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Alicia Keys � What Else? � Debuts Another Big Hit for NYU Students

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Alicia Keys went to college yesterday ‘ and made a menschy appearance at New York University’s Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music.

Keys took questions from students ‘ aspiring songwriters ‘ and then put on a half hour show with her full band at NYU’s Skirball Center. Her set included two songs from her forthcoming December album, set to be called “The Element of Freedom.” The first single, “Doesn’t Mean Anything,” is great but sounds slightly like her other big hit, “No One.” That’s fine. But a new song, called “Try Sleeping With a Broken Heart,” has all the earmarks of a smash. You heard it here first. Or rather, the 800 or so people at the Skirball heard it first. This is a song we’re going to be hearing through all of 2010 and right until the Grammys in 2011.

The other songs in her set were just the hits: “Fallin’,” “You Don’t Know My Name,” and “If I Ain’t Got You.” Keys is without a doubt the music star of her generation, a’ true phenomenon.

Keys told MTV interviewer Sway, who emceed, about her college days: “The only person you can shortchange is yourself,” she advised the students. “I will never forget trying to balance everything. It’s just about choices, you have to make choices.”

Keys said the making of her “As I Am” album two years was very difficult because she was dealing with personnel changes. “I kind of had to find the snakes in the grass,” she revealed ‘although she’s still with longtime manager Jeff Robinson and J Records, so the snakes, we surmise, were personal. “It’s hard to be the one to change, to end relationships you had for years. I was really trying to find myself. I tend to be a very optimistic person, but I was snappy, and mean. My grandmother was very sick, I was watching her pass away and taking care of her. I was just very, very confused. [Making the record] was very, very difficult for me.”

She overcame it, though. Keys, by the way, named writer-producer Linda Perry as one of her favorite collaborators. And she lavished praise on Stevie Wonder as her musical hero. When asked for tips about how to write a hit song, Keys sang a couple of lines from Bill Withers‘ classic, “Ain’t No Sunshine.” “Just keep it simple,” she advised. “Every time I go into the studio, I don’t know what to do. I say Alright, how I do this again? Part of songwriting is the journey.”

Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” Dedicated to His Children

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When audiences finally see “This Is It” next week, they will also have a lump in the throat moment at the end: a dedication of the movie to Michael’s kids, Prince, Paris, and Blanket.

I’m told the decision was made to dedicate the film that way by Jackson’s executors, John Branca and John McClain. They are also the film’s executive producers.

Also, the Jackson brothers who added vocals to Michael’s Paul Anka song, “This Is It,” get credit as back up singers.

Sony is also releasing a companion album to the movie next Tuesday. But it won’t contain any of the live music played during rehearsals in the film. Instead, it’s an album “inspired by the film.” In other words: it will contain the known studio recordings of songs included in the movie like “Human Nature” and “Billie Jean.” Fans who expected a true “live” album from Jackson may be a tad disappointed. The album does include the title song, however. That’s something!

Meantime, here’s the latest clip from the movie. Jackson is thin, no question. But he’s also in charge, giving instructions on how to perform his songs to director Kenny Ortega. And his voice sounds perfectly Michael, lovely and all there.

And flash: Jackson’s kids will finally see the movie either today or on Saturday, sources tell me. The producers of the film have been offering tickets to the family for the last couple of weeks, but there had been no response. Now, they say, Prince and Paris saw “This Is It” trailed on TV and asked when they were going to see the movie. It’s unclear who else from the family will see it with them.

Can Hilary Swank Make It Three Oscars?

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58696633Hilary Swank has tossed her hat back in the Oscar ring playing legendary pilot Amelia Earhart in Mira Nair’s new film called, of course, “Amelia,” from Fox Searchlight.

Last night “Amelia” got its big premiere with tons of celebs and VIPS including the cast: Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor, Joe Anderson. Mariska Hargitay, who came with actor husband Peter Hermann, brought a little gift for Hilary, too: a keepsake picture book she made of the two pals. You see, stars really are like regular people!

Also in the audience: Fox Searchlight’s dynamic honcho Nancy Utley, director Ang Lee, Sony Pictures Classics’ co chief Tom Bernard, Harry Connick Jr. and wife Jill Goodacre, Julia Ormond, Carey Lowell (aka Mrs. Gere) and, of all people, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

Not to mention there was also Mira Nair (pictured with Hilary Swank), whose films “The Namesake” and “Monsoon Wedding” are among the best of the last two decades.

