FIRST LOOK: The News in Brief, April 7, 2003
WORKING GIRL MADE GOOD: An L.A. judge ruling that Heidi Fleiss' probation stint will end Tuesday, after determining the erstwhile Hollywood Madam successfully completed the terms. Fleiss was convicted in 1997 of money laundering, tax evasion and attempted pandering.
PAYBACK: A man accused of stalking Janet Jackson has sued the singer for $20 million for filing a 1997 restraining order against him, claiming mental and emotional damages.
COURT CHECK-UP: Winona Ryder getting good marks during her progress hearing Monday in a Beverly Hills courtroom. She is on probation for shoplifting charges.
HITCHED: Russell Crowe marrying longtime gal-pal Danielle Spencer today. The bride, dressed in Giorgio Armani, arrived at Crowe's Down Under estate in a limo flanked by three Harley Davidson motorcycles.
SAD SONG: R&B duo K-Ci and JoJo jailed over the weekend in North Carolina on tax-evasion charges. The singers, arrested after a concert in Raleigh, are accused of not paying taxes on shows in the state from 1999 to 2001. They were released on bail Sunday.
REBOUND: The Bachelorette's Charlie Maher signing on to be a special correspondent for Extra in a celebrity-shmoozing segment called "Hollywood Nights."
MY BAD: Fox News' Geraldo Rivera apologizing Sunday for revealing tactical information about American troops on air last week. Rivera was ordered out of Iraq but allowed back in later in the week.
GOOD CALL: Phone Booth, the sniper flick starring Colin Farrell, rang up $15 million as the number one movie this weekend.
SICK LEAVE: Paul McCartney having to cancel a Sunday night show in England after losing his voice. The rocker plans to reschedule his British tour.
DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY PICNIC: MTV announcing the third and final season of The Osbournes premiering June 10. Among the ten original episodes will be Sharon's recovery from colon cancer and Ozzy bumping into Roseanne in Beverly Hills with her own camera crew in tow for an ABC reality series.
MORE MTV: American Pie and Dude, Where's My Car? star Seann William Scott tapped to host MTV's annual Movie Awards, set for May 31 in Santa Monica, E! Online's Movie Scoop columnist Anderson Jones reports.
HANDY GUY: Kevin O'Connor joining This Old House as host of the home improvement series. O'Connor, originally a viewer who asked the crew to help renovate his home, replaces longtime host Steve Thomas.
SEE YA: Incubus dropping bass player Dirk Lance due to creative differences. Lance, who's been with the band 12 years, will be replaced by Ben Kenney, former guitarist for the Roots.
REMEMBERED David Bloom, NBC's Today show weekend co-anchor, dying of a pulmonary embolism while covering the war in Iraq. He was 39.
GETTING HELP: Calvin Klein admitting he's seeking help for drug abuse two weeks after the fashion designer walked onto the basketball court during a Knicks game to talk to Latrell Sprewell in mid-play.
NO FLIPPING: Viewers watching NBC's Arena Football League coverage April 13 will see the first TV trailer for The Matrix Reloaded from Warner Bros. No money changed hands for the two and a half minute trailer, which was declared a cross-promotional opportunity for both studio and network. The movie is slated to be in theaters May 15.
CANADIAN KUDOS: Avril Lavigne on Sunday picking up four Juno Awards, the Canadian Grammys, including Album of the Year and Best New Artist. Host Shania Twain went home with three wins including Artist of the Year and Country Recording of the Year.
WAR AND PEACE: HBO ordering a pilot script of military intelligence drama Hearts and Minds from TV Academy head honcho Bryce Zabel.
MOMMY DEAREST: Harvey Fierstein segueing from Broadway's Hairspray, where he plays larger than life Edna Turnblad, to an ABC blue-collar domestic comedy where he gets to dress up as Mom, again, reports The Hollywood Reporter. Production is expected to begin in August.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY: NBC giving single dads a helping hand in dating arena with Who Wants to Marry My Dad, a spinoff of Meet My Folks.
U.S. A WONDERLAND: John Mayer and the Counting Crows to coheadline a summer concert tour together that kicks off July 7 in Englewood, Colorado. The Grammy winner reportedly wants to road-test some songs he's written on for a new album.



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