ROCKY SINGS? MGM announcing plans to turn some of its movie properties--including Rocky, The Pink Panther and Moonstruck--into Broadway musicals. The studio is trying to repeat the success of other movie-to-musical productions like The Lion King and The Producers.
HEAL THE WORLD: Michael Jackson telling Vibe magazine that the world should set aside an annual holiday to celebrate children. "There's a Mother's Day and there's a Father's Day, but there's no Children's Day," he said, adding that it would mean a lot for world peace.
ON THE Q.T.: Mary J. Blige telling the Associated Press that she got engaged to her boyfriend over the holidays. Blige won't divulge the name of her fiancé and says they haven't set a date. "It will be a small wedding with just real friends and family. The Industry is not going to know about it, the press is not going to know about it," she says.
MORE TO FEAR: NBC ordering a full season of 22 hour-long episodes of its hit controversial reality show Fear Factor.
LEATHERFACE RETURNS! Pearl Harbor director Michael Bay's new low-budget production company developing a remake of the 1974 horror cult classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Original helmer Tobe Hooper's writing a draft with his original cowriter and cameras are expected to roll in the spring.
OL' BLUE EYES: A Scottish disc jockey announcing plans to play an 11-minute Frank Sinatra recording on Wednesday that had never been heard before in public. The tune is "Solilioquy" from the musical Carousel, which the legendary singer performed at his birthday bash in Atlantic City in 1988.
STUCK IN A MOMENT: U2 backing down from plans to save its Dublin recording studios from the wrecking ball. The band released a statement saying sometimes "change is inevitable and often for the best."
BEST IN SHOW: Waiting for Guffman director and star Christopher Guest reteaming with Eugene Levy for an untitled ensemble comedy about the world of folk music. The project would also feature original folk tunes from Guest and his former Spinal Tap cohorts.
DREAM ON: Sidney Sheldon's classic TV series I Dream of Jeannie getting turned into a stage musical. Sheldon has granted the rights to producers Scott Stendorff and Stone Village Productions with hopes of having it end up on Broadway.
DAMN DIRTY APES? A extra who worked on the set of Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes remake filing a class-action lawsuit against Fox Entertainment Group, claiming he and other extras were exposed to a carcinogen while shooting a dust-storm scene.
GOOD TIMES: Saturday Night Live's Ana Gasteyer announcing she's pregnant with her first child. The baby is due in June, and it makes Gasteyer the first cast member to be pregnant while on the show.
LAST CALL: Nomination ballots for the March 24 Academy Awards due by Friday. The Oscar nominations will be announced February 12.
SING US A SONG TONIGHT: Garth Brooks, Tony Bennett, Rob Thomas, Jon Bon Jovi and Diana Krall among the musical guests performing at a tribute dinner on February 25 for Billy Joel, MusiCares Person of the Year.
WHAT ELSE IS NEW? The Directors Guild of America once again criticizing TV networks for not following through on commitments to improve diversity in the hiring of minority and female directors, according to its annual diversity report released Wednesday.
SHUTTING DOWN: Producer Square USA's five-year-old Honolulu studio, which developed the $145 million computer-animated film Final Fantasy: The Spirit Within, closing its doors on March 31 and laying off 125 workers.