But Nair had problems when she made “Vanity Fair” with Reese Witherspoon, and some of those problems persist here. While Swank and co. are just fine, the script doesn’t help Nair. She’s constantly working in spite of it to make Earhart’s trajectory a richer one. It’s tough going.

Swank, who’s won two Oscars ‘ for “Million Dollar Baby” and “Boys Don’t Cry” ‘ could certainly be nominated again. She’s got “it,” whatever that is. Amelia Earhart is probably unknown to people under the age of 40, but she’s going to be indelibly impressed as this commanding female pilot now for generations to come. Swank plays it simple, which always works. Even as Amelia becomes a national celebrity, commercial endorser, lover of Gore Vidal’s real life father, wife of a wealthy publisher, Swank keeps her grounded.

By the way: in real life, Earhart did have an affair with and married George Putnam, whose grandfather founded G.P, Putnam’s Sons publishers, now known as Putnam Penguin. Putnam’s original father-in-law was the creator of Crayons. Who knew? In the movie, Earhart and Putnam break up because she is seen having an affair with Gore Vidal’s father, Gene. But in a local Florida paper recently, George Putnam’s granddaughter said it never happened.

Jennifer Hudson Circling Winnie Mandela Project

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Oscar and Grammy winner Jennifer Hudson’s supercharged appearance last night at Denise Rich’s annual Angel Ball gave rise to talk about her next project.

Hudson, who won the Academy Award for “Dreamgirls” and was so good in “The Secret Life of Bees,” is now rumored to be in talks for an indie biopic about South African leader Winnie Mandela. Winnie was a winner during her years as wife of Nelson Mandela during his 27-years of illegal incarceration. But in later years she lost her way, getting into legal trouble and becoming a pariah. She and Mandela have been divorced for some time.

The word is that either the terrific Derek Luke or actor Idris Elba might be up for the part of Nelson Mandela. Details are still sketchy.

Winnie Mandela is all of a sudden a hot topic in movies. This summer, Oscar nominee Sophie Okenedo played Winnie in a BBC film.

Meanwhile, Hudson’s two-song cameo at the Angel Ball ‘ held at Downtown Cipriani ‘ was sensational. Introduced by Clive Davis, Hudson sang her signature hit, “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going” with just piano accompaniment. The audience ‘ which included lots of celebs and big name players ‘ rewarded her with whoops and hollers and a standing ovation.

The audience also rewarded Rich’s charity, Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation, by raising just under $4 million for cancer research. About 76 cents of every dollar from the foundation goes to funding research in memory of Rich’s daughter Gabrielle.

As usual, Rich had tons of stars in the very packed Cipriani ballroom including her pal Natalie Cole, never looking better, recovering from a year of illness and death. Natalie is about to host a Christmas TV special and then get back to recording and touring, she told me. Also on the scene: Robin Thicke (who also gave a tune) and actress wife Paula Patton, the gorgeous actress from “Precious”: plus Alan Cumming, who did some emceeing; sensational Lorraine Bracco, who just filmed a new pilot for HBO, with “Chicago” producer Marty Richards; Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kodb, Nikki Haskell, lucky “Gossip Girl” stars Penn Badgley and Blake Lively (they’re real!); Ivana Trump, Star Jones, Buzz and Lois Aldrin, Howard Stern, Sherri Shepherd, and Deborah Norville ” a natural, I should think, to replace Diane Sawyer on “Good Morning America.”

…Meanwhile, if Diane S. was wondering where her hubby was, Mike Nichols was down at Soho House for a screening of the late great Louis Malle’s “My Dinner with Andre.” That movie’s stars, Andre Gregory and Wally Shawn, were there along with the night’s host, Candice Bergen. Even though Bergen has been married for some time to Marshall Rose, she’s been doing a lovely job honoring Louie. It was just a few weeks ago in the Hamptons that she hosted a screening of “Au Revoir Les Enfants.” We miss Louis Malle! Thanks, Candice…

Tom Cruise Gives Squirrels A Bad Name

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Now Tom Cruise doesn’t like squirrels.

