The Reliable Source

The Reliable Source is back, under the stewardship of Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts . Appearing in the Style section on Tuesdays through Fridays and Sundays, The Reliable Source brings you gossip from across the region and around the world -- candid looks at the lives and loves and hijinks of all your favorite bold-faced names, be they congressmen or millionaires, ballplayers or newsbabes, nightlife divas or master thespians, DJs or gadflies, has-beens or will-bes.

Argetsinger and Roberts are online each Wednesday at Noon ET to discuss your favorite gossip, what you thought about their recent columns or who you want to see them writing about in future ones.

Reliable Source Columns

Argetsinger is a veteran of all leafy-green, protein-rich sections like Metro and National while Roberts brought you the champagne and bon-bons of Style's society beat.

A transcript follows.

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Roxanne Roberts: We're back! Okay, we were back last week, but now it's back-to-school-hunker-down back, and the rest of Washington is gearing up for all the fun of mid-terms. Big news this week: Suri, Katie, Rosie. Let's dive in.

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Washington, D.C.: Suri Cruise -- one word: Gorgeous! What do you guys think?

Although she looks like she could be Tom and Angelina's baby. But WOW! What a star.

Roxanne Roberts: Pretty cute, with those big blue eyes.

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Chicago, Ill.: Amy and Roxanne:

Is there any proof that Suri is actually Tom's child? Weren't Katie and Tom in Europe when the announcement came? Couldn't an artificial insemination take place there quietly? There is no conceivable explanation as to why the child has not been seen until now. Something is not right with this whole story. They aren't married yet and everyone is celebrating this child as if it were his. I think he is incapable of conceiving a child; he appears sexless to me!

Roxanne Roberts: We weren't there, if you know what I mean, but there's no proof she's not their daughter. Agreed, the whole "Where's Suri?" thing created a ton of conspiracy theories, which only added to the general perception that all is not what it seems in the Cruise-Holmes household.

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Washington, D.C.: So I still don't understand the rational behind the Bush twins leaving D.C. I mean, your dad lives in the White House. One twin is leaving for a museum job in NYC -- but last time I checked D.C. had manyyyyy museums!

... Maybe the Bush family will adopt me.

Why do you think they're leaving?

Amy Argetsinger: I think they're doing it to spite us.

No, seriously, this is pretty normal, don't you think? Folks in their early 20s are very transient, and a lot of them are trying to get away from the parents. Our understanding is that Jenna has always had a secret loathing for the young D.C. networker/social-climber scene and wanted to put that in her dust, and who can blame her for seeking some adventure overseas? Meanwhile Barbara seems to gravitate to the beautiful-people fashiony scene, so NYC makes sense...

The Bush family should totally adopt you! That's what any TV series does in its late years -- if they can't have a big glamorous season-ending wedding, they adopt a cuter, younger new kid to sustain everyone's interest.

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Washington, D.C.: Do you think Australian officials will release the tape of Steve Irwin?

Amy Argetsinger: Probably not. Why should they? I don't think we're entitled to watch someone's actual death on TV. Steve Irwin's manager says he thinks it should be destroyed.

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Gallery Place, Washington, D.C.: Okay, that Vanity Fair cover with Suri is adorable, but what do you guys make of the Gawker.com item of an un-retouched photo of the family? The photo that they have shows a very creepy looking baby and it doesn't look like the same kid. Is that item just a joke?

Amy Argetsinger: Honestly, I can't tell.

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Washington, D.C.: Suri is actually really cute, do you agree? She does look a little old though for what they say she is ... ah, the controversy never stops.

Roxanne Roberts: Good thing.....or did you want to talk about global warming indicators?

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Toothless, W.Va.: Will Brooke Shields' performance on last night's season opener of "Nip/Tuck" tarnish her "wholesome" image that she's tried to maintain over the years? Is she (wisely or not) turning her choice of roles in a new direction?

Amy Argetsinger: Uh, does someone who saw the show want to weigh in?

