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Wednesday, March 19, 2008; 12:00 PM
Jenna speaks (again)! Fancy New Yorkers thrown off by Arlington street names at Signature opening. D.C. gal learns that "I worked for Karl Rove" is a lousy pick-up line on "The Bachelor."
Reliable Source columnists Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts were online Wednesday, March 19, at Noon ET to discuss these tidbits and more.
In recent days: Post-TGI Friday's threesomes end badly for the McGreeveys. Canned sports anchor finds new life on big screen. Russell Crowe makes "surprise" appearance at ShamrockFest. Dee Dee Myers: My book's not about Hillary! Caron Butler doesn't have to pay the celebutante pulchritude to show up for his 28th birthday. Eliot Spitzer's prophetic senior yearbook quote.
A transcript follows.
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Amy Argetsinger: Good morning everyone! Lots of good questions. In addition to the above topics we can always talk about stories so big they couldn't fit into our column (i.e., just how crazy is Heather Mills?) or stories so inconsequential we didn't bother with them (Halle Berry gives her baby a name!) or stories we haven't yet gotten tired of (we're lookin' at you, Private Citizen Spitzer)...
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20010: I walked by U Street this morning and it looks like they're shooting a movie...any idea what it is?
Amy Argetsinger: Do you live under a rock? That would be "State of Play," the all-star bonanza (Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, etc.) that has set up camp here in D.C. for a month. I believe this a.m. was their shoot at Ben's Chili Bowl.
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Halle Berry names baby: after the girl lion in "The Lion King" -- Nahla. Interesting!
Amy Argetsinger: The Oscar winner named her baby girl Nahla Ariela Aubry. I am reliably told that the lioness in The Lion King was Nala. World of difference.
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Rockville, Md.: Does Pat Sajak live in the area? I see him in the front row of almost every Caps game. And for what it's worth, I've seen people try to talk to him a couple times, but he barely looks up from his Blackberry. Doesn't seem like the warmest fellow.
Amy Argetsinger: He does -- has a place in Annapolis, goes to almost every Caps game, has a wing of the Anne Arundel Medical Center named for him.
"Barely looks up from his BlackBerry"/"Doesn't seem like the warmest fellow" -- well, then he's a true Washingtonian now, isn't he?
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What was Heather Mills thinking: when she poured water over Fiona Shackleford, Paul McCartney's attorney, IN COURT? Is this not assault? Or are you allowed to dump water on a barrister in Britain, provided you laugh afterward? Is this woman (Mills) a little crazier than we thought? No wonder Paul is dumping her...his kids were right, I guess.
washingtonpost.com: Judge Portrays McCartney's Ex As 'Out of Control' ( Post, March 19)
Amy Argetsinger: I ain't sayin' she's a golddigger -- I'm saying she's a toxically insane golddigger. Just go read the story if you haven't already. You can't make this stuff up.
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Washington, D.C.: Don't limit yourself to Alex Ovechkin's love interests -- have you taken a look at the Caps' Nicklas Backstrom? He's 20, Swedish, incredibly cute, and a serious candidate for Rookie of the Year.
Amy Argetsinger: We will check him out.
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Roxanne Roberts: Hi all! I have an actual excuse for my delay today: War protestor traffic jam!
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Washington, D.C.: What does John McCain's daughter do for a living?
Amy Argetsinger: Meghan currently is a full-time blogger. Technically not on her dad's campaign staff. She's just a year or so out of college; previously had internships at Newsweek and SNL. Link to the "McCain Blogette" to follow...
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washingtonpost.com: McCainBlogette
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"flagrantly overeggs the pudding": From the Mills article. Love this quote! I wish we had expressions like that over here.
Amy Argetsinger: I also like how the judge kept referring to Heather's various claims (that she single-handedly pulled Paul out of his depression, that she co-wrote his songs, that she needs him to finance like $80,000 a year in wine though she doesn't drink) as "make-belief." It had never occurred to me, but that's probably technically more grammatically correct than "make-believe," at least when used as a noun.
