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Tuesday's Gossip
You don't need a forensics lab to confirm that David Chase put out a hit on President Bush (and Sally Field ) in his Emmy speech Sunday night.
Toting his golden angel for best drama series through the Governor's Ball, Chase confirmed he was goofing on fellow winner Field's gushing paean to mothers when he said, "Gangsters are out there taking their kids to college ... putting food on their table." And, yes, he was alluding to the Bush administration when he pondered whether "this nation was run by gangsters ... maybe it is." "I'd say that," he told us. "There's no accountability."
Despite his trophy, there was no disguising his anguish over the upset victories that made losers of his stars James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Michael Imperioli, Lorraine Bracco and Aida Turturro.
"I'm really heartbroken," he confided. "I don't understand the [voting] process. The beginning of the voting is very democratic. But then it gets into the expert committees. I just don't know."
A bittersweet Italian liqueur would have been perfect for the cast at the Asian-flavored HBO party, where Gandolfini hugged everyone and told Tony Sirico, "It's all good."
"I don't care that I lost," Turturro told us. "I would have rather James won. But it's nice to leave as a family. It's a poignant way to say goodbye."
Elsewhere, the singer born Tony Benedetto agreed with Chase's sentiment about the Bushies, telling us, "WASPs can be the deadliest gangsters. ... It's an unconstitutional war." He also said he was "overwhelmed" by the seven Emmys he came away with for his special, "Tony Bennett: An American Classic.
"Fred Astaire won six," said Bennett, who didn't mind producers cutting off his speech. "I still can't believe it ... "
Patricia Heaton begged to differ with Field about whether there'd be no war if moms ran the world. "I've actually become a more violent person since I became a mother," the "Back to You" star told us. "If someone came between me and my kids, they'd be dead meat. So I didn't agree with that particular statement."
"Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane was appalled that Fox bleeped Field's comment about the "god—--- war." "Archie Bunker said 'god—--- ' 35 years ago on 'All in the Family' and we can't say it now? It's this terrifying resurgence of Puritanism."
Jon Stewart joked that the censors "probably thought she was saying 'whore.' This is Fox. You gotta class the joint up."
The "Daily Show" host, who flew out on his "trademarked" triple-decker "plane sandwich," said he was looking forward to his second turn as an Oscar host — despite some of the reviews he received last time.
"I actually thought it went really well," he told us. "I must be an idiot. I had a ball, and I'll have a ball again."
Will he try to be more political this time? "It's too far off. ... If it goes as well as the last time, I'll be very, very happy."
Speaking of hosting, Ryan Seacrest was still awaiting a critique from his "American Idol" foil Simon Cowell at the Governor's Ball, where Seacrest sat with a bunch of good buddies. "Simon is miserable," he deadpanned. "He skipped out on the dinner to sit by himself and sulk." Seacrest and Cowell partied together later at the TV Guide bash.
And "Heroes" co-stars Hayden Panettiere and Milo Ventimiglia seldom left each others' side during the weekend festivities. In fact, at the Governor's Ball, he was cutting her meat — but maybe that's what a 30-year-old does for someone who just turned 18.
People were wondering why "Starter Wife" nominee Debra Messing was traveling solo on her big night. Not only was Messing missing husband Daniel Zelman, she appeared not to be wearing her wedding ring. Messing's rep says Zelman was too busy writing for "Damages," adding: "Everything is great."
The Emmys failed to impress "Entourage" star Adrian Grenier. He was overheard to say, "I don't watch any of the [awards ] shows, and I never win."
Robert Wuhl scoffed at the Emmys' guest-star category.
"They might as well call it 'The Starf—er Award.' If you're a star — rather than a working actor who can create a great character — they give it to a star that did a guest role on a TV show as a favor."
Bill Maher shook off his 19th Emmy loss.
"Angela Lansbury did have the record," he told us. "I think I surpassed her tonight. I think the reason maybe I haven't won is that 10 people watch one tape. That's how the system works. It would be nice to win, but it doesn't affect my life."
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An event producer for 50 Cent's Vegas party loaned Paris Hilton his room key so she and some guy pals could retreat to his room to "smoke" before the party last weekend. A wobbly Hilton then "chugged a vitamin water to quench her dry mouth," said a spy. Earlier in the day at the Kenneth Cole Reaction suite, camera crews were trying to catch her light up a hand-rolled cigarette poolside, but were blocked by security. Hilton's rep made the expected denials.
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It looks like Kanye West has burned his bridges with MTV.
One insider says the chart-topper is facing serious fallout from his backstage rant at the recent Video Music Awards.
"They have decided he is just too difficult to deal with," says a source.
West was captured on tape in an expletive-filled harangue when he lost two awards to Justin Timberlake. "I'm never coming to MTV," he swore, along with a tirade about losing last year to the Black Eyed Peas.
Another person involved with the awards show says West was already irritated because Timberlake had a bigger suite than he did — one that had its own basketball court. (Kanye's beef doesn't seem to be with Justin, however. He was a guest performer at Timberlake's concert in L.A. Sunday night.)
West was to have been involved in an MTV-sponsored voter awareness event that also features Bill Clinton.
"Clinton sent him a letter asking him to participate, but he said he also wanted a personal phone call from the [former] President," says the source.
