Rosie's gaydar under fire
Gayle denies rumors she and best pal Oprah are lovers
While Gayle King has yet again denied that ever-persistent rumor about her and Oprah Winfrey being lovers, I've learned this most recent recurrence of the tale has members of Team Oprah peeved with Rosie O'Donnell for opening that discussion yet again.
King effectively quashed the story earlier this week, telling ''Access Hollywood'' at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards in New York, ''If we were gay, we would tell you -- we would so tell you. We wouldn't try to keep that a secret because there's nothing wrong with being gay. ... The truth of the matter is we're not. It's hard enough for me to get a date on Saturday night as it is.''
A longtime Harpo insider said Tuesday, ''This is just so dumb. Rosie should know better. Her comments on [Howard] Stern seemed to imply there really was something to this story, when there isn't.''
The reference was about the openly gay TV personality's appearance on Stern's Sirius XM radio show late last month.
During an exchange with the broadcast bad boy, O'Donnell said, ''I don't know. I think [Oprah's] never been married and she's exceptionally close to Gayle. I don't know that she and Gayle are necessarily doing each other, but I think they are the emotional equivalent of ...'' with Stern filling in, ''A gay couple.''
O'Donnell added, ''When they did that road trip,, that's as gay as it gets. ... I'm just saying, listen, if you ask me, that's the couple.''
My Harpo source said, ''Look. Oprah just shot a cover of O [magazine] with Ellen DeGeneres, did a whole show with Ellen and [her spouse] Portia de Rossi in their first-ever TV interview together ... and hung out with Ellen on Michigan Avenue.
''Don't you think, if there ever was a time for Oprah to come out -- that would be it?
''For the umpteenth time, Oprah and Gayle aren't gay!''
PAPAL PATTER: Chicago installation artist and sculptor John David Mooney is among a select group of painters, sculptors, actors, playwrights, musicians, architects and other artists invited by the Vatican to meet with Pope Benedict XVI Nov. 21. The group will gather under Michelangelo's frescoes in St. Peter's Sistine Chapel -- marking the 10th anniversary of John Paul II's letter to artists and the 45th anniversary of Paul VI's special recognition of the world's artists.
Among those scheduled to join Mooney in Rome are sculptor Anish Kapoor (creator of Millennium Park's iconic ''Bean''), Chicago's stalled ''Spire'' architect Santiago Calatrava, Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham, tenor Andrea Bocelli and filmmaker Franco Zeffirelli.
FUNNY SHTICK: ''Curb Your Enthusiasm'' actor Jeff Garlin had fun the other night goofing on patrons at Hub 51, pretending he was a pushy security guard. Yet, as the Chicago native checked IDs and asked guests entering the restaurant how ''you're going to give back'' this holiday season, few were fooled. Almost everyone recognized the comic from Larry David's HBO series. Turns out, the Garlin stunt was filmed as part of the Chicago-based Celeb TV's ''Holiday of Stars'' show, airing on WLS-Channel 7 at 5 p.m. Dec. 6.
SEEN ON THE SCENE: Rapper and Chicago native Lupe Fiasco and actor Michael Ealy (''Barbershop'' films) hit town Wednesday to boost ''The People Speak,'' a documentary dramatizing key moments in U.S. history, whose producers include Matt Damon and Josh Brolin. Fiasco and Ealy hosted an excerpt screening of the film (airing Dec. 13 on the History Channel) at Northwestern's Jacobs Center as part of a college campus tour. ... Denver Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin and Blackhawks right wing Dustin Byfuglien were spied (separately) hanging out at Market, where Dan Aykroyd is slated to introduce his Crystal Head vodka, 9 to 11 p.m. Monday.
AEROSMITH UPDATE: Steven Tyler has finally denied he's leaving Aerosmith (see below), but reportedly there are issues about band management and Tyler's meddling galpal Erin Brady -- dubbed ''Aerosmith's Yoko Ono'' by the band's Joe Perry.
IN THE WHIRL: Once again the ''Jersey Boys'' team has thrown down the gauntlet, challenging the cast of ''Young Frankenstein'' to a game of Whirlyball late tonight -- after both groups of actors wrap up their shows.