Morning Briefing:
Kid Rock blames Scott Stapp: After Scott Stapp pointed a vague finger at "someone" for unleashing his unholy sex tape, Kid Rock announced he's got a much clearer idea of who's at fault: Stapp. "He's the idiot because it's out. I'm holding him responsible." In an interview with the Associated Press on Thursday, Rock said the tape was all Stapp's idea, that Stapp was the one who brought the camera into the tour bus stripper party, and he's the one responsible for letting it get out -- and he doesn't buy Stapp's theory that someone is out to get him. "I'm like, what are you talking about?" said Rock. "This tape gets out -- it's your tape -- and you're (saying) someone's trying to sabotage your career?" Despite his injunction to stop the tape from getting out on the Internet, Rock is kind of philosophical about the whole thing. "It's not any big revelation that this goes on in rock 'n' roll, especially with who I am I agree I knew the tape was going on at the time -- I must have. Although, I'll guarantee you, I wasn't sober." (Associated Press)
The death of daytime at MSNBC? The media gossip Web site TMZ reported on Thursday that plans are in the works to get rid of all daytime programming at MSNBC, and that the channel's president, Rick Kaplan, would be let go when his contract expires later this year. TMZ cited weak ratings as the reason: "Since September, MSNBC has attracted an average of 267,000 viewers between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., compared with 626,000 viewers tuning in to CNN and 1,125,000 viewers watching FNC." The nighttime lineup, including shows like "Scarborough Country" and "The Situation With Tucker Carlson," would remain untouched. The official MSNBC response was swift and categorical: "This is ridiculous and is wrong on every level. MSNBC, which under Rick Kaplan has seen a real uptick in ratings of late, and is by definition a news channel, is not going to abandon live news." (TMZ)
Alba is no Playmate: Jessica Alba is threatening to sue Playboy for appropriating a publicity photograph of her and putting it on this month's cover -- without her permission. In a letter to Playboy that appeared on the Smoking Gun, Alba's lawyer Brian Wolf outlined the actress's claim against the magazine: "In featuring Ms. Alba's photograph on the cover of Playboy's March issue, it is clear that Playboy's intent was to create a false belief and/or expectation among the public that Ms. Alba voluntarily appeared in the nude, or semi-nude, and that a revealing pictorial of her is contained in Playboy's March issue." A Playboy spokesperson responded: "Many celebrities have appeared on the cover of Playboy, but not nude, including Candice Bergen, Paris Hilton, Raquel Welch, Brooke Shields, Goldie Hawn, Claudia Schiffer and Jerry Seinfeld," not to mention Christie Brinkley, Bo Derek and a fully clothed Donald Trump. (Associated Press via Yahoo! News)
Also:
After being bought by the San Francisco-based McEvoy Group and Hartle Media on Tuesday (for a rumored sum of just $5 million), the cuts have come fast and furious at Spin magazine: First editor-in-chief Sia Michel was fired, then critic Chuck Klosterman left (or was fired), and on Thursday, senior writer Marc Spitz, photo editor Kathleen Kemp and senior associate editor Dave Itzkoff left as well, while managing editor Jeanann Pannasch, who'd just gone on maternity leave, was fired as well. (Gawker) ... Gary Glitter has been sentenced to three years in prison in Vietnam for committing obscene acts with two underage girls. Defiant about his innocence, he blamed the British tabloid press for his arrest and conviction: "I haven't done anything. I'm innocent. It's a conspiracy by you know who." (Associated Press) ... Calling the opportunity a "hoot," Carol Burnett will appear in "Desperate Housewives" on April 9 in the role of Eleanor Mason, Bree Van De Kamp's (Marcia Cross) stepmother. (People) ... If Whitney Houston is pregnant, you'd hope husband Bobby Brown would sound a little more sure about it. He recently told Sister2Sister magazine, "I'm hoping that she's pregnant right now." (The Scoop) ... In a backlash against all the bad press that actor Daniel Craig has been getting as the new James Bond, a group of kindly fans has launched the pro-Craig GiveCraigAChance.com. (Via Defamer)
Money Quote:
A Hollywood insider on the current Anthony Pellicano wiretapping investigation, which has involved a number of stars, but so far only indirectly: "If I were Tom Cruise or Steven Spielberg, yeah, I'd be a little worried right about now." (The Awful Truth)
Turn On:
Fox is showing the "37th NAACP Image Awards" (8 p.m. EST) with host Cuba Gooding Jr., and it's the premiere of the new series from "Law & Order" creator Dick Wolf, "Conviction" (NBC, 10 p.m. EST). On Saturday, Sarah Silverman hosts the "2006 Independent Spirit Awards" (IFC, 10 p.m. EST) and Natalie Portman appears on "Saturday Night Live" (NBC, 11:30 p.m. EST). And on Sunday, it's the "78th Annual Academy Awards" (ABC, 8 p.m. EST) -- the only question is which red-carpet show to watch, "Joan and Melissa Live" (TV Guide Channel, 5:30 EST) or "Live From the Red Carpet" (E!, 5:30 p.m. EST) with Ryan Seacrest and Isaac Mizrahi. And be sure to tune in to Salon's first-ever simulcast, starring Camille Paglia and Cintra Wilson.
-- Scott Lamb
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