FIRST LOOK: The News in Brief, January 30, 2004
WINGED: Russell Crowe dislocating his shoulder while training for his upcoming role as a boxer in Universal's Cinderella Man. Shooting on the film will be delayed by one month and now start in early April.
MRS. ZAPPA: Selma Blair and rocker Ahmet Zappa swapping vows in a traditional Jewish wedding ceremony at Carrie Fisher's Beverly Hills mansion; the duo were supposed to wed at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Marina Del Ray, California, but switched locations at the last minute, according to published reports.
REMEMBERED: Mary-Ellis Bunim, who with partner Jon Murray pioneered the reality television genre has died. She was 57. Under their Bunim-Murray Productions slate, the two producers created shows such as MTV's Real World and Fox's The Simple Life. "Mary-Ellis was a one-in-a-million partner and and friend, and I will always treasure our incredible years of collaboration," Murray said in a statement.
VANITY LIAR? A friend of Michael Jackson's is defending the pop star against a Vanity Fair story that says Jackson served wine in coke cans to young boys he wanted to seduce. The friend does admit that Jackson has been in and out of rehab in attempts to kick a painkiller habit.
SENTENCED: Comedian Jamie Foxx placed on two years probation and fined $1,500 after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge from a fight with security guards at a casino.
SUPER LINEUP: Janet Jackson, Sean "P. Diddy" Combs and Kid Rock finishing rehearsals on Thursday for their 12-minute performance headlining the Super Bowl's halftime musical extravaganza this Sunday.
NICE GADGET: Alias spy-babe Jennifer Garner set to host the Oscar's Scientific and Technical Awards honoring Hollywood techies on February 14 at the Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel in Pasadena.
KEEP 'EM LAUGHING: Carl Reiner tapped to emcee the 56th Annual Directors Guild of America Awards set for Feb. 7 in Los Angeles. This will be the 19th time he's hosted the honors.
ON THE OFFENSIVE: Lawyers for embattled R&B star R. Kelly asking a judge to bar from evidence nude pictures found on a digital camera, saying they were seized during an illegal search of the singer's Orlando area home.
BLAKE UPDATE: Robert Blake's lawyers filing a mountain of motions on Thursday seeking approval to tell jurors about nearly three years of police forensic investigations they claim failed to substantiate a link between the actor and the gun that killed his wife.
OSCAR WARMUP: Brooke Shields, Joan Rivers, Cybill Shepherd and Marlee Matlin set to guest star in a four-week Oscar-themed arc on the ABC sitcom I'm with Her, about a high school teacher who falls for a movie star. The series stars Teri PoloROLL OF THE DICE: NBC giving an early full-season pickup to Las Vegas, starring James Caan, and American Dreams, for next fall.
GETTING THE AXE: ABC execs canceling their critically-acclaimed drama Karen Sisco due to low ratings and their unhappiness with the creative direction of the show.
THE R WORD: Showtime renewing its critically acclaimed series The L Word for a second season; the pickup was the fastest renewal in the premium network's history. The show centers on a group of Los Angeles women and their romantic relationships, both gay and straight.
V IS FOR VANDROSS: Celine Dion, Alicia Keys and Richard Marx tapped to perform a special tribute at Feb. 8's Grammy Awards for R&B star Luther Vandross, who may or may not make it, depending on how his rehabilitation goes stemming from last year's stroke.
HOLLYWOOD AMBASSADORS: The United Nations granting Universal permission to shoot most of its Nicole Kidman-Sean Penn thriller, The Interpreter, in its New York headquarters.
LOSING NEMO: Pixar ending discussions with Disney Thursday regarding extending the studio's distribution agreement; Pixar, creator of Finding Nemo and the Toy Story films, said it would seek a deal with another studio.
LEAP TO THE STAGE: Saturday Night Live alum Chris Kattan starring opposite Nathan Lane in Stephen Sondheim's The Frogs at the Lincoln Center Theater. The new musical, based on Aristophanes' 405 B.C. play and directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman, begins previews on June 17 and opens July 15.
CALLING IT QUITS: British girl band Atomic Kitten announcing on Friday they are breaking up in March to spend more time with their budding families. The band sold 7 million records in nearly five years. The Liverpool trio didn't rule out one day reuniting.
BUSTED: Turk, a New Orleans-based rapper already wanted in his hometown for probation violation, arrested in Memphis, Tenn., and booked on attempted first degree murder after he shot two deputies who were searching an apartment for heroin.
STAYING AWAY: Singer Andy Williams, 76, deciding to postpone a tour of Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand and Singapore because of worries over the spread of bird flu in Asia and concerns over his age and health, his Singaporean concert promoter said Thursday.
NOT SO GOOD: James Brown being arrested on domestic violence charges Wednesday. The Godfather of Soul spent the night in a South Carolina county jail and was released Thursday with the stipulation he avoid contact with his wife. "I would never hurt my wife," Brown told the judge.




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