June 20, 2000

Queen rewards Tina Brown for demoralizing American readers

By ROGER ANDERSON Scripps Howard News Service

THERE WILL ALWAYS BE AN ENGLAND: They say the sun never sets on the Union Jack, but that was before Queen Elizabeth II made Tina Brown - ex-editor of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, current editor of Talk - a Commander in the Order of the British Empire the other day.

MORE REALLY IMPORTANT STUFF: USA Today says that filmmaker Edward Burns' "rep" declines to comment on reports in the New York Observer saying that Ed has recently (a) plunked down $2.4 million for John F. Kennedy Jr.'s Manhattan condo and (b) broken up with his steady girlfriend, Heather Graham, though not necessarily in that order.

ANNALS OF JOURNALISM: Picture, if you will, a New York Post reporter hanging out at a benefit party in New York. Suddenly our reporter spots the beautiful Daisy Fuentes, of "America's Funniest Home Videos," spooning with a man named Matt Goss. An introduction is requested.

"He's a singer," Daisy explains. "His album is being released by Universal in January and it's brilliant."

ANOTHER FORTHCOMING CELEB: Then we have Jane Fonda talking to Oprah Winfrey about the bust-up of Jane's marriage to media mogul Ted Turner, in the pages of Oprah's new periodical, O magazine.

"Sex and intimacy are not the same," Jane says. "You can have sex all your life and never be intimate with a person. There has to be empathy in the relationship. You have to enjoy seeing through their eyes. When you're with them, you're there and you're not thinking about what you're gonna do tomorrow," like speak in an excruciatingly personal vein to a perfect stranger for publication.

SIMPLE EXPLANATIONS: Not long ago, a certain woman was reportedly spotted leaving a Manhattan hotel suite retained by Rob Lowe, of "The West Wing" fame. When the person who did the spotting reached Rob's people in hopes of garnering a comment, here's what was said:

"Rob has three rooms booked in his name in the Ritz-Carlton. His assistant stays in one of them. His assistant has been having an ongoing relationship with this girl." You're sure it's his assistant and not his invisible playmate?

TV NEWS IN THE NEWS: Apparently, some observers are still tittering over the fact that the Fox network covered the '96 elections by running the movie "Beethoven," starring Charles Grodin and a big dog. Now, as the 2000 elections heave into view, Fox has no less a news veteran than Brit Hume on board to assure us that the network has big plans this time.

"We concede nothing to the broadcast networks," Brit says. "Our operation is ready. We've got a team of political analysts that I'm proud of."

MORE CONFUSION: Many onlookers were touched to see Kevin Costner and his ex-wife Cindy having a perfectly fine time in each other's company recently when one of their daughters graduated from 8th grade, although each Costner had a current flame in tow. Things get a bit murky, though, when the New York Daily News says Kevin was overheard introducing his girlfriend, Christine Baumgarten, to friends as "my fiancée."

"Kevin and Christine are dating," a "Costner confidante" objects, "but they're definitely not engaged."

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Urgent press reports say Whoopi Goldberg has inked a pact ensuring that she will continue to serve as the center "square" on "Hollywood Squares" through 2002.

ARNOLD'S LAST DESPERATE GAMBIT: Nothing could be more obvious than that the heyday of well-muscled, middle-aged
action movie stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sly Stallone is over and done with, but apparently no one has informed Arnold of this fact. Indeed, here he is talking to a journalist about his big plans for future filmmaking, which include not one but two projects with director James Cameron - a second sequel to "The Terminator" and a first sequel to "True Lies."

"A script (for a 'True Lies' project) is being written as we speak," Arnold says. "It's a film that Jim will definitely produce. If he will direct it or not, I don't know yet because he never makes up his mind until the script is all done and perfect."

Roger Anderson is arts and entertainment editor at Scripps Howard News Service.

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