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Pittsburgh, Pa.: Hey, Rox, hope you enjoyed your visit to the City of Three Rivers (even lovely weather here last Thursday, just for you!). And what luck to have had the Spitzer scandal break just days before air-time -- how lucky can one gal get?
Roxanne Roberts: Thanks--both for a glorious day and rigging the news just for us! My big concern is that there would be NO other news, or that all the Spitzer jokes would be too dirty for family radio. Thank God for politicians!
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Halle Ber,RY: Nala - Disney's Lion Kinf. Ariel - Disney's Little Mermaid. Weird.
Amy Argetsinger: That girl's gonna be a Disney princess.
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RE: "I worked for Karl Rove...He's considered 'Bush's brain.' " : I knew it! I KNEW Bush did not have his own brain.
Amy Argetsinger: It's a fairly old expression by now...
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N.Y. Govs: Another famous N.Y. governor with infidelity problems -- Nelson Rockefeller. Imagine how his final departure scene would be played out in the media today.
Roxanne Roberts: Is there something in the water up there?
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Mills "not a loser": If you go up to someone and announce to them that you are not a loser, and then dump water on their head, aren't you proving that you are in fact, a loser?
Roxanne Roberts: Yes---and crazy as all get out. I'm trying to figure out what Paul was thinking when he married her. Yeah, he was in mourning and rebounding......but STILL.
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"I worked for Karl Rove": is probably a lousy pick-up line anywhere, not just outside the Beltway.
Amy Argetsinger: This is maybe the only place it might have worked, at least at one time, at least in certain rooms.... I suspect the producers might have nudged Denise to talk about that. D.C. native Bettina Bell, who came in third last season, told us there's a whole lot of coaching and prompting that way.
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16th and M Streets, NW: At a Caps game earlier this year, the announcer mentioned that Pat Sajak was in attendance and then the camera showed him on the Jumbotron or whatever that thing is called. Sajak did not look amused. Possibly because the theme from JEOPARDY was being played at the same time.
Amy Argetsinger: Ouch. That's hilarious. Honestly, I'm having a hard time bringing the "Wheel of Fortune" music to mind.
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Roxanne, bless your heart: that is not an excuse as we all knew it was coming and you needed to plan for it.
Amy Argetsinger: You chatters need to do an intervention for her. A bit of tough-love.
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McGreeveys' Threesies: Good grief -- is this just publicity to sell a book? Or just trying to proove that she knew of his "inclinations"? This generated such little talk, it indicates we are so over these folks.
Roxanne Roberts: I think the timing was a reaction to Dina's 24-7 TV appearances after the Spitzer story broke saying she knew the shock of a revelation like this, how his wife must be feeling, yada, yada. I can imagine the driver/sex toy watching and saying, "Oh, PLEASE, missy."
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Conversation: Reports are that Mel Gibson and Britney Spears and their families have been "meeting regularly" since Brit's second hospitalization. The mind boggles at what topics they would be discussing?
Amy Argetsinger: Well, setting aside all the hilarious jokes that popped up here and were tastefully avoided in print.... It's true that Mel Gibson has, for the most part (and certainly previous to his '06 DUI arrest and anti-Semitic outburst), managed to keep his private life amazingly private, considering his two decades as one of the biggest box-office draws on the planet. None of us would ever recognize any of his seven kids -- which is probably very healthy for them. So he might actually have some good advice.
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Hi all! I have an actual excuse for my delay today: War protestor traffic jam! : Okay, but the rest of us planned ahead.
Roxanne Roberts: Which proves you're better people. In my feeble defense, I was watching the president's speech and didn't hear about the protest until I was in my car.
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Richmond, Va.: Does that 58-page ruling reveal that Paul McCartney wears a wig? The back of his hair by his neck has that sticking out bad wig look to it.
Roxanne Roberts: His hair hasn't looked good since 1968.
