FIRST LOOK: The News in Brief, August 7, 2006

THEY DO...AGAIN: Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock tying the knot again, this time in Detroit. "It's official. Just left the courthouse! Mr. and Mrs. Ritchie have left the building.... Off to honeymoon in Detroit! Go Tigers!" Anderson wrote on her official Website. Maybe she's under the impression that the more she marries, the longer it'll last.

TASTEFUL SETTLEMENT: Martha Stewart agreeing to pay $195,000 and to avoid serving as the head of a public company for five years under the terms of a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission on civil insider trading charges.

MORE MYSTERY: Lost continuing to play the confusion card by adding actors that nobody's heard of to its cast. The latest addition, Kiele Sanchez, was most recently seen in the WB's Related.

ICE ICE BABY: Skating With Celebrities champs Kristy Swanson and Olympic skater Lloyd Eisler expecting a baby on Valentine's Day, they announced Monday. The couple hooked up after they were paired together on the reality show.

NEW TUNE: American Idol allowing both amateur and professional songwriters to compete for the chance to pen songs for the contestants next season, a spokesman for creator Simon Fuller said Monday. Here's hoping that adding a competitive element will up the quality.

NOT SO HIDDEN MESSAGE: Jessica Simpson telling MTV that her upcoming album, A Public Affair, is not about Nick Lachey. "It's about me going out with my girlfriends and forgetting everything that's around me, which is paparazzi, and just having a fun night," Simpson said. Ouch--at least she got the post-breakup shout-out on What's Left of Me.

IDOL IRE: Clay Aiken sued by Jeannie Holleman, the author of the "unauthorized tribute" Out of the Blue--'Clay' It Forward, who claims the singer and his mother hurt sales of her book by denying that they knew her, calling her recollections false and demeaning the book on fan Websites. And with a title like that, can you blame them?

STORK WATCH: Brooke Burke expecting a baby with boyfriend David Charvet, Us Weekly reports. The curvaceous TV host has already proven her ability to bounce back after birth--she has two children from her marriage to plastic surgeon Garth Fisher.

DESPERATE FOR APPROVAL: Eva Longoria defending the much-maligned second season of Desperate Housewives, saying she considers it "definitely the best work I've ever done in my life." Yeah, but that's not saying much now, is it?

FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES: Patrick Swayze speaking up in defense of Mel Gibson, whom he called "a wonderful human being." Except sometimes.

KISS OFF: Around 200 KISS fans protesting in front of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland Saturday to demand that the band, which has been eligible for induction since the late '90s, be admitted to the Rock Hall. To up their credibility, many fans painted their faces to resemble their rock idols. Unfortunately, the nominating committee that determines which bands get inducted is based in New York, not Cleveland.

TRAGICALLY HIP: Barry Manilow having surgery to repair torn cartilage in both hips, his publicist announced Sunday. The singer's recovery is expected to take about eight weeks...then he'll be back to his old moves.

PARTY LIKE IT'S HALFTIME: Prince signing on to perform at the 2007 Super Bowl halftime show, the New York Post reports. Dear God, no wardrobe malfunctions, please.

HIGH OCTANE: Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, a NASCAR spoof starring Will Ferrell, parking it atop the box office with a weekend opening of $47 million.

VROOM! Sony Pictures auctioning off race cars from Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby on eBay, with the proceeds going to Variety--The Children's Charity.