Morning Briefing:
Couric deal completed? After months and months of idle speculation, it looks as if Katie Couric is indeed set to become the next face of "The CBS Evening News." TV Week reports that the deal that cements her leap from NBC is "completed in principle," and that there should be an announcement sometime this week. Fox 411, also reporting that Couric's switch is all but a done deal, has more on what the move means: Meredith Vieira from ABC's "The View" may come onboard "Today" to fill Couric's vacancy; Elizabeth Vargas (now anchor for ABC News) might switch to "The View" for more flexibility during her pregnancy; and Diane Sawyer and Charlie Gibson continue to compete for Vargas' spot at the anchor desk. As part of her new deal with CBS, Couric may reportedly also contribute an occasional segment to "60 Minutes." (TV Week, Fox 411)
Moss paying Doherty to keep quiet? The latest (alleged) wrinkle in the (reported) ongoing relationship between Kate Moss and rocker Pete Doherty is that Moss has been paying Doherty and his pals to keep their mouths shut about her life -- and obviously, if it's true, someone isn't playing along. "When she goes to meet him she takes a handbag full of bundled-up banknotes," an unnamed source told the trashy British tabloid News of the World. "She says it's to help him get back on his feet." Doherty, meanwhile, has reportedly told the U.K. press: "I love Kate and we want to get married in the summer." (FemaleFirst)
Too soon for "United 93"? The trailer for "United 93," a movie about the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania on 9/11, isn't due out until April 28, but when trailers began showing at theaters last weekend, one Manhattan theater decided to pull it for the time being (watch the trailer here). "I don't think people are ready for this," said Kevin Adjodha, a manager at an AMC Loews theater in the Upper West Side. "One lady was crying. She was saying that we shouldn't have played the trailer. That this was wrong." At the same time, some audience members at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood yelled out, "Too soon!" when the clip came up. (N.Y. Post)
Also:
"Ice Age 2" was the behemoth at the box office this weekend, bringing in just over $70 million, while another sequel, "Basic Instinct 2," managed a meager $3.2 million. (Box Office Mojo) ... Howard Stern and his girlfriend, Beth Ostrosky, got a scare over the weekend when an angry man chased their cab and spit through the window on Ostrosky's face. Stern later helped the "dozen or so cops" who arrived at the scene to find and arrest the man. (N.Y. Daily News) ... Pink has taken over the London Mirror's 3 a.m. Girls gossip column for the day, and reveals that her biggest idol is Oprah Winfrey: "I think Oprah is absolutely amazing. She runs the world, as she should." (3 a.m. Girls) ... In a surprise announcement during a show in New York over the weekend, Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders said the band would be calling it quits at the end of their current tour. (Fox 411) ... It's splitsville for Def Jam cofounder Russell Simmons and his wife, Kimora Lee -- confirming long-rumored suspicions, the pair announced on Friday that they're getting divorced, and have been separated for "some time." (People)
Money Quotes:
Susan Sarandon on the need for monitoring U.S. elections the next time around: "I believe our next election should be monitored by international entities, just like it happened in Haiti and Iraq. The last one was an embarrassment. Everybody knew there was fraud, but nothing was done about it. In some states there were more votes than people able to vote." (The Scoop)
-- Scott Lamb
Turn On:
Tonight, UCLA goes against Florida for the NCAA title on CBS (9 p.m. EDT), "Penn & Teller: Bullshit" (Showtime, 10 p.m. EDT) has its fourth-season premiere, and on ABC, "Miracle Workers" (10 p.m. EDT) has its last episode before going on hiatus.
-- Joe DiMento
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