In a new online report from US Weekly, Cruise is overheard calling protesters outside a big Scientology gala in England “squirrels.”

The diminutive star of “Lions for Lambs” and “Valkyrie” attended the annual fest for the religious sect with wife Katie Holmes, a former devout Catholic, and their overpublicized three year old daughter, Suri.

Also at the event were John Travolta and Kelly Preston, on leave from their trial in the Bahamas against two people they claim tried to extort money from them after their son Jett died at the beginning of this year. The Travoltas’ presence certainly shows that rumors of their potential withdrawal from Scientology aren’t true. For years the Travoltas refused to admit that Jett was autistic, claiming he had Kawasaki’s Disease. It was only revealed in police reports after Jett’s death, and during the trial via Travolta’s testimony, that Jett was indeed autistic. Scientology has troubling policies regarding psychiatry and mental illnesses.

According to US Weekly, Cruise spoke with his usual fervor to the assembled followers, much like previously posted videos on YouTube. Afterward, he was heard “angrily” calling protestesters outside “Squirrels.” Cruise told a fellow American they were:’ “Stuck in an electronic incident. It makes me so angry!”

Cruise does not like anyone who questions the controversial group. In a 2004 interview with Rolling Stone, he told writer Neil Strauss: “Who are those people that say those things? Because I promise you, it isn’t everybody. But I look at those people and I say, ‘Bring it. I’m a Scientologist, man. What do you want to know?’ I don’t mind answering questions.”’

Interestingly, both Rolling Stone and US Weekly are each owned by Jann Wenner, Cruise and Travolta’s former close pal. In days of yore, Rolling Stone always got first crack at magazine covers for either star. But since the 2004 Strauss piece, those relationships seem to have cooled considerably.

Broadway’s “Memphis”: “Dreamgirls” plus “Hairspray” Minus Soul

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The musical “Memphis” opened on Broadway last night, budgeted at $12 million, in the works for ten years, and just, stupefyingly, clueless. It just seemed like “Dreamgirls,” with a dash of “Hairspray,” and no soul.

It wasn’t like the makers of it didn’t give it a good try. Bon Jovi’s David Bryan has been working valiantly for years to see this show open on Broadway. He was toasted last night by bandmates Richie Sambora and Tico Torres, who came to the Shubert Theater for their pal. Also on hand were a smattering of celebs including the great Danny Aiello, singer Freddie Jackson, and Gina Gershon. For verisimilitude, Memphis’s Peabody Hotel even sent their famous ducks north for a day of publicity.

But the ducks were about all that seemed true to the nature of “Memphis.” The story is supposed to be that of the white deejay who started playing black music in Memphis. They don’t say when, but figure the late 1950s. There’s no way of knowing. Even though the show is set in my favorite U.S. city outside of New York, there is no reference to Stax, Rufus Thomas, Elvis Presley, or Martin Luther King. The real radio station that anchored R&B music in this seminal R&B capital, WDIA, is also not heard.

So what? “Memphis” is a big, generic commercial show about nothing. There’s some talk of Beale Street, none of James Baldwin. If Beale Street actually could talk it would have a heck of a lot more to say than this show.

But whatever: the opening night audience, composed of cast family members and tons of investors from all over the place, loved it. They cheered like it was a Yankee game (although not last night’s Yankee game). They didn’t seem to notice that the music bore no resemblence to real Memphis R&B, but to standard Broadway pop rock fare that could be transplanted from many other shows. This is what happened to “The Color Purple,” too: it’s gospel from commercials and TV, not church.

Many opportunities are missed despite a very, energetic cast that is one of the most multi-cultural ever on Broadway. You’d think one of the cast members might have raised their hand and said, “This isn’t authentic.” But maybe they’re too young to know the difference. Ironically, at the big after party at the Hard Rock Cafe, the deejay there was playing Al Green and other soul hits from…Memphis. Go figure.

You see, the real life deejay upon which the Memphis story is based is named Dewey Phillips. He’s credited for playing Elvis Presley first on the radio. He was white, and it was considered heroic ‘ for reasons I still don’t get ‘ to introduce black sounding music to white people.

