Michael Douglas says he put career before son

Between Michael Jackson’s kids onstage at the Grammys and news of Marie Osmond’s son’s suicide, the burdens of celebrity children have received considerable media attention lately.

In the April issue of Vanity Fair, actor Michael Douglas speaks candidly about his own experience as a child of actor Kirk Douglas and how he repeated his father’s mistakes raising his own son, Cameron.

“My priorities were very similar (to my father’s),” Douglas said to Vanity Fair’s Evgenia Peretz about his son Cameron’s formative years. “Career first.”

Cameron Douglas, 31, recently pled guilty to trafficking crystal meth and cocaine, and faces at least 10 years in prison. He’ll be sentenced April 27.

“Anybody who has a relative or child in substance abuse has some idea of what this feels like,” Michael Douglas told VF. “It will ultimately be a painful lesson and very expensive as far as time is concerned. I don’t wish it on anybody, but then, you know, look, everybody’s got difficult things in life.”

Michael Douglas, who in April will reprise the role of financier Gordon Gekko in “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” reportedly has tried to be a better family man with current wife Catherine Zeta-Jones and their kids Dylan and Carys. “I’m sure if he could breast-feed, he would have,” Zeta-Jones told the magazine.

Letterman goes for the gold
Jay Leno isn’t the only guy in late night getting some of the Olympic medalists on air.

Video: Scoop: Leno's return to late night David Letterman has a surprise guest set to read the Top 10 list on Tuesday night: gold-medal figure skater Evan Lysacek.

Lysacek is on “Late Show” the same night that Letterman has Mitt Romney as a guest. Letterman’s bookings go up against Jay Leno’s “Tonight” show's Tuesday lineup of Sarah Palin, Shaun White and Adam Lambert.

There she is ... wait, where?
The Miss America Pageant contestants are all dressed up with nowhere to go today after TLC announced it would not be renewing its agreement with the pageant.

“We are happy that TLC was part of the modernization and revitalization of the Miss America Pageant,” a network statement said. “This year we delivered record ratings, besting any of (the pageant’s) prior performances on cable. However, our three-year deal has concluded and we have chosen not to renew. We wish the Miss America Organization well.”

Courtney Hazlett delivers the Scoop Monday through Friday on msnbc.com. Follow Scoop on Twitter @courtneyatmsnbc.