FIRST LOOK: The News in Brief, July 13, 2005

RELEASED: Brad Pitt checking out of Los Angeles' Cedars Sinai Medical Center Wednesday two days after being admitted for "flu-like symptoms" that turned out to be viral meningitis. His publicist says Pitt is "doing well" resting up at home.

A GOOD THING: Martha Stewart's how-to business manual, Martha's Rules, coming out from Rodale in October, just in time for her new Apprentice spinoff.

CANDID CAMERA: Opening arguments began Wednesday in the criminal trial of a photographer who allegedly tried to sell topless photos of Cameron Diaz taken before she was famous. Diaz may testify as soon as Thursday.

COMFORTABLY DONE: Roger Waters saying that it's highly unlikely that Pink Floyd will unite for any further reunions, despite the success of their Live 8 performance. The musician is currently preparing to debut his first opera on Sept. 27.

BIG IDEA: Simon Cowell teaming with American Idol producer FremantleMedia to produce a new ABC reality series called The Million Dollar Idea, designed to find an aspiring entrepreneur with an untapped business proposal or product.

BABY SUIT: A Minneapolis songwriter suing Beyoncé over her song "Baby Boy." Jennifer Armour filed a copyright-infringement lawsuit Tuesday in Houston alleging the Destiny's Child singer stole lyrics and musical hooks. A hearing in the suit is set for October.

SISTER ACT: Los Angeles area woman suing Backstreet Boys singer Nick Carter for allegedly failing to "supervise" his 23-year-old sister, who the woman claims seriously injured her in an April fight.

CHART ATTACK: R. Kelly's TP.3 Reloaded debuting at number one on the charts with 491,000 copies sold, per Nielsen SoundScan data. Gwen Stefani's Love.Angel.Music.Baby rounding out the top 10.

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE: The live-action Transformers movie set to open on July 4, 2007, Paramount and DreamWorks announced jointly on Wednesday.

LORD OF THE DVD: The three Lord of the Rings movies topping Amazon.com's list of bestselling DVDs. In honor of the company's 10th anniversary, never-before-seen footage from the trilogy will be screened in an Amazon.com webcast on Saturday.

SLAPSTICK HUMOR: A fan who was smacked by Gallagher during a May performance filing a lawsuit against the comedian, claiming he was severely injured.

OFF THE HOOK: A Pasadena court commissioner on Tuesday dismissing a drug case against Scott Weiland, because the rocker completed a rehab program under Proposition 36, which allows petty drug offenders to undergo treatment instead of jail. Weiland had been facing up to three years in the slammer on charges of possessing heroin and cocaine.

SPEAKING UP: Michael J. Fox urging Congress to lift President George W. Bush's restrictions on embryonic stem cell research during a Capitol Hill news conference Wednesday.

TEEN QUEEN: Hilary Duff cohosting the 2005 Teen Choice Awards with Rob Schneider on Aug. 16, Fox announced Tuesday.

HITTING THE BEACH: Jeri Ryan joining the cast of The O.C. this fall in a recurring role as a woman Kristen Cohen (Kelly Rowan) befriends in rehab, per the Hollywood Reporter.

OUCH: Christina Aguilera wearing a cast and sling after slicing two tendons in her arm, her rep tells the New York Post.

GIVING THANKS: Queen inviting emergency services personnel who dealt with the London bombings to its Hyde Park concert as a gesture of gratitude for their work.

GOING UNDER THE KNIFE: Angela Lansbury to have knee-replacement surgery Thursday.

NO TIME FOR BOOKS: Sean Combs and Random House settling a lawsuit in which the publisher claimed the rapper kept a $300,000 advance for a book never completed.

SUPER FRIENDS: Uma Thurman and Owen Wilson signing on to star in the romantic comedy Super Ex, per Daily Variety.

MUGGLE MIXUP: A drug store in New York accidentally selling a copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ahead of the book's Saturday release date, but the customer agreeing to return it. Sale comes after a Canadian grocery store accidentally sold 14 copies of the book last week.

SAVING SIZEMORE: A Los Angeles judge threatening to have Tom Sizemore arrested if the troubled actor fails to show up for his next hearing on July 22 regarding whether or not he violated his probation in a drug case. The actor's lawyer claiming that Sizemore has checked into rehab.

SPLITSVILLE: The O.C. star Mischa Barton and boyfriend Brandon Davis, grandson of billionaire Marvin Davis, have officially broken up but "remain close friends."