Sideshow: Orchestra pulls Rush ads

Fans of the Philadelphia Orchestra may not have been aware that ads for its classical performances were airing on Rush Limbaugh's radio show. But no longer. The orchestra joined more than three dozen other advertisers this week responding to the crescendo of criticism following Limbaugh's on-air insults of Georgetown law student and birth-control advocate Sandra Fluke. The orchestra announced by Twitter Tuesday that the musical institution had "taken steps to ensure that our ads no longer run on the Rush Limbaugh show." Katherine E. Blodgett, vice president of the orchestra, explained to the Philadelphia Daily News that the orchestra bought multiple ads to be aired through CBS Philly, not specifically for Limbaugh's program.

Political pundits apparently stick together, sorta like pieces of candy you left in that drawer too long.

Liberal Bill Maher is chiding other liberals for picking on poor ol' Rush Limbaugh for calling that young lady from Georgetown a "slut." It's all over the Internet. "Hate to defend #RushLimbaugh but he apologized, liberals looking bad not accepting," Maher tweeted Wednesday. "Also hate intimidation by sponsor pullout."

Maher, of course, is no stranger to controversy. During a comedy show last year, he hurled that least PC of female insults, the C-word, at former Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin, saying, "There's just no other word for her."

Palin hasn't forgotten, and Maher happens to support President Obama. She called out the president Tuesday via Facebook: "Pres. Obama says he called Sandra Fluke because of his daughters. For the sake of everyone's daughter, why doesn't his super PAC return the $1 million he got from a rabid misogynist?"

Rock god Bruce Springsteen! Comedy guy Jon Stewart! Together in the coming ish of Rolling Stone! They talk about Bruce's new CD, Wrecking Ball; politics (oh, really? you sure?); and the travails of being a guy in the public eye. Stewart says he's a hopeless Bruce fan. He even loves Bruce cover bands. "I try not to let him know how pathetic I truly am," says Stew. Bruce says his new song, "We Take Care of Our Own," is not about national politics. He also speaks of his struggle to cope with the loss of longtime sax man Clarence Clemons.

Whether you care or not, we're going to tell you: Ashley Olsen and Mary-Kate Olsen, famous twins of TV, say they're quitting the movie biz. That's what the two, who are a total of 50 years old, tell the Brit edition of Elle. Well, um, yeah, well, Ashley was last seen in 2004 (New York Minute), and Mary-Kate in 2011 (Beastly, which was). Hey - what these two really are are business geniuses. They own two clothing lines people really like: Elizabeth & James and The Row. They also have ideas about getting into flick production. Meantime, their li'l sis, Elizabeth, is trés busy, with Silent House opening this week and more movies this year.

We know you don't want to hear it, but we are duty-bound to report it: Yes, Virginia, there is a Hulk Hogan sex tape. The folks at Vivid Entertainment, who specialize in buying and purveying lurid vids of the latterly famous, say such a tape is being shopped around. Hulk's lawyer, David Houston, is outraged, but his statement apparently confirms it's real. It shows Hulk with a young lady. She's not his ex-wife, Linda Hogan, who has been suggesting he's gay (he denies this). And she's not his wife of the moment, Jennifer McDaniel. Who, then?

Gym, tan, diapers

Well, it's official: Snooki is pregnant.

Jersey Shore party princess Nicole Polizzi confirms to Us Weekly what idle tongues have been wagging about for weeks: She is enceinte, 15 weeks worth. And engaged! She and boyfriend Jionni LaValle, the baby's dada, are going to wed.

The Snookster and Jionni, both 24, want the world to know they're ready for parenthood. Kids before clubbing! "I have different priorities now," Snooki says. "I don't care what anybody else thinks. As long as I know I'm ready and he's ready."

LaValle sounds ready. "We are not going to screw this up," he vows.

The couple found out about Snook's condition "right after New Year's," she says. The first thing she did was worry, certainly a prime indication of readiness for motherhood. She says she thought, " '[Naughty word], I've been drinking!' I was worried. It was New Year's Eve and we were in Vegas, so I did go crazy."

When Snooki says she doesn't care what anybody thinks about her pregnancy, we suspect she may have ex-bf Emilio Masella in mind. Emilio, you may recall, recently said some very un-nice things to celeb Website TMZ.com about Snooki's state. Like she isn't ready for motherhood and he hopes, "for her sake," that she miscarries. (Strangely, he also said he hoped he'd not be thought "rude" for saying such things.)

Well, rude or not, he's standing by his words. Snooki will sue for defamation? Ha! he tells TMZ. "I'm able to express my own opinions about her," he says in his best First Amendment voice. " . . . If they want to sue me, they're not going to get much."

Masella thinks - again, strangely - that Snooki may still harbor tender feelings for him. "My wish is to sit down and talk with her for 5 minutes, no cameras, face-to-face, and have a conversation with Nicole not Snooki," he says. "I know she'd fall in love with me again."

Denver QB Tim Tebow won't be looking for his own personal cheerleader on network TV, People mag reports on its website. Too-good-to-be-true Tim says rumors that he will appear on The Bachelor are false. In a post on Twitter, the 24-year-old Tebow wrote: "Haha rumors can be crazy! Even though I've watched the show before, I'm definitely not gonna be on the Bachelor. #JessePalmer." Palmer, as all fans of football and The Bachelor know, also played quarterback in the NFL and was the Season 5 bachelor. The Canadian was the first non-American bachelor and, as People reminds, gave a rose to the wrong woman.