FIRST LOOK: The News in Brief, October 19, 2004

PLAYING HOOKY: Mary-Kate Olsen returning to Los Angeles for a weeklong visit, sparking rumors that she had relapsed into an eating disorder. The brunette twin's rep denied that she was ailing and called the reports "silly," adding that Olsen would return to her NYU classes in a few days.

HIRED: Donald Trump confirming that the third season of The Apprentice is now filming and calling his latest underlings a "great group."

BEAUTIFUL DAY: Apple Computer Inc. and U2 expected to announce next week that they have inked a deal to sell custom iPods, according to Billboard. The iPods will reportedly come preloaded with the rockers' new album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, set to be released Nov. 23.

REMEMBERED: Christopher Reeve's family announcing plans for a private memorial service Oct. 29 at Juilliard School in New York. About 900 guests are expected to attend. Reeve's wife, Dana released a message of gratitude on christopherreeve.org, thanking fans for their support after Reeve's death on Oct. 10.

BACKING DOWN: Sinclair Broadcast Group saying it does not plan to air the controversial John Kerry documentary, Stolen Honor: Wounds That Never Heal, which negatively portrays Kerry's anti-war action during Vietnam. Sinclair will instead air a one-hour news special, A POW Story: Politics, Pressure and the Media on Friday.

DROPPED: NBC Universal dropping a breach-of-contract suit against Pat O'Brien, who left Access Hollywood in July to serve as host of rival gossip show startup, The Insider.

DRIVING PAINS: Growing Pains alum Tracey Gold appearing in court Tuesday for a hearing on three felony drunk driving charges after she flipped her S.U.V. last month, injuring her husband and two of her kids. Gold pleaded not guilty to the charges and was ordered to stay away from alcohol. She remains free on $50,000 bail.

COURT FILES: Cameron Diaz soon to take the stand to testify against shutterbug John Rutter, who snapped topless pictures of the thesp before she was famous, according to CelebrityJustice.com. Rutter is on trial for forgery, attempted grand theft and perjury after he allegedly faked Diaz's signature on a photo release and tried to extort millions of dollars from her.

MORE COURT: The judge in Robert Blake's murder trial refusing to throw out evidence seized from Blake's home during a police search on the day after his wife was shot to death. Blake's attorneys had argued that the actor's constitutional rights were violated because author Miles Corwin accompanied police on the search.

DESPERATE FOR SPONSORS: ABC's hit Desperate Housewives proving too steamy for some of its advertisers, with both Lowe's and Tyson Foods pulling ad spots from the show's rotation. Meanwhile, ABC has doubled the coast of an 30-second ad to $30,000. The show is seen by approximately 20 million viewers each week.

PYTHON-ATHON: Spamalot, a musical that claims to be "lovingly ripped off" from the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail, rescheduling its Broadway dates to accommodate an extra week in Chicago. The play's Broadway opening is set for March 17, 2005.

SPY GAME: Jamie Foxx set to star in spy thriller The Executioner's Game. The film centers on a government operative who must track down and kill his rogue mentor.

NEW DEAL: Aisha Tyler signing a talent deal with CBS to appear in an hour or half-hour project targeted for the fall, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

THE CRUSH FACTOR? A former friend of Andrea Mackris, the woman who sued Bill O'Reilly for sexual harassment, telling O'Reilly's lawyers that Mackris had a crush on O'Reilly and engaged in consensual phone sex with him.

OFF THE HOOK: A French court throwing out a defamation lawsuit against Brigitte Bardot, ruling that she was provoked into calling a radio host "a little jerk" during a May 2003 show.

BEATLEMANIA: Revolution Studios bidding on the musical screenplay All You Need is Love, a film that will feature 17 to 18 Beatles songs, but won't be about the Fab Four.

OUT OF THE ZONE: Britney Spears announcing on her Website that she plans to take a break from her career to devote time to her new marriage with dancer Kevin Federline. The popster's greatest hits package, My Prerogative, hits stores Nov. 9.

MAKING THE BAND: Former Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee donning a uniform to play with the University of Nebraska marching band Saturday during its game with Baylor. Lee is back in school as part of a prospective NBC reality series.

REEVE FUNDRAISER STILL ON: Despite actor Christopher Reeve's untimely passing Oct. 10, the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation's annual gala will take place next month in New York as planned. Nathan Lane will host the Nov. 18 event, the foundation announced Monday.

THE SHOW WILL GO ON: Michael Moore continuing with production on his television special showing Fahrenheit 9/11 despite In Demand's cancellation. The gadfly filmmaker said he'll either air the special on the pay-per-view network, per a binding contract with the company, or on another outlet.

MOORE ADD: Michael Wilson, the director of anti-Moore doc Michael Moore Hates America, in trouble for using comments by veteran documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles without permission.