Tina Fey took her bosses at NBC to task Wednesday night. While speaking at the Ad Council gala, she bashed NBC for coming in fourth in the ratings, and for making the still mind-boggling decision of putting Jay Leno on every f-cking weeknight at ten o’clock. I still can’t get used to that – and neither can any kind of audience. Tina even jokes about Comcast buying out a sizable portion of NBC Universal – which could totally happen. God, NBC sucks. And it’s all Jay Leno’s fault. Tina also made a crack about Sarah Palin which I’m sure will get some attention.

Tina Fey took a shot at her bosses Wednesday night, saying: “NBC is sadly the fourth-place network; actually, we’re in ninth place if you count the radio stations ahead of us right now.”

The 1,200 guests at the Ad Council gala at the Waldorf laughed raucously as Fey continued, “I really believe that if everyone in this room would watch NBC for one night then that would be a 40 percent [ratings] increase.”

Talking about the plan of Philadelphia-based Comcast to buy a controlling stake in NBC Universal, she said: “It’s leaving me thinking: Will I have to change the name of my show from ’30 Rock’ to ‘Industrial Park on the Schuylkill River’?”

She also couldn’t resist taking a shot at alter-ego Sarah Palin, saying: “They made a porn movie about Sarah Palin and the same actress, Lisa Ann, played me in the porn version of ’30 Rock.’ Weirdly, of the three of us, Lisa Ann knows the most about foreign policy.”

[From Page Six]

See, the joke was as much about Tina as Sarah Palin. I’ve found that in interviews, where Tine is being real, she really doesn’t disrespect Sarah Palin that much. In her Vanity Fair interview earlier this year, Tina even discussed her real feelings about meeting Palin and the criticism both women received: “What made me super-mad about it… was that it seemed very sexist toward me and her. The implication was that she’s so fragile, which she is not. She’s a strong woman. And then, also, it was sexist because, like, who would ever go on the news and say, ‘Well, I thought it was sort of mean to Richard Nixon when Dan Aykroyd played him,’ and ‘That seemed awful mean to George Bush when Will Ferrell did it.’ And it’s like, No, that’s not the thing. This is a comedy sketch on a comedy show… I feel clean about it. All these jokes were fair hits.” You know what I’d like? I’d like Tina Fey to be put in charge of NBC programming. Tina for President (of NBC)!

Sarah Palin’s interview on Oprah aired yesterday. Her autobiography, Going Rogue, is already number one on the Amazon sales list so it’s not like she needs the publicity. When asked about Levi Palin, the father of her daughter’s baby, Palin was sort-of gracious but she still got her digs in at Levi. It’s not like I blame her given some of the things he’s said about her to the press. Palin said that no matter what, Levi will always be the father of her grandchild. She said he’s involved in things that are “heartbreaking,” though and called his Playgirl gig “porn.” It sounds like someone has been checking out the Playgirl website. Palin also made it clear that Levi just hasn’t been there for his 10 month-old son, Tripp, lately:

For a blink and you’ll miss it moment, it seemed like Sarah Palin was going to refrain from comment when Oprah Winfrey brought up the subject of Levi Johnston during her interview that aired on Monday’s “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

In response to Winfrey’s question “How do you feel about him today?” Palin said, “Because so much of the discussion with Levi has to do with his most beautiful baby boy Tripp, my grandson, and Tripp’s future, that I don’t think a national television show is the place to discuss some of the things that he’s doing and saying. And by the way, I don’t know if we call him Levi,” Palin said. “I hear he goes by the name Ricky Hollywood now. So if that’s the case, we don’t want to mess up his gig he’s got going.”

And the gig of which she speaks? “Kind of this aspiring — aspiring porn, some of the things that he’s doing. It’s kind of heartbreaking. … I call it porn. Yes. So, a bit heartbreaking to see the road that he is on right now.”
Interestingly, hours before the interview aired on the East Coast, Levi Johnston tweeted, “I will be showing one of the first pics … w/i a couple of HRS … B ready 4 them-I’LL only post them 4 a minute or so …” As of press time, the only additional post from Johnston was a declaration that @HeidiMontag was now following him on Twitter.

