FIRST LOOK: The News in Brief, May 12, 2004

BEST BET: OutKast, Beyoncé, Lil' John and Kanye West leading the field in nominations for the 2004 BET Awards. The awards will be announced June 29 at a Hollywood ceremony.

TRIBE IS SPEAKING: CBS reports that Survivor fans have cast over 35 million Internet votes on CBS.com, including more than 8 million votes for which Survivor should win a million dollars. Other categories include "Best Fight," "Greatest Villain," and "Top Moment." Results will be announced Thursday night.

CANNES OPENER: Pedro Almodovar's latest film, Bad Education, kicking off the 2004 Cannes Film Festival Wednesday. The fest runs through May 23. Quentin Tarantino presides over this year's jury.

SO LONG: American Idol contestant La Toya London voted off the show Wednesday night, leaving three women in the competition.

PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN: Canadian-born Pamela Anderson passed a 10-question test and was sworn in as an American citizen in a private ceremony Wednesday.

DOUGLAS DOLLARS: Michael Douglas has donated $1 million towards construction of the Kirk Douglas Theater, which is due to open in Culver City in October. "Knowing how much theater means to my father...I was pleased to make this gift in his honor," Douglas said.

DEFYING MICKEY: Miramax film heads Bob and Harvey Weinstein plan to buy back Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9-11, which Disney blocked Miramax from releasing, and distribute it themselves.

CLAMMING UP: A judge issued an order keeping some documents in Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger's custody dispute case private because they could be "detrimental" to the couple's 8-year-old daughter, according to Baldwin's attorney.

CALIFORNIA PRIDE: California's first lady Maria Shriver is launching a jewelry line featuring state landmarks such as the Hollywood sign, the Golden Gate Bridge and Yosemite National Park. A portion of the proceeds will go to the California State Protocol Fund.

NEVER SAY NEVER: Kelsey Grammer not ruling out reprising Dr. Frasier Crane in a new TV series, at some point down the road--but only after he's had some time off from the character. "It may be a possibility at some point," Grammer said Tuesday. "I'm not closed to the possibility. It would have to be really good." Frasier's series finale is set for Thursday night.

CLOCKING OUT: Kiefer Sutherland has filed for divorce from his wife of nearly eight years, Elizabeth Kelly Winn Sutherland, citing irreconcilable differences. They have been separated since 1999 and have no children together. Sutherland is currently linked to 24 costar Reiko Aylesworth.

END OF AN ERA: NBC officially closing its deal Wednesday to merge with Universal entertainment businesses, creating a new media giant to rival Time Warner and Viacom. The new company will be renamed NBC Universal and be led by NBC chairman Bob Wright.

STAYING ON: Tom Brokaw signing a new contract with NBC to produce documentaries for the network and its cable channels after he signs off as Nightly News anchor on Dec. 1.

GETTING OUT: Attorneys for Whitney Houston say the singer has successfully completed a 30-day treatment program and no longer needs a drug rehab chaperone, People.com reports.

THREE'S A CHARM, FOUR EVEN BETTER: All three editions of NBC's Law and Order will be back for another season. The fourth, Trial by Jury with Jerry Orbach, premieres this fall.

CODA: John Whitehead, R&B singer most famous for his hit 1979 song "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now," gunned down Tuesday by unknown assailants while working on his car in Philadelphia. He was 55.

I'M CLEAN: Tom Sizemore denying that he "tested dirty" for drugs in early March. Sizemore was accused of violating the terms of his probation imposed after he was found guilty of domestic abuse against Heidi Fleiss, but he says he merely took a prescription medication that was wrongly flagged as methamphetamine.

DIAPER DUTY: Former Growing Pains star Tracey Gold gives birth to a baby boy named Aiden. The actress and her husband have two other sons.

ON THE CHARTS: Last week's top-selling albums: 1. Confessions, Usher; 2. D12 World, D12; 3. Musicology, Prince; 4. Still Writing in My Diary: 2nd Entry, Petey Pablo; 5. Girl in the Other Room, Diana Krall.

GETTING THE GREENLIGHT: The WB network giving an early pickup to The Mountain, ordering 13 new episodes of the ensemble show about a twentysomething who inherits his family's mountain resort. The network also gave an early pickup to Jack & Bobby.

THE GRADUATES: Surviving Bee Gees Robin and Barry Gibb returning to their hometown of Manchester, England, to receive honorary degrees from Machester University. A posthumous degree went to their late brother Maurice Gibb as well.

PRISON GATE, TAKE TWO: 60 Minutes II planning to air the video diary of an anonymous young soldier talking about conditions at Camp Bucca and Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq where prisoners were abused, igniting a major political scandal. The segment airs tonight at 8 p.m.

BRANCHING OUT: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum planning to open a Satellite museum early next year in downtown Phoenix. The "on tour" museum will stay for at least five years and become a permanent city fixture if it's well-received.

BACK TO WORK: Hollywood scribes resuming talks Wednesday with producers and studios to try and iron out a deal over DVD royalties. A one year contract extension is also on the table, but the industry is against that since it only postpones action on the residual issue.