But the real star of Memphis was Rufus Thomas, the city’s genuine radio hero and music star. He was black. The legendary Rufus was the first to play Elvis on black radio, and was a beloved figure in the city. He had hits like “Walking the Dog” and “The Funky Chicken.” There’s all sorts of things like plaques and parks named for him in Memphis. His daughter, Carla, is still the queen of Memphis soul. His son, Marvell, played keyboards on thousands of hits. His wife was a supporter of Martin Luther King. His youngest daughter, Vaneese, has been featured on this page. Wanna know about Memphis R&B? Let’s start there.

Am I being too tough? Maybe. The intentions were good here: bring this city and some music and racial history to the masses. Check. Check. Check. But it’s so inauthentic. Someone close to the show told me at the party: “The creators didn’t even go to Memphis until they were done and needed investors.” That says a lot. I will tell you that on my numerous visits, besides music, the other thing Memphians are obsessed with is their barbecue. Is it dry or wet, the Cozy Corner or the Rendezvous? And as far I know not one rib was eaten, not one piece of pecan pie was served, during the two exasperating hours of “Memphis.”

“Spider Man” on Broadway: “Still a $45 Million Mess”

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So what’s happened to the “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” musical on Broadway, now just a few months away from opening?

“It’s still a $45 million mess,” says an insider who confirmed that Jim Stern and a group of investors including Norton Herrick are supposedly coming in as angels to save the day.

Will this show be happening? “Yes, definitely,” says my source, who knows as much as anyone. “It’s too good not to.”

But in the meantime, “Spider Man” ‘ directed by Julie Taymor with music by U2 ‘ is sort of drifting.

“They had just enough money to get the theater ready. That’s what’s going on right now, preparations. But they don’t have the money to really start beyond that. They’re just waiting.”

Five months remain — short months for a big show — to get “Spider-Man” ready for action. Come on, money guys, the ball is in your…web! And Evan Rachel Wood (who will play Mary Jane) isn’t getting any younger!

Madonna: Made Over $100 Mil, Gave Only $500K to Charity

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Madonna is becoming something of a skinflint. She’s certainly not into using her enormous wealth to help those less fortunate.

After all that talk of her donating millions to Malawi, here’s the way it boils down thanks to a newly obtained tax filing for her Ray of Light Foundation.

According to Ray of Light’s 2008 Form 990, Ray of Light is now worth over $6 million in assets.

But Madonna gave away a total of $459,000 last year. Forbes, on the other hand, placed her annual take at $110 million and put her at number 3 on its celebrity earners list. Her last tour grossed $280 million.

Ray of Light has cut down to just a handful of charities, too. Madonna gave most of that money to Kabbalah or its associated causes. She sent $231,000 to Raising Malawi, which is a front for the Kabbalah Center; $150,000 to Kabbalah’s Spirituality for Kids; and $53,00o to the Gucci Foundation, which in turn was for Raising Malawi.

Her other two charitable contributions were to Jewish Big Brothers/Sisters of Los Angeles ($10,000) and $15,000 to the T. J. Martell Foundation for Cancer Research. Ray of Light actually paid more than that in “investment fees” ($37,000). That’s pretty sad.

What this also means is that in the year, 2008, that Madonna was special guest at AmFar’s Cinema Against AIDS in Cannes, the singer donated no money from Ray of Light to that charity or to any other conducting AIDS research.

She doesn’t even give money to MusiCares or the Grammy Foundation. I guess we can scratch her name as a contender for MusiCares’s Person of the Year.

Madonna fares very poorly by comparison with buddies like Rosie O’Donnell and Barbra Streisand, or even Oprah Winfrey. All of them are professional charity donors of the highest rank. And she’s way behind Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Paul Simon, Steven Spielberg, Sting and Trudie Styler’s Rainforest Foundation, and other charitable minded celebs.

Rock Hall DVDs: Mucho Springsteen, But No Dylan, Stones, Bowie, Zeppelin

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The new nine-DVD set of performances from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies is certainly a head scratcher ‘ just as much as the Hall of Fame itself, I guess.

For one thing, there are no appearances whatsoever by Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, The Eagles, The Police, David Bowie, Elton John, or Led Zeppelin. But there are ten ‘ yes, ten ‘ appearances by Bruce Springsteen. He’s sort of the Zelig of Jann Wenner’s invention.