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Washington, D.C.: Suri Cruise -- worth the $4.50 for Vanity Fair?

Roxanne Roberts: Oh, SO worth it if only to sound informed at the water cooler.

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Chicago, Ill.: Hi Amy, Hi Roxanne,

I really value your judgment so tell me what did you really think of the pictures of Suri?

Now that I have seen her I can understand why they hid her from the public view for so long. She looks like a Marie Osmond doll.

Roxanne Roberts: Truth be told, Vanity Fair released the cover photo to us but not the inside pictures (anything you see on the web is unauthorized.) So I haven't seen enough to judge for myself. My initial impression is that she's actually cute, and there was no good reason for keeping her from the public eye. I also know it's almost impossible to tell what a baby is going to look like in even a couple years.

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Washington, D.C.: What is your take on the latest Us Weekly/People scam of saying Jessica Simpson is in love (with John Mayer) -- but didn't even talk to Jessica herself, and quotes " a friend." Sounds fishy to me!

Amy Argetsinger: We're going to have a follow on this in tomorrow's column... Long story short, both US and People are standing by their cover stories from last week in which they both asserted that John Mayer and Jessica Simpson are dating. The whole thing is fishy, and not just on the part of the magazines....

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Washington, D.C.: Today's headline made me laugh out loud, literally! Hehe Suri with fringe on top ...!

Roxanne Roberts: All hail our brilliant copy desk editors, who write the headlines.

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Chicago, Ill.: I missed Rosie on the View yesterday. How did she do?

Amy Argetsinger: Darragh Johnson, who watched the whole darn thing for an article in today's Style section (link to follow), thought she was pretty good -- and that in fact she pretty much stole the spotlight from all the other View-ers. Darragh had some funny line about Rosie turning herself into the Alpha Girl whose approval is required -- check it out yourself...

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Arlington, Va.: Suri DOES look like Bjork! See, it's these sorts of insightful observations that make you ladies a credit to the Post.

washingtonpost.com: At Long Last, Here's Suri, With Fringe on Top (Post, Sept. 6)

Amy Argetsinger: Why, thank you...

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Washington, D.C. : I'm not an expert, but Suri looked much older than four months to me ... are all babies that big at that age?

Amy Argetsinger: My baby niece is about that age and she too is a giantess.

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washingtonpost.com: ABC's 'View' Is Looking A Whole Lot Rosier ( Post, Sept. 6 )

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Washington, D.C.: BIG NEWS: ( 'The Guardian' has premiere in D.C. ( USA Today, Sept. 6 )). Looks like you may have a chance to meet Ashton Kutcher and Kevin Costner this Thursday. Do you know what time the premiere is? Maybe all the stars will be at the Mariah Carey show as well? Do tell!

Amy Argetsinger: Like, ridiculously early, like 6 or 7 p.m. Probably geared to local TV newscasts. Sorry I can't be more helpful, don't have the press release handy. But yes, we are terribly excited.

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Washington, D.C.: Dan Snyder plus Tom Cruise =

Amy Argetsinger: We'll throw this one out to the crowd. Anyone?

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Washington, D.C.: Many people are taking Steve Irwin's death very hard, how did you guys feel when you first heard?

Roxanne Roberts: I first assumed he finally got on the wrong side of a hungry croc. When I heard it was a stingray, I was fascinated because it's such an unlikely way to die. I just swam with tame stingrays two weeks ago----they are pretty passive creatures, and only strike if they think a shark or other predator is going to eat them. Most people who get stung are injured by accidentally stepping on a ray buried in the sand, and are hurt in the foot or leg. Irwin had to swimming above the ray, the ray had to be big enough to strike with great force AND managed to hit his heart. What are the odds?

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Bad Lyric Lover: If I lay here, if I just lay here, would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Amy Argetsinger: Okay, folks, name that tune...

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H St. NW: I just saw Alan Rosenberg (Marg Helgenberger's husband) walking along the street with two women, one an actress I can't place right now and I'm not sure about the other one. Is he in town for filming?

