FIRST LOOK: The News in Brief, June 29 2005

THEY'RE OUT THERE: Tom Cruise telling a German newspaper that "of course" he believes in aliens. "Are you really so arrogant as to believe we are alone in this universe?" Cruise said in the interview. "No, there are many things out there, we just don't know." Cruise's alien-themed War of the Worlds opens today.

CRUISING FOR A BRUISING: The American Psychiatric Association criticizing Cruise for saying on NBC's Today show that psychiatry was a "pseudoscience." "It is irresponsible for Mr. Cruise to use his movie publicity tour to promote his own ideological views and deter people with mental illness from getting the care they need," APA President Dr. Steven Sharfstein said in a statement.

DIAMOND MINE: Leonardo DiCaprio in talks to sign on for the dramatic thriller The Blood Diamond, per Daily Variety.

REUPPED: TNT renewing detective drama The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick, for a second season. The series premiered June 13 to an audience of more than 5.3 million.

CHART HEAT: Coldplay's X&Y topping the charts for a third straight week with another 186,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan data.

DONNING DENIM: Former American Idol contestant Kimberly Locke becoming the new national spokesmodel for Lane Bryant's Seven7 Premium Denim collection.

THERE GOES THE 'HOOD: ABC yanking reality series Welcome to the Neighborhood just two weeks before the show was scheduled to premiere after some fair housing groups protested.

TEAMING UP: John Mayer joining with musicians Steve Jordan and Pino Palladino to form the John Mayer Trio. The group kicking off a fall tour Sept. 6 in San Francisco.

PITFALLS OF FAME: American Idol winner Ruben Studdard filing a complaint with Police Monday in Alabama alleging his ex-manger defrauded the singer of over $200,000.

BABY WITCH: Melissa Joan Hart expecting a baby with her husband, Mark Wilkerson, People magazine reports. It will be the couple's first child.

FLICK PICK: AMC Entertainment offering moviegoers a money-back guarantee on tickets for Cinderella Man in order to generate interest in the film. It's the first time the theater chain has used the ploy since 1988's Mystic Pizza.

AS THE CROWE FLIES: The New York hotel clerk hit in the face by a Russell Crowe-tossed phone planning to sue the actor later this week over the incident, the New York Daily News reports. Crowe already faces criminal charges over the incident.

SO SORRY: Former American Idol contestant Corey Clark issuing an apology for the weekend food fight for which he was cited for misdemeanor battery, calling it a "huge misunderstanding."

OH LA LA LA: A newly reunited Fugees emerging as a surprise opening act at Tuesday's 2005 BET Awards in Los Angeles. Kanye West, John Legend, Alicia Keys and Destiny's Child all took home awards Tuesday from the ceremony.

OFF THE BACKSTREET: Nick Carter pleading guilty to a DUI-related count stemming from a March traffic stop. The Backstreet Boy was put on three years' informal probation, fined $1,200 and ordered to take an alcohol-awareness course. He also lost driving privileges for 90 days.

STELLA STUNNER: How Stella Got Her Groove Back author Terry McMillan filing for divorce from the Jamaican-born husband who inspired her 1996 novel, upon learning, after six years of marrage, that he is gay.

WHIZZINATOR NOT ALLOWED: A Los Angeles judge delaying Tom Sizemore's probation violation hearing until July 12. The actor was ordered to undergo drug testing every three days in the meantime.

POP GOES THE QUESTION: Sum 41 frontman Deryck Whibley and popster Avril Lavigne getting engaged, her Website confirmed Tuesday. No date has been set. The couple, who both hail from Ontario, have been dating since early 2004.

FOUND WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR: U2 going to court Tuesday to recover $6,000 worth of memorabilia--including a pair of Bono's trousers--from a former stylist. The woman, who just wrote a tell-all book on the band, says the items were gifts.

LIVE 8 UPDATE: Moscow the latest city added to the Live 8 lineup of concerts taking place Saturday aimed at pressuring G8 leaders to do more to combat poverty and disease in Africa. Pet Shop Boys will headline along with several major Russian bands.

GOING LIVE: Meanwhile, Alicia Keys, the Black Eyed Peas and Def Leppard joining the Live 8 lineup in Philadelphia. Neil Young will also close out the Toronto show.

CODA: Jazz trumpeter Chris Griffin died June 18 of melanoma, according to his fiancée.