NEW YORK — Joaquin Phoenix's interview with David Letterman started off odd and ended in full-blown weirdness, destining him to join Farrah Fawcett on the list of late-night guests memorable for the wrong reasons.

The actor appeared to forget the name of his "Two Lovers" co-star, Gwyneth Paltrow, stuck gum under the edge of Letterman's "Late Show" desk and appeared to curse at bandleader Paul Shaffer for laughing at him during Wednesday night's show.

Clips of the sunglass-wearing Phoenix's appearance were racing around the Internet yesterday.

"I'm sorry you couldn't be here tonight," Letterman said after his interview, punctuated by intervals of uncomfortable silence from both.

Phoenix, a two-time Oscar nominee, now sports a long black beard and announced last October that he is quitting acting to concentrate on a career as a hip-hop musician.

'AMERICAN IDOL' BOOTS CONTESTANT

LOS ANGELES — An "American Idol" semifinalist has been disqualified.

Fox TV said Joanna Pacitti is "ineligible to continue," but gave no reason.

Felicia Barton replaced Pacitti in the top 36. The show announced the semifinalists Wednesday night, then later released an update saying it had cut Pacitti, 23, and subbed in Barton, a 26-year-old married mom.

Pacitti's show-biz experience drew viewer complaints that she is too polished for a show that purports to pluck raw talent out of nowhere.

GANDHI'S GLASSES UP FOR AUCTION

NEW YORK — Mahatma Gandhi's distinctive wire-frame eyeglasses are among rare personal items going on the auction block next month.

The ascetic leader of India's independence movement didn't have many possessions, Julien Scharer of Antiquorum Auctioneers said yesterday.

Gandhi's round eyeglasses, a pair of worn leather sandals, an inexpensive pocket watch and a simple brass bowl and plate will be sold as a single lot March 5, and are expected to go for at least $20,000.

WANDA SYKES GETS OBAMA GIG

NEW YORK — Wanda Sykes will get to make fun of President Obama to his face.

The comic actress said yesterday that she has been selected as the entertainer for the annual White House correspondents' dinner.

Obama is expected to attend the black-tie affair May 9 at the Washington Hilton. The guest list of about 2,000 is usually a mix of Washington elite, White House press corps and Hollywood celebrities.

"The first thing I did when they asked me to do this gig — I made sure my taxes were paid," quipped Sykes, in a dig at the withdrawal of former U.S. senator Tom Daschle from Obama's Cabinet because of unpaid taxes.

Sykes appears on "The New Adventures of Old Christine."

ALBEE DUCKS OUT ON OPENINGS

WASHINGTON — You won't find Edward Albee in the theater on opening night for one of his plays.

So, where is the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright? "I go to a movie, always," he says.

"I don't want the set to fall down, or actors to forget their lines," he says. "I turn off about five days before the production opens, because everything's been fixed if anything's wrong, and the actors know what they're doing."

One of his Pulitzer winners, "A Delicate Balance" (1967), is being revived at Arena Stage in Washington.

Albee, who turns 81 on March 12, plans to open his latest play, "Me, Myself and I," on Broadway this fall.