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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Amy Argetsinger: Good morning everyone! This week we heard from the local woman whom DMX claims raped him -- actually, HE heard from her, in the form of a defamation suit. We learned about how divorce affects your country club membership. We met one of the First Lady's best pals, who passed on the advice Laura has given to her. And... other stuff. Honestly, I forget already. Maybe you remember? Looking forward to your questions!

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Leesburg, Va.: Is Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals cutie, going to win Rookie of the Year?

Amy Argetsinger: Well, we're about the last people to ask, but we certainly hope so. It might give us an excuse to write about his love life in the off-season or whatever.

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Washington, D.C.: Monday night, 6 p.m., 17th Street, CNN Headline News hunk Thomas Roberts with pal chatting up hottie on bike, looking tall and thin and dying to be recognized. So you were.

Amy Argetsinger: Why does this feel like one of those "missed connections" ads in the City Paper? Tom, are you reading?

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Virginia: You're probably getting lots of Jennifer Aniston/Vince Vaughn comments but I wanted to give you kudos for your take in the column. How can one sue for defamation related to a situation one never acknowledged to begin with? However, they've helped sell a lot of magazines (and gossip columns)!

Amy Argetsinger: Thanks! We've all just about had it with Jen and Vince, frankly.

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Madonna and child: Why is there so much chatter about how inappropriate and bad it is for Madonna to adopt a child of another race? I don't remember seeing this when Angelina Jolie adopted two children of different races while a single parent. At least Madonna has a partner and the child will have siblings. Besides, she is an intelligent person who will probably invest in the appropriate support (counseling, education, etc.) to help her entire family deal with the multitude of issues involved.

Amy Argetsinger: I honestly haven't seen much chatter along those lines. I think there's been some buzz coming out of Malawi that some people are concerned that officials might be allowing her to skip some of the usual steps in the process.

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Warrenton, Va.: Okay, Vaughniston, couple or not? It's so hard for me to believe they would go to this trouble to promote a DVD, but then again, I'm not driving any Hollywood publicity machines. Seems they would be above that, basically. Then you have the whole denying they're a couple only to deny they broke up. Got anybody with the skinny? Thanks.

Roxanne Roberts: I wish. Personally, I'm getting a little tired of it all--"We're just friends, blah, blah" and then "We're not engaged blah blah" and now "We're still a couple and i didn't cheat on her blah blah." If they had just admitted they were dating in the firts place, I'd be more forgiving. Anyway, I think Oprah is the only one with the skinny, if that's not a contradiction of terms. And no---I'm not buying the DVD of "The Break-Up."

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Political Celeb sightings: Last Friday night, in Martinsburg, W.Va., (where a lot of D.C.-area workers commute from), there was a dinner featuring Sen. Jay Rockefeller, Sen. Robert C. Byrd and former Georgia Senator Max Cleland. You could feel the power! Cleland was the keynote speaker and was very funny. The adoration for Sen. Byrd was impressive. Rockefeller definitely the tall one in the crowd!

Amy Argetsinger: Thanks, Martinsburg.

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Manhattan: I was at Doro Bush's book signing last week. I saw pretty Barb and Lauren Bushes. What's the story with the ring on Barb's married finger?

Amy Argetsinger: Did it look like an engagement or wedding ring? Or did it look more like costume jewelry? Barbara caused a brief tizzy last winter when she showed up in public with a ring on her left hand, but everyone denied she was engaged, and it was clearly not the kind of ring a gal like that gets engaged with. Why was she wearing it on her left hand? To torment us, probably. Jenna showed up last spring doing the same thing. We're attaching a link.

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Reston, Va.: Though I guess I should commend Madonna and her husband for their adoption, I cannot help but be disgusted by the fact they had a nanny bring the child to England all the way from Africa. The whole trip was probably very traumatic for the poor child and if Madonna and her husband were so sincere about the adoption, why did they not accompany him themselves? I will not buy the excuse that the publicity/papparazzi would have been too much. Brad and Angelina did it pretty much under the radar.

Roxanne Roberts: Let's not over-think this. We're talking about a baby, who may be upset by all the new faces in his life, but I'm not ready to yell at Madonna or the nanny over who flew the baby to England. Madonna spent plenty of time with the child before leaving Malawi.

