The Fix

Moss' boyfriend goes to rehab. Oprah to appear on "Letterman." And Britney and Kevin ditch baby, go clubbing.

Published November 22, 2005 2:33PM (EST)

Morning Briefing:
Rehab, the way to Kate Moss' heart? Kate Moss' on-again, off-again boyfriend, Brit rocker Pete Doherty, is following in her media footsteps by heading to the magical land of Arizona for rehab. It seems the Babyshambles frontman, whose drug problems are legendary, has checked into the same facility near Phoenix that Moss checked out of last month. At least he's going for all the right reasons. As a source tells the London Mirror, "Pete hates rehab, but he thinks he'll never get to be with Kate without going through it. He knows she wants him to do it and she will help him out as much as she can. He's realized that unless he takes serious steps to sorting out his problems Kate simply cannot be seen around with him." Or, as Doherty so eloquently put it himself last month: "Maybe she just wants me to go through it because she's been through it. It's the only time I'll have f***ing voluntarily gone into rehab." (3 a.m. Girls)

The family that parties together stays together: After all the chatter about Kevin Federline sneaking out on a baby-saddled Britney Spears to kick up his heels, the couple has been spotted together out in New York, leaving the baby with a sitter. On Friday night, they hit the Marquee Club, where as source tells the New York Post "they seemed very lovey-dovey. They left at 2:30 a.m. while the rest of their crew closed it down." The Post seems to be trying to imply Spears lacks something in the mothering department, though, noting that baby Sean Preston was in the back seat when the couple left the club, and also pointing out she got not-so-baby-friendly inch-long fake nails over the weekend as well. You can see photos, including the nails, here. (Page Six, A Socialite's Life)

Oprah forgives Letterman: Oprah Winfrey has had a self-imposed ban on appearing on "The Late Show With David Letterman" since at least 1993 -- the origin of the feud between the two hosts is not entirely clear, but has something to do with Letterman's awkward treatment of Oprah at the 1995 Oscars, and his many jokes about her since -- but she has now agreed to be on the show Dec. 1. While the appearance comes after a long period of détente between the two -- Oprah offered to have Letterman on her show in 2003 -- it also has pretty convenient timing for Oprah herself: The musical version of "The Color Purple," which she's backing financially, also happens to open that night on Broadway. (N.Y. Daily News)

What rebel Hasidim TiVo: In a fascinating article on the secret lives of rebel Hasidic Jews in New York -- pegged on the new book "Unchosen: The Hidden Lives of Hasidic Rebels," by Hella Winston -- the New York Post includes an aside about what some Hasidic men like and don't like on TV, even though some ultra-Orthodox sects discourage watching it: "Secret male TV watchers love Jennifer Aniston on 'Friends,' because her hair looks a little like the wigs Hassidic women don to cover their shaved heads. But 'Seinfeld,' the quintessential TV show about New York Jews, isn't so popular." (N.Y. Post)

Also:
An Oklahoma man is seeking $10 million in damages against the producers of ABC's "Wife Swap" after the show sent a gay man to live with him in exchange for his wife. (N.Y. Post) ... Some college poems written by Robert Zimmerman, who later became Bob Dylan, sold at auction at Christie's for $78,000 on Monday. (Associated Press via Yahoo! News) ... Former glam rocker Gary Glitter was detained in Vietnam over the weekend; he's being held by authorities for allegedly having sex with two underage girls. (BBC)  "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" broke several box-office records with its $102.3 million opening weekend -- it was the biggest opening for the series, the biggest fourth-quarter debut and the fourth biggest non-holiday opening of all time. (Hollywood Reporter) ... The family of surf guitarist Link Wray, father of the power chord and probably most famous for his song "Rumble" (featured in "Pulp Fiction"), announced his death on Tuesday -- he died earlier this month at his home in Copenhagen, Denmark. (Associated Press via Washington Post)

Money Quote:
Busty Swedish pinup model Victoria Silvstedt on why taking off her clothes comes so easily: "Where I grew up, everyone was naked." (ContactMusic)

Turn On:
For fans of the big ape, "I'm King Kong! The Exploits of Merian C. Cooper" (TCM, 8 p.m. EDT) tells the story of the man who first brought Kong to the screen, and will be followed by the original 1933 "King Kong" (9 p.m. EDT). The Rolling Stones, Sheryl Crow, Kenny Chesney, Mariah Carey and Rob Thomas are among those scheduled to perform at the "2005 American Music Awards" (ABC, 8 p.m. EDT). And later: After 26 years, it's Ted Koppel's final "Nightline" (ABC, 11:30 p.m. EDT).

-- Scott Lamb

Get more of The Fix here.
To send a hot tip to The Fix, click here.


By Salon Staff

MORE FROM Salon Staff


Related Topics ------------------------------------------