Johnston didn’t make any comment on his feed about the Palin interview. One point that would have opened the door to counterpoint if there was one to be made was Palin’s complex response to Winfrey about how often he’s seeing his son Tripp.

“He’s quite busy with his media tours, and he hasn’t seen the baby for a while, but we will let that be the discussion between Bristol and Levi as they work out their relationship, because Levi forever will be the father of this most beautiful baby, and I continue to hope for the best and to pray for Levi,” Palin said.

Note that the Twitter account quoted by MSNBC above, has been proven fake. Levi Johnston doesn’t have a Twitter account.

Playgirl spokesperson Daniel Nardicio released a statement that Levi won’t be showing the full monty in his upcoming Playgirl spread. In an interview with Star last month, Levi seemed to indicate that when it came to whether he would show wang he was leaning toward “no.” He said ” I’m going to decide that on the fly. I want to keep it classy.” Then his manager promised full frontal, and Levi agreed, saying “I just get naked. That’s what I do.” Now it seems Levi won’t be showing his goods though and we’re likely to just get some butt shots. Levi shouldn’t have been so shy. Nardicio told The Daily Beast “We wouldn’t turn away Levi if he had a small pen*s.”

The Associated Press was the first to get a hold of Sarah Palin’s upcoming autobiography, “Going Rogue,” and so far it seems that it’s mostly a book of complaints. There are complaints about money, complaints about the way the McCain camp treated Palin and her family, and lots of issues over who paid for what and how much between the two camps. And then of course there are the requisite complaints about the media. She goes on at length about her infamous interview with Katie Couric, claiming that Couric “badgered” her and didn’t include the parts of the interview where Palin came off well.

Palin also writes harshly of CBS anchor Katie Couric, whom she describes as “badgering” and biased. Palin’s series of interviews with Couric were widely regarded as disastrous, leaving the impression of an ill-informed candidate who was unsuited for the job.

In the months leading up to her July resignation as Alaska governor, her legal bills had mounted to more than $500,000, fueled mostly by what she called frivolous ethics complaints. What appeared to upset her most, though, was that about $50,000 of the legal bills was her share of the expenses for being vetted for the VP nod, Palin writes.

She said no one had ever informed her that she would have to personally take care of any expenses related to the selection process. Palin writes that when she asked officials at the Republican National Committee and what was left of the McCain campaign if they would help her financially, she was told the bills would have been paid if McCain had won, but since he lost, the bills were her responsibility.

Trevor Potter, general counsel for the McCain campaign, told the AP the campaign had never asked Palin to pay a legal bill. “To my knowledge, the campaign never billed Gov. Palin for any legal expenses related to her vetting and I am not aware of her ever asking the campaign to pay legal expenses that her own lawyers incurred for the vetting process.” Potter said that if Palin’s personal lawyer billed her for any work related to her vetting, “We are unaware of it. It was never raised with the campaign.”

[From the Huffington Post]

There are two especially interesting things about the book: first, there is no index whatsoever, leaving several commentators to joke that’s perhaps Sarah’s best revenge on people: if they want to see if they’re mentioned, they have to read the entire book.

Second is that she never once mentions Levi Johnston. Yet she obviously talks about daughter Bristol’s pregnancy. That must have been quite the dance, writing about all that without mentioning the baby’s father. Johnston and Palin have been involved in quite the epic feud over the last several months. Right after he broke up with Bristol, Levi said Palin – the abstinence only supporter – probably knew they were having sex. It’s no surprise she doesn’t want to talk about him. Yet in her upcoming interview with Oprah (airing on Monday) Palin says she would invite him to Thanksgiving dinner. She also says he’s a part of the family and she wants to invite him into the fold and take him under her wing and she can tell he needs that. The clip is short, but it’s safe to assume that Levi’s not interested.

“One final question about Levi,” Oprah asks in the first clip: “will he be invited to Thanksgiving dinner?”

