FIRST LOOK: The News in Brief, January 26, 2004

BAD LUCK: Halle Berry was taken to the hospital Saturday night after being involved in what Warner Bros. called "a minor accident" on the Vancouver set of Catwoman. She was treated and released and showed up for work Monday morning

ONE KING TO RULE THEM ALL: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King winning four Golden Globes Sunday night, including Best Picture Drama and Best Director (Peter Jackson). Lost in Translation won three awards: Best Picture Comedy, Best Actor Comedy (Bill Murray) and Best Screenplay.

ON THE TUBE SIDE: HBO's Angels in America dominated the TV awards, winning a leading five Globes, including a sweep of the Miniseres/TV Movie categories. The Office was the surprise winner for Best Comedy Series and 24 was named Best Drama Series.

GOOD SHOW: Ratings for the Golden Globe telecast rising 17 percent above last year's, producing an average 18.9 rating and a 26 share for NBC.

JAM I AM: String Cheese Incident and Gov't Mule reeling in four nominations each for the fourth annual Jammys, which honor the jam-band scene. Widespread Panic, Phish, Moe and the Allman Brothers Band also earned multiple nominations. The awards will be presented March 16 in New York.

CATCHING THE CLAY TRAIN: Two more American Idol also-rans have scored recording contracts. Joshua Gracin, the singing Marine, has inked a country deal with Lyric Street Records, and Real Life, the first album from first-season finalist R.J. Helton is due out March 23 from Gospo Centric's B-Rite Music Label.

IF YOU CAN'T BEAT 'EM: Peter Gabriel and Brian Eno founding an online musicians' alliance that will allow artists to sell their songs over the Internet instead of solely through their record labels. Gabriel and Eno hope to launch the alliance--called the "Magnificent Union of Digitally Downloading Artists" or MUDDA--within a month.

FEEL THE RHYTHM: The Dance Music Hall of Fame announcing the nominees for its 2004 awards; potential honorees include Donna Summer, Barry White and Gloria Gaynor.

MOVING ON: Barbara Walters stepping down from her gig as host of ABC's 20/20 after 25 years. She'll continue to tape about six interviews a year for ABC News, including her annual Oscar preview, and remains executive producer and co-host of The View.

THAT'S ALL, FOLKS: Friends taping its final hush-hush episode Friday in front of an invitation-only audience to avoid spoiling the series conclusion for fans.

IS THAT YOUR FINAL ANSWER? Regis Philbin returning for a special one-week Who Wants to Be a Millionaire event February 22 with a $10 million grand prize.

HE GOT GAME: Adam Sandler starring in an update of the 1974 classic comedy The Longest Yard about a retired quarterback-turned-con who leads a team of prison inmates in a game against the guards. Chris Rock and Snoop Dogg are in talks to join the cast.

TOP FLIGHT: Ashton Kutcher's The Butterfly Effect punked the critics, flitting into the top spot at the weekend box office with $17.1 million. Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! was a dud, earning just $7.5 million in third place.

THUMBS DOWN: Gigli named the Razzies leading stinker of 2003 with leading nine nominations, including worst picture and worst screen couple. Dr. Seuss' the Cat in the Hat and From Justin to Kelly following up with eight bids apiece.

DAY IN THE SUN: Another time-travel-themed flick, Primer, named Best Dramatic Feature Saturday at the Sundance Film Festival. DIG!, tracing the musical relationship of two alterna-rockers, was named Best Documentary.

NOT GOING ANYWHERE: Scott Weiland being ordered back to rehab after the Stone Temple Pilots singer checked out early. He's eligible for release in July. Weiland plead no contest to possession of heroin last October.

SHADY: Eminem's mother, Debbie Mathers, carjacked Thursday on the Detroit road made famous by her son's movie, 8 Mile. Police said Nelson was dragged from her car by a 16-year-old boy who took the car but was apprehended soon after.

OUT OF THE WOODWORK: Debbie Rowe, the mother of Michael Jackson's two older children, claims the kids aren't biologically his and that she was artificially inseminated with anonymous donor sperm, according to The News of the World, a British tabloid.

NO PEEKING: The judge in the Michael Jackson trial sealing 82 pages of court documents and tape recordings because they contain "sensitive information" about a boy's claims that the musician sexually molested him.

LIMITED CLOSEUPS: The judge in Robert Blake's murder trial ruling that she will only allow cameras in the courtroom during the opening statements, closing arguments and the verdict. The decision is expected to be challenged by the media at a February 2 hearing.

TOON TROUBLE: California state appeals court reinstating a lawsuit that claims The Walt Disney Co. owes potentially millions of dollars in royalties from licensing profits on its 1988 movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit to author Gary K. Wolf.

RECOVERING: Kate Beckinsale recovering from an emergency appendectomy after collapsing Saturday on her way to Sundance to unveil her latest film Tiptoes.

MOURNED: Bob Keeshan, beloved to millions of young kids as the man who played TV's kindly mustachioed Captain Kangaroo, died Friday in Vermont of a long illness. He was 76.

REMEMBERED: Fashion photographer Helmut Newton was killed in a car crash Friday after he lost control of his Cadillac while leaving a West Hollywood hotel. He was 83. Newton's work appeared in publications such as Vogue, Elle and Playboy, and he was best known for his stark black-and-white nude compositions.