FIRST LOOK: The News in Brief, February 4, 2004

SPIKED: Spike Lee slamming Janet Jackson for her breast-baring stunt during the Super Bowl halftime show last weekend, calling it a "new low" of attention-getting antics by entertainers.

MORE BOOBGATE: Meanwhile, Jackson releasing yet another mea culpa, this one in a videotape released to the media, saying "I am really sorry if I offended anyone. That was truly not my intention...MTV, CBS, the NFL had no knowledge of this whatsoever, and unfortunately, the whole thing went wrong in the end."

BREAST BAN: NBC editing glimpse of an elderly woman's breast out of Thursday's episode of ER in the wake of fallout caused by Janet Jackson's Super Bowl breast-baring incident.

SEIZING CONTROL: For the first time ever, ABC implementing a five-second delay to edit out any indecent incidents that may occur during this month's Academy Awards show, after the fallout from the Super Bowl's Boobgate.

THE FALLOUT CONTINUES: Veterans of Foreign Wars upset with Kid Rock for wearing an American flag poncho which he later tossed into the crowd during the Super Bowl halftime show. The VFW said his outfit was "in poor taste" and "extremely disrespectful."

AVON CALLING: Salma Hayek signed as spokesperson for Avon's makeup and perfume products; she'll begin appearing in the company's print and television ads later this year.

NOT SO AVERAGE? David Daskal, a recently booted cast member of Average Joe: Hawaii who claimed to be a mailroom worker, is actually an actor, according to Star magazine. Daskal has reportedly appeared on Gilmore Girls, Win a Date With Tad Hamilton! and in two upcoming films.

TRIAL FILE: A former Merrill Lynch assistant delivering damaging testimony against Martha Stewart Wednesday. Douglas Faneuil testifying he passed Stewart a tip from her broker that ImClone founder Sam Waksal was dumping his shares, thereby inspiring her to sell hers.

ON HOLD: Bobby Brown's domestic-violence hearing has been postponed; the hearing on charges that he allegedly punched wife Whitney Houston in the face was scheduled for Wednesday, but has been pushed back to May 5.

SACKED: ESPN canceling Playmakers, the network's show about a fictional pro-football team; the show reportedly received a negative response from NFL execs.

WITH SOUL: Marvin Gaye performing the national anthem as part of a digital duet with his daughter, Nona Gaye, the Saturday night before the NBA All-Star game Feb. 15.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: The WB's Angel celebrating its 100th episode tonight with a special appearance by former castmember Charisma Carpenter.

LADY-KILLER: Tom Hanks in talks to star and produce The Ladies Man, about a serial womanizer who returns to Boston to apologize to a woman left at the altar. Robert Benton directs.

THE BALLOT, PLEASE: Final ballots for the 76th Academy Awards were mailed today to the 5,803 voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The ballots are due back Feb. 24 to be eligible for the Oscars Feb. 29.

AND THE WINNER IS: Steven Spielberg tapped to be a presenter at the Academy Awards Feb. 29.

BUE-BYE: The Academy member who lent out his Oscar screeners has been expelled from the organization for breaking the agreement not circulate tapes.

HIGH DEFINITION JOAN: Live from the Red Carpet: Academy Awards, E! Entertainment's pre-show coverage of the Oscars, featuring Joan and Melissa Rivers, will be broadcast for the first time in wide-screen HDTV on Feb. 29.

GIVING IS BETTER: Oscar-winning actor and producer Michael Douglas donating $1 million to his alma mater, the University of California, Santa Barbara, for the school's new Center for Film, Television and New Media. The building's lobby will be named in honor of Douglas.

REMEMBERED: A memorial service for Keiko, the killer whale, set for Feb. 20 at the Oregon Coast Aquarium, where the Free Willy star lived from 1996 to 1998. Keiko died on Dec. 12 from pneumonia and was buried in a pasture not far from where he died.

IT'S A GO! Seminal alt-rockers The Pixies planning to reunite and launch a North American tour leading up to an appearance at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts festival, according to Billboard. The group broke up in 1993.

ROY STRIKES BACK: Principal Disney stockholder Roy E. Disney filing a document with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission blaming chairman Michael Eisner for a dozen years of "failed ventures" and "schemes that recycle rather than innovate." He urged other shareholders to vote against Eisner at the annual meeting next month.

SPLITSVILLE: Grammy-winning singer Natalie Cole filing for divorce from Kenneth Dupree, her husband of just over two years, citing irreconcilable differences.

MALPRACTICE: A jury ordering a Philadelphia surgeon to pay $15 million to Linda Ripa, the sister of television talk-show host Kelly Ripa, for failing to properly set her broken ankle after a 1999 car accident.

BLAKE UPDATE: During a court hearing Tuesday, Robert Blake's legal team blamed Marlon Brando's son, Christian, for the murder of Blake's wife. Blake's lawyer says that Christian Brando is currently wanted on a probation-violation charge in Washington state.

RUNS IN THE FAMILY: Drew Barrymore on Tuesday became the fifth member of her famous acting family to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, joining Ethel, John, John D. and Lionel Barrymore.

CODA: Saxophonist Cornelius Bumpus, a former member of the Doobie Brothers who has been playing with Steely Dan since 1993, died Tuesday after a heart attack on a commercial flight on his way to a series of performances in California. He was 58.