FIRST LOOK: The News in Brief, May 3, 2001

MORE SURGERY: Doctors performed surgery on model Niki Taylor Thursday to help stem blood loss from internal injuries suffered during a weekend car crash. She is reportedly "doing well" but still in critical condition.

COMEBACK: Former Beatle George Harrison getting a clean bill of health after having a successful operation to remove a cancerous growth from one of his lungs. The 58-year-old musician is said to be in good spirits.

CRUISE CONTROL: Tom Cruise has filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit against gay porn star Kyle Bradford, who has allegedly claimed in a magazine article that he was the actor's lover and was the reason behind the breakup of Cruise's marriage to Nicole Kidman. Bradford denies ever making the comments.

SUPER SUB: James Woods signing on to play the role recently vacated by Marlon Brando in Scary Movie 2. Woods will play a priest performing an exorcism at the start of the film.

WHAT IS CLEAN-SHAVEN? The New York Post reporting that Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek has shaved his mustache off. He apparently did it on a whim during a lunch break from shooting one of the season's final episodes.

UNDER THE TABLE AND...BREEDING? Jam rocker Dave Matthews' and his wife are expecting their first child, according to his publicist. No word yet on a due date.

MORE MATTHEWS: The Dave Matthews Band will pay $42,500 for a new grass field at the University of Virginia's Scott Stadium, which was trampled during the band's April 21 concert, university officials said.

BEAM HIM UP: A 22-year-old Northern California man pleaded no contest Wednesday to stalking Star Trek: Voyager star Jeri Ryan. He was given five years' probation, ordered to remain at least 1,000 yards from her and her family and seek mental-health counseling.

ROCK ON: Showtime ordering a second season of The Chris Isaak Show. The semi-autobiographical comedy series will shoot 17 more episodes.

DO THESE GUYS SLEEP? Hollywood screenwriters and major studios still don't have a new deal. They continued their "very intense negotiations" into the wee hours Thursday without an agreement. Reps will continue talks later this morning.

THE DRESSING SINGS: Paul Newman has inked an exclusive agreement with Rhino Records to release three albums branded under the actor's food company, Newman's Own.

LIKELY NOMINEES: Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, who star in Mel Brooks' The Producers on Broadway, have agreed to cohost the 55th annual Tony Awards, scheduled to air on CBS June 3.

FINDING A PROFIT: Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment's Finding Forrester debuted as the most rented video last week, generating nearly $6 million in rental revenue after five days on store shelves, according to the Video Software Dealers Association.

BAD RAP: A New York City Council committee has decided not to approve a measure that would have named a Bronx intersection after Christopher "Big Pun" Rios because of its discomfort over some of the rapper's lyrics. The 28-year-old singer, who weighed nearly 700 pounds, died of a heart attack in February 2000.

PATHS CROSS: Two men--one hero, one villain--who inspired the 1960s book and film Z have died in Greece within hours of each other, Greek media reported on Thursday. Emmanouil "Tiger" Hadziapostolou and Emmanouil Emmanouilidis, both in their 70s, died on