July 4, 2000

This just in: Donald Trump is not a dope

By ROGER ANDERSON Scripps Howard News Service

DONALD TRUMP RECONSIDERED: "Donald develops the best buildings,” a real-estate wizard named Steve Witkoff tells a trade pub called Property Week, with reference to the notorious ex-husband of Marla and Ivana. "It's a fact of life. No one wants to give him credit for that. Every single building that this guy ever does comes in under budget - that's remarkable. His buildings don't lose value.”

BEGGING THE QUESTION: A few days ago the New York Post had the gall to suggest that Kelsey Grammer (a) was "chatting up" a couple of good-looking women at a Manhattan restaurant and (b) once could have been characterized as "a womanizer." Kelsey, who not only stars in TV's "Frasier" but just finished a run as Macbeth on Broadway, rang up the Post in an effort to set the record straight.

"Was I a womanizer?" he said. "My wife is standing right here beside me."

JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL FOREVER: Katie Couric certainly has a little happiness coming to her, which is why it's pleasant to see that gossips are making her into an item with Tom Warner, one of the people behind "Roseanne" and "The Cosby Show.”

"They were set up by friends and she has been out with him at least six times,” says a "spy." "It's a bicoastal relationship, but they really like each other."

So what comment does Katie's "rep" have to make about this story? None whatsoever.

NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH: Rumors have been running rampant lately that Vanna White, the ace letter-turner of "Wheel of Fortune” fame, is either (a) going to get unspliced from her husband, a restaurateur named George Santo Pietro, or (b) going to move with him from L.A., where "Wheel" is produced, to New York, where George can get his hands on all kinds of groovy artworks to install in the eateries he owns. Such rumors have been fueled by the fact that George bought a five-story mansion on Madison Avenue.

"As far as I know, George is not moving," Vanna's publicist tells the New York Daily News. "Nor is his family. The kids go to school in Los Angeles, 'Wheel of Fortune' is in Los Angeles, they will remain residents of Los Angeles. George does a lot of dealing with Italian art, so the place in New York is very convenient for that."

JUST LIKE HER DADDY, MAYBE: Thus far, Lisa Marie Presley has been known mainly as the daughter of Elvis Presley, on the one hand, and the ex-wife of Michael Jackson on the other. According to reports, though, she may soon be known as a top musical artist in her own right, if what's being said about the new CD she has in the works is anything to go by.

"She writes about things from her life," a "source" tells a reporter. "Any songwriter would. It's an interesting peek into a woman who hasn't given many interviews."

"She is inspired by her roots," a "friend" chimes in. "The songs are earthy and heartfelt. At the same time, the music has a modern, commercial sound. It rocks."

LIZ 'N' HUGH, THE INSIDE STORY: It took Elizabeth Hurley all of about 30 minutes to spill her guts in the pages of Talk magazine once her split from longtime boyfriend Hugh Grant had become public knowledge.

"I initiated the breakup with Hugh," Liz claims, "but the final decision was mutual. Even though I felt like I was amputating my left arm, I needed to try life without Hugh."

But what if they get back together?

"If we were planning to reconcile," Liz says pensively, "we would never have gone through the agony of splitting up. I'll never stop loving Hugh, and if were meant to get back together again, we will. Otherwise, I hope we'll both find happiness elsewhere."

DID SOMEONE SAY 'TALK'? Meantime, Tina Brown - the genius behind "Talk" - is happy to provide gossip dowager Liz Smith with her recipe for helming a successful celebrity-besotted magazine. Specifically, Liz wanted to know how Tina had been so fortunate as to nail down the rights to screenwriter Joe Esterhazs' tell-all Hollywood memoir.

"By being very aggressive," Tina says. "Everyone wanted this and, today, there are so many avenues for the same dishy celebrity stories. When I started Vanity Fair there wasn't much else. There wasn't even Vanity Fair. Now every magazine wants hot, hot, hot, gossip, gossip, gossip. As does every newspaper and TV news program. ... The job is relentless. There's always the next issue. It takes aggressive measures." The New Yorker must surely rue the day it let this sensitive woman of letters slip through its fingers.

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

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