Palin laughs. “You know, that’s a great question.” It’s also a question that Palin doesn’t seem to want to answer. “It’s lovely to think that he would ever even consider such a thing,” she says. “Because, of course, you want — he is a part of the family and you want to bring him in the fold and kind of under your wing. And he needs that, too, Oprah. I think he needs to know that he is loved and he has the most beautiful child and this can all work out for good. It really can.” She then segues into a mishmash of statements on how the Palins are “not really into the drama.”

Oprah presses on: “Does that mean yes he is coming or no he’s not?”

[From the Huffington Post]

I really doubt that’s true; it’s just the polite politician response to give. Palin goes so far as to say “Levi is love.” Johnston has made all sorts of accusations about Palin (including that she called her son Trig – who has Down’s Syndrome – “retarded”) basically calling her a bad mother and saying she has all sorts of deep, dark secrets. Which maybe she does, but I doubt Johnston is privy to them. In related news, it’s fun to watch Levi think he’s a big celebrity only to get shot down. He requested $3,000 to appear at a nightclub – they offered him a round of sodas instead.

Levi Johnston is pulling out all the stops in his Playgirl media tour. He’s appeared on the Insider alongside fellow passive aggressive do-nothing Jon Gosselin, and last night he talked to Entertainment Tonight. Johnston seems to have a limitless amount of smack to talk about the family of his ex girlfriend, the Palins. (He promises he’s keeping some of Sarah Palin’s deep dark secrets or whatever, but I doubt it.)

This time, he’s bringing his Alaskan A-game to fight for custody of his son with Bristol Palin, little Tripp, ten months. Johnston says Sarah Palin is keeping him away from his son and that he’s going to go to court to fight for custody. He uses a lot of slang when he gets mad and ends up sounding like an idiot. I hope he’s been able to buff up for Playgirl because he doesn’t have a hell of a lot else going for him:

Johnston, 19, claims the former vice presidential candidate has been part of an effort to keep Tripp away from Johnston by exerting influence on 19-year-old daughter Bristol, who is Tripp’s mother.

“She has a big impact on what Bristol does and thinks,” Johnston tells Entertainment Tonight. “Bristol looks up to Sarah. I don’t know why they just don’t want me in his life.”

But Johnston insists he doesn’t fear Palin as he gets ready to sue for joint custody. “She ain’t nothing,” he says. “Just because she ran for vice president and was the governor of Alaska, doesn’t intimidate me. Sarah has no legal thing on Tripp, she’s just the grandmother.”

He adds: “By the end of the year we’re gonna go to court for joint custody. I’m just done with it. When there’s a kid involved you ain’t walking away.”

When Johnston announced his intention to sue for custody, Palin’s camp did not respond to requests for comment. But her lawyer, Thomas Van Flein, told Britain’s The Guardian on Oct. 30, “Other than noting that Tripp’s father is always welcome to visit his son, we are unable to respond to these allegations as it is inappropriate to discuss child custody matters publicly.”

[From People]

I could see Sarah scheming to keep Johnston out of her home after some of the crap he’s said about her publicly. He said that Sarah called her son with down’s syndrome “retarded” for God’s sake. Levi is obviously working to get under Sarah’s skin through the media and that probably extends to their everyday interactions. These two just don’t get along, but when there’s a baby involved the grandmother needs to accept it when his father, as annoying an inadequate as he may be, wants to be in his life.

In related Levi news, The Daily Beast has a pretty amusing interview with the new editor of the now online-only Playgirl, which is primarily targeted to gay men. Levi promises that he’ll show full frontal in the upcoming issue, and I’ve been dutifully checking the site daily as we await his debut. New editor/consultant Daniel Nardicio says that he’s “trying to change the face of Playgirl,” and make it both gay and female-friendly. Levi is a part of that, and the article notes that Levi has a huge gay following. Nardicio says that he hasn’t checked out what Levi is packing, but that it’s not “appropriate.” He adds bluntly ” “I ask models [for a look], but they’re not famous. When they’re famous, I’m not going to worry about it. We wouldn’t turn away Levi if he had a small pen*s.” We’ll see I guess. There is no set date that Levi will appear online as far as I can tell, but I’m sure we’ll hear about it when it happens.

