Four-legged friends

Look for Martha Stewart to show up on David Letterman's show tonight and maybe even bring a few of her friends.

Stewart is booked on her friend's late night show, along with fellow guests Fred Willard and Billy Bob Thornton.

On her own show on Wednesday, Stewart said Letterman and his producers have been pushing her to also bring her newest pets along to famed Ed Sullivan Theater, where our Hoosier claim-to-fame tapes his program.

Stewart, however, says she's a little hesitant about the invite, considering her "new pets" are three miniature Sicilian donkeys named Clive, Rufus and Billie, all Mother's Day gifts from her daughter Alexis.

"I must confess, when I heard Oprah Winfrey was having Letterman on her (season premiere) show and Ellen DeGeneres was having Hilary Clinton on her (season premiere) show, I wanted you to see who I was having on my show today," said Stewart on Monday on her own show's third season premiere, referring to her entrance with the well-behaved donkey trio.

Later in the show, Stewart, who was also joined by singer Usher, also made a reference on the following day's show on Tuesday about all of the "horrible traffic" in Manhattan on Monday and that "it might have been Oprah's show (being shot) at Madison Square Garden, actually, since she had 5,900 people in her audience."

As for the unique names Stewart has for the recent four-legged additions to her stables, they were selected with a contest hosted by her daughter on her Sirius satellite radio show earlier this year, inviting callers to phone in their name suggestions.

Tune-in reminder

Regis Philbin and co-host Kelly Ripa will be joined by (hold your breath) Kathie Lee Gifford on Friday's "Live with Regis and Kelly" broadcast.

Friday marks the 20th anniversary of the debut of Philbin's popular coffee-clutch national morning TV show, which began with Gifford seated next to "Reege" from 1988 to 2000. Gifford has never appeared on the show since her departure.

Philbin, who turned 76 last month, created a media buzz recently when he hinted that after two decades, he's now ready to retire from doing the show.

Jane Wyman tribute

Thank you to the readers who wrote in about my Jane Wyman tribute column Tuesday about her passing earlier this week.

I did not know this, but according to one reader e-mail, apparently before she landed her role on CBS's "Falcon Crest," she did a quick one-time guest star appearance during the final season of ABC's "Charlie's Angels" in an episode titled "To see an Angel Die," airing Nov. 30, 1980 playing, get this, a "psychic who helps the Angels locate a missing Kris," played by Cheryl Ladd.

And the tributes to Wyman continue this week, with an airing of a string of Wyman's movies from yesteryear on Ted Turner's TCM (Tuner Classic Movies) cable network.

On Friday, you can see Wyman's Academy Award-winning performance in "Johnny Belinda" (1948) with Agnes Moorehead at 10:15 a.m..

The tribute film marathon actually begins at 5 a.m. with "The Doughgirls" (1944) with Eve Arden, and followed by her breakthrough dramatic role in Billy Wilder's Best Picture Oscar winner "The Lost Weekend" (1945) with actor Ray Milland.

Her other films will be shown throughout the day, finishing with "Let's Do it Again" (1953), also with Milland, at 5:15 p.m.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at ppotempa@nwitimes.com or 219.852.4327.

celebBirthdays

Actress Barbara Bain ("Mission: Impossible") is 76. Actress Eileen Fulton ("As The World Turns") is 74. TV producer Fred Silverman is 70. Actor Richard Kiel is 68. Singer David Clayton-Thomas of Blood, Sweat and Tears is 66. Singer Peter Cetera (Chicago) and actress Jacqueline Bisset are 63. Singer Randy Jones of the Village People is 55. Record producer-musician Don Was is 55. Actress Geri Jewell ("The Facts of Life," "Deadwood") is 51.Singer Joni Sledge of Sister Sledge is 50. Actress Jean Smart (Designing Women") is 48. Country singer Bobbie Cryner and singer-guitarist Dave Mustaine of Megadeth are 46. Radio and TV personality Tavis Smiley is 43. Actor Louis Mandylor ("My Big Fat Greek Wedding") is 41. Drummer Steve Perkins of Porno for Pyros and Jane's Addiction is 40. Actor-director Tyler Perry ("Madea's Family Reunion") is 38. Actress Louise

Lombard ("CSI") is 37. Fashion designer Stella Nina McCartney (daughter of Paul and Linda McCartney) is 36. Country guitarist Joe Don Rooney of Rascal Flatts is 32. Singer Fiona Apple is 30. Guitarist Hector Cervantes of Casting Crowns and sctor Ben Savage ("Boy Meets World") are 27.