FIRST OFF . . .

Part of Joan Rivers’ $50-million defamation of character lawsuit against Gentlemen’s Quarterly magazine and writer Ben Stein was dismissed late Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court. Judge Dzintra Janavs let stand Rivers’ defamation claims, but dismissed her separate claim for emotional distress. Attorneys for Gentlemen’s Quarterly publisher Conde Nast Publications said the article is not defamatory, but Janavs said many of the article’s statements will require a judge or jury judgement to determine their status. Rivers contends that the December article, “Big Hearts, Little Pizzas,” is false and attributes statements to her that she never made.