SICK BAY: Hollywood icon Bob Hope hospitalized in Los Angeles for what his publicist calls a case of "mild pneumonia." His doctor says the entertainer should be released in a few days.
OFF THE BENCH: Variety announcing Thursday that suspended editor Peter Bart will return to the paper September 10. He was suspended two weeks ago over offensive comments he made to a magazine reporter.
HERE WE GO AGAIN: CBS green-lighting an hourlong Survivor special set to air Thursday October 4 at 8 p.m. ET/PT, a week before Survivor: Africa bows in the same time slot. The special will take a look at "how to play the game," as well as give a sneak preview of the show's new cast and location.
R&B SMASH: Maxwell's third studio album, Now, debuting at number one and rapper Juvenile's Project English coming in at number two on the Billboard album charts. Aaliyah's self-titled album jumped eight spots to 19 as sales swelled by 41 percent.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Rob Zombie and Ozzy Osbourne kicking off their three-month, coheadlining Black Christmas tour on Halloween night. That's one day after Zombie releases The Sinister Urge, his first album in three years, and three weeks after Ozzy releases Down to Earth, his first studio effort in six years.
BADA BING! A judge on Wednesday deferring a decision on a lawsuit by an Italian-American organization accusing the creators of HBO's The Sopranos of offending Italian-Americans by portraying them as mobsters. An opinion on whether the lawsuit can go forward is expected September 13.
SOURCE FALLOUT: DJ Quik and High-C, two artists involved in a melee at last year's Source Hip-Hop Music Awards, suing the show's sponsor and police for inadequate security and civil-rights violations.
KING OF STOCK: Michael Jackson opening up trading on the Nasdaq stock market in New York Thursday. The so-called King of Pop, whose new album Invincible hits stores next month, said he was "deeply moved" by the honor.
JACKO ADD: Wall Street celebrated Jackson's appearance by dropping to its lowest point in four months.
HOME SQUABBLE: Former child star Taran Noah Smith, who played the youngest of three sons on Home Improvement, battling his parents for access to his $1.5 million trust fund after accusing them of squandering it.
NO SHOWS: A day after filing a lawsuit against show producer Paramount, the five costars of CBS' Becker failed to show up for work as scheduled Wednesday. The walkout was expected.
SNOOCHIES: The SmokingGun.com revealing that actor Jason Mewes, who plays the stoner Jay in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, violated his probation after pleading guilty to heroin possession last February. Mewes allegedly skipped meetings with his probation officer.
PLACE YOUR BETS: A Las Vegas oddsmaker making "Lady Marmalade" from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack the 3-2 favorite to win Video of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards. U2's "Beautiful Day" had 2-1 odds; Missy Elliott's "Get Ur Freak On" came in at 4-1; Janet Jackson "All For You," 5-1; Fatboy Slim "Weapon of Choice," 10-1; and Eminem's "Stan," 15-1.
POSTPONED: Warner Bros. delaying shooting of Brad Pitt's upcoming Darren Aronofsky-directed movie from this fall to summer 2002. The studio wants to work on the script and wait for actress Cate Blanchett, who's expecting a baby in December.
PUBLICITY PRINCESS: American Pie star Tara Reid testifying before a Suffolk County, New York, grand jury hearing the case against celebrity publicist Lizzie Grubman. Reid was partying with Grubman the night the publicist allegedly backed her SUV into a crowd of clubgoers outside a trendy Hamptons nightclub.
THE GUBER AFFAIR: A former driver of Hollywood producer Peter Guber pleading guilty to stealing a Picasso drawing and other property from the movie maker's home last year and trying to sell it at Christie's auction house. Sentencing is set for September 28.
TAKING A BREAK: E! News Daily reporting that longtime Oscarcast producer Gil Cates will sit this year out.