Bush press secretary speaks at synagogue

WACO, Texas -- White House press secretary Ari Fleischer, best known for his televised press briefings from the West Wing, took his act on the road, talking Mideast policy at a Texas synagogue before hitting the "Tonight Show."

Fleischer spoke at Friday's Shabbat service at Temple Rodef Sholom in Waco, near President Bush's central Texas ranch.

The spokesman outlined U.S. Mideast policy and described his typical day to the temple audience. Reporters were barred, and a White House spokeswoman said Fleischer accepted an invitation to speak off the record.

While Bush is in Los Angeles on Monday, Fleischer will slip away to tape an appearance on Jay Leno's late-night NBC comedy talk show.

"Surviving the White House press corps requires a sense of humor, so I'm hoping to get some tips from Jay," Fleischer told U.S. News & World Report.

Fleischer, 41, became engaged last week to Rebecca Davis, 26, an employee of the White House Office of Management and Budget.

Columnist's 50 years in entertainment marked

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Daily Variety columnist Army Archerd was honored Friday night for his 50 years covering the entertainment business. "I'm the luckiest man in the world," he said.

The Beverly Hilton ballroom was jammed with 1,000 people, including celebrities and film studio executives.

Archer was serenaded with songs by Tom Wopat, Tony Danza and Reba McEntire and praised by Quincy Jones, Merv Griffin, Jon Voight, Garth Brooks and Carl Reiner.

The most emotional moment came when Julie Andrews praised Archerd, half-talking and half-singing "we've grown accustomed to his face" in a parody of the "My Fair Lady" standard.

Andrews had not sung publicly since undergoing an operation several years ago to remove non-cancerous growths from her throat. The operation damaged her singing voice.

Agent: Kournikova didn't pose for 'Penthouse'

NEW YORK -- The agent for Russian tennis player Anna Kournikova has denied that she withdrew from upcoming tournaments in Germany or that she posed nude for Penthouse magazine.

"She never was entered, so she never withdrew," agent David Schwab said of the tournaments in Hamburg and Berlin. "You can't withdraw if you are not entered."

Kournikova, 20, is on a five-match losing streak and still looking for her first tournament championship.

As for a 10-page layout in the June edition of Penthouse magazine, complete with topless pictures, Schwab denied the shots were of his client.

"The magazine has committed numerous violations of Miss Kournikova's rights, including portraying her in a false light," Schwab said. "We will take all appropriate actions to protect our client's name, rights and image."

Ex-Nebraska football player considers fortune

OMAHA, Neb. -- Omaha has renamed part of a city street in honor of Dave Rimington, the former two-time All-American lineman from Nebraska.

Rimington also played for the Cincinnati Bengals and Philadelphia Eagles.

The ceremony was originally scheduled for Sept. 13, but was postponed after terrorists attacked the World Trade Center in New York.

Rimington is president of the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which operated in offices donated by the bond-trading firm Cantor-Fitzgerald on the 101st floor of the north tower.

But at the time, Rimington was in Nebraska preparing for the street-naming ceremony. His co-workers were not in the office that day, but Remington lost friends from Cantor-Fitzgerald.

"Nobody from my floor made it out," Rimington said. "I was lucky."

Rimington has been president of the New York-based Esiason Foundation since its start in 1993. The foundation, started by former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason, Rimington's teammate in Cincinnati, supports research and treatment of cystic fibrosis. It also awards the annual Rimington Trophy to the nation's outstanding collegiate center.

'Sex and City' star's pregnancy limits show

NEW YORK -- Expect more of Sarah Jessica Parker in upcoming months, but less "Sex and the City."

The star's pregnancy means there will be only eight episodes next season instead of the usual 13.

Production on the Emmy-winning HBO comedy series was suspended earlier this month when Parker announced she was pregnant.

On Friday, the cable network said it plans to produce eight episodes for its upcoming season. Two of them are finished, and the other six will be shot starting in early May.

The fifth season is scheduled to begin airing in July. Parker's character, sex columnist Carrie Bradshaw, won't be pregnant on the show.

Parker is expecting a baby in the fall with husband Matthew Broderick. It will be the first child for the 37-year-old actress and Broderick, 40.

Garrison Keillor debuts 'Olson' romance opera

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Garrison Keillor will debut his new opera, "Mr. and Mrs. Olson," on May 24-26 at the Ordway Center.

The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra will be featured as well as local soprano Maria Jette, who regularly appears on Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion" radio show on Minnesota Public Radio.

The opera tells the story of a married St. Paul couple searching for romance. Norman Olson is a tax man, and his wife, Karen, teaches 10th-grade English.

"It's May. He is thinking about the lawn. She is thinking about divorce," according to Keillor.

"In search of companionship, or something, she goes into an online chat room and, there, meets a man whose mind appeals to her thoughts about living life boldly and hurling yourself forward, though you know you'll make mistakes and hurt people," he says.

--From wire reports