TV

TV: "Quentin Tarantino has signed to direct the season-finale episode of primetime's most-watched series, CBS' 'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.' Tarantino also has come up with an original story for the episode, which is expected to shoot in early April and air May 19, according to 'CSI' executive producer Carol Mendelsohn. Tarantino has long been a fan of the stylish forensic drama as series creator/executive producer Anthony Zuiker learned when he bumped into Tarantino at an awards show during 'CSI's' first season. They have pursued him to direct an episode for some time, and after members of the 'CSI' crew ran into Tarantino a few weeks ago while the show was doing some location shooting in Las Vegas, the stars finally aligned for him to helm the show's fifth-season closer, Mendelsohn said. 'He knows everything there is to know about 'CSI,' and he is into the whole mythology of 'CSI,'' Mendelsohn said. 'Quentin came in a couple of weeks ago. We had a story meeting with the writers. He had a great idea, and it was so much fun to have him in the room. . . . We are positively giddy.' "

Jon Stewart: TV Mogul

E! Online News: "Comedy Central is banking on fans wanting more than a daily dose of Jon Stewart. Literally. TV's anti-Walter Cronkite has obtained financing from his home base cable network to resurrect his long-dormant Busboy Production shingle. In exchange, Stewart will give Comedy Central first crack at picking up all the projects it develops, network president Doug Herzog announced Tuesday. Stewart will run the company with Daily Show executive producer Ben Karlin, a former Onion editor who joined the fake news anchor's staff in 1993, became head writer in 1999 and with whom Stewart cowrote his New York Times bestseller, America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction. (The tome, a parody of civics textbooks, owes a measure of its success to Wal-Mart, which banned the book for its naked illustrations of the Supreme Court justices, in turn pumping up sales.) The first-look deal allows Stewart and his team to create new comedy series that mine the habitual funnyman's trademark brand of humor. If Comedy Central passes on the shows, Stewart is free to shop them to other channels. 'Jon Stewart is the preeminent voice in comedy today,' Herzog says in a statement. 'As evidenced by the incredible success of America (The Book), Jon and Ben have much more than a nightly TV show's worth of comedy in them and we're incredibly excited about the possibility of making more television with this exceptionally talented group of artists.'"

Tom Cruise Wants to Assist

Tom Cruise Wants to Assist: "...With on-set Scientology. In the upcoming Steven Spielberg remake of War of the Worlds, one family fights for survival when Earth is invaded by Martian war machines. But on the set of the movie, there’s been an invasion of another sort: Scientologists! Tom Cruise, the film’s star and the religion’s most well-known adherent, has set up a Scientology tent with a volunteer minister. “It’s a gift from Tom to the crew,” says Lee Anne De Vette, Cruise’s sister and spokeswoman."

Patty reveals her Simpsons secret Patty reveals her Simpsons secret

Patty reveals her Simpsons secret By Suzy Austin, Metro 22 February 2005 She's best known for her chain-smoking, hairy legs and love of TV troubleshooter MacGyver. But now Marge Simpson's sister, Patty Bouvier, has been revealed as Springfield's closet homosexual. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/showbiz/articles/16789012?source=Metro

Cher

Cher Originally uploaded by ReidAnderes. February 22, 2005 -- CHER is not a fan of the younger generation of pop stars. During a concert in Auckland, New Zealand, last weekend, she told 20,000 fans: "I'm not going to give up show business but I'm going to give up touring because, you know, there are all of these young girls coming out like Britney [Spears] and J.Lo." The crowd booed at the names and, according to New Zealand wire reports, Cher smirked: "I know — they are ho's, aren't they?" A rep for Spears and Lopez told PAGE SIX: "For someone who has had their fair share of bad press, it is surprising she would comment on two women she hardly knows."

The New York Times > Books > Hunter S. Thompson, 65, Author, Commits Suicide

The New York Times > Books > Hunter S. Thompson, 65, Author, Commits Suicide Would like to know more about how this happen. He was a wild and crazy guy. His insight will be missed.