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Anonymous: What do you make of Gov. Paterson's first act in office is to drag his own wife up on the stage to admit to past infidelities? Talk about a pre-emptive strike! Or was he just bragging?
Amy Argetsinger: Good question! It's like Paterson's saying, "hey, let's just get this out of the way, now, shall we?" So that no one can play gotcha on him later.
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Re Toxically Insane Golddigger: And the amazing thing is, she actually got the gold. I'm not interested in English divorce law but you gotta say, What the..? Especially when it appears that only 70K plus very high school fees I'm sure, are earmarked for her daughter. I need to read the judges remarks, sounds like a Judy Holliday court scene.
Amy Argetsinger: Do read it. Good stuff.
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Jenna's Wedding: I read a quote from Lauren Bush, the model cousin, saying she didn't know if she was a bridesmaid yet or not for Jenna's wedding, but saying "all the cousins are really close."
Umm, didn't you report that all the bridesmaids already have a trip to Florida or something. Who is going to break it to Lauren?
And frankly, even though she is the model, I can't see that Lauren is much prettier than Jenna or Barbara.
Roxanne Roberts: Don't know if that was a girlfriends get-away or an official bachelorette bash. My guess? Barbara will be the maid of honor and only attendant.
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Did you see...: Priscilla Presley on "Dancing with the Stars"? I was shocked at her face "work" -- it really looked bad. How old is she, anyway? BTW -- judges were too easy on her. She had little animation, seemed stiff. Looks to me like Kristi Yamaguchi is the one to beat!
Amy Argetsinger: Priscilla Presley, 62, was at one time exquisitely beautiful and is now the probably-willing victim of one of the worst face lifts this side of Jocelyn Wildenstein.
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Wheel of Fortune music goes like this...: Da-Da-Daaaaaa-Da-dum-dum-daaaaaa-Da-dee-da-deee
da-dum-bump-deee-da-da...
Amy Argetsinger: Oh, now I've got it. (Not.)
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washingtonpost.com: Judge Portrays McCartney's Ex As 'Out of Control' ( Post, March 19)
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Springfield, Mass,: Please -- when will Elliot Spitzer's "Kristen"'s fifteen minutes be over? Girls Gone Wild. Media gone bananas...
Amy Argetsinger: I think she's got another month. Seems the NYPost had more fun with this story today than our paper -- but hey, she's a local gal for them, deserving of the full video excerpt treatment (link to follow).
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washingtonpost.com: Porno-Video Honcho Taped Ashley at 18 ( New York Post, March 19)
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Gibson Spears: Any truth to the rumor that Britney Spears's family thought they were going to be hanging out with Debbie Gibson?
Amy Argetsinger: THAT explains it all now!
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Frank Herzog: Thanks for the piece on my favorite Redskin radio commentator ever! I can't wait to see "State of Play" just to see him!
washingtonpost.com: Running a Play for Time on the Big Screen ( Post, March 18)
Roxanne Roberts: Ah, he's a sweetie. I have to assume we'll see plenty of him---they spent two days shooting the scene---a congressional hearing---and Frank is sitting next to Ben.
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Washington, D.C.: The base camp for "State of Play" is looking very active today. Yes, my office just happens to overlook the old Convention Center space. Convenient, I know.
Roxanne Roberts: So, see anything/one fun?
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John McCain's daughter: So, Meghan speaks and it's about whom she won't date -- investment bankers! Maybe she shouldn't have said anything. Or maybe this is why Chelsea won't talk to press.
Amy Argetsinger: Good point. Meghan is definitely taking a very different approach from other recent First Kids or First Kid Hopefuls. You'd have to go all the way back to Patti Davis to find one this outspoken. Hopefully she's having some fun with this, but maybe it will backfire, and in a couple months she, too, will be having dinner with the Gibsons.
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Spea, RS: Is it me, or have we seen less of her since Heath died? Are the paps laying off, or is she getting it together?
Amy Argetsinger: Good question. Certainly, until this week, there had been less real Britney news to report for about a month there (compared to the steady daily drumbeat we had become accustomed to over the previous year).
