Rachael Ray squashes rumors of Oprah feud

Are Oprah Winfrey and Rachael Ray feuding? Winfrey’s best friend, Gayle King, appears on the May 13 episode of “The Rachael Ray Show” and sets the record straight about rumors that the two chat hosts are at odds.

“I read something that you two were fighting. I know that’s not true,” King told Ray. Ray, who was largely catapulted to fame thanks to Winfrey, said, “Oprah and I hadn’t even spoken in months” when the latest round of rumors began circulating in late January.

Ray told King that when the news broke, “we had written each other sweet notes, it was her birthday and I sent her snack of the day and she sent me a note.”

And although Ray said that she’s gotten to the point of being able to “laugh it off” when she hears the talk of rumors about she and her husband, John Cusimano, are divorcing, Ray told King that the latest faux feud with Oprah was more difficult to swallow.

“The one with Oprah just broke my heart. It really did. It killed me, I’m like,‘No! We like each other!’”

Madonna and scalpers unite
While every artist should get paid fairly for what they do, news that Madonna has signed an endorsement deal with StubHub, the ticket reseller, is difficult for many to stomach.

Slideshow: Celebrity Sightings According to the Wall Street Journal, “StubHub will serve as the official fan-to-fan marketplace” for Madonna’s upcoming tour. StubHub paid Madonna and promoter Live Nation a flat fee as part of the deal, according to the Wall Street Journal, and a “percentage of the revenue” will also find its way to the Material Girl.

The endorsement deal will, according to the Wall Street Journal, allow Madonna to profit from tickets sold through StubHub, which drastically increases the price of tickets.

It’s becoming hard not to judge …

Weekend box office
As predicted, “Iron Man” spent a second week atop the box office charts, despite a 48 percent drop in ticket sales from its opening weekend. This brings the two-week domestic total for the Robert Downey Jr. film to $177 million.

“Speed Racer” crossed the finish line in second place, but barely. The Warner Brothers film made $20.2 million, just enough to pull past Ashton Kutcher and Cameron Diaz’s “What Happens in Vegas,” which made $20 million. (Note: Some studios are saying that the studio inflated “Speed” earnings, and “Vegas” will ultimately end up in the No. 2 spot.)

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The opening weekend take for “Vegas” isn’t too bad, considering that much of the film’s publicity push had to be altered or canceled altogether because of the sudden death of Diaz’s father. If the film gets good buzz in the coming days, look for it to have a much better second weekend than “Speed Racer.”

Did you hear?
Petittresor.com was a popular destination for Mother’s Day gifts for celebrity moms. JamieLynn Spears received a tank top from Tuni & G, Jennifer Lopez received a Mia Bossie diaper bag, and Christina Aguilera received a $1,000 Mother’s Day gift basket from the site. … Megyn Price, of “Rules of Engagement,” partnered with the Tea Council of the USA as the official spokesperson for the Calm-A-Sutra of Tea National Scholarship Competition.

Celebrity sightings
Artist Stephen Hannock, Dustin Hoffman, Howard Stern and Chazz Palminteri attended the Rainforest Foundation Benefit concert on May 8. Sting; Billy Joel and daughter Alexa Rae Joel; James Taylor and his kids Ben and Sally; and Feist all performed. Surprise hit of the evening? Sting’s daughter Coco Sumner. She’s one to watch.

Supermodel Karolina Kurkova was spotted giving the press a flamenco dance lesson on the red carpet at the May 8 opening of the Pronovias store in Manhattan.

Lance Armstrong and Ted Danson attended the Rays of Hope gala on May 9, which was hosted by The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship.