FIRST LOOK: The News in Brief, September 7, 2005

STICKING TO THE SCRIPT: Kanye West making his first public appearance since lashing out at President Bush on live TV Friday and stating that he plans to stick to entertainment at Thursday's NFL kickoff concert.

CHART ATTACK: Meanwhile, West's Late Registration topping the charts with more than 860,000 copies sold--an all-time Island Def Jam high, the label announced.

SHUTTERBUGGED: Paparazzo Todd Wallace due in court next month for allegedly assaulting two California Adventure employees while trying to photograph Reese Witherspoon at the Disney park.

ON THE HOOK: A jury ruling that Rod Stewart must pay back a $2 million advance he received for a concert at the Rio Hotel Casino that never took place. Stewart's attorney said the rocker would appeal.

RIP, LI'L BUDDY: Bob Denver, who portrayed Gilligan on Gillgan's Island, died Friday at a North Carolina hospital of complications related to cancer. Denver also underwent quadruple heart bypass surgery earlier this year. He was 70.

NOT EXCITED: Former Pointer Sisters vocalist June Pointer Whitmore pleading guilty to a crack cocaine possession charge Wednesday in Los Angeles. The R&B singer was ordered to attend drug rehabilitation classes over the next 18 months in exchange for her plea.

JOB OPENING: The Apprentice winner Bill Rancic quiting working for Donald Trump next year in order to start his own business venture. Rancic is currently helping Trump develop a skyscraper in Malaysia.

WAY TO GO, Y'ALL: Brad Paisley and Lee Ann Womack leading all nominees for the 39th Annual CMA Awards with six nominations apiece. The awards will be broadcast live from Madison Square Garden on Nov. 15.

TUNE TROPHY: Antony and the Johnsons winning the U.K.'s prestigious Mercury Prize on Tuesday, beating out the likes of Coldplay and Kaiser Chiefs.

RELEASED: Suge Knight released from a Miami hospital late last week after being shot in the leg Aug. 28 at a party prior to MTV's Video Music Awards.

HIT SQUAD? New court documents show that federal investigators believed convicted drug lord Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff and employees of rap label Murder Inc. plotted to kill 50 Cent as revenge for a track detailing McGriff's criminal past. The feds also tried in vain to link McGriff to the murder of Jam Master Jay.

BACK TO WORK: Michael Jackson penning a song for hurricane relief titled "From the Bottom of My Heart." The song will be released on 2 Seas Records, a label owned by Prince Abdulla Hamad Alkhalifa of Bahrain.

BIG APPLE HELPS BIG EASY: New York's Madison Square Garden announcing it will host a fundraiser for Hurricane Katrina victims Sept. 20. Elton John, Stevie Nicks and Lenny Kravitz are just a few of the artists confirmed to perform at the event.

MORE RELIEF: Steven Spielberg and his family donating $1.5 million for hurricane relief.

DOING HER PART: Oprah Winfrey devoting her show Tuesday to the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina and saying that "this country owes these people an apology." Winfrey toured the Superdome and interviewed New Orleans officials on the show. Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey and Faith Hill also appeared on the show, distributing food.

STARS ALIGN: Sheryl Crow, Dixie Chicks, Alicia Keys, Randy Newman, Paul Simon, Rod Stewart and Neil Young among the stars performing at Friday's multi-network benefit concert, Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast. Jennifer Aniston, Cameron Diaz, Ellen DeGeneres, Jack Nicholson and Chris Rock among the celebs scheduled to appear.

HELPING OUT: Kevin Smith hosting an online auction to benefit the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund at his Website, ViewAskew.com. Prizes include dinner at the filmmaker's house and a walk-on role in Clerks 2: The Passion of the Clerks.

KUDOS: Robert Redford, Tina Turner, Tony Bennett, Julie Harris and Suzanne Farrell receiving lifetime achievement awards from the Kennedy Center on Dec. 3.