Morning Briefing:
George on notice? After George Michael's most recent public misadventure -- as reported on Monday, he was arrested for possession of marijuana over the weekend after being found asleep at the wheel of his car -- a source at his label, Sony, says the management isn't pleased with his recent public profile. "We're really banking on this comeback being a great success -- and to be fair, ticket sales have been phenomenal," an unnamed Sony employee tells the Evening Standard, referring to Michael's current European tour. "But I'm not sure how much more of this fans can take. It is now at a point where we are going to have to warn him that he must start carrying on more responsibly or else we will have to seriously consider his future with us." (This Is London)
Smith in paternity suit: Anna Nicole Smith's former flame is challenging the paternity of her newborn daughter, Dannielynn, and has filed a suit demanding a DNA test to prove who the child's father really is. Larry Birkhead filed suit on Monday against Smith, alleging that he is in fact Dannielynn's father; last week on "Larry King Live," Smith's former lawyer, Howard K. Stern, claimed to be the baby's "proud father." "There is absolutely no way that he is the father of this child," Birkhead told MSNBC's Rita Cosby during an interview on Monday night. "He knows it, I know it and that's all there is to it. He challenged me on live television to get an attorney, so I have taken him up on his offer." (E Online)
Deadbeat Brown: A judge in Massachusetts has issued an arrest warrant for Bobby Brown after the erstwhile singer didn't show up at a hearing regarding his delinquent child support payments to Kim Ward, the mother of the two children he had before marrying Whitney Houston. Brown's lawyer used the breakup of the former boy-bander's marriage with Houston as an excuse, saying it's "just a very difficult time for him," but Judge Paula Carey replied, "Whether or not he's going through a divorce doesn't negate the fact that he still owes child support relative to his two children that he had prior to his marriage." (Los Angeles Times)
Also:
Robin Williams, who recently went into rehab after falling off the wagon following two decades of sobriety, says he was inspired by Mel Gibson's example. "Well, if it was good enough for him, I'll go," Williams said in a Monday "Access Hollywood" interview. "I just think it was kind of like, well, he's in, let's go now." (Fox) ... The "Italian prince" at the center of ABC's newest installment of "The Bachelor," Lorenzo Borghese, may have a legitimate claim to the "prince" part of that title, but he actually grew up in Connecticut, lives in New Jersey, barely speaks Italian -- and runs a line of dog-grooming products under the brand Royal Treatment Pet Care. (Radar) ... Avril Lavigne has publicly apologized for spitting on paparazzi last week in Los Angeles, saying, "My behavior was a reaction to the persistent attack from the paparazzi." (BBC News) ... Brandon Davis -- oil heir and coiner of the nickname "Firecrotch" for Lindsay Lohan -- showed up at the club Hyde in Los Angeles without his usual Paris Hilton accompaniment and, with paparazzi filming, was coldly turned away at the door. (TMZ) ... Clips of Daniel Radcliffe's appearance on the Ricky Gervais show, "Extras" -- in which the "Harry Potter" actor, playing himself, keeps propositioning women for sex -- have turned up online. You can see them here, here and here. (YouTube)
Money Quote:
George Clooney reveals his master plan to ruin the credibility of the tabloid press: "I want to spend every single night for three months going out with a different famous actress. You know, Halle Berry one night, Salma Hayek the next, and then walk on the beach holding hands with Leonardo DiCaprio. People would still buy the magazines, they'd still buy the pictures, but they would always go, 'I don't know if these guys were putting us on or not.'" (Vanity Fair via Associated Press via Yahoo)
Turn On:
On Tuesday night, it's the debut of the football series "Friday Night Lights" (NBC, 8 p.m. EDT) as well as the premiere of the British series "The Street" (BBC America, 10 p.m. EDT), while "Veronica Mars" (CW, 9 p.m. EDT) kicks off its third season and "Eureka" (Sci Fi, 9 p.m. EDT) has its season finale.
On the Talk Shows:
Charlie Rose (PBS, check local listings): Bob Woodward
David Letterman (CBS, 11:30 p.m. EDT): Andy Dick, Wah Wah Watson
Jay Leno (NBC, 11:35 p.m. EDT): Helen Mirren, B.J. Novak, Jet
Conan O'Brien (NBC, 12:35 a.m. EDT): the Decemberists
Craig Ferguson (CBS, 12:35 a.m. EDT): Maura Tierney, David Cross
Jimmy Kimmel (ABC, 12:05 a.m. EDT): Dax Shepard, Jordana Brewster, the Killers
Jon Stewart (Comedy Central, 11 p.m. EDT): Dennis Miller
Stephen Colbert (Comedy Central, 11:30 p.m. EDT): Andy Stern
-- Scott Lamb
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