Amy Argetsinger: Hmmm, don't know. Maybe he's one of the Creative Coalition folks in town for their big gala at the Corcoran tonight?

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Reston, Va.: "There is no conceivable explanation as to why the child has not been seen until now."

Huh? Maybe they just wanted to keep their child away for a few months from the craziness that will be her life from now on. I like the celebrity and gossip as much as the next girl, but people need to get a grip.

Roxanne Roberts: There. Doesn't that make you doubters feel guilty?

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Washington, D.C.: Asking about Steve Irwin's "death tape" is creepy. What are you going to do with it? Investigate his death? Are you qualified for that? Or do you just want to "see it"?

Amy Argetsinger: Yeah, exactly. Seems we've got the same sense of entitlement about seeing celebrity deaths as we do about seeing celebrity babies...

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Baby size: My brother was born one month early, at five pounds. By six months, he was 25 pounds. Now he is 9 and he is under 60 pounds -- one of the smallest in his class.

Roxanne Roberts: See? There's no telling with babies. We'll have to wait a couple years to see what she really looks like.

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NW D.C.: Is Jamie Lee Curtis in town? A woman that is a dead ringer for her got out of a cab a few minutes ago.

Amy Argetsinger: She's flacking her new children's book, so it was possibly her. Send us more details at reliablesource@washpost.com (what was she wearing, where did you see her, etc.), and maybe we can use in in tomorrow's column. Thanks!

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Amy Argetsinger: Confidential to the fantastic Four Seasons sighting -- send us more details at reliablesource@washpost.com. Could be great for the column.

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Washington, D.C.: I was watching WETA(PBS)last night and this segment came on called, "Around Town" and the hostess was a E. Dawn Samuels. Who is she, what the 411 on her? She looks to be about 5'9", I'm 5'5", what are my chances of a hookup?

Amy Argetsinger: Well, she's also a local actress who's been on every TV series that's sustained the local acting community ("The Wire," "West Wing," etc.)... but I'm not finding any personal life info...

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Anonymous: I was pretty shocked at the whole Trump firing deal last week. Is Trump a fan of D.C.?

Amy Argetsinger: A couple of his kids did time at Georgetown -- one just graduated this past spring...

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Washington, D.C.: The Jessica Simpson/John Mayer story made me think that the average person is more able to see through the fake stories than publicists think. Have you noticed that the public is less willing to accept the fake publicity stories about celebrities than in the past? No one believed Teri Hatcher was dating Ryan Seacrest and the whole thing made them both look stupid. And John and Jessica on the cover of both magazines the week they both launch new CDs?! And why do these magazines take the stories when the public doesn't even think they are real?

Amy Argetsinger: My guess is that the magazines are playing to two audiences -- those that will buy the mags because they're gullible enough to believe every publicity stunt that comes along, and those that will buy the mags so they can scoff at the cravenness of the stars pulling the publicity stunts.

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Re: Nip/Tuck: Brooke Shields' performance in the first half of the show was actually very good. She was a therapist to Christian and was very insightful in a Dr. Malvi/Tony Soprano type of way.

Then, they had to totally ruin it by including a gratuitous sex scene between Shields's character and Christian in the closing moments of the show. I don't think it will affect Shields's image (of course, I still remember her mostly for the Blue Lagoon, so what do I know), but the sex scene came across as totally forced and unnecessary.

Amy Argetsinger: Okay, thanks for the review!

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Anonymous: What's up with Brangelina's baby lately? No news from their end of the baby battle.

Roxanne Roberts: Bragelina had a baby?

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Washington, D.C.: Did you catch the CBS evening news last night? I am betting everyone who turned on to see Couric ended up dazzled by Lara Logan: beautiful, fearless and completely out of Couric's league. Actually I worry about Logan. It's sort of like Joan of Arc doing the news, and that didn't turn out to well for Joan. The Post's TV review was pretty snippy about everything, but then he never likes anything. What did you think?