But as for photos... ARE we seeing less of her? Is she out there less? Or are the paparazzi following her less? Or are the magazines publishing fewer photos? Or have we just stopped noticing? I don't have an answer -- anyone else?
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I'm not sure which is more surprising: the allegations about threesomes for the McGreeveys, or the fact that they would go to TGIFridays for drinks (seems rather low-brow for the gov).
Roxanne Roberts: Yummy sampler appetizers? One from Column A and one from Column B?
And if you think that's bad....New York's new gov romped at a Day's Inn. Oh, PLEASE.
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Does Pat Sajak live in the area?: He does live in Maryland. There is some health center named after him near Annapolis.
I think he gets a little tired of always being associated with Wheel. He's really an extremely intelligent man and I've seen some interesting interviews with him.
Amy Argetsinger: You know, that makes sense. Think about it -- if you're a person of any mild prominence, you probably get tired of people coming up and asking you the same questions or (worse) making the same cheesy, obvious jokes over and over...
A couple years ago, I was seated next to the Olympic gymnast Bart Conner -- one of the gold-winners from '84, now married to Nadia Comaneci. Delightful guy. At some point in the evening, I forget the circumstances, I made a quip about "he nailed that dismount!" and Bart laughed and smiled warmly. But then it immediately hit me -- he must hear that joke all the damn time! He admitted that, yeah, actually, he does. Anyway, as far as I'm concerned, he scored a 10 for being so gracious about it. I probably couldn't do that.
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Mel Gibson: Has been able to keep his life private because nobody cares about him and his career is over.
Amy Argetsinger: Not really true. His kids were growing up when he was at his peak of fame -- and frankly, he's like the richest man in Hollywood now, what with The Passion of the Christ.
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Washington, D.C.: Who would you rather sleep with? Gov. Spitzer or a war protester...for free?
Amy Argetsinger: Can I choose the war protester, or are you going to randomly assign one to me?
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Tampa, Fla.: The real loser in the McCartney divorce? Their daughter, Beatrice. Although it seems that both parents adore her, I can't imagine she won't be impacted by the divorce, and her mother's apparent inability to show that she's not just completely nuts.
I am afraid, given Ms. Mill's behavior, that this won't be the last time Mr. McCartney will see her in court. Continuing child visitation issues will come up, trust me.
Roxanne Roberts: You're right. This is never going to end. I expect Paul to keep a low profile but Heather will write books, go on TV......I think I'm already sick of her.
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McLean, Va.: Seen the article in The Atlantic on the paparazzi that follow Britney around?
Shooting Britney ( The Atlantic.com)
Amy Argetsinger: I scanned it in the checkout line, am looking forward to reading... Looks pretty good, with one minor error -- they misspelled Sam Lutfi's name. (Which is totally understandable -- I was misspelling it regularly until the copy desk spoke to me.)
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Dinner with Mel Gibson: My 20-year old daughter can sometimes be annoying. Can I have dinner with Mel?
Roxanne Roberts: You really WANT to have dinner with Mel? The bloom is off his rose for me.
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Nicklas Backstrom: is quiet dreamy for hockey player. I always get a little more excited when he is in and can't take my eyes off.
Amy Argetsinger: Is there, like, a huge groundswell of Nicklas Backstrom love out there that we're only just now beginning to tap into? Or is this the same person who keeps writing in?
Anyway, a link to an old Sports story, with a photo of this Backstrom fellow, will follow...
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washingtonpost.com: Nicklas Backstrom ( Yahoo Sports)
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Northern Virginia: So, Halle gives her kid her beau's last name and they're not married. She said she'd never get married again after the last two. What gives with unmarried women giving their kids someone else's last name? Why don't these women give their kids their own last names? I realize the kid has a dad, but why do these things happen nowadays, and esp. when half the time the dad takes off or has no interest after the first year? Just my opinion, of course, but also a bigger sociological observation.
