First, someone at The New York Post selected this open-mouthed photo of Aretha Franklin to illustrate a tiny item about the singer in today's Page Six online. Then, some Sixer began said item with, "PAPS, get your wide lenses ready-Aretha Franklin is coming to the Hamptons this summer!" In the next sentence, Franklin is referred to as "The large and in-charge diva." Okay, we get it: Someone, or several someones, at the often thuggish paper doesn't like the singer and wants to point out that she's fat and demanding. Except, the rest of the item is pretty obviously a space-filling favor drop for Franklin's own agent.

"The large and in-charge diva's agent, Ruth Bowen, told her pal Page Morton Black that Franklin has rented a home in Westhampton for two weeks in July. Bowen and Black-the chairman of the Parkinson's Disease Foundation-seemed almost as excited by the news as they were about the Parkinson's annual fund-raiser May 14 at The Pierre hotel." Is this evidence that over-exposure to celebrity gossip can occasionally screw your shit all up? Or is this some passive-aggressive mindfuck between Franklin and her agent? I simply do not know. [P6]