JOSSIP REPORTS

Laurye Blackford, one of Shelley Ross’ hires and one of the notorious “mean girls” at The Early Show, told bosses yesterday that she’s quitting. She submitted her two weeks notice, Jossip hears, in protest of Zev Shalev being named executive producer of the A.M. show, following Rick Kaplan’s exit, which we were the first to tell you about this week. (Interesting, because David Shenfeld, the senior producer who stopped showing up for work last week, is said to have left the show because he lost all power to Blackford.)

Blackford was only supposed to be with the show through January, but stayed on because she thought she might be named to Ross’ top spot, says a source.

Oh, and in case you missed it in there: Shalev is officially replacing Kaplan.

Hugh Hefner generously announced today that naked Miley Cyrus would be nakedly “welcomed in [his] magazine” full of naked ladies—when she’s of age, of course. [Us] This isn’t the first time that the doddering coot, or his kin, pulled such a stunt, knowing full well the offer would get a write up in the gossip columns, but that the starlets would never agree. Below, a look back at some of the million dollar deals, made by creepy old men, and Joe Francis, that never were.

Hugh Hefner/Playboy

• Ashlee Simpson, $4 million
• Heidi Montag, $1 million
• Pamela Anderson and Denise Richards, $1 million
• Paris Hilton, $ unknown, “standing offer”
• The Olsen Twins, $ unknown
• Lindsay Lohan, $ unknown
• Britney Spears, $ unknown (and contingent on “getting her life together”)

Joe Francis/Girls Gone Wild:

• Ashley Alexandra Dupré, $1 million to appear nude in a magazine and on video, rescinded after he realized he already had (underage) footage

Larry Flynt/Hustler:

• Ashley Alexandra Dupré, $1 million
• Anyone who’s had sex with a “high-ranking government official” and has the evidence, $1 million

Guccione/Penthouse:

• Monica Lewinksy, $2 million

“I do sincerely regret the way in which Leitch was treated because it did undermine the valid points that I was trying to make.” So you’re sorry you were an ass because it kept the focus away from your very valid points? [VF]

A Fox News production assistant, identified as Jennifer Locke, was axed when, on the red carpet, she blurted out to John McCain, “I voted for you in the primary, you’re going to win.” Replied the Republican candidate: “You’re not supposed to reveal that.” The entire incident was recorded on video. [TVN] Meanwhile, media baron Rupert Murdoch was seated two seats away from McCain, with just Time managing editor Rick Stengel between them. While McCain was named to the Time 100 list along with Hillary and Barack, how come he was the only one to show? Because he wanted to “bend” Murdoch’s powerful ear, natch. [NYO] Such power bestowed a gentleman who, in fact, has never even been invited to the White House. [Gawker] [Photo: Time]

Justin Timberlake’s new reality show for MTV, The Phone, which he’s producing but not starring in, explains his reason for being at the network’s upfronts in New York today. But what the hell is this new show?

Like most decent American television, it’s a foreign rip off, this time from the Dutch. Debuting this fall, it’s a “real-life Bourne Identity,” in so much as two cell phones on opposite ends of a city will ring at the same time, and whoever answers has five seconds to agree to the terms of the game, before being sent on various missions around town, “guided by a mysterious voice and followed by a helicopter.” [E!]

In case this sounds familiar: Yes, this was also the plot to The Devil Wears Prada.

[Photo: MTV]

Though a Page Six spy spotted NBC chief Jeff Zucker “climbing out of his black SUV” in front of Katie Couric’s East Side apartment, a Couric “friend” is preemptively shooting down any rumors that Zucker wants his prized lady back, saying “Jeff and Katie have been friends for 20 years. He asked her to get a Mother’s Day gift for his wife, Caryn, and picked it up on the way to his daughter’s play.” [NYP]

Uh huh.

More curious, beside the terrible and transparent excuse given, though, is who “spots” Zucker exiting his car and walking into Katie’s building, except, perhaps, Zucker or Katie themselves.

Zucker has always been rumored to be a serial New York Post leaker, especially when he’s got a takedown agenda, like he did with Beth Comstock in September, floating a rumor that Comstock was leaving NBC U and heading back upstairs to GE. (The news panned out.)

So what would either have to gain?

If Couric and Zucker really have remained friends, then he could be throwing her a bone in offering some leverage to get out of her CBS Evening News deal, which even Les Moonves has to admit is the best option for everyone. But then it comes down to how much CBS must pay Katie to get rid of her contract and, theoretically, bring a Bob Scheiffer type back to the news desk.

It’s unlikely Zucker would bring Katie back into the NBC fold, especially with a role at Today; his ego is too big for that, and so is Katie’s. So what was the meeting about? Options, perhaps, but those type of meetings can happen on the sly, without Page Six spotting them. So be sure, there’s an agenda here. But whose?

Nicole Kidman, with child, was dumped this week as the face of Chanel [MC], though she still holds on to the Guinness record for earning the most money per minute, with her 30-second $3.71 million Chanel No. 5 advertisement. Replacing Kidman is someone 11 years her junior: the twenty-nine-year-old Audrey Tautou, who is French, like the fashion house, and an Oscar nominee, to her predecessor’s Oscar winner status. Tatou’s deal is rumored to be worth over $8 million [DM], which is nearly what Kidman’s standard $20 million movie price tag has been reduced to, thanks to The Stepford Wives, The Invasion, and The Interpreter.

Perhaps Masha Markova isn’t the only twentysomething the starlet has ripped off?

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Tricky pronouns might have done John Edwards in on MSNBC this morning. After Edwards told the hosts at Morning Joe that whoever got his vote would get his endorsement, they were trying desperately to get Edwards to tell them who he voted for in North Carolina's primary. He attempted to play coy, until he accidentally spilled the beans by saying, "I just voted for him Tuesday."

CONTINUED »

Perhaps the most eventful part of last night’s Time 100 gala was the presence of newlyweds Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon, choosing Jazz at Lincoln Center to make their first public appearance together. Though she performed last night, she was also an honoree on the list, giving Rick Stengel the good fortune of naming her to the Time 100, and holding the event last night, to pick up the PR boon. How convenient, then, that Mariah and Nick also “gave” their exclusive wedding pics and interview to People, a Time Inc. cousin. Below, some red carpet video.

Oh, sorry, it’s here.

[Photo: Time]