Rumored sex tape of baseball star reaches gossip mill

British tabloids are reporting that New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez was caught on hidden video camera in a Big Apple apartment where he and singer Madonna allegedly met for sexual encounters. An unidentified man is reported to have contacted Madonna’s lawyers claiming to have the footage. The singer’s reps say they’re aware of his claim, but have no comment. A-Rod has been linked to Madonna for weeks with many speculating that the top-salaried slugger’s marriage suffered because of it. Rodriguez’ wife recently filed for divorce from him, alleging infidelity.

IThe death of Bush’s former press secretary was too soon
Pamela On Politics: Tony Snow’s death, at 53, was something we all feared would come too soon, and for his family, friends and colleagues it is defiantly did. I met Tony more than 20 years ago when we were both guests on the weekly public affairs show “Evening Exchange.” The WHUR-TV show, hosted by longtime D.C. fixture Kojo Namdi, featured a round-table of journalists who discussed the happenings in the nation’s capital. Read more at Pamela On Politics.

McKinney nominated to lead Green Party
The Green Party nominated former Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney as its 2008 presidential nominee on Saturday, helping to revive the political career of the controversial Democrat. At its nominating convention at the Chicago Symphony Center, 313 of the 532 votes cast by delegates, she earned the right to represent fellow party mates. “I am asking you to vote your conscience, vote your dreams, vote your future, vote Green,” she told the convention’s 800-plus attendees. “A vote for the Green Party is a vote for the movement that will turn this country right-side-up again.” McKinney, who served in the U.S. House for six terms, was praised and vilified for asking the question: “What did this administration know and when did it know it, about the events of September 11th?” But that was only the beginning of the negative spotlight she earned over the years. One might also remember her comment that “Al Gore’s Negro tolerance level has never been too high. I’ve never known him to have more than one Black person around him at any given time.” Donna Brazile, a Black woman, was Gore’s campaign manager at the time.) Her latest high-profile misstep was when she was charged with slugging a U.S. Capitol Police officer who asked her to show her ID as she entered her Capitol Hill office in March 2006.

Will Smith: “I’ll tell my wife if I need to have sex with someone else.”
Will Smith has essentially confirmed what fans and gossip mongers have heard and repeated for years: the persistent rumor that he and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith are swingers. “I’ll tell my wife if I need to have sex with someone else,” the Hancock star tells a British mag. Smith claims the couple always agrees before making a move toward other partners, saying, “I’m not going to do it if you don’t approve of it.” He adds: “Our perspective is you don’t avoid what’s natural, and you’re going to be attracted to people.” Isn’t this about the third time that the Fresh Prince has brought up his sex life in interviews lately?

Lenny Kravitz denies affair with Cynthia Rodriguez
Lenny Kravitz says his ex-manager, who now manages Madonna, drug Kravitz’ name into a messy rumor. The rock star made headlines last week when he was romantically linked to baseball star Alex Rodriguez’ wife Cynthia days before she filed for divorce from A-Rod. Kravitz fired Guy Oseary two weeks ago and alleges that Oseary used the affair rumors to try and generate gossip around Madonna’s pending tour. A-Rod and Madonna have been rumored to be involved in the days that led to Cynthia Rodriquez’ court filing against the slugger this week. Recalling the day the gossip surfaced, Kravitz’ fitness coach Dodd Romero says: “Lenny looked like he was going to throw up. Lenny said, ‘I worked so hard to clean up my image and now I’m gonna get dragged into this.’”

Rapper reportedly broke deal to share burial costs
The Game is being investigated after allegedly punching his cousin in the face at a relative’s funeral. Robert “Kirky” Kirkwood claims that the rapper, whose name is Jayceon Taylor, showed up at the funeral for Kirkwood’s sister, but didn’t bring his half of the $14,000 service tab, as promised. Kirkwood caught a fist, he says, after confronting The Game – who had reportedly just spoken about the importance of family sticking together.

Cynthia Rodriguez says A-Rod’s a cheater
Amid persistent rumors of an affair between her husband and singer Madonna, the wife of New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez wants out. Cynthia Rodriguez has filed for divorce, saying A-Rod’s a cheat who “emotionally abandoned his wife and children.” “The marriage of the parties is irretrievably broken because of the husband’s extramarital affairs and other marital misconduct,” her petition, filed Monday in Florida, states. A former trainer to Rodriguez calls the slugger “brainwashed,” saying that A-Rod has been seduced by Hollywood’s glamour.

NBA teams’ new look for ’08 can be revealed tomorrow
A moratorium on roster changes in the NBA is officially lifted tomorrow when teams can announce their final trade moves and roster additions. Among other developments, Eldon Brand is expected to re-sign with the L.A.Clippers. Teams will know the player salary cap for the coming season as early as tonight.

Racy cover doesn’t equal magazine sales
The controversial April issue of Vogue magazine, with LeBron James and Gisele Bundchen, was a flop on newsstands; it sold only 350,000 copies, 100,00 less than normal. Why didn’t people buy it? Find out more at Playa Hater.