FIRST LOOK: The News in Brief, June 22, 2004

SHOT DOWN: The MPAA ratings board reaffirming its decision to give an R rating to Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11, despite a last-ditch appeal by distributors hoping for a PG-13. Moore has encouraged teens to do whatever it takes to see the film, even sneak in. The film opens in 800 theaters on Friday.

COINCIDENCE? Meanwhile the Carlyle Group, a private investment firm that's heavily examined in Fahrenheit 9/11 because of its close ties with both Presidents Bush and the House of Saud, putting up $1.5 billion as one of three companies angling to buy Loews Cineplex Entertainment Corp., the nation's third-largest movie theater chain. The deal is Carlyle's first venture in the entertainment industry.

PREGGERS! Lord of the Rings star Liv Tyler expecting her first child this winter with her Spacehog-fronting hubby, Royston Langdon.

HER, TOO: A spokesperson confirming that Claudia Schiffer and her hubby, British movie producer Matthew Vaughn, are expecting their second child in November.

MAKING HER DAY: Doris Day among those receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Wednesday. But the actress says her fear of flying will keep her from accepting the honor from President Bush at a D.C. ceremony.

SUM OF ALL WINNINGS: Ben Affleck winning a California state poker championship Sunday night at the Commerce Casino. Affleck becomes first celeb to win a major poker tournament, pocketing $356,000. Fellow A-lister Tobey Maguire bowed out in the first round.

LOLLAPA-LOSER: Organizers scrapping this year's Lollapalooza festival just three weeks before it was to begin, citing poor ticket sales. This year's fest was to feature Morrissey, Wilco, Polyphonic Spree, P.J. Harvey and the Pixies.

TAKING CARE: Mary-Kate Olsen checking into a treatment facility seeking professional help for a "health-related issue." According to Us Weekly, the actress is being treated for anorexia nervosa.

SECRET WEAPON: The Motion Picture Association of America recruiting theater employees to help stop piracy by offering a $500 reward for every person caught illegally recording flicks through the Anti-Camcording Rewards Program unveiled Monday.

LOOK OUT! David Bowie's Website reporting the music legend was hit in the eye with a lollilop lobbed from the crowd during a show in Oslo, Norway. Bowie was not hurt and asked fans to please think before throwing objects in the future.

TOSSED: A judge dismissing a lawsuit against Dr. Phil by an ex-Milwaukee police officer who claims show producers locked her in an apartment against her will, triggering a panic attack that resulted in bodily injury.

OFF THE RED CARPET: Joan and Melissa Rivers leaving their spots on E!'s red-carpet coverage team to take a new position with the TV Guide Channel, according to Daily Variety. Rivers will reportedly make $8 million a year in her new gig.

PUPPY LOVE: Diane Lane joining Must Love Dogs, a rom-com written and directed by Gary David Goldberg about a 40-ish preschool teacher uses online personal ads to meet the love of her life.

BONDING: HBO ordering 10 episodes of Family Bonds, a documentary series following one of the country's top bounty hunters and his family.

PHAREWELL: As of Friday, all 70,000 tickets to Phish's farewell concert Aug. 14-15 in Vermont have been sold. The jam band announced it was calling it quits in May after two decades together.

BACK TO BASICS: Bob Dylan going on a 22-date concert tour of U.S. Minor League baseball parks with Willie Nelson and the Hot Club of Cowtown. The Bob Dylan Show kicks off Aug. 6, in Cooperstown, New York, the home of baseball's Hall of Fame.

IDOL TALK: New tunes from American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino and runner-up Diana DeGarmo available for download through Wal-Mart's online music service, now through June 28.

NOW WE KNOW: Concert organizers on Monday explaining that the biggest international concert ever to be held in Vietnam was scrapped last week because of a "glitch" in communications between promoters and Vietnam Airlines over arrangements for ticketing and transporting performers. The show headliners would have included Hootie and the Blowfish and Lionel Richie, among others.