The Reliable Source

Welcome to "The Reliable Source" with 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.

____________________

Amy Argetsinger: Good morning. It's been a newsy week: Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe split up, Bob Barker retired, Ana Marie Cox got sued, Marc Barnes of Love nightclub bought a house, and Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson are trying to sell theirs. Also, Judy Miller's finally getting through that thank-you list she's had since she got out of jail, and The Ark had to cancel some shows -- not, apparently, because of their cheeky anti-Bush comments but because they didn't get all their visa paperwork filled out. Ah, rockstars!

Finally, we got to see Mark Foley in his little-known movie debut -- playing a congressman, natch, in an amazingly cheesy straight-to-DVD flick called "Strike Force" (original title: "The Librarians," which, while less cliched, probably wasn't flying off the shelves.)The prognosis? The man can act!

Bring us your questions -- now!

_______________________

washingtonpost.com: Mark Foley on Film, Before He Got Famous ( Post, Nov. 1 )

_______________________

Bowie, Md.: Abbie Cornish is so much hotter and cuter than Reese, but I must admit that Ryan is a real jerk for being so blatant with how he cheated on Reese.

washingtonpost.com: Reese, Ryan on the Rocks ( Post, Oct. 31 )

Amy Argetsinger: All right, diving right in! US Weekly is now claiming that the reason for the Reese/Ryan split is that he had a little something something with his co-star Abbie Cornish, an Australian starlet said to be the next big thing. Everyone involved is either denying everything or refusing comment.

Obviously, we can't speak to the veracity of any of this. We tend to think US is generally more reliable than the fast-and-loose tabloids and cheaper supermarket glossies, but maybe a tad less solid than People, with which it is highly competitive but which we note hasn't yet nibbled at the Cornish rumors.

Meanwhile, we're sticking to our theory, subtly spelled out in yesterday's column, that this was all about box-office grosses.

_______________________

New York: Have you gotten your invitation to the TomKat wedding? You think they are finally taking this joke a little too far?

Amy Argetsinger: They continue to taunt us, don't they? And we continue to let them get away with it. Just like that Kim Jong Il.

_______________________

Speaking of Reese: I've seen polls in various magazines asking "who is the iconic blonde for this generation?" I personally vote for Reese, though Cameron Diaz seems to usually get the most votes. And heaven help us, Paris Hilton has nominated herself for this particular title. What say you ladies? Who is the iconic blonde for this generation and why? Surely one must do more to earn this title than be blonde and highly publicized...

Amy Argetsinger: Well, here's one to throw out to the crowd. I vote for Heather Locklear.

_______________________

Weirdly curious: So if those cute kids Reese and Ryan couldn't make it, what hope is there for the rest of us?

Roxanne Roberts: "Cute kids: seems to be the reason. They were so young when they got married----add wealth, fame,and ego to the mix and you've got trouble for even the most mature twenty-somethings. So if you're older, poor, non-famous-----no worries!

_______________________

Los Angeles, Calif.: Is this the Amy who does the "Ask Amy" column? My boyfriend has been secretly e-mailing his ex from the computer we share and I need some advice.

Amy Argetsinger: Uh... yeah! I mean, yes, this is that Amy. I can handle that:

Tell your boyfriend to stop e-mailing me! It is so over.

_______________________

New York Ave., Washington, D.C.: If I wrote in with something obviously false and probably libelous, would you put it in your chat? Like: I saw Tom Cruise at Morton's in Georgetown on Saturday night. He and a bunch of people had one of the private rooms in back and they were eating a live goat!

Amy Argetsinger: No, we'd never put that in our chat.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: One of my coworkers just had to switch desks and moved from the cool part of the office to the lame part of the office. What's the celebrity equivalent of that? Going from SNL to MadTV? Your show getting switched from NBC to the WB or that other new network CW?

Roxanne Roberts: "Mean Girls"---Lunchtime at the cafeteria in high school. C'mon, we've all lived through the cool kids dissing the non-cool. Where's the love?

_______________________

Beating the dead horse: I saw when Reese was on Oprah last year, and while she said all the right things about her marriage and that her and Ryan were trying to strengthen their relationship, she seemed less than enthusiastic discussing it. So I guess I wasn't totally surprised to see the headline. It seemed like this had been in the making for a while.

Roxanne Roberts: She's always been pretty honest---in a Hollywood star kind of way---that her marriage was hard work. I prefer that to the Kate Hudson he's-so-dreamy, everything-is-perfect approach.

_______________________

Pumpkin Head: Did the Halloween party circuit feature any particularly fun, interesting, clever, or maybe questionable costumes last night? Were there any women NOT dressed in something 'dirty' or 'sexy?'

