FIRST LOOK: The News in Brief, October 29, 2003

WEILAND'S WOES: Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland arrested for driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol after he crashed into a parked car Monday and tried to leave the scene. The arrest comes only days after a judge warned the rocker to stay off drugs.

LEAVING LIONEL: Lionel Richie's wife Diane filed for separation from the singer Wednesday, citing irreconcilable differences. The couple married almost seven years ago and have two children together.

GUILTY? Dean Cain, known for playing Superman in ABC"s Lois and Clark, will portray accused murderer Scott Peterson in USA Network's TV movie The Perfect Husband. The film will examine the disappearance and murder of Laci Peterson and her unborn son.

IT'S OFFICIAL: Oscar-nominated British actor Jude Law and actress-wife Sadie Frost officially granted a divorce on Wednesday after six years of marriage. The couple separated in January.

JOE MAKES DOUGH: The season finale of Spike TV's The Joe Schmo Show drew 3.4 million viewers, making it the most-watched original program since the network's launch in August.

UP IN SMOKE: A federal judge in Pittsburgh ruling that Tommy Chong's nine-month prison sentence for conspiracy to sell drug paraphernalia via the Web will likely stand and refused to release the comedian pending an appeal.

HE'S BACK! The Adventures of Indiana Jones: The Complete DVD Collection racking up more than $50 million in retail sales since its release last week, making it the fastest-selling DVD movie collection of all time.

GIRL TALK: Halle Berry, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lopez and Sarah Jessica Parker among the celebs lending their voices to "Face The Issue," a public service initiative to help young adults with emotional and physical health issues.

RUNS IN THE FAMILY? 7th Heaven star Ashlee Simpson (sister of Jessica) set to shoot a reality show pilot for MTV documenting her efforts to break into the music business.

THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN: Bravo scheduling new episodes of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy to begin airing on November 18.

COME ON DOWN! The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences selecting tube personalities Bob Barker, Art Carney, Katie Couric, Dan Rather and the late Brandon Tartikoff for induction into the TV Hall of Fame.

BIG OPENING: The Matrix Revolutions' global synchronous release on November 5 also set to include for the first time ever mainland China, where the movie will debut on 130 screens.

TOUGH LUCK: NBC yanking Rob Lowe's new legal drama, The Lyon's Den off the schedule during the upcoming November sweeps. Filling in for it this Sunday will be an episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent.

TAKING A LONG BREAK: Fox putting Cedric the Entertainer on hiatus. Six episodes have reportedly been filmed, but the network doesn't know when it will air them.

BACK TO SCHOOL: The Practice's Steve Harris, comic actress Joan Cusack, ER's Sharif Atkins and writer-director Harold Ramis heading back to the classroom today as part of the Chicago Public Schools "Principal for a Day" program.

BUSHWHACKED: Jack Black, Janeane Garafalo, R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe and filmmakers Michael Moore and Gus Van Sant among the celebs judging a nationwide contest held by MoveOn.org to find and run the best TV ad that criticizes the Bush administration's policies.

HOT DATE: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg having a meet-and-greet with Jennifer Lopez and beau Ben Affleck during their visit to city hall on Tuesday for the formation of a new commission to attract Latino entertainment and media to the city. J.Lo is its honorary chairwoman.

HOT STREAK: Lord of the Rings star Orlando Bloom tapped to star in Kingdom of Heaven, an epic love story set during the time of the Crusades about a peasant who becomes a knight, saves a kingdom, and falls in love with the princess of Jerusalem. Ridley Scott will direct.

ON THE REBOUND: Illusionist Roy Horn of Las Vegas duo Siegfried and Roy transferred from a Vegas trauma center to a rehabilitation facility at Los Angeles' UCLA Medical Center to continue his recovery from a near-fatal tiger mauling.

BOWLING FOR A LAWSUIT: James Nichols, the brother of Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols, filing a federal lawsuit against filmmaker Michael Moore, claiming Moore tricked him into appearing in Bowling for Columbine.

REJECTED: An appeals court judge in London barring Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski from testifying via satellite from France in his libel suit against Vanity Fair. Polanski can't set foot in the U.K. due to its extradition treaty with the United States, where he's wanted from a long-ago rape conviction.

HELPING HOLLYWOOD: Congress including an amendment in the latest corporate tax cut bill that would reward movie studios with tax breaks and incentives for keeping production in the United States in an effort to curb runaway production.

POSTPONED: Disney delaying its year-end release of The Alamo, starring Dennis Quaid and Billy Bob Thornton, from December 25 until April to give the filmmakers more time to finish it.

LENNOX LORDS IT: Annie Lennox contributing a song to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King soundtrack. The CD will be released November 25; the film opens December 17.

HOME RUN: For the first time ever, Fox scoring a third consecutive weekly win thanks to the last four games of the World Series, all of which finished in the Top 10.

EARLY START: Meanwhile, Fox requesting its writers working on pilots for next season hand in their scripts six weeks earlier than usual in November to give the network the flexibility to launch its new shows for next season in the spring and summer. The move aims to deliver year-round scripted programming for Fox.

IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED: Jason Priestley, who suffered major injuries in a crash at the Kentucky Speedway last year, telling People he still dreams of getting back into racing. "It's something that I really enjoy, it's something that I'm quite good at Ñ so it's hard for me to say I'll never race again," he told the magazine.

STILL TRUCKIN': Country singer and Smokey and the Bandit star Jerry Reed producing Cod Roaster an original musical about a bunch of guys sitting around a campfire to debut at a Nashville-area theater on November 7.

ROYAL HAPPENINGS: Prince William looking to meet his mother's former butler, Paul Burrell, to talk about the royal family's angry reaction over revelations Burrell's new book makes about Princess Diana and her in-laws, William's office said Tuesday.