TUBE TALK All the speculation on when Rosie O'Donnell might come out of the closet -- in her memoir ''Find Me,'' due in April? in her magazine? On her morning show? -- seems academic, now that Barbara Walters has done the job for her. Claiming she had spoken to O'Donnell on the phone (and, apparently, had received her blessing) before her own show, ''The View,'' Walters essentially outed O'Donnell yesterday, suggesting that the comedian's tentativeness to date has stemmed from her desire to adopt a foster child currently in her care, something that gay men and lesbians cannot legally do in Florida, where O'Donnell has a home. Said Walters, ''What concerns Rosie is... that she has three adopted children and a foster child herself and because she is gay, would not be allowed to adopt this child [in Florida].'' Fellow ''View'' panelist Joy Behar turned the outing into a joke, saying, ''''First Ellen [DeGeneres] came out. Now Rosie. It's in the mainstream. Pretty soon, Anne Heche will be back!''
O'Donnell hasn't commented on Walters' remarks, but she continues to downplay the discussion of her sexuality. The New York Daily News, which broke the story that she would come out in her book, reports that O'Donnell was a surprise guest entertainer on a recent charter cruise to the Bahamas for gay men and lesbians, where she told the crowd, ''If you're gonna buy the book hoping for dish about my sex life, save your money.''...
If you are interested in salacious romantic revelations from coy TV stars, wait until the next Muppets project. It's a made-for-NBC movie airing at the end of 2002 called, ''It's a Wonderful Muppet Christmas Movie,'' and while it will feature parodies of classic Christmas tales and cameos by various NBC stars, its big shocker will be the first consensual kiss between Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy. ''Their kisses have always been instigated by Piggy before,'' notes Muppet mogul Juliet Blake, president of the Jim Henson Television Group, ''but this time, Kermit comes to his senses, and it will be a very romantic kiss.'' Of course, this is neither the Muppets' first yuletide movie, nor their first serious exploration of the side effects of interspecies romance. Ten years ago, they made ''The Muppet Christmas Carol,'' with Kermit and Piggy playing Mr. and Mrs. Bob Cratchit and raising a brood of tadpoles and piglets.
SOUND BITES When some young stars make it big, they buy their parents houses or cars. Nick Carter just bought his dad a 43-foot offshore racing power boat. The Carters will enter the boat in the American Power Boat Association's 2002 offshore races. ''It's going to be a little difficult getting respect, because I am an entertainer,'' the Backstreet Boy told Reuters. ''But we're going out there to win, not just to show off.'' The younger Carter won't actually be aboard the vessel; father Bob Carter will be the pilot, and veteran Key West racer Lee Murray will run the throttle. ''I wanted to put together a very competitive team,'' the pop star said. ''You need to have some people with cojones.''...
The new Kodak Theater in Hollywood, which hosts its first Oscar show next month, got a test drive yesterday with a star-studded awards ceremony, the first annual ''Love Rocks'' concert. The honoree was Bono, who received something called the ''Heart of Entertainment'' award for his two decades of philanthropy and outspoken activism. At the event, which was also a fundraiser for cardiovascular research, those paying tribute to the U2 frontman included such non-musical celebrities as Tom Cruise, Kevin Spacey, Sean Penn, Ray Romano, and Drew Carey. Congratulatory videos came in from Bill Clinton and Mick Jagger.
Musicians present included Lauryn Hill, No Doubt, and R.E.M., whose set included a performance of ''I Got You Babe,'' featuring a surprise duet between Michael Stipe and Cher, who said it was the first time she'd ever performed the song without her late ex, Sonny Bono. R.E.M. also performed U2's ''One'' with help from Bono (who is no relation to Sonny). Accepting his award, the artist formerly known as Paul Hewson challenged the creative artists in the crowd to come up with ways to end suffering, particularly in developing countries where just $30 per person per year could stop preventable diseases that kill 8 million people annually. Then, deflating his own sanctimony, Bono said, ''I guess right down the hall from beatification comes crucifixion, so I better enjoy this.''...
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