Amy Argetsinger: Hey, that's a good question. What did anyone else see? The best costumes I saw were a girl dressed as Steve Irwin (though some people said "no! it's too soon!") and a guy dressed as Harry Whittington, and a friend of mine who dressed as Tippi Hedren in "The Birds." My brother and sister-in-law dressed as pandas, which was unspeakably adorable. Perhaps my favorite costume, though, was the guy dressed as Zinedine Zidane. After my fourth drink I begged him to head-butt the guy dressed as the Italian soccer player and he did. I was filled with joy.

You know, I was actually thinking that the "sexy/slutty" Halloween costume had gone out of vogue -- I was noting to someone that I didn't see a lot of those. But they told me I'm just going to parties with older people now.

_______________________

Washington: Yeah yeah yeah -- I feel really bad for Reese and Ryan. Anyone have Reese's number?

Amy Argetsinger: Checking the Rolodex for you...

_______________________

Baltimore, Md.: Re Reese and Ryan: Liz Smith this morning wrote that Reese "can be a bit, ah, controlling and edgy under the determined blond perk." She also said that witnesses to a loud disagreement between the couple at a private screening of "Flags of Our Fathers" was "very 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf.'"

Perhaps the character Reese played in the wonderful film "Election" was truly typecasting.

washingtonpost.com: Liz Smith ( New York Post, Nov. 1 )

Amy Argetsinger: "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" is probably my favorite movie ever.

_______________________

Gentleman: And I seem to recall that the primary reason R and R got married in the first place was the he got her pregnant, wasn't it? So they were pretty much doomed from the start.

Roxanne Roberts: Yeah, little Ava was born in September of 1999, about three months after they got married. Not a deal-breaker, per se, but hard to feel like cooing newlyweds when there's a crying baby in the room.

_______________________

New York: But that Kim Jung Il is much cuter than Tom Cruise. Taller too.

Amy Argetsinger: Oooh, someone's gotta crush!

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Having written about him -- is Borat nuts, a genius, or the funniest person ever? Or a mixture of all three?

Amy Argetsinger: I've always thought that Sacha Baron Cohen (the guy behind the Borat character) is something of a comic genius. When he was here in D.C. doing that guerrilla press conference at the Kazakh embassy, I was blown away by his ability to stay in character and improvise with flawless timing. And I'm looking forward to seeing the movie.

Having said that... anyone else feel like, after seeing him do that schtick on SNL and Letterman, etc. etc., it's already beginning to feel old? Or overplayed? Or maybe it's the kind of thing that just doesn't work as well with a live studio audience cackling away...

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Iconic blond for our generation? Madonna. This generation and many others. Not that I like her; she's just the one most likely to stand out in people's minds years after the fact. Reese, Cameron, and Heather are all just fluff -- interchangeable, and forgettable.

Roxanne Roberts: So you think Madonna is our Marilyn? Any other nominees?

_______________________

Alexandria, Va.: Oh come on! Reese is waaayyy prettier than Abbie Cornish-Hen ...

Roxanne Roberts: One more vote for the soon-to-be-single Oscar winner. Which begs the question: Who will she be linked to and how long will it take?

_______________________

For L.A., Calif.: Ask Amy is based on Chicago, I believe. And her contact info is at the bottom of her columns, I also believe. Carolyn Hax is the Wash Post advice-giver. You can find her online on Fridays at noon -- chatting. (Since Amy Argetsinger didn't want to help you out)

Amy Argetsinger: Hey, listen -- I told L.A. what they needed to hear. You think my advice's not good enough, huh?

_______________________

Santa Fe, N.M.: Am I the only guy out there who does NOT find Reese Witherspoon attractive? Something about her chin makes me feel all jangly in my spine. Not to be petty or anything ...

Roxanne Roberts: Feel free. That's why we're here....

_______________________

Reese and Ryan ...: are depressing this newlywed. Can we please talk about some LASTING relationships (Hollywood or otherwise) that I can instead admire.

Amy Argetsinger: Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward -- still married, last I checked!

Uh oh, hope we didn't just jinx them...

_______________________

Oxford, Miss.: I don't think Madonna should count. She's not really a blonde. And sure, dyed blondes are eligible but she doesn't even consistently do that.

Roxanne Roberts: Marilyn wasn't a real blonde, and no one seemed to mind.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: I saw Babs snoozing with a guy at a restaurant when I was in Manhattan. Who's he?

Amy Argetsinger: Streisand? Bush? Mikulski? Help us out here.

And "snoozing?" As in sleeping?

