ROLL CALL: Paula Breaks Her Nose & Trump Jumps The Gun

Your Daily Dispatch of Celebrity Shenanigans by Tommy Vergason

May 22, 2007

DON’T LEAVE CHIHUAHUAS LYING AROUND: PEOPLE confirms reports that Paula Abdul has broken her nose, following a trip and fall she took yesterday as she tried to avoid stepping on her Chihuahua, Tulip. “She went to the doctor and she did break her nose, but she’s moving on and doing great” her rep, David Brokaw, reportedly says. “She looks terrific. If you didn’t know she broke her nose, you’d never guess anything happened to her.” Despite the injury, Abdul is still reportedly expected to appear on tonight and tomorrow’s “American Idol” finale shows. “She is in pain. No question about that,” Brokaw reportedly says. “But she’s standing 10 feet from me and you’d never know anything happened to her. There are no bandages. She’s got some bruises on her arms and on one of her legs.” Abdul herself reportedly jokes to PEOPLE, “[Tulip] has no remorse. She just stared at me.”

NOT SO FAST: Reports that Jessica Simpson and John Mayer might be on the “outs” romantically may be premature, as THE NY POST’s PAGE SIX claims that a source from New York’s SoHo Grand Hotel says that the pair reunited there on Sunday (following Simpson’s return from Cannes). “John came in Sunday, after Jessica had already checked into the penthouse,” the source reportedly says.“He met her up there and spent the night.” Reps for both Simpson and Mayer had no comment when contacted by PAGE SIX.

More Celebrity Scoop After the Video!

TRUMP JUMPS THE GUN?: Donald Trump and NBC may be facing a break-up of their own, though who exactly is leaving whom is still unconfirmed. Trump issued a statement Friday indicating that he has told NBC he is “moving on from ‘The Apprentice’ to a major new TV venture,” following reports that NBC may not bring the show back when it failed to appear on their fall schedule at last week’s upfront presentation. However, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER says that NBC is open to another season of “The Apprentice,” despite Trump’s statement. A spokesperson for the network reportedly responded to Trump’s declaration yesterday, saying “No decision has been made on an additional cycle (of the series) at this time.” It might not be that easy for Trump to leave the show, says THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER. Sources reportedly said the real estate mogul would still be under contract to return to “The Apprentice” should it get picked up for a seventh cycle, and that NBC has until June 1st to make a final decision.

THE STINGING CRACK OF THE WHIP: Tom Selleck reportedly tells TV GUIDE that it was a network decision that ultimately caused him to miss out on the opportunity to play Indiana Jones in the film franchise. The actor, who has signed on to join the cast of NBC’s “Las Vegas,” tells TV GUIDE the story of what might have been. “I was offered Indiana Jones,” he reportedly says. “I did a screen test; at the time I had already done a pilot for ‘Magnum [P.I.].’ Steven Spielberg and George Lucas held out the offer for about a month because they really wanted me, and I was very flattered. And then CBS said, “We won’t let him do it,” because they had first call on me. It’s an old story. The only thing I hate is when people say I turned it down. I’d never be stupid enough to turn that down.”

MUSICAL MORTICIA: VARIETY reports that the kooky, spooky Addams Family is heading to Broadway. The adaptation of the classic “New Yorker” cartoon strip (which was also the basis for a TV show, animated series and two feature films) will be a full-scale musical production, according to the report. With a reported budget of $10 million, the new show is scheduled to hit Broadway in the 2009-10 season. The musical will be based solely on the cartoons, not on the big- or small-screen incarnations. It hasn’t yet been determined whether the creators will be granted permission to include the familiar TV theme song. “This property has great potential,” producer Stuart Oken said. “It’s an iconic title. We have both the advantage and the responsibility of having these characters that people all think they know.”

THINGS UNSPOKEN: And finally, Oprah Winfrey is reportedly “shocked” and “disappointed” to hear that her father, Vernon, is writing a book about her called “Things Unspoken,” says THE NY DAILY NEWS’ RUSH & MOLLOY. Winfrey reportedly said she laughed when she heard that THE NY DAILY NEWS called her about a scoop: “One of my assistants said, ‘The Daily News is calling. They say they heard your father is writing a book about you.’ I said, ‘That’s impossible. I can assure them it’s not true.’ “But then my sister said, ‘I think you should call your father.’ I called him and it turned out he is writing a book. The worst part of it was him saying, ‘I meant to tell you I’ve been working on it.’” Oprah reportedly says that she and her father have good relationship these days, which is why the news was jarring for her. “I was upset. I won’t say ‘devastated,’ but I was stunned…I would have preferred to have known my father was working on this. It would have been a nice gesture, a courtesy.”

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