FIRST LOOK: The News in Brief, July 4, 2003

REMEMBERED: Barry White, the deep-voiced soul man whose baritone pipes provided the soundtrack for many a make-out session during the past four decades, died Friday morning in Los Angeles, according to his longtime manager. He was 58.

BOOSTING MORALE: Arnold Schwarzenegger pumping up Independence Day celebrations as he cracked jokes and screened Terminator 3 for American soldiers in Iraq as part of a USO tour of the Gulf on Friday. "I tell you oil wells all around. I have not seen that much oil since the last time I oiled up for the Mr. Universe contest," he quipped.

UNSTOPPABLE AT THE BOX OFFICE: T3 grossing $4.04 million in previews on Tuesday night, one of the biggest single-day openings of all time.

SPLITSVILLE: Basic Instinct star Sharon Stone (news) and her newspaper editor hubby Phil Bronstein announcing on Thursday they plan to divorce after five years of marriage. The couple adopted a baby boy in 2000.

PLAYING POTTER: A Harry Potter videogame for Playstation2, Xbox and the Nintendo, GameCube set to hit stores later this year, software developer Warthog confirmed Friday.

HOT STUFF, EH: Singer Shania Twain topping a poll of 500 Canadian beer drinkers as the sexiest female in Canada. Former Baywatch babe Pamela Anderson came in second.

KEEPING HER DAY JOB: Screen Actors Guild's nomination committee submitting Melissa Gilbert's name for a second term as President with actor James Cromwell for the new position of secretary-treasurer.

A BRADY VACATION: Seven original cast members of The Brady Bunch filming a 90-minute documentary in Hawaii for the Travel Channel, 30 years after the Bradys' family vacation there was nearly ruined by the curse of an ancient tiki doll.

THE J.LO-DOWN: Jennifer Lopez going to court Wednesday accusing her former manager, Benny Medina, of improperly acting as her talent agent and also withholding money from her. Medina denies the allegations.

BOOTYLICIOUS: Beyoncé Knowles' solo debut Dangerously in Love selling an impressive 317,000 copies to debut at number one on the Billboard charts, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Michelle Branch's Hotel Paper came in second with 157,000 copies, while Luther Vandross' Dance With My Father slipped to number three.

GENIE IN A DEPARTMENT STORE: Target offering an exclusive six-track CD featuring songs from Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake as part of a promotion for their joint tour this summer.

FIELD WORK: Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Dave Matthews and Sheryl Crow among those set to perform at this year's Farm Aid concert scheduled for September 7 in Columbus, Ohio.

DID HE DO IT? A lawyer for Marion "Suge" Knight claiming on Wednesday that he has statements from eight witnesses saying the embattled rap mogul did not punch a parking valet, an accusation which led to his arrest for violating his probation and could land him in prison again.

FOREVER WAFFLING: Rachel Hunter withdrawing her petition to divorce Rod Stewart just days after filing. No word on a reconciliation, but sources suggest the couple might want to come up with an out-of-court deal. The two split four years ago.

STEALING BEAUTY: Salma Hayek coming aboard After the Sunset, the story of a master thief (Pierce Brosnan) who, after sailing off into the tropics with the loot, becomes bored with island life and gets into the game again.

GETTING IN TOON: Opera star Placido Domingo and comic actor Cheech Marin teaming up to voice characters in Sian Ka'an, the first Hispanic themed and produced animated film. A musical, the tale follows a young girl who has to rescue her father and save the "golden snail" from extinction. The snail is linked to the survival of all species on Earth.

PAYING TRIBUTE: The city of Chicago dedicating its annual Fourth of July holiday fireworks show to longtime hometown advice columnist Esther "Eppie" Lederer, better known as Ann Landers, who died last year at 83.

SOME JACKPOT: The New York Post reporting that NBC's reality-dating series For Love or Money pays out its million-dollar prize over 40 years, longer than most lotteries, and the winner gets an annuity of $25,000 before taxes.

GONNA TAKE IT: The onetime musical bad boys of Twisted Sister set to play two family-friendly venues over the Fourth of July weekend, New Jersey's G-rated Meadowlands State Fair and Six Flags Great Adventure.

CODA: Renowned jazz flutist Herbie Mann has died at age 73 of prostate cancer. Mann is credited with helping popularize world music with his landmark 1960s recordings.