• Cheney brought the buns: President Bush and Republican nominee John McCain talked foreign affairs yesterday over a hot dog lunch at the White House. You stay classy, Republicans.

• Cookie conundrum: The Girl Scouts organization says that members who outsource their cookie-shilling duties to eBay instead of the tried-and-true, door-to-door method will never learn "not to be afraid of people." Nor will they earn their "sexual predator awareness" badges.

• Pay-per-parenting: Jamie Spears wins a court ruling allowing him to funnel $2,500 a week from his daughter's accounts for services rendered as her captor.

• Celeb Tape-gate: Anthony "wiretapper to the stars" Pellicano's federal trial began today in Los Angeles. Pellicano, who is representing himself, will have the opportunity to cross-examine up to 127 client-cum-witnesses over the next 10 weeks.

• No small parts, not enough fat actors: Fox Searchlight has finally filled the role of Biggie Smalls in its forthcoming biopic, Notorious. Minor rapper/first-time actor Jamal Woolard will fill Smalls' enormous chalk-outline in early 2009.