FIRST LOOK: The News in Brief, July 14, 2004

Wed., Jul. 14, 2004 5:20 PM PDT by Lia Haberman

SEAL THIS: Michael Jackson's lawyers filing a motion seeking to postpone the Sept. 13 trial date in his molestation case. The judge overseeing the case immediately sealed the motion, preventing the news media from learning how long a delay is being sought.

WHOOPI WHOOPSIE: Slim-Fast has dropped Whoopi Goldberg from its ad campaign following lewd jokes she made at President Bush's expense at a Democratic fundraiser last week.

STILL AILING? Courtney Love checking in to a private New York-area hospital after being released Monday from a weekend stay at a public institution, her criminal defense lawyer told Reuters on Tuesday. No info on Love's condition was released.

CAN'T FEEL THE LOVE: Meanwhile, Love's civil lawyer representing her in a case in Los Angeles telling the judge that his client "is a troubled rock star" who has been "beyond uncooperative."

TV HONEYMOON'S OVER? Jessica Simpson telling Us Weekly this will be the last season of MTV's Newlyweds. "We're not newlyweds anymore," said the singer, who celebrates her second anniversary with hubby Nick Lachey on Oct. 26.

DINNER AND A MOVIE: Quentin Tarantino and Sofia Coppola "are seeing each other," according to their mutual publicist, Bumble Ward. The two were recently spotted together in Spain where Tarantino was promoting his Kill Bill sequel.

STILL RECOVERING: Mary-Kate Olsen extending her stint in rehab--reportedly for anorexia--from a month to six weeks, her publicist confirms.

WEDDING BELLS: Chad Michael Murray, 22, popping the question to his One Tree Hill costar Sophia Bush, 22, while in Australia shooting House of Wax two months ago. A 2005 wedding is planned.

WHIFF: Ratings for Tuesday night's Major League Baseball All-Star game were off 7 percent from last year. Producers blamed the American League's six-run first inning for the lack of interest.

BIG DAY: Martha Stewart and her former stockbroker, Peter Bacanovic, will be sentenced separately on Friday with the domestic diva receiving her punishment first starting at 10 a.m., followed by Bacanovic at 2:30 p.m.

NO INSIDER TRADING: NBC filing a lawsuit Tuesday against Pat O'Brien, claiming he's violating his old Access Hollywood contract by promoting his new entertainment show, The Insider, and attempting to recruit Access staffers.

FEEL THE BEAT: Brazilian producer Tom Capone topping the Latin Grammy nominations with five nods, while singers Maria Rita and Alejandro Sanz garnered four nominations apiece. The awards ceremony takes place Sept. 1 in Los Angeles

ALL REALITY, ALL THE TIME: Fox has announced plans to launch the Fox Reality Channel early next year. Cable net will air original series and reruns of shows like Joe Millionaire and Temptation Island. It will compete with another planned cable net, Reality Central, as well as Dish Network's Reality TV channel.

NOT FIGHTING FAIR? Fox's boxing series The Next Great Champ could be benched because the bouts were not compliant with state requirements. The California Boxing Commission is investigating, per USA Today.

BUCKS FOR BRAINS: Jeopardy contestant Ken Jennings winning his 30th straight game Tuesday night and passing the $1 million prize mark.

HE'S OUT: Ben Affleck dropping out of Disney's Glory Road because of a dispute over profit sharing, per the Hollywood Reporter. Josh Lucas is a possible replacement for the flick, which begins shooting in less than a month.

ENDLESS SUMMER: The WB picking up Aaron Spelling's Summerland for an additional 13 episodes.