love EastEnders and I've asked a friend of mine to record some episodes for me. I love the way they speak -- the cockney accent, so I'm gonna learn it." (3am Girls)
Turn On:
If you can't make it to Radio City Music Hall or Madison Square Garden tonight, you can still watch the "Katrina Relief: Big Apple to the Big Easy" benefit concert -- featuring Simon & Garfunkel, Jimmy Buffett, Elvis Costello, John Fogerty, Elton John, Diana Krall, Bette Midler, Stevie Nicks and Lenny Kravitz, among others -- on pay-per-view starting at 7 p.m. EDT. Also, it's the series debut of "My Name Is Earl" (NBC, 9 p.m. EDT) and the start of a new season for both "The Office" (NBC, 9:30 p.m. EDT) and "Nip/Tuck" (FX, 10 p.m. EDT).
-- Scott Lamb
Get more of The Fix here.
To send a hot tip to The Fix, click here.
Shares