Hey, you were there -- you tell us!

_______________________

Brooklyn, N.Y.: Do you think anyone will watch LOST after their long hiatus begins tomorrow? It kind of sucks this year -- except of course for Desmond, over whom I have a huge man crush.

Amy Argetsinger: I feel bound to Lost, even though watching it has begun to feel more like a duty than a pleasure. Not enough Desmond this season. And not enough plot. Why doesn't someone just ask The Others "who are you, why are you here, what do you want from us?" But no -- these castaways are a very passive-aggressive bunch...

_______________________

Bethesda, Md.: Kate Hudson's husband 'dreamy'? Dream on! He always looked like a slob (a la K-Fed). On top of that, I always thought SHE was a brat anyway. Of course, I lay blame on Goldie and that hanger-on she's got on her side (for the last 20 years?). They totally brainwashed that poor kid ... Now, you see what you've made me do?

Roxanne Roberts: Think of this chat as a safe house for family-friendly name-calling. "Brat" and "hanger-on" are snarky but well within our boundry lines. Feel better?

_______________________

Blond Icon nominee: Jessica Simpson for the blond ditz icon. Maddona blows the pack away, although she has not always (but mostly) been blond.

Amy Argetsinger: All right...

_______________________

Fair Hope, Al: "Marilyn wasn't a real blonde, and no one seemed to mind."

Yeah, but at least she kept it dyed. Madonna is too switcheroo to be considered a blond.

Amy Argetsinger: okay...

_______________________

Oxford Town, Miss.: Iconic blond of our generation: Andy Dick.

Amy Argetsinger: Oh, do we have a winner? I think we might!

_______________________

Virginia: Are you guys concerned about the possibility of Harold Ford losing next week? He has been a huge source of gossip for you. I would guess he's not quite as cool if he is a failed senatorial candidate.

Amy Argetsinger: Actually... he hasn't. Not lately. I think it's been years since I read anything fresh and new about his personal life. Certainly, though, like any attractive young politician he continues to show great potential as a gossip subject.

_______________________

Bethesda, Md.: Just a suggestion with respect to a recent column: "manse" does not mean mansion. It means the church-owned house of a minister.

Roxanne Roberts: True, but that's the first definition. Second is a large home or dwelling, so I think we're on solid ground here. Another example of how English evolves by popular usage.

Now back to the Reese/Ryan split......

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: I'm the coworker that just got moved from the cool part of the office to the lame part of the office. Not a laughing matter any more than it was when I wasn't welcome to sit with the cheerleaders in high school. I'd say the equivalent is cashing in those U2 tickets for the tickets to the big K-Fed show.

Amy Argetsinger: But isn't the lame part of the office pretty cool now that you're there? Kind of like when Tom Cruise started hanging out at Six Flags -- and then we ALL wanted to go hang out at Six Flags!

_______________________

India: Aishwarya Rai is more beautiful than Reese or Marilyn! Dark hair chics are intelligent and striking.

Roxanne Roberts: True, although the Bollywood actress got thumbs down by US critics for her wooden acting. Not likely to be a huge problem for the former Miss World women voted "the most beautiful woman in the world."

_______________________

Borat: But he owes a great debt to Ackroyd and Martin for doing the Swinging Czechoslovakian brothers 30 years ago ...

Amy Argetsinger: Oh, indeed...

_______________________

STL Missouri: When you say "our" generation, which one do you mean? I'm at the tail end of the baby boom (b. 1961) so Reese is definitely not it.

Perhaps we've had more than one? I mean in the '70s, it would have had to be Farrah Fawcett. After that? Yeah, probably Madonna.

Amy Argetsinger: It's such a complicated question, I know...

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: In fact, by moving that other guy to the lame part of the office, and replacing him with someone else, the cool part of the office quickly became less cool. Really a lose-lose.

Amy Argetsinger: This is reminding me of some kind of principle in AP Physics but I can't remember what it's called.

_______________________

Amy Argetsinger: Confidential to our Babs stalker: Nice try, but The New York Post reported no such thing! You got a story for us, bring it to reliablesource@washpost.com and we'll check it out. But you know that.

_______________________

Pittsburgh, Pa.: I see a trend here -- Hilary Swank gets an Oscar (well, her second one, and remember she forgot to thank her husband when she won the first one), starts making 15 million a picture, and within a year, her marriage is over. Reese Witherspoon gets an Oscar, starts making 15 million a picture, and within a year, her marriage is over. Any by the way, both couple were wed while they were barely out of their teens.

Amy Argetsinger: That's why I refuse to marry any guy who's not earning at least $5 million per pic.

