CHARLES BARKLEY gave Glen Rice major props yesterday, but not for anything he did on the basketball court. Former NBA player Rice slept with Sarah Palin – or so he claims in Joe McGinniss’ book, “The Rogue: Searching for the Real Sarah Palin,” as the People’s Paper’s own Ronnie Polaneczky told you yesterday.
“If that story is true, more power to Glen Rice,” the former 76er said on ESPN’s “Waddle & Silvy” radio show yesterday. He continued, “I would never vote for her, I’ll always vote Democratic. I think you’ve got a better chance of helping poor people if you vote Democratic. . . . But I’ll always have a thing for Sarah Palin, and when I read that, Glen Rice is my new hero. He’s my new hero.”
Barkley has never been shy about his attraction to Palin. Back in January, Barkley shared his view with “30 Rock” star Tracy Morgan, who classily responded, “Let me tell you something about Sarah Palin: She’s good masturbation material.“
Popsicle nightmare
While doing press for his new movie “Trespass,” actor Nicolas Cage revealed his own terrifying run-in with a frozen treat.
“It was two in the morning. I was living in Orange County at the time and was asleep with my wife. My 2-year-old at the time was in another room. I opened my eyes and there was a naked man wearing my leather jacket eating a Fudgesicle in front of my bed,” Cage told reporters on Wednesday.
Wait, can the intruder be naked if he’s wearing a leather jacket? And is Cage saying that’s not appropriate attire? We’re going to have to rethink our office wear.
“I know it sounds funny . . . but it was horrifying,” Cage added.
“Trespass,” set for an October release and directed by schlock master Joel Schumacher, is about a group of thieves who break into the house of a superrich man (Cage) and his dissatisfied wife (Nicole Kidman). We’ll go out on a limb and predict that the quality of “Trespass” will be akin to Cage’s most recent outtings: “Season of the Witch” and “Drive Angry 3D.”
Home girl
Whatever happened to Philly-born actress Karen Malina White, who played Charmaine Brown on the NBC sitcom “The Cosby Show” and “A Different World”? Well, she’s not screaming “Lance!” the way she used to, reports our Jenice Armstrong. In Philly this week to celebrate her 47th birthday, White and some relatives partied at Champagne restaurant, 21 E. Chelten Ave., where her musician boyfriend, Stacey McGee, was performing. The lovebirds, who met as kids at Jesu Elementary School, reconnected a year ago in Los Angeles and have been together ever since. Yesterday, City Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller honored White for her accomplishments professionally and for promoting world peace with Soka Gakkai, a Buddhist organization.
Get real
* Kim Kardashian was a noticeable no-show at Richie Rich‘s New York Fashion Week show at which her new sister-in-law, plus-size model Kaela Humphries, was strutting her stuff. Humphries walked alongside other curvy celebs Kirstie Alley and Coco, the buxom wife of rapper Ice-T. Coco had a major nip slip at the event but played it off just fine.
Kim’s snub wouldn’t be so scandalous if Kaela hadn’t joined Kim and sister Kourtney at the Sherri Hill fashion show earlier that day, where Kardashian half-sister Kendall Jenner made her runway debut. Could this spell the end of the young Kardashian-Humphries union? Some reports say Kim’s hubbie, Kris, hasn’t worn his wedding ring all week.
“Their whole life is staged,” a source told Star magazine. “I don’t think he realized that and is now getting a rude awakening. He’s sick of how their lives are planned out like a scripted TV show.”
* Bravo has fired “Real Housewives of New York” Jill Zarin, Kelly Bensimon, Alex McCord, leaving LuAnn de Lesseps, Ramona Singer and Sonja Morgan to carry the series, along with three as-yet-unnamed cast members.