Was there someone named Keith Richards in rock and roll? ‘Paul Simon? Art Garfunkel? Stevie Wonder? Michael Jackson? The Dells? Dion? Bobby “Blue” Bland? Not in this DVD set.

There’s also a real curiosity: Chubby Checker, doing “The Twist.” The Hall of Fame has so far refused to induct Chubby Checker, and he’s insisted on a statue of himself to be erected at the Cleveland Museum. The performance is from 1986, when the Hall of Fame was forming. Chubby probably thought he’d get in right after that. Sorry!

The DVDs are heavy on Springsteen, but also include three performances by The Pretenders, of all things. I love the Pretenders, and was at their induction, but three songs? Huh? At least there’s no Madonna, from her embarrassing induction. But there’s also no Sex Pistols, Talking Heads, or Ramones but Green Day instead doing “Blitzkrieg Bop.”

Eric Clapton checks in four times solo and three more times with Cream. There’s no Led Zeppelin, but Ann and Nancy Wilson ‘‘who are aka Heart ‘ play “Battle for Evermore.” Heart is not in the Hall of Fame, but they are now. So too are a bunch of others who happened to assist at performances including Sheryl Crow, Soul Asylum, Jonny Lang (from France), Joan Jett, and four ”four ‘‘appearances by non-member Eddie Vedder.

On the soul side, Aretha Franklin and Al Green are each included three times, and there’s a one whole disc devoted to classic R&B. But there’s no sign of Ray Charles (except for a Billy Joel tribute), Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight, the Supremes, Sam Moore, or many other soul stars. On top of that, Isaac Hayes’s name is spelled wrong on the website. (So, too, is Blondie’s, which seems hard to do.)

The soul stars who are on the discs, however, do comprise Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Ben E. King, Ruth Brown, the Four Tops, Tina Turner, Percy Sledge, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Jerry Butler, the Staples Singers, Booker T and the MGs, The O’Jays,’ Solomon Burke and Wilson Pickett. The latter clip, of course, includes Bruce Springsteen.

There’s also no appearance by Van Morrison. Maybe that’s the reason he decided not to play at the Rock Hall’s 25th anniversary show next week. Mick Jagger does turn up a couple of times, but none of the other Stones roll with him.

Right now, Time Life is offering the discs for $120. As with all things Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, including next week’s high priced shows, I have no idea where the money goes. To the artists? The museum? Into the ether? We’ll have to wait and see.

Anna Nicole’s Doc: Drug Menu Came in Her Fax

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0316 kapoor letter263x300 Anna Nicoles Doc: Drug Menu Came in Her FaxAnna Nicole Smith’s doctor, Khristine Eroshevich: the story of her giving Smith heavy prescriptions in inappropriate doses and combinations started in my former column in early March 2007.

Now as Eroshevich, Dr. Sandeep Kapoor and Howard K. Stern go through a preliminary hearing before a probable trial, here is the fax that started it all. Eroshevich sent it to Dr. Kapoor in the fall of 2006, from the Bahamas ‘ where she was always at Smith’s side ‘ to Los Angeles in September 2006 right after baby Daniellyn was born and Smith’s son Daniel died.

Eroshevich wanted a laundry list of medications sent to the Bahamas by courier for ‘M. Chase,’ the pseudonym Smith used to obtain drugs.

The list is scary and potentially very harmful. It included: four bottles of 2 mg Dilaudid; 2 milliliter bottles of Lorazepam Intensol (Ativan); two bottles of 350 mg Soma, a total of 180 tablets; one bottle each of 30 mg Dalmane and 400 mg Prexige, the latter a British drug; and one bottle of methadone, 300 5mg tablets. All of them are classified as different types of painkillers.

Eroshevich sent the fax on Sept. 15, 2006, a week after the baby was born and five days after Daniel’s death.

At first she sent it from the Bahamas to Sandeep Kapoor, the Los Angeles physician who treated Smith under the pseudonym ‘Michelle Chase.’

When Kapoor refused to fill the prescriptions, sources say, Eroshevich sent the request directly to Key Pharmacy in North Hollywood, Calif. It was also refused there.

