ROLL CALL: Hasselback Talks Rosie & Paris Silences Ads

Your Daily Dispatch of Celebrity Shenaningans by Tommy Vergason

April 2, 2007

ROSIE’S NO HASSLE FOR HASSELBECK: Reports of backstage animosity between The View’s Rosie O’Donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck may be premature. Hasselbeck reportedly tells PEOPLE magazine in its new issue that their on-air arguments are just that, and nothing more: “Everyone’s always thinking Ro and I don’t get along, we’re ‘enemies,” she’s quoted as saying. “Politically, we’re rivals. That is clear. However, we are personally friends. We are on e-mail all day long with each other.” And those stories about Rosie driving Elisabeth to tears on occasion? Hasselbeck shrugs them off: “Under these blonde highlights I consider myself a pretty tough person. So don’t cry for me, Argentina.”

THE LION PEEKS TONIGHT: It seems that no tears should be shed for Christina Ricci either, if the symbol on her back is any indication. THE NY DAILY NEWS’ BEN WIDDICOMBE writes about the Samsonite Black Label Fashionaire luggage collection launch party at the Gramercy Hotel in NYC last week, in which Ricci showed up as the collection’s spokeswoman. Ricci reportedly wore a backless black dress, which allowed a tattoo of a “fearsome lion” to peek through. When asked about the tattoo, Ricci is said to respond, “It’s Aslan, the lion God of Narnia, from ‘The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.’ It was a symbol of my hellish childhood. I struggled through my oppressive teenage years, and when I turned 18, I escaped. Like Aslan, I was finally free.” No further details were divulged by Ricci.

PARIS HAS HAD ENOUGH OF STORAGE FACILITIES, THANK YOU: Manhattan Mini Storage is a service available to New Yorkers who may need more than a wardrobe to house their belongings, and Paris Hilton is apparently not interested in helping that particular business advertise. THE NY POST’s PAGE SIX claims that it alerted Hilton’s spokesperson, Elliott Mintz, to ads that have appeared on phone kiosks in NYC that say “Your closet’s so shallow, it makes Paris look deep.” Mintz reportedly told Paris’ lawyer about the ads, who allegedly fired off a cease-and-desist letter to the storage company.

ELTON GOES HOLLYWOOD: Elton John may need some extra storage space himself, as reports have surfaced of his purchase of a new 1,831-square-foot apartment in L.A. Though relatively small by celebrity standards, the two-bedroom pad is all about location. Several sources allegedly tell E! ONLINE’s MARC MALKIN of Sir Elton’s $2.5 million purchase of the apartment at the fashionable Sierra Towers high-rise building in West Hollywood, which includes “exceptional views from downtown to the ocean and everything in between,” according the Multiple Listing Service. Elton’s new neighbors reportedly include Lindsay Lohan, Matthew Perry, and Cher. This latest home is said to be Elton’s seventh with husband David Furnish.

THE SEQUEL IS OUT THERE?: And finally, some movie development news. “X-Files” fans may get their wish for a new movie, after many stalled attempts at a sequel to 1998’s “The X-Files: Fight the Future.” Following numerous reports over the last few years that the sequel was still held up over legalities and contracts, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY posts a quote from actress Gillian Anderson’s manager Connie Freiberg which says: ‘‘There’s no obstacles other than the delivery of a great script.’’ This revelation comes on the heels of a statement from Anderson’s co-star David Duchovny, who reportedly told IESB on March 27 that final negotiations for the second “X-Files” film and should wrap this week. Duchovny was quoted as saying “There is no script completed, they are still developing the entire story.”