Levi Johnston is shown on “The Insider” with Jon Gosselin on 11/9/09. Credit: WENN.com

Levi Johnston continues his “I once knew Sarah Palin, let me tell you all about it” media tour. Levi doesn’t have anything else of interest to offer the public – well, apart from a view of his goods – so he’s profiting off the one thing he can for as long as he’s able. But being that Johnston is only 19 and neither mature nor bright, he’s coming up with some ridiculous things to say about Sarah Palin in order to get publicity. Mind you, I am no fan or support of Palin. But I can’t believe much of anything Levi says after he claims Palin called her baby son Trig – who has Down’s Syndrome – “retarded.”

Levi Johnston appeared on CBS’ Early Show Wednesday, where he explained his reasons for spilling unflattering information about the Palin family and said he was keeping some “huge” secrets. Among other things, Johnston said Palin joked about her son Trig’s Down Syndrome, calling him her “retarded baby.”

“I was just in shock the first time I heard it,” he said, when host Maggie Rodriguez expressed disbelief. He also said Bristol took care of the baby much more than her mother: “Sarah was never home.” Johnston also said that Todd and Sarah would fight in front of their kids.

He said he was going public because the Palins betrayed him and backstabbed him: “I really don’t care anymore … Now it’s my turn … I told a little bit of stuff, and you know, I’m just not going to take it anymore.”… “If she’s going to go out there and say things to me, about me, I’m going to leak some things on her. I mean that’s just how it is,” he said. He added, however, that there are some things he won’t say that would really hurt Palin. “I’m not gonna go that far,” he said.

The Washington Post offers more of the CBS interview:
When asked whether he resents Palin, Johnston says, “Well now I’ve heard all the things she’s said. You know, the Sarah Palin I knew before, it was — it was her putting on a front, it was her being fake to me and now that everything’s slowly coming out and I’m hearing more things, you know, and things she’s said and done, you know, I see the real Palin,” Levi responds, before stepping through the looking glass.

[From the Huffington Post]

Here’s why I don’t believe the “retarded” comment: it’s an insult teenagers – and particularly teenage boys – use. It is not something most adult women would use, particularly not an educated one in her forties. I don’t even believe it’s something she said that was taken out of context or that Johnston misheard. It seems like exactly the sort of thing an unsophisticated nineteen year old would say. Like I said, I’m not Sarah Palin’s fan, but no part of me believes that comment is true, especially given what a desperate famewh*re Levi Johnston is. It terms of the fighting in front of the kids, who knows? And Bristol, being their oldest daughter, would be the most likely kid given babysitting duty. It clearly didn’t turn her off to the idea of having children.

Sarah Palin did respond, and her comments are priceless.

Palin how now issued a statement responding to Levi’s remarks. “We have purposefully ignored the mean spirited, malicious and untrue attacks on our family. We, like many, are appalled at the inflammatory statements being made or implied.” Palin also went after CBS and Levi’s intentions to strip for Playgirl: “CBS should be ashamed for continually providing a forum to propagate lies. Consider the source of the most recent attention-getting lies — those who would sell their body for money reflect a desperate need for attention and are likely to say and do anything for even more attention.”

[From the Huffington Post]

Did Sarah Palin just call Levi Johnston a prostitute? I think she just called him a prostitute! I never thought I’d agree with a word this woman said, but I love it. Celebitchy pointed out that this is all very interesting timing, considering Palin’s book is due to come out next month, around the same time as Johnston shows his johnson in Playgirl. I love how obvious and uncouth he is in his attempts to grab some of the fame from Palin. Next he’s going to claim she tried to seduce him. I can’t wait.

In case there was any doubt that Sarah Palin’s upcoming memoir, Going Rogue, will be a bestseller she’s just been confirmed for the ultimate in promotional opportunities – a spot on Oprah. The Oprah Winfrey show is pretty excited to get the former Vice Presidential candidate and has put out a press release announcing that she’ll be on the show November 16th.

