Morning Briefing:
Witherspoon's Star payback: After Star magazine ran a photo of Reese Witherspoon with a slight belly bump last month, Witherspoon threatened to sue the celebrity rag for falsely claiming she was pregnant. This week, Star has made up for the mistake, in its own cruel way: In a retraction of sorts, the magazine is running a huge shot of Witherspoon in a bikini at the beach under the headline: "Reese Mystery Solved: She's not pregnant ... It's bloat!" Circling her tummy with the caption "Just a pouch!" the editors don't pull any punches, opining that "since she is not pregnant, maybe it's just a sign that it's time to hit the gym!" (Women's Wear Daily, Popbytes)
Sheryl still hearts Lance: Things may have ended suddenly for Sheryl Crow and former fiancé Lance Armstrong, but she doesn't harbor bad feelings, saying, "I definitely still love him and always will love him." In an interview in the upcoming Vanity Fair, Crow lets it be known that "I do think about Lance every day." Without going into detail about what drove them to split in February, just a few weeks before Crow was diagnosed with Stage I breast cancer, Crow tells the magazine, "I still feel really raw and vulnerable - not just from the breakup but the whole experience ... But the nice thing about my job is that there is a catharsis that I get to experience when I play some of this stuff." (People)
Braff after Simpson? Nick Lachey may be safely ensconced in the arms of "Entertainment Tonight" reporter Vanessa Minnillo (irritating celeb hybrid code name, Minnillo BlahNick), but Jessica Simpson hasn't yet been exclusively linked to anyone, post-divorce. Which makes the rumors about her being wooed by goofy "Scrubs" star/"Garden State" auteur Zach Braff all the more frightening. They've reportedly been spotted together in the Hamptons and at nightspots in New York, where a spy tells Perez Hilton: "He was flirting with her hardcore. They were sitting beside each other in the same booth laughing and talking." (Perez Hilton, Us Online)
Also:
Russell Crowe's wife, Danielle Spencer, has given birth to the couple's second son, Tenyson Spencer Crowe. (Us Online) ... According to Page Six, "Kate Moss might want to get photographed snorting cocaine more often." In the year following her drug scandal, her earnings have reportedly jumped from an average of $7 million to $18 million. (Page Six) ... With Star Jones' earlier-than-expected departure from "The View," the show has rounded up a number of co-hosts to fill in until Rosie O'Donnell arrives in September -- the list includes Katharine McPhee and two days of Shannen Doherty. (Star) ... Robert Downey Jr. has just signed a deal with publisher HarperEntertainment to write his memoirs, billed as "a candid look at the highs and lows of his life and career." (BBC News) ... Soap star Benjamin Hendrickson -- he appeared on "As the World Turns" for 20 years -- died over the weekend in an apparent suicide. He was 55. (People)
Money Quote:
Kate Beckinsale on her gift for lactation: "I do miss breastfeeding. I was good at it. I got more than my fair share -- I could hit the wall from quite a distance!" (FemaleFirst)
-- Scott Lamb
Turn On:
Friday, USA kicks off a new season of "Monk" (USA, 9 p.m. EDT) -- with Stanley Tucci as a guest star -- and debuts the new series "Psych" (10 p.m. EDT), a drama about a fake-psychic detective agency. Also, Discovery airs a report from the west coast of Africa in "Dispatch From the Danger Zone" (8 p.m. EDT). Saturday, HBO airs 2005's "The 40 Year-Old Virgin" (8 p.m. EDT), starring Steve Carell. Sunday, Comedy Central unveils the first of the "Chappelle's Show" (9 p.m. EDT) "lost" third-season episodes and premieres a new season of "Reno 911" (10:30 p.m. EDT).
On the Talk Shows:
Charlie Rose (PBS, check local listings): ESPN's Tommy Smyth
David Letterman (CBS, 11:30 p.m. EDT): Bruce Willis, Goldfrapp (repeat)
Jay Leno (NBC, 11:35 p.m. EDT): Adam Sandler, Rosie Perez, John Fogerty (repeat)
Conan O'Brien (NBC, 12:35 a.m. EDT): Amanda Peet, Bradley Cooper, Greg Fitzsimmons (repeat)
Craig Ferguson (CBS, 12:35 a.m. EDT): Donal Logue, Ne-Yo
Jimmy Kimmel (ABC, 12:05 a.m. EDT): Rosie Perez, Jared Hess, Busta Rhymes (repeat)
-- Lamar Clarkson
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