This, of course, is a tiny debate in the larger question of celebrity adoption. The fact is that Madonna seems to be a pretty hands-on mother, regardless of the nannies and such, and would probabaly provide a fine life for this baby.

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washingtonpost.com: For Venus and Serena, It's Child's Play ( Post, Dec. 9, 2005 )

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washingtonpost.com: M Street's Whale: An Endangered Species ( Post, July 12 )

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Amy Argetsinger: Oh, apropos of nothing? Remember last week's discussion of who should play Kim Jong Il in the movie version? Well, after we all logged off, one of my colleagues (drawing on his authority as an obsever of federal agencies and national health care policy) chose the winner: Liza Minnelli's ex-husband David Gest.

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Re: Zimmerman's Love Life: At the last Nats' game I attended (9/18) I sat in front of a girl who, from what I overheard, was dating Zimmerman. Most of the women who appear to be players' girlfriends sit by themselves and don't talk to anyone. But this girl had a whole flock of friends and was chatting the entire game. It was just as entertaining as what was happening on the field. From what she said, it sounds like he's having fun in our city.

Amy Argetsinger: Hey, everyone, you know we can't vouch for any of this, right? ... but thanks!

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Chantilly, Va.: My question is why they have to go overseas and adopt when there is a lot right here in the U.S.?

Amy Argetsinger: That's a very good question. Clearly, for a lot of people (celebs or not), it's the desire to adopt an infant rather than an older child, and that's often easier overseas.

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washingtonpost.com: Please excuse the italics. A technical problem. We are working on fixing the transcript. Thank you.

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Arlington, Va.: Have you spoken with the Post political reporters about the chances of former Apprentice star Raj Bhakta and former Redskin QB Heath Shuler of winning their respective congressional races next month? If so, what are they saying? Do you know of any other famous -- or at least pseudofamous -- individuals running?

Amy Argetsinger: Heath Shuler's race against incumbent Charles Taylor is considered one of the hotter races to watch in the country. But for all you Raj fans out there -- I'm sorry. It's not looking very likely. BTW, how did I miss this story last week about Raj riding an elephant around in the mouth of the Rio Grande to make some statement about border security? Insane!

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New York, N.Y.: The photo of Laura Bush on your site looks more focused and engaged than most photos one sees. However, the comment re blaming "George" for Katrina is more in the time warp image I have of her. Are people in D.C. as anxious to see them return to texas as those of us in N.Y.?

Roxanne Roberts: Nice picture, true. Before you get all huffy, remember that the comment about Katrina is from a while ago, so no time warp there for me. And I think they are plenty of people in DC and New York and in every other town who look forward to a new administration----and plenty more who admire the president and will be sad to see him leave in 2008. That being said, the mid-terms next month should be very interesting.

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Anonymous: Speaking of Madonna, did either of you see "Shanghai Express"? It's a challange to watch. I'll bet she plays that on DVD when her kids are bad.

Roxanne Roberts: Ouch. Probably not---they'll discover it when they're teenagers and tease her endlessly.

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Anonymous: Any political events with celebrity musicians playing between now and Nov.7th?

Amy Argetsinger: Oh, no doubt there are.

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Anonymous: Shouldn't Donald Trump's hairdo make him the front-runner for the part of Kim Il?

Amy Argetsinger: Yeah, but he's too tall.

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Washington, D.C.: Madonna, Bill Gates, Angelina, Buffett and Oprah all wish to go to heaven and say to the gatekeeper "O Lord, we've done good deeds on earth and now we each deserve a place here!" What do you think?

Roxanne Roberts: I think everybody wishes that.

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Washington, D.C.: So yesterday at work, I ran into Andrea Mitchell in our lobby. She is much more attractive on television. Which I found interesting because once I saw Ann Curry in the lobby, and she was MUCH more attractive in real life.

What do you make of this phenomenon?

Amy Argetsinger: I think this is one of the most fascinating phenomenons of the celebrity experience, and I never tire of discussing it. For example -- and stop me if I've already bored you with this story -- I once saw Angelina Jolie in a Los Angeles restaurant and utterly failed to recognize her because she was merely the prettiest girl in the room, and not the realign-the-planets-with-her-gravitational-force beauty that I expected. Meanwhile, I later saw Zach Braff in a grocery store on Hollywood Boulevard -- you know, Zach Braff, who plays off being a kind of goofy looking fish-eyed Everyman -- and he was by far the handsomest man in the room.

