A Week To Bare It All

With temperatures this week hovering near triple digits across most of the country, it's no surprise that so many celebrities chose to let it all hang out.

Even some not-so-famous individuals, like Diana Bianchi and Samantha Cole, did some soul-baring. Those two women released details of their teenage trysts with architect Peter Cook, the soon-to-be ex-husband of model Christie Brinkley. Their confessions forced Cookto shrug off his silence and issue an apology.

"This is an aberration," Cook said through a lawyer. "I'm sorry. I'm contrite. I'm stupid. Foolish. No excuse."

Hollywood bad boy Colin Farrell and Nicole's proud father, Lionel Richie, shed their inhibitions with some frank talk on addictions. Farrell told David Letterman and his late-night audience about his time in rehab this winter. The 30-year-old Irish actor called the experience "horrible" and said he did not want to go back.

Richie, meanwhile, complained about how the media's talk about size-zero Nicole's weight had hurt him — while at the same time acknowledging that he, too, is concerned about how thin she is. "I think the good part of it is she is aware of it," he said. "She has heard this all of her life from me, so this just a continuation of the reminder."

Unmasked this week in Britain was "Baywatch" star David Hasselhoff. Addressing tabloids reports of his excessive drinking, he pronounced, "I don't drink any more." Two days later, he was reportedly stopped at the gate at London's Heathrow Airport and kept from a flight to Los Angeles. Airline employees said he was flying too high to get on a plane.

"Jeopardy" whiz Ken Jennings gave us a peek at his sarcastic streak. Writing on his Web site, the $2.5 million winner whined about the game's "effete, Left Coast" categories and compared host Alex Trebek to a robot. Jennings claims his writing was intended as humor and was misunderstood by those who lack a funny bone. "Jeopardy" spokespeople had no comment.

Asked about her 21st birthday, actress Scarlett Johanssen had a revealing answer. She said she celebrated with a lap dance at a New York strip club and gave us more information than we wanted to know.

And finally, 'N Sync heartthrob Lance Bassdropped the cloak of secrecy around his sexuality, telling People magazine that he is gay and not ashamed of it. He claimed it was only out of concern for the band that he kept his sexuality under wraps.

By Mary Jayne McKay