Gossip Roundup: Brutally Frank Edition
•Washington Whispers: The Simpsonsco-executive producerTim Long: "WithClinton,you had the real-estate scam, the [vulgar term referring to the sex scandal]. He was a gift from the comedy gods. WithBush,the atmosphere is much more serious. And he's this clean-living guy. Some people love him and some hate him, but it's hard to get a comedic toehold on him, coming after the greatest comedy president in the last 100 years. I'll be really impressed if you get the words '[vulgar term referring to the sex scandal]' in print.". . .Kennedyplans a similar Iraq as Vietnam,BushasNixonspeech because the first went so well. . . Insider onClinton'stestimony: "He was candid, brutally frank, and critical of himself." [ USN&WR ]
•Names & Faces: Neil Bushis not the father of his new wife's 3-year-old son, according to DNA tests; a setback for his ex-wife in a slander suit by her ex-husband. [ WP ]
•Page Six: "The Official Handbook for the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy" aims to provide conservatives with arguments against the left. [NYP ]
•Liz Smith: Dennis Hopper: "I liked[Bill] Clinton,but I voted forBush Sr.And I'm definitely voting for[George W.] Bushagain." [ NYP ]
•Lloyd Grove's Lowdown: Barbara Walter's$6 million book deal is twice that ofTim Russert.[ NYDN ]