_______________________

Iconic Blonde: Brad Pitt

Why does it have to be female?

Amy Argetsinger: Oh, very smart!

_______________________

Just about given up: Will Saturday NIght Live ever be funny again? Jeez, it's as bad as it was during those mid-90s seasons, when Sandler and Farley were sleep-walking through it and Hartman was just hanging around for the paycheck.

Amy Argetsinger: I've only seen about half an episode thus far this season...

_______________________

Bethesda, Md.: Then why not just call a big house a mansion instead of a silly nickname? And we all know that language evolves mostly on the basis of mistakes by the language-challenged.

Roxanne Roberts: Smack-down at ten paces with a Webster's! It's been a while since we've been called "language-challenged." Besides--I love silly nicknames, Bethy M.

_______________________

Los Angeles, Calif.: How about the talent split re Reese and Ryan?

I say she's peaked whereas he, in "Flags of Our Fathers" shows a new unexpected depth.

Amy Argetsinger: Arguably. But, hey, you're in L.A. -- isn't the power centered on who can open a movie at the box office?

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Re: Blonde Coronation: Madonna was the last generation's blonde icon. And while I can't speak personally for this generation, if I could, I'd have to say that for better or worse, just because of what they represent about the culture at this point in time, the icon of now would most probably be either Ms. Spears-Fed or Ms. Hilton. Sadly.

Roxanne Roberts: Now I'm really depressed.

_______________________

Hey Gossip Queens ...: ... how about some, oh I don't know ... gossip? Whatcha got for us today?

Amy Argetsinger: Stuff we can report goes in the column, which appears on page 3 of the Style section; the chat is for chat.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Hi Ladies, In today's Express, there is a column with suggestions for Reese's next boyfriend. The two suggested were Wentworth Miller and Harold Ford Jr. I just have to say these are interesting choices.

Amy Argetsinger: They've both successful, age-appropriate and single -- why not?

_______________________

Blonde?: SNL's Amy Poehler.

Amy Argetsinger: Love her -- and god knows she's carrying SNL on her own back -- but is she really iconic?

_______________________

Iconic Blonde: What is wrong with you people? The iconic blonde of this generation is obviously Paris Hilton. She acts, and is quite the singer. You heard her new album?

Amy Argetsinger: Let's remember that Paris Hilton started this whole "iconic blonde" debate some months ago, when she declared that SHE was the iconic blonde of our era...

_______________________

Anonymous: Since Barack Obama is the political "IT" boy these days, do you think that we have moved on from obsessing about politicians using drugs in their "youthful years"? Unlike Bush, Clinton, Gore, Obama actually admits to some (past) recreational drug use in his new book.

Amy Argetsinger: I suspect that once a politician acknowledges this kind of thing from the get-go it defuses the whole issue...

_______________________

Arlington, Va.: Speaking as gossip columnists, who would you like to win in next week's election (House, Senate, governorships, whatever)... who gives you the best material to work with?

Roxanne Roberts: Keep your pants on. (Really---there's enough scandal to keep us busy right now.) Reliable Source will make Gossip Endorsements in Sunday's column.

_______________________

Pittsburgh, Pa.: "Iconic Blonde: Brad Pitt -- Why does it have to be female?"

Well then, I nominate Robert Redford.

Roxanne Roberts: Excellent choice, but hardly "today's" generation.

_______________________

Washington: As John Kerry is now being thrown under a bus by Hillary Clinton and Harold Ford, is he officially done? Or as long as you have a nice Georgetown house and a title of "failed presidential candidate," will he still be written about by you guys?

Amy Argetsinger: "Thrown under the bus" -- that really is the phrase all the kids are using these days, isn't it?

You say "still be written about by you guys" like that, uh, matters in some way...

_______________________

Six Flags: I never wanted to hang out at Six Flags. Carnival rides make me throw up.

Amy Argetsinger: Really? And what's your feeling about Tom Cruise?

_______________________

Reading, Pa.: What is your take on how politics has become a contact sport and yes, I am talking about the Allen supporters tackling that heckler.

Amy Argetsinger: Amazing how testy things can get in the final days of a campaign, huh?

_______________________

Blonde guy: Eminem.

Amy Argetsinger: I think he was the iconic blonde of 2002.

_______________________

Paris Hilton's Icon Status: She can be the Pia Zadora of our generation.

Roxanne Roberts: That sounds about right.

_______________________

Blonde: Gwen Stefani?

Roxanne Roberts: Too niche.

_______________________

Chinatown: I saw Mike Allen drinking beer outside at Martin's in Georgetown on Monday night. Mike Allen is famous, right?

