EMPTY NEST: Jonathan Taylor Thomas, 16, leaving Home Improvement to prepare for college. He'll appear in just three shows next season.
NO JACK? A Northern California toymaker to issue a series of dolls based on Kate Winslet's character in Titanic. The first Rose figure is due in October.
MAKEOVER: Hard Copy getting revamped to shed tabloid image--even the show's name will change.
DOCTORS ARE IN: Anthony Edwards and Noah Wyle ink multimillion-dollar deals to stay on ER through 2002.
KING OF COUNTRY: George Strait leads the Country Music Association Award field with five nominations, including Entertainer of the Year.
CMA ADD: Strait is now the most-nominated performer in CMA history, with 47 nods in his career.
CELEB COURTHOUSE: Pint-sized Diff'rent Strokes star Gary Coleman sued by autograph seeker he allegedly clobbered.
BOY IN THE HOOD: As reported earlier, Luke Perry will return to Beverly Hills, 90210 next year in a minimum of 12 episodes. Fox also inked him to a TV development deal. For all casting news, see The Dotted Line.
COLOR BLIND? Saving Private Ryan under fire from black veterans' group that says Steven Spielberg's film ignores role of African-American soldiers.
FAREWELL: Lamb Chop puppeteer Shari Lewis has died. She had been battling uterine cancer. She was 65.
LAMB CHOP LIVES: Lewis' Lamb Chop will make her movie debut in Wrongfully Accused, starring Leslie Nielsen. The spoof comes out in two weeks.
OBITUARY: Hungarian-born actress Eva Bartok (Operation Amsterdam, The Crimson Pirate) died Saturday at 69. Cause of death unnannounced.
HAPPY B-DAY: Britain's beloved Queen Mum turns 98 today. She's the longest-lived royal ever.
BUTTER WITH THAT? A North Carolina man facing charges after claiming he laced movie-theater popcorn with the cremated remains of his aunt.
BEST BUY: Best Buy will hand out a limited-edition, 17-song live Pearl Jam CD with each purchase of the band's new video, Single Video Theory, which goes on sale today.