VICTIMS: David Angell, the Emmy-winning cocreator of Frasier and Cheers and his wife, Lynn, were among those aboard one of the hijacked planes that smashed into the World Trade Center. CNN legal commentator Barbara Olson was on the ill-fated aircraft that hit the Pentagon.
BEAT IT: Whitney Houston a no-show for the second night of Michael Jackson's 30th anniversary bash, after the diva appeared frail and skinny during her performance Friday night. Houston's camp has not given a reason for her absence.
SWEET AND LOWDOWN: Sean Penn agreeing to appear in multiple episodes of Friends, presumably for November sweeps, Daily Variety reports. Penn is expected on the set this week and will play the boyfriend of Ursula, who's the twin sister of Lisa Kudrow's Phoebe.
TEMPTATION REDUX: Fox bringing back three couples from last year's Temptation Island (stealth parents Taheed and Ytossie weren't invited) for an October 31 special in which one of the couples gets married.
BEAUTIFUL DAY: U2 confirming dates for its return to North America for a third leg of its Elevation Tour 2001. The Irish rock supergroup will kick things off October 10 at Notre Dame, Indiana, and wrap up November 18 in Las Vegas.
LAW & ORDER & LOTS OF ACTORS: Law & Order creator Dick Wolf readying production on Terror, a five-hour miniseries that will include all three casts of his crime-drama franchise, including SVU and Criminal Intent.
UNDER INVESTIGATION: The Los Angeles Times reporting that the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences is investigating charges of sexual harassment and battery against its president, Michael Greene. A female executive says Greene assaulted her earlier this summer.
OUT WITH THE OLD... Blockbuster announcing its stores will dump 25 percent of its VHS video and video game inventory by year's end and replace it with more profitable DVDs.
CONFESSIONS OF A CASTING DIRECTOR: George Clooney finally finding a lead to play former Gong Show game-show host Chuck Barris in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. Actor Sam Rockwell will join Nicole Kidman and Clooney, who makes his directing debut with the film.
SPEAKING OF DANGEROUS MINDS: An 86-year-old, 4-foot-2 actress suing MTV and Andy Dick for allegedly humiliating her during a taping of Dick's show. She says a naked man jumped on her and simulated a sexual assault as part of a skit. She's also trying to block the show from airing.
NOT-SO-FUNNY: Steve Martin turning serious at the Toronto International Film Festival when he was asked by reporters about his past relationship with Anne Heche. "The whole thing with me and her happened eight years ago," he said. "It's like a dim, dim memory."
DIGITAL BEER: Garth Brooks testing new digital technology to distribute his new single, "Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In?)," according to the Hollywood Reporter.