First lady looks past life at White House

Washington — First lady Laura Bush said Thursday that her husband, President George W. Bush, teases her about her cooking because she hasn’t banged pots around for more than a decade.

“I haven’t cooked in 14 years,” she said in an interview with Fox News Channel’s “On the Record.” “He can’t even remember what it was like and neither can I. This will be interesting.”

She said the president has yet to step foot in their new house in Dallas. “I’ve been to it. I’ve looked at it. He hasn’t seen it,” she said during an interview at the White House. “I’ve shown him the pictures.”

The Bushes recently bought a home among business leaders and prominent Republican donors in the affluent North Dallas neighborhood of Preston Hollow, where they will live after the president leaves office in January.

The first lady said she looks forward to reclaiming her life before the presidency.

“I like houses, I like homes and I’m somebody who really likes to do things, decorate homes, so I’m looking forward to that again, having my own house,” she said. “The things that are there, running a home again, if I can remember how to do it. And I think that will be fun. It’s just a whole opportunity to have a private life for George and I.”

The first lady does know about making the White House home, and she told USA Today in an interview Thursday her talks with Michelle Obama have been mostly about family. “We’ve talked about how the house is a home,” she said. “I know that’s her first priority right now, is to make it a home for her little girls.”

Bush also acknowledged she has spoken with several book publishers, but has no deal. “If I write a book, it’ll be about things that happened in the White House, and my take on them,” Bush said, adding she has no intention of answering her husband’s critics. “That’s not really my personality,” she said.

Actor won’t face battery charge

Los Angeles — Prosecutors say Brad Garrett was provoked into pushing a paparazzo and charges won’t be pressed.

The Emmy-winning actor was shown pushing a man with a video camera and challenging him to a fight in a video posted last month on celebrity gossip site TMZ.com. The photographer claimed Garrett broke his camera, but continued to hold it up as if he was still shooting.

The confrontation occurred outside a restaurant in West Hollywood. The former “Everybody Loves Raymond” actor, who more recently starred in the Fox sitcom “‘Til Death,” was not arrested.

A charge evaluation report released Friday by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office says the paparazzo used “hostile and derogatory language” to try to provoke a violent outburst.

The report states that the 48-year-old Garrett pushing the photographer amounted to minimal contact and “the interests of justice” do not support pursuing a misdemeanor battery charge.

Guns N’ Roses drummer ordered to more rehab

Los Angeles — Former Guns N’ Roses drummer Steven Adler is going to spend more time in rehab.

A court commissioner in Los Angeles agreed Friday to place Adler in a state-sanctioned drug rehabilitation program and keep him out of prison.

Adler’s court appearance came a day after TV audiences watched him graduate from a drug-treatment program that is the focus of VH1’s show “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.”

Adler missed a court appearance last week, but told the court on Friday that he had been in another rehab program that he completed just earlier in the day.

Los Angeles police arrested the rocker in July. He was charged with felony drug possession and a misdemeanor count of being under the influence of drugs.

Web site lets fans sing with the King

Nashville, Tenn. — So you fancy yourself a singer, eh … alone, in your car, with the windows up, when no one’s looking.

Well, now you can test your pipes against Martina McBride and Elvis Presley in private, and if you like what you hear, you can share them with your friends via e-mail.

As a promotion for “Elvis Presley Christmas Duets” album, Sony BMG Music Entertainment has created a Web site that allows you to record “Blue Christmas” as a duet with Presley, singing McBride’s part from the album.

The site, www.singwiththeking.com, provides a phone number and access code so you can belt out your lines over the phone. If you’re pleased with the recording, you can send it in a Christmas e-card.

Or, if you find you sound more like Alvin and the Chipmunks than Presley and McBride, you can send the album version of the song instead.

The whole thing is free. The site launched Dec. 5 and has drawn 30,000 people from nine countries. It’s scheduled to end sometime in January.

Third daughter born to Harmon, Sehorn

New York — Angie Harmon and husband Jason Sehorn have welcomed their third daughter.

Emery Hope Sehorn was born Thursday, said Harmon’s publicist, Nicole Perna.

The 36-year-old actress and 37-year-old former National Football League player were married in 2001 and have two daughters, 5-year-old Finley and 3-year-old Avery.

Harmon’s TV credits include “Law & Order” and “Women’s Murder Club.” Sehorn played for the New York Giants and the St. Louis Rams.