Beyoncé's suited to new role

Beyoncé has hit another high note, claiming the coveted cover shot of this year's Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue in a yellow-and-pink bikini. "The Dreamgirl As You've Never Seen Her," a cover headline teases. There's also a photo spread inside the magazine. The 25-year-old singer-actress ("Dreamgirls") posed on a Florida beach in the bikini designed by House of Dereon, the fashion label she started with her mother, Tina Knowles. The 2007 swimsuit edition continues with a music theme inside, featuring scantily clad models posing with Kanye West, Aerosmith, Kenny Chesney, Gnarls Barkley, and Panic! At the Disco. A five-page spread featuring Russian Anne Vyalitsyna was shot at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland in September.

Stephen Colbert may have no taste for the truth, but he does have a sweet tooth. Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc. has named a new ice cream in honor of the comedian: "Stephen Colbert's Americone Dream." It's vanilla ice cream with fudge-covered waffle cone pieces and caramel. Announcing the new flavor yesterday, Ben & Jerry's called it: "The sweet taste of liberty in your mouth." The Vermont-based ice-cream maker, a subsidiary of Unilever, is known for naming its flavors after people such as Jerry Garcia, Wavy Gravy, and the band Phish -- which Colbert sees as a political bias. "I'm not afraid to say it. Dessert has a well-known liberal agenda," Colbert said in a statement. "What I hope to do with this ice cream is bring some balance back to the freezer case."

Tracy Morgan pleaded guilty yesterday to a misdemeanor drunken driving charge. The 38-year-old comic, who co-stars on the NBC sitcom "30 Rock," submitted the plea in Manhattan Criminal Court in New York in exchange for a conditional discharge, meaning he must meet conditions set by the court and the case against him will be dismissed. Judge Ellen Coin ordered Morgan to enter a doctor-supervised alcohol program, do community service to be determined later, and avoid being arrested again within the next six months. The judge also fined Morgan $1,000 and suspended his driver's license for six months. Outside court, Morgan, who came to court in a taxi with wife Sabina, apologized for his behavior. "Drinking and driving is not cool," he said, and he promised he would never be in that situation again.

Heather Mills McCartney visited a police station near her home in Hove, England, yesterday to discuss unspecified issues, police in London said. A spokesman for the 38-year-old former model said Mills McCartney had received death threats since her split last year from ex-Beatle Paul McCartney, 64. Police said Mills McCartney spoke to detectives at a station near her home, 50 miles south of London, by appointment. "It was a preplanned meeting for her to discuss a number of issues," a spokeswoman for the force said on customary police condition of anonymity. "The meeting did not relate to anything specific and she was not arrested."

Expecting to see a passionate lip-lock between Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston on the season finale of FX's "Dirt"? It's not going to happen, Cox says. "There is no tongue and it is really not a big deal to kiss," the 42-year-old actress tells syndicated TV entertainment show "Access Hollywood" in an interview that was set to air last night. "I am not saying, 'Don't tune in to watch Jennifer on the show,' because she is fantastic and you get to see us together again," Cox says. "But if you think it is just about a major make-out session, you will be disappointed."

FROM WIRE SERVICES