“She’d be welcomed in the magazine. Very pretty lady,” Hefner told the “Extra” celebrity news show. 

While Cyrus said she was embarrassed by sexually provocative photos of her that were recently posted online and another photo of her wrapped only in a bed sheet that was published in “Vanity Fair,” Hefner describes them as innocent.

“I think to make such a big to do over something as innocent as those photos, I think is a reflection on how schizophrenic America is about sexuality,” he said. 

What do you think about Hefner’s offer?

“Pehdtsckjmba.” With this transparent and evocative word, Tom Waits, one of rock music’s greatest eccentrics, announced a two-and-a-half week tour through the southern United States.

Waits, who tours about as frequently as the pope, explained his Glitter And Doom Tour, ranging from Phoenix to Atlanta, with a study of astronomy. “If you think about it, from the beginning we’ve all looked to the night sky for guidance and meaning,” he said at a “press conference.”

Pointing to a map of the U.S, he noted that the route of the tour matches the constellation Hydra. He then pointed to a list of cities he would be playing and noted they formed the acronym “Pehdtsckjmba” (pronounced peh-ska-JIM-bah), which stands for “People envy happiness, dogs sense courage, knowing jubilation means better ass…sets.”

Two years ago, Waits justified the itinerary of his last two-week tour in 2006 by quipping “We need to go to Tennessee to pick up some fireworks, and someone owes me money in Kentucky.”

He had little else to say to the “press conference,” which took place in a room with apparently no people, a dozen or so empty chairs and a turntable playing crowd noise record. But for a man who regales his fans with tales of vagrants, drunks, immaculate confections, and shady characters with consulting businesses in Indonesia, it all seemed rather appropriate.

So it made sense when Costello made a surprise appearance during the encore of Lowe’s New York concert at the Manhattan Center Wednesday night. Costello and Lowe dueted on “Indoor Fireworks,” a song Costello penned for Lowe for his 1985 album The Rose Of England. Then Costello, Lowe and opening act Robyn Hitchcock performed spirited versions of “Hungry For Love,” the 1963 hit by Johnny Kidd & The Pirates; “If I Fell” by the Beatles; and “Mystery Train,” the Junior Parker/Elvis Presley classic (although their version was closer to The Band’s 1973 cover version).

For most of his career, Lowe has toiled in the shadows of his proteges, such as Costello, the Pretenders and the Damned. His own energetic power-pop songs were often too acerbic, and let’s face it, too smart for American radio. Outside of his 1979 Top 20 hit “Cruel To Be Kind,” he’s probably best known for penning Costello’s anthem “(What’s So Funny Bout) Peace Love and Understanding.”

But Lowe’s influence stretches further. His band from the early 70s Brinsley Schwarz was the best known band of a strain of British pop music known as pub rock, a hybrid of R&B and country with often irreverent lyrics that formed an important precursor to punk rock. Lowe’s proto-punk 1976 single “So It Goes” b/w “Heart Of The City” pre-dated the Sex Pistols’ “Anarchy In The U.K.” by three months. With Dave Edmunds, he formed Rockpile, one of greatest of the roots-rock bands to emerge from the 1970s. As the house producer for the legendary independent label Stiff Records, he produced Costello’s first three albums — My Aim Is True, This Years Model, and Armed Forces – his most successful and arguably his best.

Lowe’s latest album, At My Age (Yep Roc Records) follows in the more mellow vein of his last three albums. Eschewing the aggressive sound he was known for in the 70s and 80s, he has added more blues, country and even jazz influences to the mix. The result is a rich and smoky sound, not unlike the late Arthur Alexander. His wit remains in full display with “I’ve Trained Her To Love Me” and “Long Limbed Girl.”

But for those who long for the classic sound of “pure pop for now people,” as he described it back in 1978, Yep Roc has also reissued his debut album Jesus Of Cool in celebration of the 30th anniversary of its original release. It’s essential listening for any fan of Costello or 70s New Wave music.

(Photo: Derek Caney, Reuters)

It appears Youtube decided to get in on the joke, featuring a similar link on its main page on Tuesday, which just happened to be April Fools’ Day. (The image on this blog is a rather arbitrary snap of Youtube co-founders Chad Hurley and Steve Chen. Sorry, but our pictures archive did not feature Mr. Astley, although that may be about to change).

As many as 15 million people, among them me, have seen the flame-haired Briton strut his stuff as a result of the gag. Bloggers have written about being both irritated and impressed by the trick, but either way it has begun to spill over into the real world.

Astley’s record label has brought forward the re-release of his greatest hits by around two weeks to April 28 to try to cash in on the craze. Astley himself is not available to speak about it, although he did tell the LA Times recently how he found it ironic that a pop song which he himself describes as “pretty naff” has become a kind of cultural beacon, rather than a hit with an obvious political or social message.

If I am anything to go by, “rick-rolling” victims old enough to have been around in 1987, when the song was Britain’s biggest selling single, will be struggling to get the kitsch-yet-catchy tune out of their heads.

Newkirk’s letter says animals trapped in the wild can suffer for days, and die in a number of grisly ways on their way to becoming coats and other fashion acccesories.

“Our offer is a win-win situation: You get to keep your home and animals get to keep their lives,” it says. “We are rooting for you to please give animals the R-E-S-P-E-C-T that they deserve by giving up fur.”

Newkirk said she had yet to hear back from Franklin. “But I think it’s food for thought for her,” she told Reuters.