Parents not coy about Fey’s Palin

The parents of Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin say they bear no ill will toward Tina Fey, who on Saturday again brilliantly impersonated the candidate on “Saturday Night Live.”

Dad Chuck Heath was tickled pink.

“I thought it was kind of cute,” he told Harry Smith Tuesday on CBS’ “Early Show.” “Tina Fey did a good job!”

Heath and his wife, Sally, are big fans of their daughter. “She perseveres, she works so hard, she learns so fast,” Heath says of his daughter.

“She’s got that ability to relate to people,” added Sally Heath. “She’s diplomatic.”

Sex is her science

Get ready for the new season of the ABC show “Eli Stone.” Katie Holmes reportedly wears a sexy, Catwomanesque, skintight black unitard and long black gloves for her guest-starring role on ABC’s dramedy, which debuts Oct. 15. “Stone” star Matt Letscher says Holmes, who will appear on the Oct. 21 episode, delivers the best (and sexiest) song-and-dance number ever featured on the show. And yes, reports are that Holmes’ hubby, Tom Cruise, was on set.

Glass to tackle the Mouse

The New York City Opera has hired Philip Glass to write an opera about the final months in the life of none other than Walt Disney. Glass, whose “Einstein on the Beach” will be part of City Opera’s 2009-10 season, will debut “The Perfect American” for the 2012-13 season.

How Thor is Branagh?

Actor-director Kenneth Branagh, famed for his film adaptations of Shakespeare’s classics, is in negotiations to direct – wait for it – a live-action version of Marvel Comics’ “Thor.” The comic is about a disabled medical student whose alter ego happens to be the hammer-wielding Norse god Thor.

No Led in his zeppelin

Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant, 60, denies he is joining the band for a 2009 tour or to record a new album. Rumors rose after the band’s charity reunion show in December.

“It’s … ridiculous for this story to continue to rear its head when all the musicians that surround the story are keen to get on with their individual projects,” Plant said.

Rumors are that the other members – Jimmy Page, 64; John Paul Jones, 62; Jason Bonham, 42 – are looking for a replacement.

Britney eyes a comeback

Britney Spears and her British bad-girl counterpart Amy Winehouse are the favorites for the best-act prize at the MTV Europe Awards, which can vote on through Euro-MTV’s Web site. The duo compete against Coldplay, Leona Lewis and Rihanna for the prize, which will be announced at the Nov. 6 extravaganza in Liverpool, England.

The birthday bunch

Critic Rex Reed is 70. Singer Don McLean is 63. Actor Avery Brooks (“Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”) is 60. Musician Sting is 57. Actress Lorraine Bracco (“The Sopranos”) is 54. Guitarist Greg Jennings of Restless Heart is 54. Country singer Gillian Welch is 41. Country singer Kelly Willis is 40. Actress-talk show host Kelly Ripa (“Live With Regis and Kelly”) is 38. Singer Tiffany is 37. Actor Efren Ramirez (“Napoleon Dynamite”) is 35.