ROLL CALL: Tour News From ‘Idol’ & No ‘View’ For Ivanka

Your Daily Dispatch of Celebrity Shenanigans by Tommy Vergason

July 11, 2007

NO ‘VIEW’ FOR IVANKA: Scratch another potential “View” co-host candidate of the list. PEOPLE reports that Donald Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, told Ryan Seacrest that there’s “zero chance” she would accept a hosting position with the daytime talk show. Ivanka responded to reports that she was being considered as a replacement for Rosie O’Donnell when she appeared on Seacrest’s KIIS FM radio show yesterday. “I’m working on the sexiest projects around the world,” she reportedly said. “So to me, to be on a television show every single day at a designated period of time just wouldn’t work for my schedule.” When asked if she’d been offered the position, she is quoted as saying, “I’ve gotten a lot of requests – let’s just leave it at that.” But has she spoken to “The View’s” big cheese, Barbara Walters? She reportedly said no, but added: “I think Barbara Walters is terrific. I think she’s done a great job. She has had differences with my father…I think his problems mostly lay with Rosie, and somehow that sort of boiled over. But I think Barbara’s great, and the show is much better today than it was.”

THE SOUND OF ROSIE: O’Donnell, who reportedly sounded off on Donald Trump and “View” co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck (again) recently, is about to “sound off” in a different way. AOL MUSIC’s SPINNER.COM reports that Rosie is partnering with Barry Manilow for a duet on his upcoming album, “Greatest Songs of the Seventies.” The music icon is reportedly dueting with Rosie on the Elton John / Kiki Dee classic, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.” The album, due on September 18, will feature Manilow covers of songs such as the Beatles’ “The Long and Winding Road,” Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and Christopher Cross’ “Sailing.” A second disc in the album package will reportedly include stripped-down, acoustic versions of Manilow classics like “Mandy,” “Could It Be Magic?” and “Copacabana.”

BEACHED ‘IDOLS’: Jordin Sparks, who is no stranger to performing cover songs, talked to TV GUIDE about her current gig on the “American Idol” tour. The “Idol” champ revealed that she and her fellow Idols have enjoyed the Florida sun and surf as they prepped for the tour, and she even rode a Waverider for the first time! “It’s like a Jet Ski, which I have driven before, and I just had a blast,” she reportedly said. “It was me, my mom, Blake [Lewis] and Chris [Richardson]. It was really relaxing. There was a Jacuzzi, and we swam in the ocean.” Sparks also remarked that there hasn’t been a lot of time for the Idols to enjoy the night life so far, but they do manage to have fun. “We get off pretty late from these rehearsals, but Gina [Glocksen] had a party because it was her birthday this past week. We went to her aunt and uncle’s beach house, which wasn’t very far from the hotel. We went to Outback Steakhouse after that and ate. It’s been just great.”

Access Hollywood‘s “Dish of Salt” correspondent Laura Saltman spoke with the touring Idols during rehearsals, and she asked them for their advice for “American Idol” auditioners. You can get their responses by clicking HERE!

UNINVITED GUESTS: Jessica Simpson reportedly had a birthday party of her own yesterday, but it didn’t go quite as planned. E! ONLINE’s MARC MALKIN reports that the singer/actress tried to celebrate her 27th birthday at the Silver Spoon Beach House event space in Malibu, but the paparazzi apparently scared her away. According to Malkin’s sources, Simpson and five friends arrived in the morning for a day at the beach, with plans to have lunch and a barbecue dinner. As lunch was being served, more than a dozen paparazzi reportedly showed up, and Simpson decided to cut the festivities short. “She couldn’t deal with it,” a source reportedly said. “She kept saying she didn’t want her friends to go through that. So, they stayed inside and then just left.” Simpson’s ex-husband, Nick Lachey, this week about his own troubles with the paparazzi.

MAN OF STEEL, RING OF STONE: “Superman Returns” star Brandon Routh is gearing up for a big celebration: his marriage to actress Courtney Ford. USMAGAZINE.COM spoke with Routh about his pending nuptials, which he revealed will be taking place “in a couple of months.” As for honeymoon plans? “We’re not sure yet,” Routh reportedly said with a grin. “We’re going to surprise ourselves!” Brandon showed off his engagement ring, made from a stone he got from Stonehenge — the place where he reportedly proposed to Ford. “The blue stone is part of what some of the stones at Stonehenge are made of,” he reportedly explained. “So the ring is from there, but I got it encased in silver to strengthen it and it looks cool.” Speaking of strength, Routh will soon be reprising his role as the Man of Steel in the upcoming sequel to “Superman Returns.”

KUDOS FOR CRUISE: And finally, Tom Cruise is being recognized for his super contributions to film over the past 27 years of his career. THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER has announced that Cruise will be the guest of honor at the Museum of the Moving Image’s 23rd annual black-tie salute, taking place in New York on November 6. “Tom Cruise is one of the premier American actors of his generation,” MOMI director Rochelle Slovin reportedly said. “Working with the great directors of our time — (including) Francis Ford Coppola, Stanley Kubrick, Sydney Pollack, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and now Robert Redford [in the upcoming political drama “Lions for Lambs”] — Cruise has given us indelible characters and performances.” Past recipients of the honor include Sidney Lumet, Robert De Niro, Richard Gere, Al Pacino, Sidney Poitier, Julia Roberts and James Stewart.