Morning Briefing:
This is the last Star Jones item for a while (we hope): Appearing Thursday night on "Larry King Live" and Friday morning on "Today," Star Jones Reynolds has certainly been taking advantage of the media spotlight, but with a long holiday weekend coming up, by next Wednesday maybe it will all seem like a dream. On King's show, Jones gave a new reason for why she made the sudden announcement she was leaving "The View" -- it was for the viewers. "They said you can make up a story," Jones told King. "The audience didn't deserve for me to make up a story. That's not fair." The big unanswered question is why, if she has known her contract wasn't being renewed since April, she chose to leave now, when she doesn't seem to have anything else lined up. The New York Daily News writes that media watchers think "she should have used the [appearance on King's show] to announce a major new career move. Time is running out if she wants to maintain her high profile on TV. Experts claim the former co-host of 'The View' otherwise faces career suicide." (Associated Press, New York Daily News)
Cruise getting hitched on the Fourth of July? It's Tom Cruise's birthday on July 3, and rumor has it that he'll celebrate on July 4 by finally making an honest woman out of girlfriend/baby mama Katie Holmes. While his wedding to Nicole Kidman in 1990 was not exactly a huge media photo op (no pictures were ever released), odds are good that if the new nuptials do indeed go ahead on the national birthday, it'll be another shot at attention for Cruise, if for no other reason than to steal some of the limelight from his ex. "T.C., in my starry estimation," writes Ted Casablanca, "will make it his raison d'être to make certain his vow-exchanging (or whatever spaceship-staccato-swapping they do in Scientology) is witnessed by every big name he can nab. In other words, Nicole and Keith who?" (The Awful Truth)
Nick and Jessica about to get their official split: It has been just over six months since Jessica Simpson filed for divorce from Nick Lachey -- the amount of time California law requires for a divorce to become final. And according to TMZ, all that stands between the ex-couple and legal singlehood is the signature of one judge, who is set to issue the divorce next week. The financial side of the split is far from being finalized, though: Simpson, who earned tens of millions of dollars during the marriage, has reportedly offered Lachey $1.5 million, but he hasn't bitten. (TMZ)
Also:
Tori Spelling is on the cover of this week's Us Weekly, talking to the magazine about her father's death. Fox 411 does the creepy math: "Aaron Spelling passed away on Friday night, June 23. Tori would have had to have given her interview by Monday at the latest in order to make Us' printing schedule. The funeral was on Sunday." (Fox 411) ... Rapper Lil' Kim is set to be released on Monday from her prison stint for perjury -- she began her year-and-a-day sentence in September, but is being released early for good behavior. (Associated Press) ... Nicolas Cage has announced he's giving a donation of $2 million to Amnesty International to help former child soldiers. In a statement, he asks us to consider the incredible trauma of being a child in war: "He's eight years old. He hasn't kissed a girl yet or fallen in love, but he's killed a man. What does that do to a child's mind?" (BBC News) ... Eva Longoria and her San Antonio Spurs boyfriend, Tony Parker, by random coincidence, crashed Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban's honeymoon in Bora Bora. "The high-profile guests have sent the resort into high-security mode," writes Us, "with staff on jet skis regularly patrolling the perimeter of the resort." (Us Online) ... David Hasselhoff was sent to a hospital in London on Thursday after bumping his head on a Philippe Starck chandelier at his hotel, shattering it and severing a tendon in his arm on the shards. (Lowdown)
Money Quote:
A poem reportedly written by Kate Moss to ex-boyfriend Pete Doherty about his addiction to drugs:
"You love them more than you love me
That's why I could cry all day long
That's why I can't breath [sic]."
-- Scott Lamb
Turn On:
Friday, "Biography" (A&E, 8 p.m. EDT) takes a look at Johnny Depp, "Whistler" (the N, 9 p.m. EDT) makes its debut and "Take Home Chef" (Food Network, 9:30 p.m. EDT) talks about sangria and chorizo. On Sunday, "Supergroup" (VH1, 10 p.m. EDT) has its season ender, "The 4400" (USA, 9 p.m. EDT) airs the second half of a two-part special and PBS presents "Garrison Keillor's Independence Day Special: A Prairie Home Companion at Tanglewood" (check local listings).
On the Talk Shows:
Larry King (CNN, 9 p.m. EDT): Remembering Patsy Ramsey
Charlie Rose (PBS, check local listings): Sydney Pollack, Will Shortz
David Letterman (CBS, 11:30 p.m. EDT): Tom Brokaw, Paul Simon
Jay Leno (NBC, 11:35 p.m. EDT): Brandon Routh, Ziggy Marley
Conan O'Brien (NBC, 12:35 a.m. EDT): Kate Bosworth, Arj Barker
Craig Ferguson (CBS, 12:35 a.m. EDT): Jesse James, Paul Dinello, She Wants Revenge
Jimmy Kimmel (ABC, 12:05 a.m. EDT): Kathy Griffin, Jason Gray-Stanford, the Brand New Heavies
-- Lamar Clarkson
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