FIRST LOOK: The News in Brief, March 3, 2004

SPINNING A NEW WEB: With the July 2 release of Spider-Man 2 just months away, Sony launching development with Marvel Enterprises on Spider-Man 3. The sequel will likely bow in 2007 and there's talk that director Sam Raimi and star Tobey Maguire are on board again.

PARENT TRAP: Kim Basinger and Alec Baldwin resolving a custody battle over their 8-year-old daughter, Ireland. Baldwin was reportedly successful in his bid for an "equal share" of parenting, according to Celebrity Justice.

SCHINDLER'S DVD: Steven Spielberg reuniting with some of the Jews he depicted in Schindler's List to mark the movie's DVD release next Tuesday.

BAND AID: Beyoncé's band members coming to the rescue of a 91-year-old driver by chasing down and detaining a suspected carjacker who had attacked the man at knifepoint.

MARTHA WATCH: Deliberations in Martha Stewart's stock fraud trial ending for the day with a request from the jury to review additional evidence, including the testimony of Peter Bacanovic, Stewart's former broker. The judge said the jury will receive the evidence Thursday morning.

SWEET HOME, NASHVILLE: Lynyrd Skynrd, Willie Nelson, Trace Adkins and Terri Clark among the celebrity guests appearing on the second season of Nashville Star, country's answer to American Idol.

JENNY ON THE BLOCK: Jennifer Lopez suing a construction company for doing $2 million in damage to her Hollywood Hills mansion, according to Celebrity Justice. Lopez is now reportedly showing the property to potential buyers, with an asking price of $10 million.

NEW HIRES: NBC confirming that Donald Trump has signed on to do at least two more editions of The Apprentice, not just one as previously announced.

ROCKET VOWS? Elton John denying a report in the New York Daily News that he plans to wed his longtime companion David Furnish in England. "David and I are in favor of gay marriages, but have no plans to get married," John said in a statement.

SPEAKING OF GAY MARRIAGE: Original Survivor winner Richard Hatch, who's also gay, telling Rhode Island's Providence Journal he hopes to tie the knot in New Paltz, New York, the village conducting same sex weddings.

BACK TO THE MOON! Tom Hanks producing and developing Magnificent Desolation, a 3-D IMAX film comprising historical footage of past NASA moon missions.

STAKING OUT A NEW MEDIUM: Buffy the Vampire Slayer mastermind Joss Whedon making his feature film directorial debut on Universal's futuristic action-adventure Serenity.

NEW GIG: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg getting into the acting biz as he's set to appear in two scenes of an upcoming episode of Law & Order being taped inside the Blue Room in City Hall on Wednesday. He'll be seen giving a press conference and talking about the fictional murder of an assistant district attorney.

PUT ON ICE: Disney postponing the start date for filming on Antarctica because of logistical problems and budget overruns. The drama, starring Josh Duhamel (Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!), follows a pair of explorers forced to abandon their team of sled dogs because of a brutal cold snap only to return and rescue them.

MUSIC TO CRUCIFY BY: Universal South Records planning to release Songs Inspired by The Passion of the Christ on April 6, featuring tracks by Leonard Cohen, Ricky Skaggs, and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, among others.

SINGING AND DANCING QUEEN: The Broadway production of Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus' Mamma Mia!, playing its 1,000th performance at the Winter Garden Theater on Thursday.

AMERICAN RAPPER? UPN developing an American Idol-style competition that will find Missy Elliott searching for the next superstar rapper. Contestants will travel on the hip-hopster's upcoming tour.

ON THE MEND: The New York Times reporting that playwright Neil Simon received a kidney transplant from his friend and longtime press representative, Bill Evans, on Tuesday. "Everything is excellent," Simon's wife, Elaine, told the newspaper.

UGLY GREEN GIANT: DreamWorks to release Shrek on a two-disc DVD set on May 11 that will also feature the 15-minute 3-D Shrek Universal Studios theme park short about the ogre getting married.

STILL LOVIN' RAY: Les Moonves says he is optimistic that Everybody Loves Raymond will return to CBS for another season, but has discussed spinoff possibilities just in case. Raymond is the second most popular comedy on TV behind Friends and averages almost 18 million viewers a week, per Nielsen Media Research.

DISNEY DISS: Walt Disney Co. yanking a life-size statue of Mickey Mouse costumed as Janet Jackson from a commemorative display of celebrity-inspired statues unveiled at Disney World in celebration of Mickey's 75th birthday.

DISNEY DISS, PART II: 43 percent of Disney shareholders showing their disenchantment with chairman Michael Eisner by withholding their support for him in a vote at the company's annual shareholder meeting. Eisner's job however is in no imminent danger since he's running for re-election unopposed.

BAD NEIGHBOR: Catherine Zeta-Jones and her parents losing a bid to force a neighbor of the estate they are building in Wales to stop running a telecommunications business out of his garage.

SKATE OR DIE: Nikki Reed reteaming with Thirteen helmer Catherine Hardwicke on the skateboarding drama Lords of Dogtown, based on Stacy Peralta's documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys. The flick centers on a bunch of young California surfers who take up the new sport of skateboarding.

LIKE A ROCK: Chris Rock set to star in a autobiographical comedy pilot for Fox about his experience growing up "on the nicest block in the ghetto," according to the Hollywood Reporter.

THE FIRM? An ABC executive telling reporters Tuesday that the network is in talks with producer David E. Kelley about a possible spinoff of The Practice

PLAYING VIC MACKEY: Japanese publisher Sammy Studios optioning the rights to FX's hit police drama The Shield to turn it into a video game. Emmy winner Michael Chiklis in final talks to provide his voice and likeness and re-create his role for the game.

BACK TO SCHOOL? Grammy-winning OutKast rapper Andre 3000 telling Rolling Stone in a recent interview that he would like to go to Juilliard in New York City and study classical music.

THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH: Randy Travis, Ricky Skaggs and Lee Ann Womack among the country singers contributing tracks to America Will Always Stand, an upcoming album of Civil War-themed songs due out in May.