Morning Briefing:
CNN's Obama troubles, continued: The blogosphere on Tuesday is on fire over CNN's latest Barack Obama-related goof -- when teasing a story on the search for Osama bin Laden on Monday, the network flashed a graphic with an unfortunate typo, naming the junior senator from Illinois instead of the world's leading terrorist. The timing couldn't have been much worse, as CNN is still smarting from a related gaffe. In early December, anchor Jeff Greenfield did a piece critical of Obama's fashion sense, arguing his sport jacket/no tie look is reminiscent of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's favored sartorial mode: "And maybe that's not the comparison a possible presidential contender really wants to evoke ... It's one thing to have a last name that sounds like Osama and a middle name, Hussein, that is probably less than helpful. But an outfit that reminds people of a charter member of the axis of evil, why, this could leave his presidential hopes hanging by a thread. Or is that threads?" (Daily Kos, Talking Points Memo)
Britney falls again: Britney Spears' performance at Pure nightclub in Las Vegas on New Year's Eve was guaranteed to grab headlines -- she reportedly had to be helped out of the club by her bodyguards after collapsing around 1 in the morning, cutting short her duties as host of the club's New Year's bash. It was the second time in the past few weeks she had a fall while partying; she reportedly had to be carried out of a Hollywood club on Dec. 22 after passing out. Her manager insists the pop tartlet "wasn't drinking that much" during the New Year's bash, though, and sources at the Vegas club deny that she actually fainted. On Monday, her spokesperson told reporters, "She had been traveling all day. She got real tired. It was a late night for her." (Las Vegas Review Journal)
Nick and Jessica move on: Though their divorce became official last June, Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey settled their financial arrangement only this weekend, filing a written stipulation with a court in Los Angeles that finally puts matters to rest. No details have been made public, but sources tell TMZ that Lachey agreed to settle for a payment of between $1.5 million and $18 million from the higher-earning Simpson -- the couple had no prenup. They both went on to celebrate New Year's with some P.R.-getting PDA: Lachey made out with his flame, "Total Request Live" host Vanessa Minnillo, in front of MTV cameras during coverage of the Times Square New Year's bash, while Simpson and long-rumored beau John Mayer were spotted smoochin' at Christina Aguilera's party at the Hudson Hotel. (TMZ, People, Gatecrasher)
Quickie update: Just because the Fix was on hiatus last week doesn't mean the celebrity/media world also took a break. Here are the quick hits from the last week of '06 for those who missed them: James Brown died on Christmas Day, and at his funeral on Saturday, over 8,500 fans gathered to say goodbye, including MC Hammer (who danced) and a teary Michael Jackson; Heather Mills called the police on Paul McCartney after some paintings -- reportedly including a Picasso and a Renoir -- were taken from her home; Julia Roberts announced that she's pregnant with her third child; Mike Tyson was picked up for a DUI in Arizona and admitted to police that he has a drug problem; and Paris Hilton, impressed with Britney Spears' partying gusto, has reportedly taken to calling her "Animal." (People, TMZ, E Online, Us Online)
Also:
Pete Doherty and Kate Moss celebrated the New Year in their own special way -- with a Buddhist wedding ceremony on a beach in Thailand. They'll reportedly follow it with a legal ceremony back home in London on Jan. 18. (Daily Mail) ... George Lucas and Steven Spielberg have confirmed that the Indiana Jones series has been given new life -- a fourth Indy movie, with Harrison Ford in the title role, is set to come out in May 2008. (Hollywood Reporter) ... "Night at the Museum" was a hit with moviegoers over the long holiday weekend, taking in $46.7 million to emerge as No. 1 at the box office for the second week in a row. (Variety)
Money Quote:
Cate Blanchett on Faye Dunaway mistaking her for Kate Winslet: "Faye came up to me at a screening and wanted me to do this project. I said it sounded fantastic. So she turned to her friend and said, 'Debbie, this is Kate Winslet.' I had to ask -- 'So, do you want me to do it or do you want Kate to do it?'" (Contact Music)
Turn On:
Courteney Cox makes her return to the small screen on Tuesday night with the premiere of "Dirt" (FX, 10 p.m. EST), in which she plays a gossip mag editor; Matt Damon visits "Inside the Actors Studio" (Bravo, 8 p.m. EST); and Wake Forest and Louisville face off in the 73rd annual "Orange Bowl" (Fox, 7:30 p.m. EST).
On the Talk Shows:
David Letterman (CBS, 11:30 p.m. EST): Martin Short, Donal Logue
Jay Leno (NBC, 11:35 p.m. EST): George Clooney, Sen. John McCain, Unwritten Law
Conan O'Brien (NBC, 12:35 a.m. EST): LL Cool J, Gov't Mule
Craig Ferguson (CBS, 12:35 a.m. EST): James Denton, Dan Gabriel, Julie Gribble
Jimmy Kimmel (ABC, 12:05 a.m. EST): George Lopez, Giuliana DePandi, My Chemical Romance
Jon Stewart (Comedy Central, 11 p.m. EST): Bill Kristol (repeat)
Stephen Colbert (Comedy Central, 11:30 p.m. EST): Deepak Chopra (repeat)
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