Amy Argetsinger: Well... Like you say, the kid has a dad. Meanwhile, this particular dad is in an ongoing relationship with the mom, and both seem involved in the baby's life, and I'm sure it was a mutual decision between the two of them to name the baby as they did.
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New York's new gov romped at a Day's Inn: And making it worse, is that's where he took his wife in an effort to "rekindle the romance" after admitting his affairs. That would not work with me!
So his wife had an affair, too.
Roxanne Roberts: Sad but true. I feel so....boring.
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Downtown D.C.: The problem with Ms. McGreevey is that there's a double-standard. Even if this is all true, I bet she feels she has to deny it in order not to be seen as a sleazy woman, but the guys show it off like a badge of honor. If there had been another woman in there instead of a man, everybody would put the former gov on a pedestal, but she gets the scarlet letter for it all, regardless of her participation or lack thereof. While the gov has been just bad with all of this and is trying to cleanse his soul, he will be moving on and she'll be looked at with a jaundiced eye.
Roxanne Roberts: Disagree: They're ALL sleazy. The rap against Dina isn't the three-way, it's her holier-than-thou "I'm so shocked" stance.
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RE: Niklas Backstrom :"We will check him out." Wish I had your jobs, so I could get paid for that!
Amy Argetsinger: It's a pretty good job.
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"The bloom is off his rose for me. ": Okay, I guess we DO have some cool expressions on this side of the pond. Or did you borrow this from the U.K.?
Roxanne Roberts: I think it's just old.
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Arlington, Va.: Wow -- where do you shop that the Atlantic is in your check out line? I have to stare at all those cheesy tabloids like The Star and National Enquirer and InStyle and Oprah this and Oprah that.
Amy Argetsinger: Whole Foods. They've got the weirdest lineup of magazines. A lot of glossies with names like "Yoga Style!" and "Organic Life" -- but then a lot of things you don't expect, like "Washington Life" and "The Atlantic."
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Gibson: Weren't there rumors that one of Mel's oldest sons was in rehab last year? And wasn't talking to his family?
Amy Argetsinger: The National Enquirer reported that last fall; the family never confirmed. If it's true, it means the Gibsons are that much more qualified to talk to Britney about this kind of thing.
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Bethesda, Md.: Do you suppose Sir Paul's kids love him enough not to give him a big, fat, all-together-now "I told you so?" It must be so tempting. I believe they had Heather's number from the beginning.
Roxanne Roberts: Stella HATED her. They do love him, so I expect they'll circle the wagons to fend off all the future craziness and try to protect Beatrice as much as possible. One thing for sure: They'll tie him down before letting him remarry for AT LEAST five years.
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16th and M Streets, NW: Re Backstrom: The Caps are pushing him, Green, Ovechkin, and Semin as their "young guns." Though Ovie is clearly prodigiously gifted, Green a hard worker, and Semin talented, shy and a little erratic on the ice, Backstrom is really to die for. And I am not associated with the Caps. Also I am old enough to be his grandmother.
Amy Argetsinger: I guess the question is whether Backstrom dates American gals, or if he sticks to homeland honeys the way Ovechkin does.
I mean, I guess that's the question for US, anyway. The Reliable Source should probably steer clear of trying to analyze his skills on the ice.
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Re Whole Foods Mags: Dont forget Black Book and AdRant
Amy Argetsinger: Yes, what's the deal with those magazines? So mysterious... Actually, I think City Paper did a story on the magazines at Whole Foods a couple years ago. It seems they pick those magazines to put up front as part of the image they're trying to project about the store. I don't think there's much pretense that anyone's going to, you know, buy them.
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An Argetsinger Relative, perhaps?: There was a professional storyteller at my son's school last week, named Getchie Argetsinger. The name caught my eye for oh so many reasons. Any relation?
Amy Argetsinger: Yes! That's my aunt! She's a wonderfully gifted actress and storyteller. And a wonderful aunt.