People Magazine has a brief to-the-point article about Palin’s upcoming appearance. They make it clear that she’s only doing the show to promote her book, having snubbed Oprah after the Presidential election. Obama-supporter Oprah said in December that she decided not to have either of the candidates on her show during the election but that she asked Palin afterwards and was snubbed. “I said I would be happy to talk to Sarah Palin when the election was over… I went and tried to talk to Sarah Palin and instead she talked to Greta [Van Susteren]. She talked to Matt [Lauer]. She talked to Larry [King]. But she didn’t talk to me. But maybe she’ll talk to me now that she has a book deal.”

The allmighty Oprah was right, and now that Sarah has a book coming out she’ll appear on her show:

Oh, what a difference a multimillion-dollar book deal makes.

About a year after Sarah Palin famously turned down a campaign season appearance with talk show host – and major Barack Obama supporter – Oprah Winfrey, the former GOP vice presidential candidate has agreed to take her turn on the couch.

Palin will appear Nov. 16 on ITALIC “The Oprah Winfrey Show”] and no doubt the subject of her upcoming book, Going Rogue: An American Life, will come up.

Interestingly, Winfrey called it months ago – quipping, “Maybe she’ll talk to me now that she has a book deal.”

[From People]

I’ll try and watch Palin’s appearance on Oprah, but I have a hard time sitting through entire interviews with her. She jabbers on and doesn’t make sense when she’s nervous and I just end up feeling sorry for her. It’s hard to understand why someone who has trouble speaking off the cuff decided to pursue a career in politics, but it looks like it’s paying off well for her anyway. She didn’t even have to serve out her term as Governor of Alaska and just quit when those pesky ethics complaints got in the way. As she explained “only dead fish go with the flow” and do the jobs they signed up for. It takes a real shark to swim upstream to where the money is.

Sarah Palin’s memoir is reportedly complete and will be released on November 17, a few months ahead of its planned spring publication. Palin completed her memoir in just four months with the help of a ghostwriter. The book, curiously titled Going Rogue: An American Life, will be first released as a hardcover before it’s available as a digital edition on December 26, in order to “maximize hardcover sales over the holidays.” A first press of 1.5 million books has been ordered.

Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor and Republican vice presidential candidate, has finished her memoir just four months after the book deal was announced, and the release date has been moved up from the spring to Nov. 17, her publisher said.

“Governor Palin has been unbelievably conscientious and hands-on at every stage, investing herself deeply and passionately in this project,” said Jonathan Burnham, publisher of Harper. “It’s her words, her life, and it’s all there in full and fascinating detail.”

Palin’s book, her first, will be 400 pages, said Burnham, who called the fall “the best possible time for a major book of this kind.”

The book now has a title, one fitting for a public figure known for the unexpected – “Going Rogue: An American Life.”

Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins, has commissioned a huge first printing of 1.5 million copies. Sen. Ted Kennedy’s “True Compass,” published by Twelve soon after his Aug. 25 death, also had a 1.5 million first printing.

As with the Kennedy book, the digital edition of Palin’s memoir will not be released at the same time as the hardcover. “Going Rogue” will not be available as an e-book until Dec. 26 because “we want to maximize hardcover sales over the holidays,” Harper spokeswoman Tina Andreadis said Monday.

Publishers have been concerned that e-books, rapidly becoming more popular, might take away sales from hardcover editions, which are more expensive.

Palin, who abruptly resigned as Alaska governor over the summer with more than a year left in her first term, has been an object of fascination since Sen. John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate in 2008, chose her as his running mate, making an instant celebrity out of a once-obscure public official.

During last year’s campaign, pundits questioned whether Palin hurt McCain’s presidential bid by “going rogue,” or defying his campaign’s control.

Although Democrat Barack Obama easily won the election and Palin was criticized even by some Republicans for being inexperienced, she remains a favorite among conservatives and is a rumored contender for 2012. Interest in her is so high that a fan recently paid $63,500 to have dinner with her, part of an Internet auction for a charity that aids wounded veterans.

