FIRST LOOK: The News in Brief, January 29, 2001

NOT SO SUPER: According to preliminary ratings, CBS' telecast of the Ravens-Giants Super Bowl averaged 84.2 million viewers, for a 40.5 rating and 59 share. That's down from last year's nail-biter between the Rams and Titans, but higher than Denver's lopsided victory two years ago.

NOT QUITE DOWN UNDER: Despite the Ravens blowout and a late start on the East Coast, 43.6 million people watched the debut of Survivor: The Australian Outback. For those keeping score at home, New Hampshire corrections officer Debb Eaton got snuffed first.

SHE WILL SURVIVE: Survivor runner-up Kelly Wiglesworth has agreed to a plea bargain to clear up an outstanding credit card fraud charge in North Carolina. She will pay $455 in restitution and perform 75 hours of community service.

DELAY TACTICS: Robert Downey Jr.'s lawyers have succeded in postponing today's scheduled hearing in his latest drug case. The actor's reps say they need time to analyze lab tests. If convicted, the actor would face more than four years in prison. He's due back in court February 21.

PLAN ACCOMPLISHED: The Wedding Planner, the romantic comedy starring Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey, opened on top of the weekend's box office with an estimated $14 million.

DMX SOL A judge has rejected an appeal by DMX to overturn his 15-day jail sentence on a traffic charge. He's expected to surrender within the next two weeks to serve time in the Erie County Correctional Facility in upstate New York.

BEHAVING: Ex-NewsRadio costar Andy Dick is complying with his court-mandated drug rehab, a Los Angeles judge ruled Friday. That means the actor's rap sheet could be cleared at his next hearing in June.

DANCE OVER: The Believer, the stomach-churning story of a Jewish neo-Nazi skinhead, took the Sundance Film Festival's top honor, the grand jury prize, over the weekend. Top doc was the transsexual-themed Southern Comfort. The movie adaptation of the off-Broadway hit Hedwig and the Angry Inch won the audience award.

ZAPPED: Moon Unit Zappa seeking a restraining order against the man who has repeatedly threatened to kill her and her late father, Frank, because they supposedly stole the song "Valley Girl" from him.

JAMMING TRAFFIC: Republican Senator Orrin Hatch saying he regrets his cameo in Traffic because of the film's "gratuitous amount of violence and profanity." Hatch appears as himself, spewing anti-drug rhetoric to the film's drug czar, Michael Douglas, at a D.C. cocktail party.

NEW ROLE: Jodie Foster shows off her Ivy League-honed smarts against Harry Connick Jr. and Nathan Lane on the February 5 edition of Celebrity Jeopardy!

ROASTED WITH CHIANTI: Oscar-winner Anthony Hopkins named Man of the Year by Harvard University's irreverent Hasty Pudding Theatricals. Drew Barrymore got the female equivalent. They'll be feted at gender-bending ceremonies next month.

AWARDS... NBC's The West Wing leading all comers with a six nominations, including best drama, for the 2001 TV Guide Awards. The fan-voted honors are handed out February 24 and will be broadcast on Fox on March 7.

...AND MORE AWARDS: The cameramen behind O Brother, Where Art Thou?, The Patriot, Gladiator, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Perfect Storm up for the top trophy at the 15th Annual American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Achievement Awards competition. The hardware gets dished on February 18.

SWITCHEROO: Sarah Jessica Parker taking over for William Shatner as the voice of Priceline.com. Shatner, who's still under contract through October, soured on the company after its stock tanked last year.

STOP.COM: Disney has announced it will shutdown its Go.com portal, which has been bleeding hundreds of millions of dollars since its launch. About 400 people will be laid off.