FIRST LOOK: The News in Brief, August 20, 2004

IT'S OFFICIAL: It looks like there will be no reconciliation between Rebecca Romijn-Stamos and John Stamos. Stamos officially filed for divorce Thursday from his estranged model-actress wife. The couple wed in September 1998 and announced their split in April.

ALL ABOUT MICHAEL... Michael Jackson's defense team displaying tapes in court, which were shot during the 15-hour raid on Neverland Ranch last fall. They provide a look into the King of Pop's lavish digs, including his wine cellar, children's toy room and business office. The legal eagles are trying to argue that the search was overly broad and unjustified.

...ALL THE TIME: Jackson bashing VH1 biopic Man in the Mirror: The Michael Jackson Story, calling it "intolerable" in a statement on his Website after petitioning the judge in his child-molestation case for permission to comment.

JACKSON ADD: Jackson's property manager testifying at today's pretrial hearing that investigators searched areas at the Neverland Ranch that weren't covered by a search warrant.

BEATING IT? Al Walser, a Liechtenstein deejay described as a close family friend, tells Reuters that Jackson's eyeing a home in the tiny Alpine country of Liechtenstein. Walser says he helped Jermaine Jackson find a nearby place.

PARIS PROSE: A homemade sign posted by Paris Hilton in the quest to find her missing dog Tinkerbell up for sale on eBay, with a starting bid of $45. Bidding is currently over $50. Tinkerbell has since been recovered.

RETURN TO THE TUBE: Brandy finalizing a deal to develop her own series for Fox, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

GOOD HAIR DAY: Beyoncé earning $4.7 million as part of her five-year endorsement deal with L'Oréal. In return, she's required to tell L'Oréal if she makes any radical changes to her hair and she must keep her hair "in excellent condition."

PUBLIC STONING: Martha Stewart angering the town of Westport, Connecticut, by placing large rocks along the road by her estate for added privacy, per the New York Post. After complaints from residents, the rocks were removed by the town.

COURT WATCH, PART I: Courtney Love pleading not guilty today to a felony assault charge for allegedy beaning another woman with a flashlight and liquor bottle.

COURT WATCH, PART II: Attorneys in the Robert Blake murder case wrapping up videotaped questioning of key prosecution witness William Jordan, a former LAPD detective who worked for Blake as a private investigator. Lawyers are worried the elderly Jordan might not make it to the November trial and want to commit his testimony to video.

IDOL WORSHIP: North Carolina Governor Mike Easley proclaiming Saturday Fantasia Barrino Day to mark the first time the American Idol winner has performed in her home state since her victory in May. Barrino will perform as part of the American Idols Tour 2004.

JOINING THE CAUSE: Sheryl Crow, Jack Johnson and Crosby, Stills and Nash joining the Bush-bashing Vote for Change Tour hitting key swing states in October.

FAMILY VALUES: After a two-year hiatus, Fox's Family Guy making a strong return to prime time in four back-to-back rerun episodes Wednesday. It finished second in ratings. Original episodes of the formerly canceled cartoon are set to air next year.

OVERDRIVE: MTV signing publicist and convicted road rager Lizzie Grubman to star in the reality series Power Girls, set to premiere next spring. The network has picked up six episodes of the series.

GAB MASTER: Regis Philbin earning a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for most hours logged on television. With 15,188 hours on the boob tube, Philbin surpassed broadcaster Hugh Downs to take the record.

A LITTLE RESPECT: Aretha Franklin set to perform in Little Rock, Arkansas, on Nov. 16 as part of the ceremony for the Clinton Presidential Library's grand opening.

RATTLE AND HUM: U2's as-yet-untitled studio album to be released internationally Nov. 22 and a day later in North America. The first single, "Vertigo," will hit radio airwaves in late September.

RSVP: The Beastie Boys, Evanescence's Amy Lee, Brandy, Queen Latifah and John Mellencamp among those set to appear at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards Aug. 29.

CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG? Rodney King telling Celebrity Justice he's working on a CD and hopes to collaborate with A-listers like Snoop Dogg and Mary J. Blige.

JOISEY BOYS: Bon Jovi releasing a five-disc box set Nov. 16 titled 100 Million Bon Jovi Fans Can't Be Wrong with three CDs of previously unreleased songs.

SWINGING INTO STORES: Spider-Man 2 arriving on two-disc special edition DVD and VHS on Nov. 30 from Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment.

IN THE MEDALS: Andie MacDowell to receive Medal of Honor in the Arts from Winthrop University, where she studied in the 1970s before becoming an actor.