What does this mean? I don't know, just that the camera does strange things.

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So where is Suri, anyway?: For months, Tom and Katie have been photographed here, there and everywhere, but never have their daughter with them. Could it be that a candid snap of Suri might not look the same as the retouched, resembles-her-parents version in the Vanity Fair spread?

Roxanne Roberts: Could be, or could be a thousand other reasons. The whole thing Suri questions is so strange that I'm prepared to believe almost anything. I can't understand why they don't just take a public stroll with the kid and be done with all the questions.

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West Coast: Any honorable mentions for the Kim Il Jung part?

Spud Webb?

Marty Stuart?

Richard Simmons?

Madeline Albright?

Hugo Chavez?

Amy Argetsinger: Marty Stuart! That's a good one. He could definitely give David Gest a run for his money.

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Metro Center: Hi. I read that Lloyd Grove got the boot from the Daily News. Will he be returning to the Post? Inquiring minds want ...

Roxanne Roberts: Unlikely. Haven't talked to him, but Lloyd told others he's staying in New York for now. If we hear an update, we'll let you know.

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Manhattan: I believe they're both quietly engaged. No chic wears custome ring everyday on her married finger for a year! It's gold and silver and big.

Roxanne Roberts: Fun theory---although Barbara would have to be pretty darn discreet to be engaged, since she doesn't appear to be dating anyone. Jenna, at least, has a long-term boyfriend in Henry Hager.

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Washington, D.C.: How old is Maddox? Shouldn't he be in school instead of galavanting about the world? Do you think Angelina will settle down some place so he can go to school or will he have a private tutor? I can't see Angelina home schooling herself. Does Michael Jackson have a tutor for his kids?

Amy Argetsinger: He's 5 now. I think you should write Angelina a letter and give her a piece of your mind.

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Steubenville, Ohio: Former Pittsburgh Steeler, Lynn Swann WR is running for Pennsylvania governor

Amy Argetsinger: Oh, you're right, forgot that one. He's trailing Ed Rendell, however.

We're sorry for the lingering font problems in this chat -- our web colleagues are laboring to fix them.

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Panda talk ...: ... Hey Rox, with the opening of the new Asian trail at the zoo, well, I just figured this would be a good time to bring up everyone's favorite D.C. celeb, Tai Shan. My question: what with all the lawyers, lobbyists and assorted politicos in this town, do you think we could somehow find a loophole in the rental agreement we have with China?

Roxanne Roberts: Sniff! He'll always be Butterstick to me. The deal calls for him to return to China anytime after he turns two years old, which means he could be gone by next fall. I think it's entirely possible all the officials could extend his stay in Washington and I'm sure zoo officials would love it--- Lots of international good will and all that. But China is no pushover, so I guess it depends on diplomatic relations next summer.

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Arlington, Va.: Who is the hottest member of the Post staff in your opinions? A few of my friends and I are enjoying the increased frequency of Jim VandeHei videos on the site -- who knew such a pretty face was behind those articles?

Amy Argetsinger: We will never answer that question. But your opinion is duly noted, and some have called for investigations into why VandeHei has never been given a slot in fishbowldc.com's annual "hottest media types" poll.

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Do-gooder karma: Personally, I don't care if the only reason people (specifically rich and famous people) give to the poor, start foundations, adopt children, etc., etc., etc., to soothe their rich person guilt or reserve box seats in the hereafter. Their efforts improve the status quo, everything else is between them and Buddha.

Roxanne Roberts: Works for me, too.

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Glenn Dale, Md: What happened to Murphy and Cash formerly of WBIG? I need to find a new radio station!

Amy Argetsinger: I tried to find an answer to this last week when you (or someone else) asked, but nothing turned up in several minutes of Googling. So if anyone else knows, educate us.

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Duh: That's because Zach Braff is a very handsome man! MEOW!

Amy Argetsinger: But do you agree with me that he doesn't really register that way on TV? That's why I was blown away by his attractiveness in person -- had simply never seen it before. And don't "meow" me, Duh, I was paying your man a compliment.

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Falls Church, Va.: Don't be sorry about the font problems. I like the italics, you should try it more often.

Amy Argetsinger: You think it looks good on us? Thanks!

