Johansson: Obama e-mails a ‘nonstory’

New York – Scarlett Johansson can laugh about it now, but the actress says she was embarrassed by the media coverage of her so-called “e-mail relationship” with Barack Obama.

“It seemed to me to be like a product of extreme sexism, and I kept thinking to myself, ‘God, if this was just, like, Kal Penn or George Clooney or any of the other (Obama) surrogates or supporters … there wouldn’t be (any) question about it. Nobody would even talk about it,'” she said.

Johansson, a vocal supporter of Obama, told the Web site Politico.com in June that she and the Democratic presidential hopeful had been trading e-mails. Obama later told reporters that Johansson doesn’t have his personal e-mail address, and that his assistant forwarded one message from Johansson to which he replied.

“I was merely trying to express my delight at Obama’s commitment to his campaign in every aspect and his interest and his support (in) his surrogates and his staff and his fellows, and how wonderful and refreshing that is. And it was manipulated into such an unfortunate media frenzy of kind of a nonstory,” the 23-year-old actress said Tuesday in an interview from Los Angeles.

Kelsey Grammer checks out of hospital

New York – Kelsey Grammer is returning home after being hospitalized in New York.

The 53-year-old actor, who suffered a heart attack in June, had checked himself into an undisclosed hospital the last weekend in July as a precaution when he felt faint.

Grammer is now “out of the hospital, feeling great and about to resume normal activities at home,” his publicist Stan Rosenfield said in a statement Tuesday. “He and his wife, Camille, want to thank everyone who expressed concern.”

Rosenfield said last week that it was possible Grammer’s medication led to his symptoms. Grammer had been in town to promote his new film, “Swing Vote,” co-starring Kevin Costner, Paula Patton and Stanley Tucci.

Two months ago, the former “Cheers” and “Frasier” star suffered a mild heart attack in Hawaii, where he lives, while paddle-boating with his wife.

Iggy Pop’s gear stolen after Montreal show

Detroit – A rental truck containing Iggy Pop and the Stooges’ equipment was stolen after a concert in Montreal.

Stooges road manager Eric Fischer says the 15-foot truck stolen Monday contained all the group’s instruments and stage gear. He tells the Detroit Free Press the lost items are worth tens of thousands of dollars.

The Stooges are in the middle of a tour with stops in Belgium, Britain, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Russia, Serbia, Spain and the United States.

Fischer says the Stooges will still make their scheduled gig today in Toronto using rented and donated equipment.