Amy Argetsinger: Uh, I was busy writing the column so only saw about 30 seconds of it. Here's a conflicting view on the Lara Logan thing...

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Anonymous: Katie Couric, Katie Couric News!

Or rather -- why was Lara Logan wearing Chanel sunglasses in Afghanistan?

Amy Argetsinger: Interesting...

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Chicago, Ill.: I read this morning that Jay-Z presented Beyonce with a Rolls Royce worth $1M as a birthday gift. No ring in sight. Which would you rather have ... the ring or the Rolls?

Amy Argetsinger: You mean... I can't have both?

Roxanne Roberts: The Rolls. She can sell it if things go south. She'd have to return an engagement ring.

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Washington, D.C.: Tom Shales didn't like Katie's white jacket from last night, but I liked it a lot, so do you know who designed it? While we're on the topic, weren't her heels (see in the Friedman interview) a bit funky for evening news -- they looked chunky and maybe round or square toe. Was she trying to divert attention from her bare legs?

Roxanne Roberts: No word on the designer, but the general reaction is a thumbs down because it made her look, in the words of one reviewer, "chunky." (And no, we wouldn't be talking about a male anchor's jacket or shoes or legs, so DON'T send any snippy e-mails. I get it.)Saw the legs briefly (same ole, same ole) and didn't notice the shoes. The real problem was the newsless newscast. Bor-ing.

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Dan Snyder plus Tom Cruise : Don't be surprised if Cruise shows up in Dan Snyder's owner's box for Monday Night Football next week! Nationally televised game ... Nation's capital ... Mega exposure for both!

Amy Argetsinger: I think Tom's probably got bigger fish to fry. He's just using Dan for the $$$. But we would certainly be intrigued to see him in that owner's box. Let's see if we can make it happen.

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Washington, D.C.: Seeing pictures of Suri and her parents makes me wonder why we never see Nicole Kidman with HER kids with Tom Cruise? They showed up at her wedding in Australia, but otherwise, I have never seen pictures of her with them. And Nicole seems to live in Nashville and Katie and Tom are in Calif., so did Tom somehow get full custody after the divorce? Why does Katie spend more time with Nicole's kids than she does? Do you think Nicole ever really adopted the kids?

Amy Argetsinger: I see lots of pix of Nicole with those kids. Then again, I probably spend too much time looking at those kinds of magazines.... My understanding is that Tom doesn't technically have full custody but somehow the kids have ended up living with him most of the time.

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McLean, Va.: Rumsfeld's shoulder injury could have been an old wrestling injury -- he competed in college, I believe. Granted, that's ages ago, but I would think that just about anything could aggravate something like that.

Amy Argetsinger: Hey, check it out! A chatter who doesn't want to talk about Jessica Simpson or Suri Cruise! Welcome!

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Anonymous: RE: Steve Irwin and "the tape ..."

Just wanted to get your opinions on it -- I personally don't think it should be released to anyone but ... who knows what will happen to it.

Roxanne Roberts: I figure it will show up on the Web somewhere, and get millions and millions of hits, unless his family has total control of the film and destroys it immediately. Last I heard the police had it, and his manager said it should not be released.

From the Toronto Star:

"Now a debate is raging about what to do with the graphic footage. In chat rooms and on discussion groups, Internet surfers are searching for copies of the film, which is now in the hands of Australian police.

Yesterday, as hundreds placed bouquets and handwritten notes at an ad hoc shrine outside the Australia Zoo - the park originally opened by Irwin's parents - news executives were weighing the public's curiosity with the death with what they candidly admit could be a "bad taste" decision to run the footage.

The story prompted a 70 per cent spike in usage on some Australian news organization's websites.

"I'm not sure what the public interest factor is in running footage depicting the death of Steve Irwin. The circumstances of his death are already very well known and leave little to the imagination," said Gary Linnell, the head of news for the Nine Network.

