WHOLE LOTTA HELP? McCartney asking the surviving members of Led Zeppelin to reunite for the concert, Britain's New Musical Express reports. No word on whether Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones will accept.
OPEN ARMS: Arena classic rockers such as Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Bad Company and Lynyrd Skynyrd uniting for another set of benefit concerts--the first on October 20 in Atlanta and the second on October 21 in Dallas.
POLITICALLY CORRECTED: White House spokesman Ari Fleischer calling Politically Incorrect host Bill Maher's controversial "cowards" comment about the U.S. military "unfortunate" and "a terrible thing to say." Although he didn't actually see the broadcast, Fleischer said "there are reminders to all Americans that they need to watch what they do, and this is not a time for remarks like that; there never is."
CONCERNED FROM NEW YORK: Executive producer Lorne Michaels saying Saturday Night Live plans to address the September 11 terrorist attacks when the show returns to NBC this week, but it's unlikely Will Ferrell will be doing his airheaded impression of President Bush. Guest host Reese Witherspoon will speak about the tragedy at the beginning of the show. Alicia Keys is musical guest.
SNL ADD: NBC had to hire a private jet to get Witherspoon from Los Angeles to New York to host this week's show, Inside.com reports.
BOLDLY GOING: UPN scoring big with its Wednesday premiere of the Star Trek prequel, Enterprise. The two-hour installment, starring Scott Bakula, beamed to first place from 8-10 p.m., according to preliminary metered-market household numbers. NBC also triumphed with its 10 p.m. season premiere of Law & Order.
PASSING: Lani O'Grady, the actress who played the oldest daughter on '70s TV staple Eight Is Enough, was found dead Tuesday in her Southern California mobile home. She was 46. The cause of death is unknown pending an autopsy.
ROCK HIS MOVIE: Michael Jackson debuting his new video for "You Rock My World" Wednesday. The video, which includes a cameo appearance by Marlon Brando, features Jackson and Chris Tucker trying to impress a beautiful woman.
HURRAY FOR HOLLYWOOD! The governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voting Tuesday night to contribute $1 million to aid attack victims. The gift is the largest in the nonprofit organization's history. (For a complete rundown of who gave what, check out our special section devoted to the attack aftermath.)
DOING THEIR PART: The National Association of Theater Owners announcing that Victims' Benefit Day raised an estimated $5 million for disaster relief.
ROC-A-PHILANTHROPIST: Rapper Jay-Z donating $45,000 to the Red Cross and giving $1 from every ticket sold during his Blueprint Lounge Tour to relief and recovery efforts.
JAY-Z ADD: Jay-Z's new album Blueprint continuing its hold on the top spot of the album charts, selling 271,000 copies, according to Soundscan. The week's highest debut belonged to Tori Amos' Strange Little Girls, a collection of male-oriented cover songs sung from a female perspective. The disc debuted at number four.
THE BEST OF THE CHARTS: Fox announcing that the 2001 Billboard Music Awards will air live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas December 4 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
THAT, OR IT JUST STINKS: Blockbuster stores cutting their VHS and DVD orders for Warner Bros.' Swordfish because the film's terrorist theme hits too close to home following the September 11 tragedy, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
BLOCKBUSTER ADD: The video chain also posting signs below some videos and games stating, "In light of the events of September 11, please note this product contains scenes that may be considered disturbing to some viewers." Swordfish will be the first to feature the disclaimer.
TUG-O-WAR: A federal bankruptcy judge voiding a Texas probate court decision ordering former pinup Anna Nicole Smith to pay $541,000 in legal fees to the son of her late husband, the Associated Press reports.
MONEY LINES: CNN's Moneyline anchor Lou Dobbs, who quit the network and then returned this year, planning to write a book based on his experiences, to be published by Doubleday in 2002.
UP FOR GRABS: Madonna's childhood home going unsold in an Internet auction, after prank bidders drove the price of the four-bedroom colonial up to $99 million and scared serious bidders away.
SABER RATTLING: Erstwhile Luke Skywalker Mark Hamill telling Britain's Empire magazine that George Lucas could've used "a voice of skepticism" while making the newest Star Wars prequels. "We had someone in there going, 'The Force, are you kidding me?' " said Hamill, who turned 50 this week. "Everybody's so serious. I mean, sheesh! Lighten up!"