Tattle | A big name for a spicy little lady

OTHER GOSSIP columns may report that former

Spice Girl Melanie Brown

has named her daughter after the man whom she says is the father, but we think she's trying to point the girl toward a career in TV news.

Angel Iris Murphy Brown.

The once Scary Spice said the name was inspired by a number of things.

"Angel, as she was my little angel through my pregnancy. Iris, as it's my grandma's name, Murphy because he's the dad, and Brown, because I'm the Mum!" the statement said.

We say it was inspired by too many nights watching Candice Bergen.

Eddie Murphy, by the way, has said he's not sure he's the baby's father.

* Whether Eddie is the daddy or

not, he better not talk nasty to Angel on the phone.

In the latest in the custody battle between Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger, a battle we've stayed out of under the "pox on both their houses" theory of journalism, Kim denies she leaked the voice mail in which ex-husband Alec calls their 11-year-old daughter, Ireland, a "rude, thoughtless little pig."

"Kim Basinger did not release the voice mail. Additionally, the voice mail was not sealed under a court order," said a statement released by Kim's publicist, Annett Wolf.

Alec, you probably know, left a voicemail angrily ripping Ireland for failing to be there for a prearranged call. The tape was aired by TMZ.com on Thursday and by nearly everyone else shortly thereafter.

Alec, who has been locked in a custody dispute with Kim since their 2002 divorce, blamed her for the leak.

"I have been driven to the edge by parental alienation for many years now," Alec reportedly wrote on his Web site.

Kim's statement, which referred to her in the third person, said, "Everybody is always asking why this custody battle has been going on for so many years, and now they have the answer. The issue is not about Kim or the alleged alienation that Alec constantly refers to; it is about his ongoing aggressive behavior.

"Kim's sincerest wish is for him to finally address his unstable and irrational behavior so he, at some point, can potentially create a relationship with his daughter," the statement said. "Until then, Kim will continue to protect and safeguard her child's well-being as any parent would."

In the meantime, Kim is facing trial on 12 misdemeanor counts of criminal contempt for allegedly disregarding court orders concerning Alec's visitation rights.

Two from Column A

In its post-Imus universe, CBS Radio suspended two New York radio hosts after they twice broadcast (once April 5, once last week) a racially charged prank call that targeted employees at a Chinese restaurant.

The hosts of WFNY-FM's "The Dog House With JV and Elvis" have been suspended "until further notice" without pay, busy CBS Radio spokeswoman Karen Mateo said yesterday. One of the hosts, Jeff Vandergrift, apologized twice on Monday's show, she said.

Local chapters of the Organization of Chinese Americans, an advocacy group, released a statement Sunday protesting the segment. By Monday, California State Sen. Leland Yee and others joined the campaign.

In the segment, a caller to a Chinese restaurant intersperses an order for takeout with lewd language and racial slurs.

The caller tells one female employee he wants to come to the restaurant to see her naked and refers to a part of her body as "hot, Asian, spicy."

The caller attempts to order "shrimp flied lice" and refers to a male employee as "Chinese man" before claiming himself to be a student of kung fu.

At one point he refers to a part of the employee's body as a "tiny egg roll."

The show's hosts, Vandergrift and Dan Lay, have been campaigning online and on the air in support of Imus since his firing.

"If they don't fire the DJ's, it will be a double standard," said Vicki Shu Smolin, president of the NYC chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans.

Tattbits

* Dolores O'Riordan of the

Cranberries says a reunion of the Irish band is possible, although for now she's enjoying her solo work.

Oh, those Cranberries. Always bogged down by talks of a reunion.

* Bangshowbiz.com reports

that Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Woody Allen's "Match Point," Showtime's "The Tudors") has checked into rehab to be treated for alcoholism.

Gee, Henry VIII in rehab, who woulda thought?

* Also according to bangshow

biz.com, Paris Hilton's personal phone number and e-mail address (since changed) were posted on the Internet by her rival, Shanna Moakler.

Rival? Maybe they'll meet in the playoffs.

* The Star reports Britney

Spears was seen in L.A. with large hickey-like circles on her back, possibly the result of "cupping therapy," an ancient Chinese treatment to relieve pain.

Some question the validity of cupping, but when it comes to Britney, Tattle supports as much therapy as possible.

* Of all the movies to remake,

why would Warner Bros. pick the 1981 mythology cult flick, "Clash of the Titans," the one in which Sir Laurence Olivier chewed a set full of scenery as Zeus.

The Hollywood Reporter says none other than Lawrence Kasdan ("Body Heat," "The Big Chill," "Return of the Jedi" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark") is writing the new version.

* Keith Richards' mother,

Doris, passed away Saturday. She was 91.

Given Keith's recent comments about the death of his father, we wonder if Doris asked not to be cremated. *

Daily News wire services contributed to this report.

E-mail gensleh@phillynews.com