A time for indiscretion?

A watch that Marilyn Monroe reportedly gave President Kennedy as a birthday gift has fetched $120,000 at an auction.

The gold Rolex is inscribed: Jack, With love as always from Marilyn May 29th 1962. Kennedy was born May 29, 1917.

Bill Panagopulos, founder of the Alexander Autographs auction house, said the buyer was an East Coast collector, but he didn't release a name.

The watchcase contains a poem, written on a small piece of paper, titled A Heartfelt Plea on Your Birthday. It reads: Let lovers breathe their sighs/ And roses bloom and music sound/ Let passion burn on lips and eyes/ And pleasures merry world go round/ Let golden sunshine flood the sky/ And let me love/ Or let me die!

Monroe performed a sultry rendition of Happy Birthday to You for Kennedy on May 19, 1962, at New York's Madison Square Garden.

The actress is believed to have given the watch to Kennedy aide Kenneth O'Donnell, who passed it on to the president, Panagopulos said. But when Kennedy saw it, he told O'Donnell to get rid of it, according to a note sold with the watch, Panagopulos said.

ROSY RETIREMENT

DECLARING HER a shining example of what intelligence and determination can bring, the Tournament of Roses on Tuesday named retiring Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor grand marshal of the 117th Rose Parade.

I cannot think of a more exciting way to begin the next chapter in my life than by riding down Colorado Boulevard as grand marshal, O'Connor, 75, said in a statement.

When I was a little girl, my parents and I traveled several times to the Rose Parade all the way from our ranch in Arizona just to see the majestic floats. The experience was indeed magical and I have kept it with me.

The parade will be Jan. 2 instead of New Year's Day because it's never held on a Sunday.

O'Connor will also toss the coin before the 92nd Rose Bowl football game Jan. 4.

O'Connor, the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court, was appointed by President Reagan in 1981. She announced her retirement in July and will step down from the bench when a successor is confirmed.

FAMILIAR TURF

ASHTON KUTCHER isn't letting the tabloids have all the fun: He's producing a sitcom pilot loosely based on his relationship with Demi Moore.

The project, being developed for the Fox TV network by Twentieth Century Fox Television and Kutcher's production company, is about a younger man who marries an older woman and becomes stepdad to her children.

The pilot has yet to be cast and it was unknown if Kutcher had any plans to star in it, a Twentieth Century spokesman said Tuesday.

Actors Kutcher, 27, and Moore, 42, married last month in a ceremony attended by her ex-husband, Bruce Willis, and their three daughters.

NOW BE A GOOD BOY

A JUDGE has reinstated Tom Sizemore's probation, praising him for making remarkable progress in his battle with drugs but warning that if he slips again, he could face 16 months in prison.

I have seen remarkable improvement. ... I believe that you know what you need to do to stay out of prison, Superior Court Judge Paula Adele Mabrey told Sizemore on Monday.

The 43-year-old actor has been living at a Pasadena drug treatment facility since early July.

NOT IN OUR HOME TOWN

A COUPLE WANTS signs promoting Fantasia Barrino removed because they think her new autobiography portrays their hometown of High Point, N.C., negatively.

In her book, Life is Not a Fairy Tale, Fantasia said she couldn't read after attending local schools. She also described how her friends used to call High Point the Land of the Dead.

The 21-year-old R&B singer won season three of the Fox television show American Idol.

Kyle Sandler, 29, and Jennifer English, 26, have created a Web site to counter the book's descriptions.

I can see people driving in to (the furniture) market saying, 'Ha ha ha. Fantasia hates them but look at the signs saying 'Welcome to High Point, home of Fantasia Barrino,'" Sandler said.

Council member Latimer Alexander said there are no plans to remove the signs, although he said they are not permanent.

FROM WIRE REPORTS

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