Buzz Briefs: Mariah Carey, John Ritter
Mariah Carey To Fill In For Janet Jackson On SNL
"Saturday Night Live" has replaced a flu-ridden Janet Jackson with another diva: Mariah Carey.
Carey, 37, will fill in for Jackson on the March 15 "SNL" telecast, NBC announced Wednesday.
Jackson, 41, was scheduled to perform live Saturday night in support of her latest album, "Discipline," which was released last month. The singer's publicist, Patti Webster, said Tuesday she dropped out because she has the flu and "needs some time to get better."
Carey's latest album, EMC2, arrives April 15.
Closing Arguments In John Ritter Suit
Attorney Moses Lebovits made the claim Wednesday in closing arguments of a wrongful-death lawsuit in Glendale Superior Court.
Ritter's family is seeking $67 million in damages from the doctors.
Ritter received treatment for a heart attack but actually had a torn aorta.
Judge Laura Matz has told the jury that lawyers for the doctors will say Ritter's death was caused by his own negligence in failing to follow instructions to seek medical assistance earlier.
Paris And "Good Charlotte" Boyfriend Cheer On Sis At L.A. Fashion Week
Kathy, Rick and Paris Hilton - along with Paris' current squeeze Benji Madden - were front and center Tuesday at the Mercedes-Benz L.A. Fashion Week show for Nicky Hilton's high-end Nicholai line.
Before the models took the runway, mom Kathy mingled with the crowd, dad Rick snapped iPhone photos and big sis Paris exchanged whispers with Madden, the Good Charlotte guitarist.
The latest designs from the younger Hilton sister included trench coats, knit tops, houndstooth accents and lots of leather trim. Nicky debuted the more-expensive Nicholai line at New York Fashion Week last year. She launched her first clothing line - the casual Chick by Nicky Hilton - in 2004.
Photos: Nicky's Designs
At the end of the Nicholai show, Nicky's boyfriend David Katzenberg presented her with a bouquet of white roses.
Insurer Can't Sue De Niro Over Cancer Diagnosis
Fireman's Fund Insurance Co. insured the film "Hide and Seek." The company claimed the actor misrepresented his health when he wrote that he had never been diagnosed with or treated for prostate cancer.
According to court documents, De Niro was diagnosed with prostate cancer on Oct. 15, 2003, two days after he signed the medical certificate. De Niro underwent a prostate-gland biopsy on Oct. 10, 2003.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Rolf M. Treu granted De Niro's motion for summary judgment on Monday.
"This ruling vindicates what we've said all along," De Niro's attorney Robyn Crowther said. "We are pleased that the court has found that Fireman's Fund can't sue Mr. De Niro for getting cancer."
De Niro's diagnosis and resulting treatment delayed the movie production. Fireman's Fund paid Fox more than $1.8 million to cover the cost of the delay. The film was released in January 2005.
Robert Redford Tackles Environmental Issues In 3D
Redford, a lifelong environmentalist, previously navigated the Colorado River and has a boat on Lake Powell, a manmade reservoir on the Arizona-Utah border created by a dam. He worries about water conservation as a drought threatens the region - and, visibly, the Colorado.
"(The river is) endangered now on a number of fronts," Redford said by phone Monday from his office in Park City, Utah, where he holds his Sundance Film Festival every year.
"Its volume is shrinking because of a megadrought cycle that's now facing the Southwest, and some scientists predict that it could last into the next century," said Redford, who referred to a recent study forecasting that lakes Powell and Mead - another vital storage reservoir on the Colorado - could dry up in the next 13 years amid climate change and increasing demand for water.
The issues affecting the river, a source of water for some 27 million people in seven states, are addressed in a viewer-friendly way in "Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk 3D," which opens nationwide Friday.
The film, directed by Greg MacGillivray, features music by the Dave Matthews Band.
George Strait To Get His Own XM Radio Channel
George Strait says he still gets a thrill hearing his songs on the radio, and now he'll have a whole channel of his music to get excited about.
"Strait Country" will launch April 1 on XM Radio channel 17 to coincide with the release of the country star's 37th album, "Troubadour," the satellite radio company announced Wednesday.
The station will run through May 31 and feature songs from Strait's catalog as well as exclusive interviews and programming about the star.
He joins Led Zeppelin and Michael Jackson as the only recording artists to have their own XM Radio channels.
"It's always a thrill to hear one of your songs played on the radio, but to have XM Radio dedicate an entire channel to my music is just amazing," Strait, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, said in a statement.
The singer's career spans more than 25 years and includes 55 No. 1 hits. His latest single, "I Saw God Today" is No. 8 on Billboard's country singles chart, and his duet with Kenny Chesney, "Shiftwork," is No. 4.