Publisher sues ex-talk show host

NEW YORK - The publisher of Rosie magazine sued Rosie O'Donnell for $100 million Tuesday for abruptly pulling out of the venture last month.\nGruner + Jahr Printing and Publishing Co. said in court papers that the former talk show host breached her contract and publicly disparaged the magazine when she quit Rosie on Sept. 18.\nA call to O'Donnell's spokeswoman was not immediately returned.\nThe publisher and O'Donnell had been feuding for months about the direction of the magazine.\nRosie debuted in April 2001. The joint venture gave O'Donnell and G+J each a 50 percent stake in the business.\nDuring the first six months of the year, Rosie's total average paid circulation was 3.5 million -- the 13th-highest magazine circulation nationwide for the first half of 2002, according to Advertising Age magazine.\nAmong other things, O'Donnell and G + J had reportedly argued repeatedly about what the magazine cover should look like.\nG+J, the international newspaper and magazine arm of German media giant Bertelsmann, also publishes Parents, Fitness, Fast Company and Family Circle magazines.