Palin, 45, spent weeks in San Diego shortly after leaving office and worked on the manuscript with collaborator Lynn Vincent, a person close to her said. She was joined in San Diego by her family and her top aide, Meghan Stapleton, then spent several days in New York working around the clock with editors at Harper, said the person, who wasn’t authorized to comment and asked not to be identified.

[From Huffington Post]

So if Palin rushed to San Diego to start working on her book right after she resigned, I guess we know why she didn’t serve out the rest of her term as governor. Is that what Going Rogue means, shirking your responsibilities and stepping away from your commitments when they’re no longer convenient? I don’t know how this woman is still considered a contender for the 2012 election when she’s known for dropping out, taking advantage, and giving weak confusing excuses at every turn. Surely Republicans can do way better.

Palin, 45, reportedly received an over $10 million advance for her book, and it’s likely she’ll make more if it sells well. Maybe all that cash will convince her that there’s no need to return to politics, with its pesky ethics complaints and difficult questions.

Tina Fey was the easy favorite for the Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Emmy, and she ended up taking home the award Saturday night at the Creative Arts Emmys. The Creative Arts Emmys are the award show for most of the “behind-the-scenes” people, like Make-up, Costuming, Editing, that sort of thing. But they always announce the Guest Star winners at the show, even though most of the big names don’t even bother showing up to support “the little people”. Not Tina Fey, though. Tina showed up to support Team 30 Rock, and for what ended up being her Emmy win for guest starring on Saturday Night Live as Gov. Sarah Palin. Tina looked cute at the show, too. She wore a simple single-breasted black suit (with unfortunate shoulder pads) and a low-cut pale grey blouse.

Tina was up against: Jennifer Aniston (30 Rock), Elaine Stritch (30 Rock), Gena Rowlands (Monk), Betty White (My Name Is Earl), and Christine Baranski (The Big Bang Theory). It’s funny that she was up against two women she probably had a big part in casting (Aniston and Stritch). In her acceptance speech, Fey thanked former governor Palin, saying “Mrs. Palin is an inspiration to working mothers everywhere because she bailed on her job right before Fourth of July weekend. You are living my dream. Thank you, Mrs. Palin.” The Huffington Post has more from the Creative Arts show:

Is Tina Fey an Emmy winner? You betcha. Fey received an Emmy Award on Saturday for her impersonation of Republican vice presidential contender Sarah Palin on “Saturday Night Live.”

Accepting her trophy for best guest actress in a comedy, Fey thanked “SNL” producer Lorne Michaels and her parents, “who are lifelong Republicans, for their patience.”

She was honored at the Creative Arts Primetime Emmys, which recognize technical and other achievements for the 2008-09 season and preceded next weekend’s main ceremony. Fey has the chance for more awards: She could repeat last year’s win as best actress in a comedy series for “30 Rock,” and the show also could again claim top comedy honors.

Justin Timberlake was another “SNL” winner Saturday, honored as best guest actor in a comedy series.

On the drama side, Michael J. Fox won the guest actor award for his turn on “Rescue Me,” and Ellen Burstyn was honored as best guest actress for “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”

“I always wanted one of these,” Burstyn said, winning her first Emmy after being nominated five times. Neither Timberlake nor Fox were on hand to accept.

Kathy Griffin was host of the nearly four-hour ceremony, her trademark outrageous humor intact with risque jokes and filmed bits.

An edited, shorter version of the ceremony will air Friday on E! at 1 p.m. EDT.

The top network winner was HBO with 16 trophies, followed by NBC with 11. Fox and ABC each won eight awards, with CBS, PBS and Cartoon Network each claiming six.

PBS’ “Little Dorrit,” an adaptation of the Dickens novel, was the most-honored program with four awards. Several shows, including the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics and “American Idol,” received three creative arts trophies.

Next Sunday’s Emmy ceremony, with Neil Patrick Harris as host, will air on CBS.

