Trump generous with speaking fee

Amherst, N.Y. — Donald Trump’s $200,000 speaking fee raised eyebrows when it was revealed by the University at Buffalo, which had never before shelled out as much for a guest.

But the billionaire said that was not why he intended to give it away to charity. He said he did it all the time.

“I give it all away,” Trump told The Buffalo News. “Every time I make a speech, I give it away. That’s one of the reasons I make speeches. I like giving away money to worthy charities. I get a lot of money, and it is not hard for me to speak, and it works out well.”

In fact, he said, the university is getting a bargain. “I actually get $300,000 to speak,” he said.

Singer gives diner patrons a thrill

Clinton, Iowa — Tim McGraw now has a booth named after him at Rose’s Cafe.

McGraw drove a motorcycle from Moline, Ill., to Clinton on Saturday, before his concert that night at the Mark of The Quad Cities.

No one inside the restaurant recognized the country music star as he sat at a corner table with his manager and another man, eating a cheeseburger, fries and onion rings, said Rose Aden, the diner’s owner.

By the time she realized who he was, McGraw was out the door, she said.

“We didn’t go chasing him,” Aden said. “We were just running around like a bunch of crazy women in here.”

McGraw must have been impressed with the diner because his manager called later and invited Aden and three friends to a pre-concert party with the singer and free tickets to the show.

‘Iron Chef America’ returns to TV

New York — Turns out, the “Iron Chef America” specials, which pitted celebrity American chefs against the original Japanese masters, were just the appetizer.

“Iron Chef America” will premiere in January on the Food Network, the cable channel announced Tuesday. The series will pit some of America’s favorite chefs against American Iron Chefs Bobby Flay, Mario Batali and Masaharu Morimoto.

“This is a new era of Iron Chef, and ‘Iron Chef America’ will continue to deliver the competitions and rivalries fans love,” said Kathleen Finch, senior vice president, prime-time programming, for the Food Network.

Alton Brown will reprise his role as resident food historian and commentator, while Kevin Brauch will provide the play-by-play from kitchen-side.