An MTV rep confirmed West is not participating in the event but added: "Saying MTV does not wish to work with him would be inaccurate. ... He has been the one who has been vocal about saying he will never work with us again."
MTV has decided to ask Alicia Keys instead, says the insider.
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British Vogue would like a word with Naomi Campbell.
We told you Sunday how the supermodel inexplicably told the Blacks in Fashion panel last week that she had never been on the cover of the magazine. "I've never been on the cover of British Vogue, and I've asked a million times and they've always refused me," she claimed. "[They] wouldn't put me on once in my own country."
"We're rather confused by this comment," Condé Nast UK rep Nicky Eaton told me yesterday. Eaton provided the dates of the model's eight cover appearances, which can all be seen on vogue.co.uk.
Coincidentally, Campbell told that Web site Friday she was in New York to sign a film deal with Spike Lee.
"It's a very, very small role, but it involves subject matter that I'm really passionate about," she said. "[The film is] about a regiment of black soldiers based in Tuscany in the Second World War."
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Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie — they're just like us!
They may be megastars to the rest of the world, but the couple has charmed families at the upper East Side's Lycée Français, where 6-year-old Maddox recently started school.
"They are at school early to pick him up at the end of the day, and they always drop him off just a few minutes before the school day starts," says one insider.
"Brad and Angelina come in together a few days a week, but oddly enough, they never touch each other. They'll hug Maddox and one of them will take his hand, but they stay apart when they are in public."
The source said Jolie impressed administrators by "looking Hollywood-glamorous" at a private meeting before the semester started, but "asking everyday 'mom'-type questions about the school."
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US Weekly's West Coast bureau chief Ken Baker put the nanny who was taking care of his two kids on the magazine's payroll as a reporter, and then tried to seduce her, according to a $55 million lawsuit.
The magazine's former West Coast news editor, Jill Ishkanian - who filed suit in Los Angeles yesterday against Baker, Editor-in-Chief Janice Min and publisher Jann Wenner - also charges that Baker encouraged reporters to "date" paparazzi to glean information from them.
In the suit, Ishkanian - who left the mag in 2003 - claims her bosses "engaged in an intentional policy to destroy her professional reputation after she left Us Weekly to start Sunset Photo."
Ishkanian also claims Us Weekly was behind an FBI raid on the agency last year when she and her boyfriend were held at gunpoint as G-men searched her computer for data she supposedly took illegally from Us Weekly. No charges were filed.
The suit alleges:
* When Ishkanian informed Baker that she was considering a move to another weekly, "Baker became enraged" and "threatened Ishkanian by stating, 'If you leave. I will destroy you! Did you hear me? I will destroy you!' "
* Baker "held a meeting with his staff and forced everyone in attendance to vote about whether or not a freelance reporter had real breasts or surgically enhanced breasts."
* Baker sent cellphone text messages to his doubly-employed nanny which read, "I want to have sex with you. I'm not attracted to my wife," and "I want to see you pregnant with pigtails." Ishkanian claims Baker's unidentified nanny showed the messages to fellow Us Weekly staffers.
Baker allegedly broke down weeping at Ishkanian's office and "used all her Kleenex to wipe his eyes and runny nose" after learning an online publication planned to state he "hired female employees based on the shortness of their skirts."
* Min and Baker collaborated to run Ishkanian's stories without giving her credit, including the tale of Paris Hilton's sex tape with Rick Salomon and Britney Spears' fake wedding to Kevin Federline.
A spokesperson for Us Weekly had no comment on the suit.
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NOBODY says no to Oprah Winfrey - except Rosie O'Donnell. Insiders say Winfrey wanted to have her on her show to talk about O'Donnell's book, "Celebrity Detox," which bashes Barbara Walters, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, Donald Trump and others. But while many would kill to be on Oprah's program, which sells books by the boatload, O'Donnell declined. "She's doing an interview with Diane Sawyer instead," our spy said. Cindi Berger, O'Donnell's rep, said, "Rosie has always been booked with Diane. We gracefully declined Oprah's offer. I'm sure Rosie will do Oprah's show another time."
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CHIVALRY is not Marilyn Manson's strongest trait - the Goth rocker doesn't even carry his waifish girlfriend's bags. Spies at JFK Airport Friday morning spotted Manson with his Lolita-esque gal, Evan Rachel Wood, boarding a flight to LAX. "She was really weighed down with carry-on luggage," said our tipster, "while he breezed right through security carrying nothing."
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ELUSIVE Michael Jackson's wig takes longer to style than a supermodel's. A source told us Jackson, who's rumored to be in New York to shoot a cover spread for Italian Vogue, sat for three hours in the stylist's chair until they perfected his freaky coif. The insider said Jackson has been holed up in a fancy Midtown hotel since Thursday afternoon "with an enormous entourage" and left only once, at 5 a.m., to take part in the 10-hour shoot for the fashion magazine. Reps for Jackson did not return calls.
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IT isn't easy throwing a surprise party where the guest of honor is really surprised. But Jennifer Lopez pulled it off Sunday night when she took her husband Marc Anthony to a birthday dinner at the Water Club. As they finished eating, a sleek yacht pulled up in front of the East River eatery full of his friends singing "Happy Birthday, Marc!" A stunned Anthony looked at them through the window. The yacht then picked the couple up at the dock, and the party continued afloat.
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