Entertainment Today: Showbiz news

OPRAH WINFREY

Oprah Winfrey -- who has taken a bit of a PR beating since reports last week that she turned down a request from President Bush to headline a tour of Afghanistan schools because she was too busy -- says she feels "extremely used" by the White House.

Star Jones -- a friend of Winfrey's and one of the hosts of the ABC daytime show "The View" -- told viewers Tuesday that Winfrey telephoned her before the show to "talk a little bit about what the real story was." Jones said Winfrey told her the White House approached her a few weeks ago and told her about "ultra-sensitive" plans for the tour.

"She was really, really quiet and the White House said check your schedule and she did but she had some fund-raisers that she had committed to and anybody knows when you do these things," said Jones, "people sell tickets expecting you to be there."

According to Jones, Winfrey couldn't get out of appearing at the fund-raiser -- and didn't even want to "because she had made the commitment." Jones said Winfrey was surprised when it was reported last week that she had turned down the president.

"She did say, 'Star, I felt extremely used by the Bush administration,'" sad Jones.

(Thanks to UPI Hollywood Reporter Pat Nason)

KATHIE LEE GIFFORD

In the upcoming issue of Ladies Home Journal, controversial entertainer Kathie Lee Gifford has even more to say about her longtime association with Regis Philbin and their TV talk show.

Even hubby Frank Gifford confirms in the interview with the magazine that Kathie Lee was never happy with the show and left two years ago after seeing the broadcast stuck in a rut of "sameness." The Giffords say they have seldom watched the show since her departure.

Kathie Lee confirms in the article that she is working on a tell-all book about her association with the show and will speak openly about the controversy that surrounded the possible use of child labor in the production of her signature clothing line. She says when she left the Philbin show, in essence she wasn't really there anyway; her heart had exited the program years prior.

(Thanks to UPI's Dennis Daily)

TOM GREEN AND THE RAZZIES

Award history was made last month, but not at the 74th annual Academy Award ceremonies. For the first time ever, a winner showed up to accept his Razzie trophy.

It happened at the 22nd annual Golden Raspberry Award Foundation dishonoring the worst movies and their makers for 2001.

The Razzies -- which took place March 23, the night before the Oscars -- was held at the Abracadabra Theater at Magicopolis, in Santa Monica, Calif. Tom Green appeared to collect his awards -- all five of them -- for worst actor, picture, writer, director and half of the worst screen couple for his movie "Freddy Got Fingered." (In the latter category, he won for appearing in scenes in which he abused a number of animal co-stars.)

Not only did he show up but he arrived in style via limousine and wearing a tuxedo.

Green addressed the gathering at every opportunity, enjoying the spotlight. Ungraciously, he complained that "Freddy Got Fingered" did not win a sixth "Razzie" for worst actress of 2001. That nominee was Green's co-star and former wife, Drew Barrymore.

"Before the show I told Green there was an eight-year-old's birthday party taking over the theater so we wouldn't have time for him to give five acceptance speeches for his awards," said John Wilson, founder of the organization that parodies the Oscars. "I said we would present the first and last awards if he only spoke twice. But if he insisted on all five, he would only get one trophy. He agreed, but when he took his seat someone gave him a bullhorn, which really made me nervous."

Once on stage, Green played his harmonica. Too bad Denzel Washington didn't think of that.

(Thanks to UPI's Vernon Scott in Hollywood)