Amy Argetsinger: He's about as famous as you can be around here.

_______________________

Brooklyn, N.Y.: So I saw a preview for the new season of "24" last night, and just like season two, Jack starts off with a huge beard that he loses later in the episode. Is there no better way to show the passage of time than to put a ridiculous beard on Jack? Plus, it would probably take a good hour alone to shave that thing off properly. Jack'll do it during a commercial break. Aren't you sick of that show? Will anyone watch it this year?

Amy Argetsinger: oh, seriously? That sounds AWESOME. "24" has done a pretty good job of changing it up from season to season, but I've been afraid they've probably used up every trick in the book. At least if Jack's growing a ridiculous beard, it means they've postponed the day when he and Chloe have a big season-finale wedding, followed by the inevitable final-season baby... I am not sick of that show, and I will watch it this year.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Yesterday I saw an elected official jaywalking across 16th Street, stopping traffic. My fellow crosswalk-waiters and I were a little concerned that traffic wouldn't stop.

I was a little bit sad about seeing this particular law-breaker. Even though I don't agree with [his, her] politics, they always seemed like a really, really good person, guess I had kind of put them on a Mary Poppins-pedestal, a non-jaywaking pedestal.

Side note, I had seen Tom Ridge on that same corner about 30 minutes before.

Amy Argetsinger: Would you stop reading this column if I confessed that I sometimes jaywalk? I mean, it's not like I'm "Ask Amy" or anything, but we're all human, right?

Just don't tell me that Tom Ridge was jaywalking, though. That would be terrible.

_______________________

Reese/Ryan: It is oddly sad to me and surprising that I care, but I do think their youth when married is a HUGE factor. (I have four friends already divorced -- we are all 30 and they married right out of college) People just don't know who they are that young, and mix in the ego, etc., as you noted, and it becomes untenable.

Roxanne Roberts: I know people who married young and are doing just fine, and some who waited until they were older and ended up divorced. So it's always hard to predict how any marriage will do---but lack of life experience can't help.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: Ninety-nine percent certain I saw Anthony Williams this morning around 8, crossing M St. in Georgetown. Bow tie and baseball cap ... is he in town today?

Amy Argetsinger: That is very funny... Yes, we think he's in town today.

_______________________

Washington, D.C.: So this might not be within your scope of interest, but I figure it is worth a shot. I saw the Cirque du Soleil show Corteo last week, and am wondering if you have any gossip or insight as to where the cast stays when they are in town. Where do they hang out? Do they count as temporary local celebrities if they are spotted? I am fascinated by all things Cirque, so any information would be great! Thanks!

Amy Argetsinger: We'll try, but... How is one supposed to recognize Cirque members if one sees them out in public? Unless they're doing back bends over the antipasto at Milano.

_______________________

Boring Job.: You guys want to skip out of work early on Friday and meet me somewhere to watch the Borat movie?

Amy Argetsinger: Wish I could... I think I'll probably see it later with some State Department reps.

_______________________

Iconic Blond of the Greatest Generation: Barbara Bush

Amy Argetsinger: Funny -- but she was never blonde.

_______________________

Bethesda, Md.: Any 'news' on Whitney? Have you seen the latest pics? She looks Absolutely Fabulous! Clive doesn't look too good, tho ...

Roxanne Roberts: She looks great, and predicts her next album is going to be "killer." So maybe this is one celebrity split that is a positive. (The guy in the pics, by the way, is Houston's mentor, record producer Clive Davis.)

_______________________

Goldie and Kurt: They may not be married, but they've been together forever!

Roxanne Roberts: Ah, the mystery of love! Time to leave our weekly discourse on modern language usage and celebrity couples---and thanks for the good tips we didn't get to during the chat. Keep your post-Halloween spirits high, and send us sightings and other goodies at reliablesource@washpost.com. Next week we'll discuss the gossip potentail of our newly-elected.

_______________________

Corteo, CdS: I went to the show Sat night with a girl who saw the two "little people" at the grocery store wearing CdS gear. She was tempted to follow them around to make sure they could reach things. After seeing the show, we were both convinced they would have no problems reaching anything. She speculated that going to the grocery store = they are staying somewhere with a kitchen.

Amy Argetsinger: They wear their Cirque gear to the grocery store!!! Kinky.

_______________________

Blonde: Hillary Clinton?

Amy Argetsinger: Oh, duh!

_______________________

Amy Argetsinger: Okay, now we're really gone -- reliablesource@washpost.com

_______________________

Editor's Note: washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions. washingtonpost.com is not responsible for any content posted by third parties.