By Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts
Sunday, December 10, 2006

Never mind that Sheila Johnson's uber-luxe Salamander resort won't be opening in Middleburg until the summer of 2009 -- a few years behind schedule owing to zoning difficulties and environmental concerns.

She's keeping her signature lizard logo -- which already gave its name to her hunt-country farm, gourmet markets in Middleburg and Palm Beach and a line of pricey linens -- visible on a new jewelry collection launched Thursday night in Middleburg. About 100 friends and neighbors (and husband of 15 months, Judge William Newman) dropped by Mystique jewelry store, where basketball player Alana Beard of Johnson's Washington Mystics modeled a silver double-salamander necklace and earrings. (The Crowned Salamander Collection, which sells for $150 to $10,000, also includes cuff links, money clips, pendants and pearl necklaces.)

"Oh, man, I just have to cross market -- my team, my jewelry," Johnson told The Post's Annie Groer. "This is all part of the branding experience for the Salamander spirit."

The savvy billionaire is keeping busy while she navigates the tricky approval process for a 120-room hotel and spa on 340 acres located on the outskirts of Middleburg. On Wednesday, with Gov. Tim Kaine at her side (she was one of his largest donors in last year's campaign), Johnson announced a $5 million donation to the University of Virginia for preschool education. She's also dipping her toe into the District, exploring development of a hotel in a Northeast warehouse district.

The jewelry launch was accompanied with jazz and steak tartare, smoked salmon and crab cakes catered by (you have to ask?) Johnson's Market Salamander down the street. No, she doesn't miss a trick.

Reports from sick bay:

Chris Matthews is out of the hospital and ready to start interrupting people again. The "Hardball" host was sidelined by complications from diabetes, which caused him to miss more than a week behind the mike. As of press time he hadn't called back to let us know how he's doing.

Roberta McCain is heading to her son's home in Arizona after cracking her hip. The 94-year-old mother of Sen. John McCain was leaving her son's holiday party at the Corcoran Gallery of Art on Monday when she caught her heel on the curb and fell. "I feel fine," said the party-hearty gal (who stayed at the Kennedy Center Honors until after midnight the night before.) No surgery, but doctors have ordered McCain to stay off her feet for 10 weeks, which means she had to cancel trips to California and Ireland, and that the GOP presidential aspirant will have to wait on his mom. "Boy, I'll eat that up," she told us.

"Jessica is so great that one day they will probably honor her. If I were fortunate to be asked to perform for her, I would probably forget my wig!"

-- Dolly Parton, covering for Jessica Simpson's weepy onstage freakout at the Kennedy Center Honors after Simpson forgot some lyrics to "9 to 5." Sweet of you, Dolly, but we're buying none of it.

Our story last Wednesday breaking the news that Dick Cheney's openly gay daughter, Mary, is pregnant drew scads of comments. One reader chastised us for a headline suggesting Cheney and longtime partner Heather Poe"are about to be moms" -- "Heather is more accurately a stepmom." And no matter how many times we stressed the couple has not disclosed the technical details on how this pregnancy happened, about, oh, a million people demanded, "Who's the father???" Why, what a great question -- never occurred to us to ask! An online reader writes: Where's the reporting on Jane Doe from rural Virginia or Jane Doe from Baltimore City having a baby? Who cares, other than the Cheney family, that the Cheney daughter is having a baby? You are only helping in this whole "putting celebrities up on a pedestal" world we live in. It's the same as giving a drug addict their next fix as opposed to getting them into rehab to help their problem. Gossip doesn't help further this country or the world but I guess it pays the bills.

Yep, sure does. We'd answer the rest of your question but -- well, guess you aren't here reading this, are you? The rest of you, though, send your questions, comments and story tips to reliablesource@washpost.com.