FIRST LOOK: The News in Brief, July 28, 2004

SHOCKED! Michael Douglas testified in court today against his wife's accused stalker, Dawnette Knight, saying he was "shocked, scared and stunned" to learn about death threats against Catherine Zeta-Jones. Zeta-Jones also testified today, saying "I feared for my safety from the moment I was alerted to the fact I [was] receiving death threats."

TROUBLE ON THE SET? Comedic actor Anthony Anderson has been charged with raping an extra on the set of Hustle and Flow in Tennessee. The Barbershop star denies the allegation. "Anthony is a happily married family man," the actor's rep says. "We are confident that when all the facts come out, he will be completely exonerated."

LI'L SIS MAKES GOOD: Ashlee Simpson debuting on top of Billboard's Top 200 album chart, selling over 398,000 copies of Autobiography.

SHE'S FALLEN, AND SHE CAN GET UP! American Idol runner-up Diana DeGarmo was briefly hospitalized after falling down stairs during a concert last night in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The singer suffered minor injuries and is expected to make a full recovery.

THAT'S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR: Sex and the City writer Michael Patrick King is developing a new half-hour series for HBO starring Friends vet Lisa Kudrow, reports TV Guide.

POTTER DVD UNDER X-MAS TREE? Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is coming out on DVD Nov. 23, according to a Warner Home Video pres release. The two-disc edition DVD will feature never-before-seen footage from the film and an interview with J.K. Rowling.

LEFT OF THE DIAL Radio personality Bob Edwards is starting a new morning show which will be distributed through the XM Satellite Radio system, NPR reported today. Edwards was recently removed as the host of National Public Radio's Morning Edition after nearly a quarter-century.

POST SEX: Kristin Davis tapped as the new face of Maybelline for print and TV ads launching this winter.

WHEELER DEALER: Donald Trump presenting NBC with a list of demands before the second season of The Apprentice including more creative control, better living conditions for the contestants, a personal assistant and at least $18 million per episode, according to the Wall Street Journal.

FOR THE LITTLE PEOPLE: Mark Burnett accepting applications for future seasons of The Apprentice on Yahoo! HotJobs. Job seekers also have a chance to win a $25,000 signing bonus.

NOT FOR THEIR EYES: A UPN affiliate in one of Pennsylvania's top Amish markets refusing to air the premiere of Amish in the City tonight. The Harrisburg station's general manager plans to screen the episode first before possibly rescheduling for Friday.

SHOPPING SPREE: Michael Jackson signing autographs for shoppers at a Houston mall where he was shopping for toys and teddy bears. Jackson was in Texas to meet with a lawyer about a music contract issue.

ON THE DOCKET: A judge ordering Tom Sizemore to appear in court Aug. 5 for a hearing into possible probation violations. Prosecutors say the actor made contact with ex-girlfriend Heidi Fleiss and tested positive for drugs. Sizemore's lawyer denied any violations.

DOCKET ADD: June Pointer Whitmore set to receive a preliminary hearing date on her felony possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor possession of a smoking device.

HOMEBODY: Martha Stewart offering to begin her 10-month sentence immediately if she can serve the entire time at her Westchester County mansion, according to sources quoted in the New York Daily News.

RESERVATION REVOKED: TV chef Rocco DiSpirito barred from the site of his NBC reality show The Restaurant by a New York judge who also told his financial backers they could shutter the place because it's operating at a loss.

LICENSE REVOKED? Pierce Brosnan telling Entertainment Weekly that he's retiring from playing Agent 007. "Bond is another lifetime behind me," he said.

HE'S GOT WORK: WKRP in Cincinnati vet Tim Reid (aka Venus Flytrap) tapped to play the father of That '70s Show character Steven Hyde (played by Danny Masterson).

HER TOO? Rebecca Romijn-Stamos in talks to play Ben Affleck's missus in Man About Town about a seemingly blessed Hollywood agent who's wife is cheating on him, per the Hollywood Reporter.

ACT TWO: City of God> director, Fernando Meirelles, developing a sequel to the Oscar-nominated flick with shooting scheduled to begin in 2006, per Variety.

KUDOS: Carlos Santana named the 2004 Latin Recording Academy Person Of The Year. He'll be honored at a star-studded tribute Aug. 30 in Los Angeles.

BEN'S YOUR MAN: Ben Affleck becoming the poster boy for the Democratic National Convention taking place in his hometown of Boston. The actor says he simply wants to use the power of his celebrity to get John Kerry elected. "I seem lately to bring with me, whether I want to or not, a certain amount of media attention," Affleck told reporters.

WOMAN BEHAVING BADLY? Russell Simmons' wife, Baby Phat designer and America's Next Top Model fixture Kimora Lee Simmons, busted Sunday night on reckless driving and drug charges, per the Daily News, after she was pulled over and cops discovered less than 50 grams of marijuana in her car. "We deny any wrongdoing whatsoever," said her lawyer.

FASHION EMERGENCY: Designer Donatella Versace checking into rehab for a cocaine addiction she's reportedly been battling for years, per the New York Post.

WESTWARD BOUND: Ma and Pa Hilton (aka Rick and Cathy) are packing up and moving their two sons, Baron and Conrad, from New York to Los Angeles where Paris and Nicky currently live, per the Post.

INSPIRED! Chicago (the band not the musical) bringing its tunes to Broadway for a new musical, Colour My World, scheduled to premiere next spring.

CLOSED FOR BUSINESS: Broadway revival Little Shop of Horrors shutting its doors Aug. 22 at the Virginia Theatre after a run of 372 performances.

THEY'RE BIG IN EUROPE? R.E.M. scheduled to release the first single, "Leaving New York," from their upcoming untitled album Sept. 27 in Britain. The album arrives Stateside Oct. 5.