The head of news at Channel Seven, Peter Meakin, said: "I am sure there would be something there that would be broadcastable, whether some of it might be in absolute bad taste."

An online poll by the Sydney Morning Herald was momentarily inaccessible as Internet readers rushed to respond to the question, "Should video footage of Irwin's death be shown?" By late afternoon yesterday, the results were 56 per cent "no."

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Something to talk about .......... : "..... you want to talk about global warming indicators?"

Well since global warming is something that actually will have a bearing on everyone, unlike any/all celebrity babies than yeah can we talk about global warming?

Roxanne Roberts: Of course we SHOULD. And we should eat more veggies and fruit. Think of Suri as a trip to the vending machine at 4 p.m.

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Re Katie's legs: A news anchor's legs -- regardless of gender, regardless of how lovely the gams might be -- shouldn't be on display during a newscast. It just distracts, and sends a message that the content of the program shouldn't be taken seriously. My style idol: the elegant Cokie Roberts.

Roxanne Roberts: Good choice.

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Annapolis, Md.: Wouldn't put it past Danny to make mandatory Tom's appearance(s) part of the contract.

Amy Argetsinger: He is a savvy businessman, true...

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Washington, D.C.: Granted I'm a dude, and not much of a baby watcher. But the baby on the cover of Vanity Fair looks Asian to me.

I'm guessing Suri was adopted. (Along with Shiloh I might ad.)

Roxanne Roberts: You're not alone, buddie.

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Anonymous: Favorite celebrity gossip blogs? Favorite magazines?

Amy Argetsinger: My new favorite celebrity magazine is OK!, but only the original U.K. edition. It's hilarious how the British have all of these celebrities of their own that you've never heard of (Girls Aloud! Sugababes! Footballers!). I spent three weeks of vacation lovingly pawing the same issue over and over again, it was so riveting.

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Washington, D.C.: The big story -- Katie Couric. I miss the old CBS Evening News theme, but that's just me. Katie is in town today ... any word of what else she's doing besides interviewing El Presidente?

Amy Argetsinger: Hopefully she'll manage to have another highly-public date at Cafe Milano...

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Shaker Heights, Ohio: What's the real dish behind Lance and Cheryl Crow's breakup? Who dumped who? I saw her on Larry King a few weeks ago and she seemed diplomatic about the breakup, but clearly she was still upset.

Amy Argetsinger: From my deep source of insider knowledge (i.e., reading a bunch of celebrity-oriented tabs and then reading between the lines of interviews she's given), I would say that Lance dumped Sheryl.

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Re: Irwin tape: Haven't we been here before? (Princess Di, Dale Earnhardt ...)

Amy Argetsinger: We are a ghoulish society, yes...

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The tape: I cannot believe that ANYONE thinks the world is entitled to see footage of Steve Irwin's death. Has the YouTube Age spawned this sort of grotesque sense of audio-visual entitlement?

Amy Argetsinger: Nah, I think it's reality TV that's done this. We now think we're entitled to watch average people suck face and celebrity marriages disintegrate. We're about three years away from televised gladiatorial combats.

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Angry Woman: Katie's jacket made her look chunky? Her shoes a bit funky for evening news? Will the day ever come when a woman's outfit is not considered a major portion of her job requirement. Does anyone consistently remember or comment on what male anchors wear?

Roxanne Roberts: Dan Rather's sweaters. Ted Koppel's hair. Peter Jennings suits. Anderson Cooper's hair and suits.

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Washington, D.C.: If it is true I can't believe John Mayer and Jessica Simpson are dating. Makes me loose all respect for John Mayer -- a guy that I once thought was hot, funny, sarcastic and talented (and a bit weird when he sang). I thought he would go after someone smarter but then again he supposedly wrote "Your Body is a Wonderland" for Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Amy Argetsinger: You college girls are such suckers for that hokey John Mayer sincere-guy routine.

(Now awaiting your reply: "But I'm a 40-year-old man!")