[From the Huffington Post]

Oh, that’s nice about Ellen Burstyn. I remember that L&O: SVU episode she guest-starred in, it was devastating. Burstyn played Det. Eliot Stabler’s bipolar mother, who has never acknowledged her own mental illness. Burstyn has an Oscar and a Tony, so now she’s part of that elite club of people who have won the top awards in three acting forms – film, television and stage. There really are only a few people who have all three awards - there’s like Joel Grey, Liza Minnelli, Barbara Streisand, Mel Brooks and a few others. And now Ellen Burstyn, who totally belongs in that club, bless her heart. The big Emmy show comes on next Sunday!

Tina Fey is shown at the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards on 9/21/09. Credit: WENN.com

Levi Johnston, the 19 year-old baby daddy of Sarah Palin’s daughter, Bristol, is still working hard to capitalize on his relationship with the former first family of Alaska. Johnston has a new interview in Vanity Fair in which he dishes the dirt on the Palin family, essentially saying they’re not effectively parenting their kids because they don’t cook, and reveals that Sarah initially schemed to hide her daughter’s pregnancy from the public. In the advance segment of Levi’s interview available online, he also claims that Palin quit her job as Alaskan governor because she wanted to make some easy money from a book deal. It looks like that worked out well for her, considering that she’s rumored to have received an over $10 million advance.

On how Sarah and husband Todd don’t cook, which makes them bad parents
The Palin house was much different from what many people expect of a normal family, even before she was nominated for vice president. There wasn’t much parenting in that house. Sarah doesn’t cook, Todd doesn’t cook—the kids would do it all themselves: cook, clean, do the laundry, and get ready for school. Most of the time Bristol would help her youngest sister with her homework, and I’d barbecue chicken or steak on the grill.

On Sarah’s plan to hide Bristol’s pregnancy
Sarah told me she had a great idea: we would keep it a secret—nobody would know that Bristol was pregnant. She told me that once Bristol had the baby she and Todd would adopt him. That way, she said, Bristol and I didn’t have to worry about anything. Sarah kept mentioning this plan. She was nagging—she wouldn’t give up. She would say, “So, are you gonna let me adopt him?” We both kept telling her we were definitely not going to let her adopt the baby. I think Sarah wanted to make Bristol look good, and she didn’t want people to know that her 17-year-old daughter was going to have a kid.

On Sarah planning to quit as governor of Alaska once her party lost the Presidential election
Sarah was sad for a while. She walked around the house pouting. I had assumed she was going to go back to her job as governor, but a week or two after she got back she started talking about how nice it would be to quit and write a book or do a show and make “triple the money.” It was, to her, “not as hard.” She would blatantly say, “I want to just take this money and quit being governor.” She started to say it frequently, but she didn’t know how to do it. When she came home from work, it seemed like she was more and more stressed out.

[From Vanity Fair]

I feel like Levi is really grasping at straws by claiming that working parents need to do laundry and cook for their grown teenagers. Sarah and Todd’s children are 20, 18, 13, 7, and one. The older kids can easily cook and do laundry and the thirteen year-old can at least do laundry. Levi isn’t saying much else that we haven’t already heard from him, and he seems to be trying to extend his time in the spotlight by any means possible. He seems like a decent kid, but judging from his appearance on Larry King with his buddy Kathy Griffin filling in as host, but he really doesn’t have the chops for any kind of media career. On CNN, he just kind of sat there laughing and taking Kathy’s lead.

Vanity Fair has a behind-the-scenes video with Levi, shown below, in which he laughs and plays along with his more outspoken manager, Tank Jones. From the way Jones talks for Levi, you get the impression that he needs someone with a more outgoing personality to take over for him.

At around 3:29 into the video (thanks to HuffPo for pointing this out), Jones asks Levi if he’s ever thought about doing Playgirl, saying that he was talking to some people at the magazine. Since this is Levi’s manager, you can assume that this exchange was approved by Levi. Levi says “I’d do it… if it would get me out of here.” Tank then counsels Levi that “you’ve gotta have some johnson” to earn a spread in that magazine. Levi is a little coy about whether he rates in that area, saying “you’re just gonna have to see.” That seems like a logical next step for Levi, since interest in him, and the Palins, is rapidly waning. I wouldn’t mind seeing some more of that, but I wouldn’t run out and get Playgirl specifically for Levi, either.

