FIRST LOOK: The News in Brief, November 1, 2005

UNFRIENDLY: David Hesterbey, the man accused of breaking into Jennifer Aniston's rented Malibu pad, pleading no contest to one count of burglary and sentenced to a year in prison.

RATINGS GAME: CBS' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation finishing number one in the ratings for the week ended Sunday, with 24.2 million viewers tuning in. ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition rounding out the top 10 with 16.5 million viewers.

ON HOLD: Production on Fox's Arrested Development on hold while Jason Bateman recovers from minor throat surgery. The actor is expected to make a full recovery.

CALLED OFF: Depeche Mode canceling the band's North American tour launch concert in Fort Lauderdale Wednesday night, due to concerns about safety issues following Hurricane Wilma. Tickets for the show will be honored Thursday night at St. Petersburg, Florida's St. Pete Times Forum.

FREE FALL: Christian Slater falling from the roof of Paris Hilton's neighbor's home during a party over the weekend, per the New York Post. The actor was reportedly uninjured.

MOURNED: Skitch Henderson, the Grammy-winning conductor who was the first Tonight Show bandleader, passing away Monday of natural causes at his home in Connecticut. He was 87.

THE WRITE STUFF: Gloria Estefan's children's book, The Magically Mysterious Adventures of Noelle the Bulldog, debuting at number two on the New York Times Bestseller List.

STORK WATCH: Heath Ledger and Michelle Williams welcoming a baby girl named Matilda on Friday, according to Us Weekly.

GET REAL: Fear Factor featuring a special reality edition with teams from shows including American Idol, Survivor, The Real World, The Apprentice and The Amazing Race.

CASUALTY OF WAR: Cable's FX channel canceling Iraq war drama Over There for a second season due to poor ratings.

SPLITSVILLE: Gabrielle Union and Chris Howard announcing they have separated after four years of marriage.

HEALTH HELPER: Brad Pitt narrating a six-hour PBS documentary titled Rx for Survival--A Global Health Challenge over six nights, beginning Tuesday.

FAST BREAK: Dennis Rodman settling a speeding ticket issued in Colorado that had briefly led to a judge issuing a warrant for his arrest. Rodman agreeing to plead guilty to speeding, pay $516.50 in fines and make a $200 donation to the Summit County 4-H club, per the Denver Post.

SPEAKING UP: Woody Allen telling Vanity Fair that the 1992 scandal that led him to to leave Mia Farrow for her adopted daughter, Soon-Yi Previn, was one of the luckiest moments of his life.

ROYAL VISIT: Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, departing for the United States Tuesday for a visit promoting Charles' environmentalist causes and celebrating trans-Atlantic ties.

WEB ACTION: NBC News announcing Monday that it will begin making its NBC Nightly News broadcast available for free on the Internet at MSNBC.com beginning next week.

TURNING TRICKS: Jennifer Love Hewitt planning to produce and star in a fact-based feature about a hooker housewife from Texas, per the Hollywood Reporter.

A CLOSE SHAVE: Gorefest Saw II grossing an estimated $30.5 million in its debut weekend to win the Halloween weekend box office ahead of The Legend of Zorro, which finished in a distant second place.

FAMILY FEUD: As their custody battle grows increasingly bitter, an attorney for Alec Baldwin asking an L.A. judge today for a psychological evaluation of ex-wife Kim Basinger, accusing her of harboring a "pathological need" to keep their 10-year-old daughter away from him.

TAXING TIMES: A federal jury in Los Angeles convicting Ronald Isley of tax evasion Monday. The R&B singer faces more than 20 years in jail when sentenced Jan. 9.

REPORTING FOR DUTY: Polly Bergen joining the cast of ABC's Commander in Chief, playing the mother of Geena Davis. Her first episode is set for Nov. 29.

LIVE 8 LOADED: Per Billboard, the LIVE 8 series of 10 concerts from this past July that raises awareness of the need for increased African aid also raising more than $12 million from the sale of TV and DVD rights and other ancillary sources. The surplus was donated to anti-poverty programs on that continent.