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© St. Petersburg Times, published July 4, 2002
Ovitz apologizes for 'gay mafia' remark
Onetime superagent Michael Ovitz apologized Tuesday for his comments in a Vanity Fair magazine article in which he blames his downfall on a group he calls Hollywood's "gay mafia," reports the Los Angeles Times.
"I made some statements that were inappropriate during an open and frank discussion with Vanity Fair," Ovitz said in a statement. "In particular the term 'gay mafia' does not reflect my true feelings or attitudes. It is regrettable and I am truly sorry."
Ovitz's comments in the Vanity Fair story, which were furiously faxed and e-mailed around Hollywood starting early Monday, stunned even the town's most blase insiders. Some questioned Ovitz's sanity and others said he was homophobic.
Ovitz blamed many people, not all of them gay, for his problems. Among those singled out were Dreamworks SKG founder David Geffen and Universal Studios chief Ron Meyer, who was a founding partner at Ovitz's former agency, CAA. Geffen suggested Ovitz needed psychiatric care.
Sharon Osbourne, wife of British heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne and co-star of the MTV reality series The Osbournes, underwent surgery Wednesday for a treatable cancer.
Family spokeswoman Lisa Vega wouldn't say what type of cancer Osbourne has or where the surgery took place, but said it was completed by early evening. No other details were available.
"Everyone is in good spirits because the prognosis is very positive," Vega said. "The doctors have told them all she's expected to make a full recovery."
Vega said Osbourne, 50, would be hospitalized overnight, but was unsure whether her stay would last longer.
Because of the surgery, the first two dates of Osbourne's Ozzfest 2002 summer music tour, in Bristol, Va., and Pittsburgh, have been postponed.
A second season of The Osbournes is scheduled to begin airing in the fall.
Christina Christian of Gainesville; EJay Day of Lawrenceville, Ga.; and Nikki McKibbin of Grand Prairie, Texas, advanced to the second round of American Idol based on the results of viewer phone voting announced Wednesday night.
Nine contestants now have advanced to the next round of the Fox contest promising to deliver the next great pop music star. They came from 30 who performed over the past three weeks. This was the third round, which also was the first round to be shown in full on TV.
Next week the show's three music industry judges will select a wild card from the 21 who had been eliminated, bringing to 10 the number in the next round.
Over the next few weeks, a winner will be chosen, and he or she will get a recording contract.