JACKO SPEAKS: Michael Jackson's camp releasing the following statement in response to the child abuse allegations: "The outrageous allegations against Michael Jackson are false. Michael would never harm a child in any way. These scurrilous and totally unfounded allegations will be proven false in a courtroom."
JACKO FALLOUT: CBS announcing it has postponed its Michael Jackson Number Ones special, which was scheduled to air November 26. "Given the gravity of the charges against Mr. Jackson, we believe it would be inappropriate at this time to broadcast an entertainment special," said a statement released Wednesday afternoon.
LET THE MEDIA CIRCUS BEGIN: Meanwhile, network newsmagazines, VH1 and all three broadcast networks prepping specials on the singer's troubles, just in time for the end of November sweeps.
IT'S OFFICIAL: Prosecutors charging legendary record producer Phil Spector with one count of murder today in connection with the fatal shooting of actress Lana Clarkson at his home earlier this year.
MORE SPECTOR: Phil Spector pleaded innocent to one count of murder in court Thursday. The charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.
SETTLED: Jennifer Aniston reaching a $550,000 settlement Thursday with a man she accused of illegally distributing topless photos of her. The Friends star said the photos were snapped without her permission while she was sunbathing in her back yard.
DISMISSED: Australian police dropping a malicious damage charge against Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin that was filed against Martin after he allegedly smashed a photographer's windshield in July; no word on why the charge was dropped.
HALL-BOUND: George Harrison heading for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist. Other inductees include Bob Seger, Jackson Browne, Prince and ZZ Top.
PASSING: Jonathan Brandis, star of the NBC series seaQuest DSV, found dead in his Los Angeles apartment on November 12 of an apparent suicide. He was 27.
REMEMBERED: Patricia Broderick, screenwriter and mother of actor Matthew Broderick, died Thursday of undisclosed causes. She was 78. Her most recent project was penning the script for Infinity, which Matthew both starred in and directed.
MONK'D: ABC announcing that it has picked up the second season of the award-winning comedy series Monk, to premiere January 17. Actor Tony Shalhoub has picked up both an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his work on the show.
DIRTY DANCING: Patrick Swayze joining the national company of Chicago next month as slick, song-and-dance lawyer, Billy Flynn.
THE PRICE IS A LOT: Emmy winner Bob Barker celebrating his 80th birthday with The Price Is Right Million Dollar Spectacular primetime special, airing on Saturday, December 13 on CBS.
HE'S BACK: Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, starring newly inaugurated California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, earning $12.2 million to lead DVD and VHS Rentals in its first week of release.
SPEAKING OF DEBUTS: The special edition DVD of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers selling 750,000 to 1 million copies during its first 24 hours in release, according to video retailers.
GOING TO THE CHAPEL? ABC's The Bachelor concluding its latest edition Wednesday night with Bob Guiney picking Californian Estella Gardinier over fellow Michigander, Kelly Jo Kuharski. Guiney bought Gardinier a ring but asked that she wear it on her right hand as his promise to her "to see where we can go."
POPULAR GUY: 18.5 million viewers tuned in to catch the season finale of ABC's The Bachelor, lifting the series to number one in the ratings for Wednesday night.
BACKING OUT: Socialite Paris Hilton, star of the upcoming Fox reality series "The Simple Life," scrapping her interview on "The Late Show with David Letterman" that was scheduled for November 26.
DAREDEVIL: Jennifer Garner accidentally breaking the nose of a stuntman while shooting a scene for Alias.
BIG SUPRISE: People magazine tapping Johnny Depp as its "Sexiest Man Alive 2003," arguing the actor, known for his "brooding eccentricities," has accepted his fame more now that he's become a father.
SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION: E! News Live anchor Patrick Stinson also making the People cut.
MURDOCH'S MINIONS: In a questionable violation of journalist ethics, the New York Post obtaining and reviewing a bootleg copy of Mel Gibson's The Passion of Christ three months before its theatrical release. The paper's editors defended their actions, saying it's a newsworthy item. After viewing, they returned the tape without making copies.
DIRTY MONEY: Palm Beach sources saying authorities are investigating whether Rush Limbaugh was laundering money to pay for drugs, according to wire reports. The radio show host has denied the allegations.
NEW MUSIC: R&B singer and actress Brandy planning to release her upcoming untitled fourth CD on March 2. A single, "Turn It Up," has already been released to radio stations.
JUST GRAB HIM: ABC signing up David Spade for a multiple-episode guest shot on its John Ritter-less 8 Simple Rules. The comic actor will play a relative of the family who visits after Ritter's character's death.
MOVIES ON THE WEB: Hollywood's chief lobbyist, Jack Valenti, predicting Americans could be watching newly released movies on the Internet before they're released at the video store as early as mid-2005 once the industry develops a secure and speedy delivery system.
VALENTI ADD: In an unrelated item, Valenti blasting the History Channel Wednesday for airing a documentary asserting his old boss, President Lyndon B. Johnson, arranged the assassination of President John Kennedy, calling the program "absurd smear." "In televising this production, the History Channel has distorted history beyond recognition," he said in a statement.
ON THE UPSWING: U.S. album sales rising in the past week to 15 million copies sold, up from 13.7 million from a year ago, indicating that CD sales are rebounding after experiencing a sales dip for much of the year.
HEART-SHAPED BOOK: The paperback edition of late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain's Journals featuring 14 pages of new material, most notably a disturbing yarn about a semi-fictional serial killer written by the rocker. The new volume hits book stores on November 10.
SUGAR-COATED: Riverhead Books delaying the release of hip-hop mogul Marion "Suge" Knight's autobiography to early next year due to Knight's latest incarceration for assaulting a nightclub valet.