FIRST LOOK: The News in Brief, April 3, 2002

HE'S BACK: Talk-show veteran Phil Donahue signing on with MSNBC for his own prime-time show. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. His show is expected to debut sometime this summer and challenge Fox News' O'Reilly Factor and CNN's forthcoming Connie Chung show.

SETTLED: Kathie Lee Gifford and her husband, Frank, settling their libel suit against the National Enquirer over an article that claimed their son, Cody, was a "monster." Terms of the settlement were not disclosed, however, the paper printed a retraction last year.

IN OTHER LEGAL NEWS: Jennifer Lopez's invasion-of-privacy lawsuit filed against Death Row Records settled out of court, her attorneys confirmed Tuesday. Lopez sued the rap label and its chief, Suge Knight, in response to a tabloid article claiming Knight planned to release a supposed "sex tape" featuring Lopez and an ex-boyfriend. The label has admitted no such tape exists.

LIVE FROM NEW YORK: The Recording Academy officially announcing that the Grammy Awards will return to New York after a four-year absence. The music industry's big night will be held at Madison Square Garden February 23, 2003--also marking the first time the Grammys will have aired on a Sunday.

BREAKING UP! Metal rockers Megadeth breaking up after nearly 20 years together after frontman Dave Mustaine sustained serious nerve damage in his left hand. "I am working hard with a great team of doctors and physical therapists daily, and God willing, someday I hope to play guitar again," said Mustaine in a statement.

A NEW DAY INDEED: Celine Dion's first studio album in five years, A New Day Has Come, topping the Billboard charts with 527,000 copies sold. The compilation Now That's What I Call Music! 9 fell to number two, selling 463,000 copies.

GETTING TREATMENT: A 30-year-old man who claimed to be married to Meg Ryan was committed to a mental hospital in Alabama after a closed-door hearing on Tuesday.

TOUCHDOWN! ESPN and Fox leading the field for the 23rd Annual Sports Emmy Awards nominations, announced today by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. The annual kudos will be given out at a black-tie affair in New York City on April 23.

IT WILL COSTAS PLENTY: HBO planning to announce an expanded role at the network for sportscaster Bob Costas, fueling talk that he's planning to leave NBC. Costas already hosts HBO's "On the Record."

REST IN PEACE: Dudley Moore buried Tuesday in a small, private ceremony in Scotch Plains, New Jersey. The comic-actor-musician died last week at the age of 66.

FAMILY MATTERS: Liza Minnelli's stepmom suing the newlywed entertainer, claiming she's been neglected by Liza and left "alone in a cold, dark place." Lee Anderson Minnelli, 94, claims Liza has broken an agreement to keep her home in habitable condition.

THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE: Sci Fi Channel and TNT splitting the rights to broadcast re-runs of The X-Files in an 8-year deal that starts in the fall. Sci Fi also acquired off-network rights to Roswell.

HOOPS SCORE: CBS scoring a win in total viewers this week thanks to its broadcast of the NCAA championships and C.S.I., which drew 25.2 million viewers. NBC won the week in the adults 18-49 category on the strength of ER.

NEWS WARS: Both broadcast and cable news outlets seeing significant audience growth following September 11. CNN had its best first quarter since 1995, while Fox News more than doubled its average daily audience during the same period.

SET UP? Oprah Winfrey telling The View that she felt "extremely used" after the Bush administration leaked out word that she turned down their trip to tour schools in Afghanistan.

DOPE SHOW: A woman suing shock-rocker Marilyn Manson Tuesday, claiming he supplied cocaine to her daughter right before she died in a car accident. Jennifer Syme's mother is seeking unspecified damages.

MOPPING UP: A Chicago janitor suing Eddie Murphy and the producers of the now-defunct animated series The PJs, claiming they stole a character from his own amateur documentary. He's seeking more than $10 million in damages.

COUNTRY BOYS: Filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen creating DMZ Records, a new label that's part of a deal with Columbia on the heels of the surprise success of the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack.

LIFESTYLES OF THE RICH... Fashion designer Donna Karan breaking her knee while helicopter skiing. She's on crutches and will undergo six weeks of extensive physical therapy.

UNCOVERED: Former NYPD Blue star David Caruso tapped to star in C.S.I.: Miami, a spinoff of CBS' hit crime drama set in Florida. Caruso's character will be introduced later this season.

MIA: Eminem not invited to BET's second annual Spring Bling shows this month at Daytona Beach--the city's mayor, who was disgusted by the performer's raunchy act last year, insisted the rapper not come.

GOING DIGITAL? The seven major Hollywood studios formally announcing plans to create a joint venture to develop technical standards for digital cinema technology to eventually deploy digital projection to movie theaters.

FULL NELSON: CBS prepping a biopic on the Nelsons, one of America's best-known TV families. Ozzie, Harriet and the Nelson Family will begin production this summer.

AILING: Famed boxing referee and TV judge Mills Lane in stable condition after suffering a stroke Sunday night. Doctors say Lane, 64, is expected to leave the hospital in about a week.