Morning Briefing:
Friday's Anna Nicole update: The cognitive dissonance surrounding Anna Nicole Smith's recent life continues -- on the one hand, she has accepted the explanation a pathologist gave on Wednesday that a combination of medications killed her son. "At least she knows the attacks on her son's reputation can be put to rest because it's clear he didn't intentionally take his life," said her (new) attorney, Wayne Munroe. At the same time, Star trumpets its "world exclusive" speculation that Smith and her lawyer Howard K. Stern were married in the Bahamas on Thursday morning on a white catamaran off Nassau, with speedboats delivering "more supplies as needed (including unlimited Dom Perignon champagne)." (Associated Press, Star)
Battle of Borat continues: Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev will meet with President Bush today, though not, as reported earlier, to complain about Sacha Baron Cohen's upcoming movie, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan." His government, though, did take out a four-page, full-color ad in the New York Times and International Herald Tribune earlier this week to try to raise its national profile -- titled "Kazakhstan in the 21st Century," the spread included sections on "Transforming the mixed blessing of a nuclear legacy" and "Combining business with pleasure in cosmopolitan Kazakhstan." On Friday, though, the Times reports that the average Kazakh isn't too concerned with Borat's antics. As Baryz Bayen, TV correspondent for the privately owned TV 31, told the paper, "I saw portions of his show, and I can say it is funny." (TMZ, New York Times)
Stone back in form: After doing nothing to distance himself from all the prerelease right-wing adulation for his 9/11 film, "World Trade Center," Oliver Stone is now blasting President Bush's response to the attacks. "Mr. Bush has set America back 10 years, maybe more," Stone said during a press conference for his movie's release in Spain. "It is a shame because it is a waste of energy to see that the entire world five years later is still convulsed in the grip of 9/11. It's a waste of energy away from things that do matter, which is poverty, death, disease, the planet itself and fixing things in our own homes rather than fighting wars with others." (BBC)
Also:
Tony Danza and his wife, Tracy, announced on Thursday they are separating after 20 years of marriage. The couple has two teenage daughters together. (E Online) ... Elton John says he's just not interested in the speculation about Clay Aiken's sexual orientation. "You know there have been so many rumors about Clay in certain tawdry papers, in magazines or whatever," he tells "Access Hollywood" in an interview airing on Friday. "I don't even care if Clay Aiken is gay or not. It's none of my business." (Associated Press) ... Life & Style reports that the long-running feud between Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera (which, honestly, we'd forgotten about) has finally come to an end with Xtina's purchase of a $570 gift bag for Spears' newborn son, Sutton. (The Scoop) ... Gawker reports that Page Six staffer Sarah Polonsky was fired on Thursday for running afoul of the New York Post's new, stricter policies about accepting freebies -- she reportedly tried to use her position to score free meals and other promoter swag, a big no-no in the wake of the Jared Paul Stern scandal. (Gawker) ... As John Cameron Mitchell's sex-themed movie "Shortbus" prepares to roll into theaters next week, the Hollywood Reporter notes that the explicit film -- it features actual on-screen sex between the actors -- has managed to avoid stirring up controversy. (Hollywood Reporter)
Money Quote:
British actor Danny Dyer on the enduring sexiness of Dame Helen Mirren, now appearing as Elizabeth II in "The Queen": "Even when she's done up as the Queen I'd bang her." (ContactMusic)
Turn On:
Friday night brings the season premiere of two imported favorites, "Doctor Who" (Sci Fi, 8 p.m. EDT) and "Degrassi: The Next Generation" (the N, 8 p.m. EDT). On Saturday, Dane Cook hosts the season debut of "Saturday Night Live" (NBC, 11:30 p.m. EDT), and on Sunday, "Everybody Hates Chris" (CW, 8 p.m. EDT) starts a new season and Showtime airs the first episode of its new serial killer series, "Dexter" (10 p.m. EDT).
On the Talk Shows:
Charlie Rose (PBS, check local listings): Dora Bakoyannis, foreign minister of Greece; Bob Wright, chairman and CEO of NBC Universal
David Letterman (CBS, 11:30 p.m. EDT): Jeff Caldwell, Nathan Lane
Jay Leno (NBC, 11:35 p.m. EDT): Jessica Simpson, Bill O'Reilly, Snow Patrol
Conan O'Brien (NBC, 12:35 a.m. EDT): Bob Costas, David Cross, Phoenix
Craig Ferguson (CBS, 12:35 a.m. EDT): Billy Bob Thornton, Duane Martin, Starsailor
Jimmy Kimmel (ABC, 12:05 a.m. EDT): Eva Longoria, Artie Lange
-- Scott Lamb
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