In a testament to the precarious dialectic between life and art, David Duchovny, who plays an oversexed author in Showtime's Californication, has entered rehab for sex addiction. Duchovny tells People.com, "I have voluntarily entered a facility for the treatment of sex addiction. I ask for respect and privacy for my wife and children." Duchovny wed actress Téa Leoni in '97. They have two children, daughter Madelaine West, 9, and son Kyd, 6.

The second season of Californication begins Sept. 28.

A return to '30 Rock'

E!Online reports that Will Arnett is returning to NBC's 30 Rock as Jack Donaghy's (Alec Baldwin) nemesis Devin Banks. The new season beings Oct. 30.

Jerry's telethon

Nancy O'Dell will host the annual Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon from Vegas from 9 p.m. tomorrow to 6:30 p.m. Monday. Portions of the show, which features Celine Dion, Billy Bob Thornton and Ludacris, can be seen on MyPHL17 (www.wb17.com).

Oprah sheds tears

What happens when the nation's most trusted therapist, Oprah, who has changed the lives of countless men and women - and given them free cars - has a life-changing experience herself?

What manner of Being could transform the tone, tenor and timbre, not to mention the pitch, roll and yaw, of Oprah's being-in-the-world so radically that it made her weep? Barack Obama.

"Just seeing [Obama] on stage, I cried my eyelashes off," The Big O told Entertainment Tonight about Obama's speech Thursday at the Democratic National Convention.

"It changed my life. I feel like I'm going to do better and work harder."

Kate Moss in gold

The transcendent beauty - and transcendental worth - of Kate Moss, 34, has been preserved in a life-size, solid-gold statue worth $18 mil.

"I thought the next thing to do would be to make a sculpture of the person who's the ideal beauty of the moment," said Brit artist Marc Quinn of using the model for the 110-pound statue, which goes on exhibit at the British Museum in London on Oct. 4.

'Life' gets a reprieve

NBC will premiere the second season of its little-watched, yet brilliant Zen-meets-Polanski cop show, Life, on Sept. 29. The smart, complicated drama stars Damian Lewis (Band of Brothers) as a cop who served 12 years in prison for a triple murder he didn't commit. Now he's back. But he's not angry: He practices Zen. Then again, he is totally out to get the dirty cops who set him up. And he eats a lot of fresh fruit. (Watch the first season with Life: Season One, due out on DVD Tuesday from Universal Studios.)

MJ has his cake

"I'll just have a little cake with my children and we'll probably watch some cartoons." So said Michael Jackson Thursday on ABC's Good Morning America about his plans to celebrate his 50th b'day, which was yesterday.

Think MJ's career is over? "I think the best is yet to come, in my true humble opinion," he said.

The Met: No French!

Though the classical world has been happy to welcome pop star Rufus Wainwright into its ranks, the opera he has been writing, Prima Donna, has hit a major snag: The Metropolitan Opera and Lincoln Center Theater this week canceled the commission. In a joint statement, the orgs say they "had not been able to come to a formal agreement with Mr. Wainwright and his management concerning plans for the work." Calls to Wainwright's reps weren't answered.

Opera e-zine Parterre Box (http://parterre.com/) says the libretto, which Wainwright wrote in French, was a big problem since the Met is adamant that new operas be written in English.

Word has it that Prima Donna will find a new home at a festival in Manchester, England - circumstances for a less-pressured gestation.

- David Patrick Stearns

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Contact "SideShow" at sideshow@phillynews.com. This column contains information from Web sites and Inquirer wire services.