Dinner Party Cheat Sheet knows that Michael Jackson was never bitten by a spider at his Neverland Ranch. The only thing that bites in his life is his career.
SOCK STAR
Michael Jackson took the stand in a California courtroom this week to beat back claims that he stiffed a producer out of two millennium concert performances. Jackson mugged for the cameras throughout the trial, flashing goofy grins and pantomiming devil horns. Walking into court on the first day, Jackson wore a sock on one foot and said he’d been bitten by a spider. The next day, the sock stayed and he added a blue armband, which the King of Pop said was for “power – [for] the world, not for me,” he squeaked. Fashion experts said Jackson erred. Yellow armbands are for world power and blue armbands symbolize severe instability.
FRY-BABIES
The likelihood of ingesting a cancer-causing substance increases the longer you fry or bake high-carb foods such as french fries and potato chips, a recent federal study shows. In one test, performed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the level of acrylamide, a natural chemical, began to rise after scientists baked french fries for more than the recommended 15 minutes. The FDA warned that cooks should be wary of dishing up daily doses of Potatoes a la Frito.
BLOW-HARD
Dinner Party Cheat Sheet is never one for gossip, but Whitney Houston told ABC’s Diane Sawyer that she drank, popped pills, smoked pot and used coke – but that she was never addicted to any of the substances. “I like to think … I had a bad habit … which can be broken,” Whitney said. She said her compact disc, which comes out this Tuesday, is great for sniffing lines off.
MAN OR MOUSE?
Scientists around the globe have concluded that mice and humans share 99 of the same genes – even the genes that could make a tail for us bipeds. While this would mean that mice are the perfect candidates for studying diseases and new treatments, the scientists may want to check their data. Rumor has it their test subject was a man in a Mickey costume.
INTO THE END ZONE
ABC News and Sports pioneer Roone Arledge died this week. Friends and colleagues remembered the man who helped revolutionize the way we watch the tube, creating such shows as “Monday Night Football” and “Nightline.” ABC executives were quick to point out that Arledge retired in 1998 and in no way should be credited with “The Bachelor” or that Whitney Houston interview.