FIRST LOOK: The News in Brief, May 1, 2003

STEPPING DOWN: West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin and director Thomas Schlamme announcing they won't return to the NBC drama after this season, the show's fourth season. No reason given.

NOT THE BEST DAMN SHOW? A hairstylist for Fox Sports Network's The Best Damn Sports Show Period suing hosts Tom Arnold and former NBA player John Salley for alleged sexual harassment. Fox denies the allegations.

MY BAD: Jay Leno apologizing to a Kentucky man after the TV Host implied he looked like Hitler on The Tonight Show.

FACE THE MUSIC: The Dixie Chicks kicking off their U.S. tour in South Carolina tonight. The 15,000-seat venue is sold out but protesters are expected at the show.

BUSTED! David Lee Roth nabbing an intruder bearing a knife. The former Van Halen star cornered the man with a shotgun until police arrived at Roth?s estate, reports the Associated Press.

STORK WATCH: Third Watch's Molly Price and her husband Derek Kelly, a NYC firefighter and actor, are expecting their first child in the fall.

48 HOURS? Robert Cochran, co-creator and exec producer of 24, inking a two-year deal to stay with 20th Century Fox TV, which bodes well for fans of the clock-ticking drama as co-creatorJoel Surnow already re-upped earlier this year. Cochran will also develop new projects for the studio, reports Variety.

NEWSBREAK: President Bush addressing the nation on TV tonight at 9 p.m. He's expected to announce the end of war with Iraq. He'll speak for 20 minutes. On Thursday night. During sweeps.

DIS-GRACE: Chuck Lorre, the creator of Grace Under Fire suing the show's producers for his share of profits. Lorre, due to receive 11 percent of the show's net profits, contends that he lost millions because Carsey-Werner-Mandabach had to pay off crew members harassed by the show's star Brett Butler.

PLAY OR PAY: Van Morrison being sued for $480,000 after pulling out of a concert at an English hotel last August. A hearing will be held today.

SIMON SAYS: Trenyce the latest Idol voted off the Fox talent show last night.

IDOL SURPRISE: Next week's American Idol theme will be The Bee Gees and singer Robin Gibb is flying in from London to be a guest judge, says the show's executive producer.

IDOL TREK: The second season Idol finalists kicking off a two month summer tour July 8 in St. Paul, Minnesota, Billboard reports.

FILMMAKING 101: James Ivory, of Merchant-Ivory fame, donating his personal papers to the University of Oregon, reports the Associated Press. Among the collection: director's notes, production files, screenplays, photographs, correspondence with cast members, notebooks, press kits, movie reviews and costume designs.

SECRETS: John Turturro joining Johnny Depp in Columbia Pictures' Secret Window, Secret Garden based on a Stephen King novella about a writer stalked by a stranger who claims the writer stole his idea, reports the Hollywood Reporter. Maria Bello, Timothy Hutton and Ving Rhames are also in talks to star.

SURE THING: William H. Macy and director Steven Schachter teaming up for a remake of Jackie Gleason's 1962 comedy Gigot for TNT, reports the Hollywood Reporter. The duo last worked together on TNT/Johnson & Johnson's Door to Door.

FAMILY MAN: Tom Selleck signing on for a CBS movie-of-the-week based on Robert Boswell's novel Mystery Ride: My Life as a hardened rancher trying to connect with his teenage daughter who's spending the summer at the farm for the first time in 10 years, reports the Hollywood Reporter. Production starts in June.

CREEP FEST: Eve, Benjamin Bratt and Kyra Sedgwick in talks to join Kevin Bacon in The Woodsman, an indie drama about pedophilia, reports the Hollywood Reporter

TV TUNES: Composer Russ Landau taking home five ASCAP awards at the society's 18th annual Film and Television Music Awards on Wednesday. Landau composed the scores for the last three Survivor installments and Fear Factor.