The doctor wrote the fax in her own hand and added a note at the bottom: ‘You have my local number here. Please call if half of the amounts can be prepared, I’ll have someone take them to a courier to bring to me and he can [illegible] Fedex the rest, except for the Intensol, which has to be on ice.’

She signed it ‘Kris,’ even though it seemed from the fax that she didn’t actually know Kapoor.

One pharmacist, to whom I read this list two years ago, noted that all the dosages requested were much higher than usual.

‘That’s 12 times the amount of Dalmane. All together, these drugs potentially will kill you. I would have refused to fill the order.’

All of the drugs carry warnings for pregnant women and those who are breastfeeding especially not to take them.

The directions for Prexige read: ‘Tell your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby. Ask your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking Prexige in this case. It is not known if lumiracoxib, the active ingredient of Prexige, passes into the breast milk and could affect your baby.’

When I first revealed this fax, I spoke to Eroshevich. The psychiatrist acknowledged the existence of the fax, but declined to comment on it, citing “patient confidentiality.”

The Broward County Medical Examiner’s report found that upon her death, Smith was loaded with Noctec (chloral hydrate), as well as about a dozen painkillers and sedatives including Valium and the aforementioned Lorazepam.

The judge in this new hearing may or not know that Eroshevich was fired from her only other job in July 2006. At the Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association (LACERA), Eroshevich’s professional issues cropped up right away. On July 7, 2006, the doctor was stripped of her job for failing to perform her duties properly.

From the Board of Retirement minutes:

“Recommendation to terminate the services of Board Panel Psychiatrist Khristine Eroshevich, M.D., Ph.D. (Memo dated July 7, 2006):

“Mr. [James] Castranova [the board’s legal counsel] gave a brief explanation of the recommendation to terminate Dr. Eroshevich’s services. It was noted that on two occasions, Dr. Eroshevich arranged for psychologists to conduct fact-to-face examination of LACERA members, which is a violation of the agreement between LACERA and Dr. Eroshevich, when only Board Certified Physicians are allowed to conduct these examinations.

“A motion was made by Mr. Russin, seconded by Mr. Chery, to approve the recommendation. The Legal Office, at the request of Mr. Russin, will review Dr. Eroshevich’s invoices to ensure that charges are proper. The Legal Office will report its findings and any recommendations to the Insurance, Benefits and Legislative Committee. The motion passed with Mr. Macias abstaining.”

James Castranova, whom I spoke with in 2007, confirmed that Dr. Eroshevich farmed out her duties to other shrinks in violation of her agreement.

In other words, she was sending unqualified doctors to interview members of LACERA when she was supposed to be doing the work herself.

LACERA spokesman Gregg Rademacher told me it’s the first time he can remember that his organization had a physician who farmed out their job to other professionals, only to be caught later.

Eroshevich is also being questioned in court about the propriety of her close relationship with Smith. In fact, they were so close, they were next-door neighbors.

Real estate records for both Anna Nicole and Dr. Khristine Eroshevich reveal that the patient and her doctor actually lived next door to each other in million-dollar homes in Studio City, Calif.

Public records indicate that Eroshevich and her husband, Wes Irwin, live at 3656 Avenida Del Sol in Studio City. Their house is listed as a four-bath, four-bedroom set-up purchased in 2002 for $925,000. Eroshevich bought the house with a mortgage of $693,750. In 2006, according to public records, the total value was $980,335. And yes, the house has a pool.

Oddly, right next door at 3646 Avenida Del Sol is a home owned by Smith and Howard K. Stern. The home was purchased in 2004 for $1,335,000, with a $934,500 mortgage from a private firm in Burbank, Calif., called J&R Lending.

The deal wasn’t finalized until almost a year later and the home was registered to a company called Hot Smoochie Lips, Inc. Stern and Smith were the only officers of that company. A woman who answered the phone at J&R said the loan had been subsequently sold, but refused to give any more information.

And still, it’s interesting to watch both syndicated shows, “The Insider” and “Entertainment Tonight” as they cover the drug hearing. The two shows, owned by CBS Paramount Television, paid Eroshevich as a source and on-air interviewee throughout their non-stop coverage of Smith’s death and funeral. The shows never once questioned her involvement or that of Howard K. Stern, whom they paid as well.