Star Magazine is focusing this week on the supposed marital trouble between former Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin and her husband, Todd. Judging by the teaser article on their site, they’re relying heavily on quotes from the sister of Sarah’s daughter Bristol’s former boyfriend, Levi Johnston. If you had trouble following that, you’re not the only one. They also quote from a brief interview in which Levi confirmed that there was trouble in the Palins’ marriage. In that original interview, conducted by Radar Online, Levi doesn’t volunteer the information that the Palins are having marital problems, and has to be goaded by the reporter into giving those quotes. When he’s first asked why Sarah resigned her position as governor, Levi says she is “following the money,” presumably from her book deal. Then when he’s asked directly if Sarah’s rumored marriage problems led her to resign, he’s like “Oh, yeah.” It’s a pretty weak reassurance from a guy who has an axe to grind. I’m not saying the Palins aren’t having marriage problems, but they deny that they are and Levi’s quotes aren’t exactly enough to base a story on. The quotes from Levi’s sister, Mercede, are also suspect.

Sarah Palin’s husband Todd smiled happily and stood lovingly by his wife’s side last year during her vice presidential campaign. But behind the scenes, their marriage was in turmoil — and now they’re on the brink of a shocking divorce!

In the Aug. 24 issue of Star, on sale today, we have world exclusive details about Alaska’s former first couple and their disintegrating union: They’re sleeping apart, arguing non-stop and losing control of their party-loving daughters!

“Sarah and Todd are fighting all the time,” Mercede Johnston — sister of Levi Johnston, ex-boyfriend of Sarah’s eldest daughter, Bristol — tells Star in an exclusive interview. “When they do, Todd often ends up sleeping on the couch at their home in Wasilla. Bristol used to tell Levi that her parents would argue and bicker over the littlest things, like who was supposed to take out the trash or wash the dishes.”

Levi, the father of Bristol’s 7-month-old son, Tripp, recently told RadarOnline.com that Sarah and Todd have had marital trouble “from day one,” and that he believed their escalating problems were the reason behind her mysterious decision to resign as governor of Alaska last month with more than a year left in her term.

His sister Mercede predicts: “If they ended their marriage within the next year, I wouldn’t be surprised at all. It really seems to me their marriage is just a sham for the cameras now!”

Another possibility, an Alaskan insider tells Star, is that with Sarah’s multi-million-dollar book deal in place, “she might even come to some financial agreement for him to stay with her and give the impression of a loving husband, at least through her book tour next year. In that respect, they’d be like the Jon and Kate Gosselin of politics!”

And like the TLC reality stars, Todd and Sarah have their brood of children to worry about — and their worries keep growing with a new family scandal. Star has an eyewitness account of their 15-year-old daughter Willow drinking vodka and smoking pot at a wild house party! “Her eyes were getting more and more glazed as the night went on,” says a source.

[From Star Magazine]

How much did Star pay Levi’s sister Mercede to support the story they wanted to run? How does Mercede have any inside information on that family? I buy that it could be second hand from Levi, but it sounds like they just got someone to tell them what they wanted to hear. We’ve seen a few interviews with Levi over the past few months and I’m pretty sure the only time he mentioned that the Palins were having trouble was when Radar asked him specifically about it. In an interview with GQ in May, Levi said that visiting the Palin’s house “makes me pretty darn uncomfortable,” so that seems to mean that he avoids it when possible. How would his sister know then that Todd Palin was sleeping on the couch?

It’s possible the Palins are staying together for the sake of the media and that they’ll wait to announce a breakup until after Sarah’s book comes out. Several bloggers out of Alaska reported this story last week and stood by it after receiving legal threats from Palin’s lawyers. Star Magazine isn’t going to convince me, though, and I doubt they have much more than we’ve already heard.

Also, if Willow is drinking and smoking pot at 15 I feel badly for that family, but I don’t think it’s Star’s place to mention it. It’s like they have this supposedly juicy story about the Palins breaking up and they have to go and throw in all the dirt they find about them. You can always count on Star to ruin good gossip by going overboard.