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Sterling, Va.: I had a celebrity sighting last week! Willard Scott at the Sweetwater Tavern in Sterling last Wednesday evening. He was very nice.

Amy Argetsinger: Hey, another person who doesn't want to talk about Jessica Simpson or Suri Cruise!

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Baltimore, Md.: That was a wonderful article on Tony Reali last week, but noticeably absent was anything about his personal life. In my opinion, he is probably too busy to really worry about having a love life, but maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part ... If you've got anything, I'd love to know!

washingtonpost.com: Pro Sports Fanatic ( Post, Aug. 27 )

Amy Argetsinger: Next time we see Wilbon or Kornheiser in the office, we'll ask them about Tony Reali's love life. Oh, heck, we should just pick up the phone and ask Reali himself -- that would be easier...

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Bad Lyric Answer ...: The song is Counting Cars by Snow Patrol.

Amy Argetsinger: You are correct, sir!

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Washington, D.C.: We've already got televised gladitorial combats: the NFL regular season begins this week

Amy Argetsinger: Ha ha!

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Washington, D.C. : Not to be picky, but ... you probably did not swim with stingrays -- they are dangerous and relatively rare. Most people swim with the very passive and beautiful manta ray. They are hard to to distinguish from one another except ... well, one has serrated barbs on their tail and the other doesn't.

Roxanne Roberts: It was Southern Atlantic stingrays. There's a famous tourist site on the north shore in Grand Cayman where boats assemble on a sandbar and feed the stingrays. These have been fed by humans for years and are quite tame. Manta have the front fins near the eyes, which these didn't have.

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British celebrity mags: Yeah, anyone who thinks America has a corner on the trashy media market has never seen Fleet Street's finest. Tell me, does OK! have that fine Brit tabloid tradition, the "Page Three beauty"?

Amy Argetsinger: Goodness, I was shocked by that whole Page Three beauty thing! One of the issues of the Mirror I saw while overseas featured a woman who was completely topless -- except that her nipples had apparently been airbrushed away. It was astonishing.

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Steve Irwin final tape: I think it should be released to all media so they can choose to show if they like or not. That way we can be spared under the cover payments and exclusives for the next 20 years. Yeh, it would be graphic, but so is watching the evening news. Just put it out there and move on.

Roxanne Roberts: Another opinion.

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Question for Amy: Did your dad use to work at the Peace Corps?

Amy Argetsinger: No, but he used to work (long, long time ago) at an agency called ACTION, which I think had some oversight or connection to Peace Corps...

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Athens, Greece: Lance has an Oedipus complex. Have you ever seen a picture of Kristin and his mom together? SCARY.

No, seriously, SCARY how much they look alike. I'm guessing his ego kicked in along with his mommy complex.

Amy Argetsinger: That's a joke that you're writing from Athens, right? Pretty hilarious... I don't remember seeing a picture of Kristin or his mom -- do either of them look like Sheryl?

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But enough about Suri: What does Willard Scott think about Suri?

Amy Argetsinger: Ha!

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Sliver Spring, Md.: I know this is a big premature, but I'm heading to the Sundance Film Fest in Jan.! Any idea when festival details come out? You guys going?

Amy Argetsinger: Uh, no. So don't rub it in, okay!

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Baltimore, Md.: I think we're about two years away from having public executions available on cable or PPV television. Now that will be tragic ...

Amy Argetsinger: Yeah, probably pay-per-view. To subsidize the cost.

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Reston: It looks to me like Suri is wearing a toupee.

Roxanne Roberts: Now, now....

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Boston, Mass.: How could you think Suri's adopted? She looks exactly like Katie Holmes!

Roxanne Roberts: Yet another view.

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Amy Argetsinger: Hey, everyone! Thanks for all the questions -- way more than we could get to today. Send all your questions, comments, hot tips and star sightings to reliablesource@washpost.com, and join us back here next week!

Roxanne Roberts: You were a lively bunch today. I thank you. Amy thanks you. Suri thanks you.

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