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Houston, Tex.: Brangelina: What's the deal? I thought she didn't want to marry him, now I hear that Brad declared that he won't marry her. And that his family discourages it because they don't like her. I am also seeing headlines titled "Brad misses Jen". Any idea about any of this?

Roxanne Roberts: Gotta love the tabloids, which seem a little short on Bragelina news these days. We don't have any inside scoop on who will/won't marry, so I figure they'll plugging along like any fabulously famous couple with a new baby. The entire famuly is in India right now, filming "A Mighty Heart." Brad's the producer, Angie the star.

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Washington, D.C.: I fell asleep before hearing the Dancing with the Stars interview with the country singer who has bowed out. Can you briefly explain what's going on?

Amy Argetsinger: The short version is that she's going through a really really ugly divorce (we'll post a link to Lisa de Moraes' coverage from last week), and in the pretaped interview that aired on the show last night, she said she was going to have a nervous breakdown if she didn't drop out, and she needs to spend more time with the kids...

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washingtonpost.com: Tom DeLay's Candidate Quicksteps Out of 'Dancing' ( Post, Oct. 14 )

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Roxanne Roberts: Really? You don't think italics make us look fat?

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Richmond, Va.: I see Courtney Cox-Arquette (nee Courtney Cox) is now billing herself as Courtney Cox again, sans Arquette.

It that a sign of a divorce or marketing?

Amy Argetsinger: Seems to me that she's gone back and forth over the years on whether she uses the Arquette or not. I think she's just trying to torment us, kind of like those Bush girls and their left-hand rings.

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Chantilly, Va.: My question is why they have to go overseas and adopt when there is a lot right here in the U.S.?: Because the waiting list to adopt in the U.S. is YEARS long. The demand to adopt healthy American babies is much greater than the supply. An older couple such as Madonna and Guy might never be approved since agencies prefer younger couples. Maybe they wanted to help an unwanted baby since all the American babies available for adoption are wanted. Have you ever talked to an American couple waiting for a baby to adopt? It takes years and the chances are slim.

Also, the NEED is so great in third world countries.

Why JUDGE someone who is giving of their time, money and love to help a baby in need?

I say there are some very sorry people who would criticize someone for adopting and helping any child in need.

Amy Argetsinger: And that's a good answer. Thanks for your thoughts.

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Washington, D.C.: I thought I heard something on the radio a couple of weeks ago that we may get to keep Tai Shan beyond his second birthday. With the baby panda boom (a dozen Tai Shans together!) that there isn't an urgent need to ship him to China.

Roxanne Roberts: I hope you're right. Wouldn't that be cool?

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The 'Stick: "Okay fine, China, you don't have to enforce sanctions on North Korea if we get to keep the panda."

Sounds like a fair deal to me. And, on another note, when did people stop calling them "panda bears"? I always did when I was a little girl.

Amy Argetsinger: Wait, I think I do still call them "panda bears."

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Tai Shangelo: What would REALLY happen if we just refused to return Tai Shan to China? I mean, come on -- are they going to send troops to come collect the baby panda? no.

Roxanne Roberts: Maybe---this panda diplomacy is very serious business. If we kidnap Butterstick, all the US zoos would be on the enemies list. And it's not like you can pick up a panda at Wal-Mart.....well, at least not yet.

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Washington, D.C.: Thought it was so sad at the Barbra concert for all the talking heads, like Madeleine, and DeeDee and Dick Gephardt to have to stand in the center aisle to get attention until they had to cut off the lights to get them to sit down. Wasn't front row enough?

Amy Argetsinger: A colleague of ours who was there said they stood up during intermission just like everyone else.

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Team Butterstick: I'm glad you will still entertain queries about our favorite panda cub. Since Ana M. Cox left Wonkette, they NEVER mention our furry boy.

Roxanne Roberts: We are nothing but loyal to our favorite fuzzy wuzzy---and Butterstick has never let us down, unlike some celebrities we could name. On that happy note, let me bid you all goodbye--we've got a column to write. Keep you eyes peeled for other celebrities munching bamboo, and write us at reliablesource@washpost.com.

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Panda "bears": Pandas aren't bears, instead are related somehow to raccoons, if I'm not mistaken.

Amy Argetsinger: Ew, raccoons? They scare me!

Okay, now we're really gone. Thanks everyone! Stay in touch at reliablesource@washpost.com...

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