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Ovechkin: The Caps are full of young stars in the making. Last night, Ovie became the first Cap ever to have two 100 point seasons. He's 3 goals away from tying the single season scoring record held by Lemieux. Let's just call it, "The Sajak Effect"
Amy Argetsinger: The man just sprinkles magic wherever he goes. And he seems like a totally decent fellow, I must say.
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Falls Church, Va.: I am surprised that Heather has custody of Beatrice. Maybe Paul should make a play for full custody at this junction.
Roxanne Roberts: You mean "any" custody? I think they have joint custody, which really is in the best interest of any child. Heather would have to prove she's a danger to Beatrice to lose her time with her daughter. But I do expect years of fighting about money for her schools, upkeep, etc. Heather, as we have seen, is a very determined woman.
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Richmond, Va.: I don't think it's hypocritical of Diana to be shocked that she was cheated on. There are a lot of folks out there, and they've participated in plenty of varied premarital sex, but they all sure thought their spouse was going to honor their promise of faithfulness.
Roxanne Roberts: I don't think cheating was the issue. She claimed to be blindsided about his homosexuality.
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Pat: He also owns a radio station in Annapolis.
Amy Argetsinger: He's a part-owner of WNAV and WTTR.
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An Argetsinger Relative, perhaps?: Aunt Getchie!?!?!? COOOOOOOOOOOOL! Much betgter than my Aunt Bea.
Amy Argetsinger: Thank you!
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The Atlantic in the Check Out Line: Seems like a very Washington thing. Just like my gym where C-Span is playing on the TV. Only in D.C.
Roxanne Roberts: Yup. In McLean--just miles away---it's the National Enquirer and Globe.
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Disagreeing on the disagreement: I have to disagree with your disa-Greevy-ment. She may be sleazy as well, but alleged shock or not, she will be seen as the worst for being with two men. That's just how our society works, unfortunately.
Roxanne Roberts: Could be. I'm SO not an expert on these things.
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Amy Argetsinger: All this talk about Pat Sajak makes me think we really need to wrap things up today by revisiting one of the great tributes to the man, courtesy of the great Martin Short. Video link to follow.
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washingtonpost.com: Martin Short As Ed Grimley (Google)
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Bethesda, Md.: The throwing water thing was pretty funny, but I'm waiting for the day Heather clubs someone publicly with her fake leg.
Roxanne Roberts: The headline: "Beat him limb to limb!"
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Chelsea: I notice that she's starting to do more public speaking in her mother's campaign now. Maybe it took her a while to build up her confidence at first.
Amy Argetsinger: Maybe. Or maybe all the criticism about how she was just showing her face and not talking got to them...
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Whole Foods mags:"I don't think there's much pretense that anyone's going to, you know, buy them."
True, with one exception -- I picked up a copy of Washingtonian because of those displays so many times that I eventually went ahead and subscribed for a few years.
Other than that, they're just fun to look at. Same with all the upscale, earthy-crunchy versions of what you expect to find in a checkout line, like lip balm and headache remedies.
Amy Argetsinger: One day I'll pick up BlackBook and see what the deal is there...
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washingtonpost.com: Our apologies for the wrong link. Here is correct one:
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Pat 'n' Vanna: I figure they're both probably fairly pleasant folks, just to have survived working together for lo these many decades.
Roxanne Roberts: And smart enough not to screw up/jump off that gravy train.
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Roxanne Roberts: Another week, another sex scandal. Isn't spring fun? Time to dye eggs and buy chocolate bunnies; while you're at it, keep your eyes out for celebs and write us at reliablesource@waspost.com. Happy Vernal Equinox, all!
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And smart enough not to screw up/jump off that gravy train.: OTOH, who knows what more they might have achieved if they had taken a few risks professionally.
Amy Argetsinger: I am so dying to know what professional risks you think Pat 'n' Vanna should have taken; alas, we're out of time...
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Maybe it took her a while to build up her confidence at first.: OR maybe she reads this chat.
Amy Argetsinger: I bet that's it!
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Amy Argetsinger: Okay, really done now. Thanks!
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