Wanted: GOP celebs to churn up glam gossip

Prepare to feel dissrespected!

Early signs suggest that there will be a dearth of non-media celebrities flocking to the Twin Cities for the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.

Gossips columnists covering the DNC in Denver had field days with George Clooney, J. Lo, Oprah, Ellen Burstyn, Alfre Woodard, Susan Sarandon, Annette Bening, Dana Delany, Kerry Washington, Rachael Leigh Cook, Lynn Whitfield, Anne Hathaway, Matthew Modine, Tim Daly and others.

No good news for us was proffered when MSNBC's eponymous "Morning Joe" host, Joe Scarborough, said, "So, I would expect that all of these celebrities [who] are flooding into Denver probably [are] not going to St. Paul next week."

MSNBC's "The Scoop" columnist Courtney Hazlett told Scarborough, "You know, we've been joking that Wilford Brimley will be huge in St. Paul." When Scarborough asked Hazlett for A-list celebrities, she said, "I'll have my people call your people."

Hey, I loved "Cocoon" when it came out in 1985! But I'm not going to be amused about documenting metro-area restaurants where Brimley enjoyed his Quaker Oats.

Come on. Jessica Simpson can take a few days off from her Head Jink duties in Dallas for a few star turns here. Britney Spears can leave California without a judge's permission these days, right? Why haven't I heard from my old celebrity pal Joseph C. Phillips? He may not be considered A-list (by anyone but his best buddy, Clinton Collins, a Twin Cities attorney and Democrat), but Phillips is black, he's Republican and he has my cell phone number!

The place to go Wide stances are welcomed at The Saloon.

The Minneapolis gay bar has taken out an ad with a photo of a man in a bathroom stall, whose dress shoes are venturing into the neighboring stall. "We know you're out there," reads the copy also noting, "The Saloon is open until 4am every night during the RNC."

Somewhere -- but definitely not anywhere near Minnesota or that airport -- Idaho Sen. Larry Craig is not laughing about this one, either.

Hickey-dory The hunk arrived with a hickey.

"All My Children" star Colin Eggelsfield was at Über Baby in Edina's Galleria to promote Shout Out!, his line of T-shirts with create-your-own-message letters.

Eggelsfield met the Gonsiors at a New York City international gift show. Eggelsfield said he hit it off with Dan because they both share the same goofy sense of humor; the guys interact like siblings. Lynne has a sense of humor, too; she was wearing one of Eggelsfield's T's with the message "I'm With the Other Stud."

Eggelsfield suggested that he got the hickey from a flight attendant, as you'll see on my video. In lieu of a pillow? Yeah, right. More likely Eggelsfield got it from a Swedish supermodel whose name begins with the letter M.

Moving on to more wholesome matters, Eggelsfield said, "Being an out-of-work actor in Los Angeles, you get very creative. I had to come up with something to support my acting habit."

Think of how many more he could sell if buyers went away with hickeys.

'New role' for Hudson "I want to play to Bill's strengths," said WCCO-TV news director Scott Libin, regarding Bill Hudson's future at the station.