Arts Appropriations Disputes: The Musical!

· The 23-year-old Simpson deflects the question on MTV that same day: "I just think it's an inappropriate question to ask any woman. . . . Some things you want to keep personal."

· The New York Post claims yesterday that manager-dad Joe Simpson is trying to broker a $1 million deal with magazines for baby photos but finding little interest.

British PM's Wife Makes Herself Heard

In 2001, Sarah Brown gave birth to a premature baby girl who died 10 days later. She's now the mom of two young sons -- one with cystic fibrosis -- and an advocate for women's and children's health issues. On Wednesday, the very quiet wife of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown spoke up in D.C. at a women's-only gathering (hosted by journalist Elsa Walsh; guests included supermodel Christy Turlington, Rep. Lois Capps and GM exec Debbie Dingell) of the White Ribbon Alliance, which works to prevent childbirth deaths around the globe.

"In parts of the world, it's normal for a mother in labor to say goodbye to her older children because she might not see them again," Brown said.

No Pulling Rank for the CNN Chief

No one's going to call David Bohrman an elitist! CNN's D.C. bureau chief made a show of getting down with the common folk at the network's Wednesday night party after the big Radio and Television Correspondents' Association dinner. On arriving at the Russia House fete ( Wolf Blitzer, Kyra Phillips and Lt. Gen. Craig McKinley somewhere in the mix), the newsman saw the long line of hopeful revelers outside and decided to give up his place on the VIP list, which would have let him in pronto. "I'm not cutting!" Bohrman shouted, then headed to the end of the 20-minute line with his wife, drawing big cheers from the crowd.

Meanwhile, did the protesters who rallied outside the CNN party later think that dinner guest Dick Cheney was actually in there at the vodka bar? The veep's not known for after-hours schmoozing with journalists. Maybe this was more like the Code Pink protesters holding a vigil through Martha Stewart 's Senate testimony on elder care. Which we didn't understand either.