FIRST LOOK: The News in Brief, August 3, 2004

WHO'S BAD? Lawyers for Michael Jackson accusing prosecutor Tom Sneddon of violating a gag order in remarks made to a conference of district attorneys in Vancouver on July 20, when he implied he'd call people as witnesses in the case in order to silence them.

CUBAN OSCAR CRISIS: Despite speculation that Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 may be disqualified from this year's Academy Awards because Cuba's government aired the doc on state-run television in violation of Academy rules, the film will still be eligible. Turns out the Cuban broadcast wasn't authorized by Moore or his distributors.

ON THE BEACH: NBC snapping up rights to The Sports Illustrated Fresh Faces Competition, a six-part reality series whose winner will be photographed for the magazine's swimsuit edition.

BRUCE FINALLY DRAFTED: Bruce Springsteen, R.E.M. and James Taylor will take part in the MoveOn.Org sponsored tour, Vote for Change, this fall per Billboard. The 40-city tour hopes to bring about change by focusing on "battleground" states like Florida.

VEGAS, BABY: Spike TV set to premiere The Club on Oct. 12, a reality series following the behind-the-scenes of a dance establishment on the Las Vegas strip.

THIS SUIT IS YOUR SUIT? Arlo Guthrie's music publisher ordering Jibjab.com to pull its George Bush-John Kerry spoof, featuring father Woody Guthrie's classic tune "This Land Is Your Land," off its Website or face potential legal action.

BUMPY START: Producers of the Scottish stage version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest forced to cancel opening night after star Christian Slater came down with the chicken pox.

THEY'RE BACK! Green Day planning to hit the road this fall in support of its new album, American Idiot, due out Sept. 21. The band kicks off its tour Oct. 19 in Fort Worth, Texas.

TOUGH VERDICT: A jury in Martinez, California, recommending the death penalty Tuesday for a man who murdered the daughter of blues guitarist Elvin Bishop and an elderly couple four years ago.

BIG DEAL: Rapper Noreaga, aka N.O.R.E., signing a deal with Roc-A-Fella Records. A new album is expected to hit stores in November.

MARTHA-LESS: Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and PBS announcing the launch of Everyday Food, a new show that will air on PBS stations nationwide starting January 2005. The program will feature an ensemble of cooks, but not Martha Stewart, who faces five months in prison.

STILL DANGEROUS: Dave Chappelle inking an estimated $50 million deal with Comedy Central to host two more seasons of Chappelle's Show.

GET STEVE: Former Daily Show reporter Steve Carell set to star in Warner Bros. big-screen version of the classic TV show, Get Smart, per Variety.

SCHOOL OF ROCK: Chris Rock releasing on Aug. 31 his first comedy album in five years, Never Scared, which culls material from his HBO special and includes several music parodies, including "Crackers," a parody of OutKast's "Hey Ya!"

BIG SUIT: Paramount Recording Studios filing a lawsuit against Brandy's ex, music producer Robert "Big Bert" Smith, for allegedly failing to pony up more than $40,000 in rented studio time.

PRIVATE PARTS: Cox Enterprises making a surprise $7.9 billion offer Monday to snap up all of the publicly held shares of Cox Communications and take the cable company private, since it's been trading at historically low stock prices.

POLYGAMY'S IN: Per the Hollywood Reporter, HBO ordering 10 episodes of Big Love, a drama series from Tom Hanks' Playtone Productions about a Utah polygamist (Bill Paxton) and his relationships with his three wives.

WALK ON THE MOON: TNT ponying up approximately $6 million to air HBO's 12-part miniseries From the Earth to the Moon, produced by Hanks, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard. Originally broadcast in 1998, it airs on TNT in October.

FANTASTIC! Nip/Tuck star Julian McMahon in talks to play Dr. Doom, the nemesis of the Fantastic Four in 20th Century Fox's big-screen adaptation of the Marvel comic book.

BRANCHING OUT: George Lucas announcing a new venture between Lucasfilm and Singapore's government to produce digital animation for films, TV and videogames. It's the company's first collaboration with an overseas government.

NICE GUEST LIST: Paris Hilton, Lenny Kravitz, Ashlee Simpson, Jon Stewart and Dave Chappelle among the celebs attending this year's MTV Video Music Awards, airing live from American Airlines Arena in Miami on Aug. 29.

SAVING SUITS: Eric Clapton purchasing a half-share of Cordings, a historic gentleman's outfitter in London's Piccadilly, to save it from bankruptcy so he can continue buying his suits there.