FIRST LOOK: The News in Brief, September 28, 2001

Lopez and Judd wedding date set? Sean Lennon does dad's tribute, viewers embrace Friends return, more

By Josh Grossberg Sep 29, 2001 1:00 AMTags
WEDDING BELLS? Both the New York Daily News and New York Post reporting Jennifer Lopez will tie the knot with fiancé Cris Judd tomorrow in Los Angeles. Per tradition, J.Lo's camp remains mum and hasn't confirmed anything.

WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR: Tragedy-worn viewers rushing back to NBC Thursday for Chandler and Monica's wedding reception, as the Friends season premiere obliterated its 8 p.m. competition with a 21.7 rating and 33 share, according to preliminary ratings numbers. Other big winners Thursday included premieres of CBS' C.S.I. and NBC's ER.

BICOASTAL: For the first time in more than two decades, the Emmys will be held jointly in New York and Los Angeles, organizers confirmed Friday. The New York ceremony will take place at an NBC studio and will accommodate East Coast-based TV types who don't want to fly to L.A.

FATHER'S DAY: Sean Lennon joining Rufus Wainwright, Billy Preston and Craig David on the musical lineup for Come Together: A Night for John Lennon's Words and Music. The all-star tribute to the late Beatle will air live on TNT October 2 from New York's Radio City Music Hall and will benefit disaster relief.

POLITICALLY CANNED? ABC's Washington, D.C., affiliate WJLA deciding to keep Politically Incorrect off the air indefinitely, the Washington Post reports. The station was one of 17 stations to pull the show over host Bill Maher's comments calling recent U.S. military action "cowardly."

JULES AND VINCENT RETURN: Former Pulp Fiction pals John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson poised to reteam for director John McTiernan's upcoming military thriller, Basic, about a Drug Enforcement Agency agent who investigates the disappearance of a legendary Army Ranger drill instructor and several cadets.

HELPING A WILD WORLD: Yusuf Islam, the songwriter formerly known as Cat Stevens, donating royalties from his upcoming box set to charity, with a major portion going to the United Way's September 11 Fund to aid victims' families. "I feel this is my duty," said Islam, who retired from music in 1977 and converted to Islam.

UNCUT: filmmaker Ric Burns' last two installments of New York: A Documentary Film, focusing on the post World War II period and New York's fiscal crisis of the 1970s, airing as originally planned on PBS on Sunday and Monday. "You see things which feel like foreshadowings," said Burns, referring to the September 11 attacks.

DREAMWORKS: David Geffen's $3.9 billion bank account topping that of his DreamWorks pals, according to Forbes magazine's latest list of the biggest moneymakers. Meanwhile, Steven Spielberg is listed with $2.1 billion and Jeffrey Katzenberg has an estimated $820 million. Others on list: George Lucas with $3 billion, Oprah Winfrey with $900 million and Martha Stewart with $650 million.

WHITE CHRISTMAS? Ozzy Osbourne and Rob Zombie dropping "Black Christmas" as the name of their upcoming tour, saying it's now inappropriate in light of the attacks. The pair also plan to help raise money for the relief effort during the tour, which kicks off Halloween and runs through early 2002.

WEBBED FEAT: More than 56,000 people subscribing to CBS and RealNetworks' Webcast of Big Brother 2, Variety reports. A CBS exec says the numbers "far exceeded" what they expected.

TOUCHED BY A (NAKED) ANGEL: Big Brother's third-place finisher, Monica Bailey, saying she'd really like to pose for Playboy. Bailey also tells the New York Post that she has an upcoming audition for CBS' Touched by an Angel.

WILD MAN BLUES: Director Woody Allen predicting that Hollywood will stay away from violent movies in the aftermath of the terorrist attacks on Washington and his beloved New York. He also praised New Yorkers for their resilience during the crisis and said, "time passes and you rebuild."

SOUTH SIDE: Moby raising more than $100,000 for relief efforts Tuesday night from his benefit show at New York dance club Centro-Fly. "Such an abundance of generosity and altruism is really heart-warming," he wrote on his Website.

HAIL HAIL! Rock 'n' roll legend Chuck Berry celebrating his 75th birthday with a hometown concert October 18 in St. Louis . Little Richard is also set to perform at the show.

KUDOS: Sexy Beast, multicultural London comedy South West Nine and low-budget indie film Jump Tomorrow snagging five nominations each for the fourth British Independent Film Awards, to be held October 24.

FOR KIDS: The Disney Channel on Thursday beginning an on-air campaign featuring first lady Laura Bush talking about her feelings regarding the attack, in order to help children cope with the national tragedy. Future spots will also feature Hollywood celebrities.

HE'S HOW OLD? ABC celebrating the 50th anniversary of American Bandstand with a two-hour prime time special this spring, which will also include 71-year-old host Dick Clark showing classic moments from the shows and new performances by pop superstars spanning five decades.

SHRINKING SCREEN: Writer-director Jake Kasdan turning his 1998 private eye film Zero Effect, starring Bill Pullman and Ben Stiller, into an hourlong series for NBC. Kasdan will co-write and direct the pilot which will air in fall 2002.

EASY AS 1-2-3? Los Angeles prosecutors recommending that Randy Jackson, brother of the King of Pop, be placed on probation and fined $21,100 for failing to report that he owned a sport utility vehicle when he filed for bankruptcy protection. Jackson, who pleaded guilty last month to one count of making a false statement, will be sentenced December 3.

LIMBERING UP: Christy Turlington, Tara Reid, Charlize Theron, Peter Berg, Soleil Moon Frye and Diane Lane among the celebs hosting "Yoga for the Cure," a three-day event October 5-7 in Los Angeles to benefit breast and ovarian cancer research. More info at yogaforthecure.com.