FIRST LOOK: The News in Brief, October 8, 2002

David Letterman burgled, Bruce Paltrow mourned, Reese Witherspoon's brother busted, more

By Josh Grossberg Oct 09, 2002 12:20 AMTags

EARLY RUMBLE: In a move reminiscent of Titanic's debut, Miramax planning to bow Martin Scorsese's highly anticipated Gangs of New York, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, on December 21 in Japan, four days before its scheduled U.S. release.

REVEALED: Actress Teri Garr holding a news conference on Wednesday in New York to announce she's had symptoms of multiple sclerosis for 19 years, but never told anyone because she "didn't want pity" and was also afraid no one would hire her.

STUPID HUMAN TRICKS: A thief in a hooded sweatshirt broke into David Letterman's office on Sunday and swiped $4,000 from the late night comic's desk.

NOT SO SQUARE? The Wall Street Journal reporting that Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants draws a large gay male audience thanks to his sunny optimism, flamboyant personality and soft side for his friend Patrick the Starfish. The show's creator says gays like it because "it's about tolerance."

RATINGS THRONE: CBS winning the ratings competition for the second week in a row due to its top-rated Monday and Thursday night lineups.

REMEMBRANCE: Steven Spielberg, Kate Capshaw and Ben Affleck among those joining Gwyneth Paltrow and family Sunday night for a private memorial service in New York for Bruce Paltrow, who died last week while on vacation in Italy with his daughter.

BUSTED: John Witherspoon, the 29-year-old older brother of actress Reese Witherspoon, arrested Saturday for allegedly sneaking into the home of a female neighbor and sexually assaulting the woman, according to The Smoking Gun Website.

BELIEVE: NBC closing a deal with Cher for a two-hour concert special featuring the now-blonde diva's November 6 performance in Miami. The special will air sometime midseason.

NO LONGER UNDERCOVER: Anderson Cooper giving up hosting duties on ABC's The Mole to remain an anchor for CNN. Meanwhile, ABC is prepping a celeb version of the reality show with Stephen Baldwin, Kathy Griffin and Victoria's Secret model Frederique reportedly attached.

SIGN OF THE TIMES? Sony Pictures Television acquiring the international format rights to Human Resources, an Argentinian reality show in which jobless contestants compete for jobs, cash, prizes and employee benefits. The hourlong game show has become a huge hit in a country where half the population is out of work.

WISH YOU WERE HERE: Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour telling Reuters there are no plans for the legendary rockers to reunite in the foreseeable future. Gilmour, who has a solo record coming out next year, says he and his bandmates are too busy with their own projects. "Pink Floyd, to be honest, is the furthest thing from my mind at the moment," he says.

PILING ON: Embattled former superagent Michael Ovitz targeted in a $4 million suit by the former president of his film production divison at the defunct Artists Management Group. Cathy Schulman says she was wrongfully terminated after accusing Ovitz of "improperly allocating" funds.

SPLITSVILLE: Lorenzo Lamas and his wife, former Playboy Playmate Shauna Sand, announcing they are separating after six years of marriage and three kids together due to irreconcilable differences.

LIFE WITHOUT BONNIE: The executive producers of fledgling ABC hit comedy Life with Bonnie firing most of the show's writing staff, opting to handle the scripts themselves à la Larry David on Seinfeld. With the show off to a strong start, Touchstone Television agreed to lose the scribes.

RECOVERING: The executive producer of 7th Heaven telling TV Guide Online that series regular Barry Watson is free from cancer, five months after announcing he had Hodgkin's disease. Watson will get his last dose of chemotherapy on Wednesday.

KEEPING US LAUGHING: Comedy Central snagging reruns of such canceled TV series as Dilbert, The Ben Stiller Show, Clerks and Gary & Mike, which it plans to air sometime midseason.

PRIVATE PARTS: Jay Leno booking two men for Wednesday's Tonight Show who are contortionists famous worldwide for shaping their penises into fast food icons and landmarks. The pair will appear fully clothed, however, and only talk about their wildly popular stage act, Puppetry of the Penis.

YOU GET WHAT YOU NEED: Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger donating $150,000 to help youngsters at his old school, Dartford Grammar School in Kent County, southern England. The funds will be earmarked for music programs.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY: Curators at London's Science Museum putting together a "Bond, James Bond" exhibition. The tribute to the famous screen spy opens October 16 and boasts the biggest collection of Bond memorabilia ever assembled, including laser-firing watches, bulletproof racing cars and exotic costumes worn by Bond babes.

ON WALDEN POND: Don Henley helping celebrate the addition of a 26.4-acre parcel of land known as "Goose Pond" to the Walden Pond State Reservation in Massachusetts.