TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3

NATIONAL HEADLINES:

SYRIAN PRESIDENT DENIES USE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS

Syrian President Bashar Assad gave an interview to a French newspaper in which he denied there was any evidence his regime carried out a chemical weapons attack on civilians. "Anyone accusing must give proof," he told Le Figaro in excerpts published yesterday. "We have challenged the United States and France to come forward with a single proof." But U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday that samples collected by first responders after the attack in the Damascus suburbs have tested positive for the nerve agent sarin. U.S. officials say the Aug. 21 attack killed some 1,426 people, including hundreds of children. The Obama administration was pushing for Congress to authorize military strikes against Syria. When Assad was asked how he would respond to potential military strikes against Syria, he suggested it would only result in chaos, saying: "The Middle East is a powder keg, and the fire is approaching today."

LONG-DISTANCE SWIMMER DIANA NYAD SWIMS FROM CUBA TO FLORIDA

Diana Nyad became the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage yesterday. The 64-year-old long-distance swimmer spent nearly 53 hours in the Florida Strait making the 110-mile journey. She approached the shoreline of Key West just before 2 p.m. yesterday to crowds of cheering fans. “I’m beaming with pride,” Nyad said at the completion of her swim. “Never give up,” she told a well-wisher. It was Nyad’s fifth attempt at the swim since 1978. This time, favorable currents and fewer poisonous jellyfish worked in her favor. There were still challenges, though. She endured cold temperatures Sunday night and her tongue and lips were swollen from the sun and seawater. She was brought to the hospital for evaluation.

1-YEAR-OLD SHOT AND KILLED IN BKLYN

A one-year-old baby boy was shot in his stroller in Brooklyn Sunday, and police believe his father was the intended target. Authorities said yesterday they have some leads in the killing of Antiq Hennis and believe his death may be gang-related. The shooting occurred just after Antiq’s father, Anthony Hennis, picked the boy up from the child's mother's home. Hennis, 21, put the boy in the stroller and was pushing him across the street in Brownsville when shots rang out at about 7:20 p.m. Four shots were fired, and one hit the boy in the left side of his head. He was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.

DEA HAS BIGGER PHONE DATABASE THAN NSA

According to a report by the New York Times, the Drug Enforcement Administration’s database of phone records is even bigger than the NSA’s. Apparently, the DEA’s counternarcotics program known as The Hemisphere Project has access to the data from every call coming through an AT&T switchboard back to 1987. The program has been in place since 2007. The NSA database, meanwhile, stores data for nearly all calls in the United States, but only goes back five years. Officials noted that the DEA database is maintained by AT&T, and all government access to the records is controlled by valid subpoenas. They also emphasized that the program does not involve listening to phone calls, but instead allows them to quickly make connections to suspected drug dealers.

RECORD-SETTING GATOR CAUGHT IN MISSISSIPPI

A record-setting alligator was caught in Mississippi Sunday, measuring in at over 13 feet and weighing 727 pounds. Hunters Dustin Bockman, Ryan Bockman and Cole Landers captured the animal in the Mississippi River in Claiborne County. The gator was reportedly two inches shorter than Mississippi’s length record, but it’s officially the heaviest ever caught in the state. A day earlier, Beth Trammell and her team of five reeled in a similar massive gator – though not quite as big 723.5 pounds.

THE WEEKEND BOX OFFICE FROM BOX OFFICE MOJO

SHOWBIZ NEWS:

HUNNAM & JOHNSON LAND FIFTY SHADES OF GREY LEADS

Hollywood has found its Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele. Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam will play Grey in the big screen adaptation of E.L. James’ S&M bestseller Fifty Shades of Grey, while Ben & Kate’s Dakota Johnson, daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson, will play Steele. The pic will be released August 1, 2014.

PATTINSON WAS FIRST CHOICE FOR GREY ROLE
Charlie Hunnam was apparently not author E.L. James’ first choice for the role of Christian Grey in Fifty Shades of Grey. According to author Bret Easton Ellis, the author wanted Twilight’sRobert Pattinson for the role (remember, Fifty Shades of Grey started out as Twilight fan fiction). "E.L. James and I were at Rob Pattinson's house when she admitted that Rob was the first choice for Christian," Ellis Tweeted Tuesday. “Ian Somerhalder never in running," he added. "Matt Bomer was never in the running." Ellis concluded, "When E.L. James asked me who I thought should be Christian I said 'James Deen, of course' and then she shoved me. We were both very wasted."

LAMAR’S UNHAPPY LABOR DAY

It certainly wasn’t the happiest Labor Day weekend for Lamar Odom. On Friday, the NBA star was arrested for DUI in California after he was pulled over in his Mercedes for driving too slow and weaving in and out of traffic. Cops smelled alcohol on his breath and believed he was under the influence of both booze and drugs. After failing a field sobriety test, Lamar was arrested, but he refused all chemical tests. Because of this, his drivers’ license was immediately revoked, and he likely won’t be getting it back for a year. Lamar has reportedly hired lawyer Robert Shapiro to help him with his case. Shapiro infamously got OJ Simpson off the hook for murder. His partner on that case was Robert Kardashian, the late father of Lamar’s wife Khloe Kardashian.

In other Lamar news…

Khloe has reportedly given him an ultimatum. Sources say she has told Lamar he either goes to rehab or finds another place to live. Insiders claim Khloe has said this before, but this time she’s vowing not to back down. On Sunday Khloe seemed to be cracking under the pressure a little bit. She tweeted, “as much as I wish I were made of steel…I’m not.”

After news of Lamar’s DUI arrest came out, it was later revealed he had caused a three-car accident just six days earlier. Lamar initially didn’t want to exchange insurance information with one of the other drivers, an LA Times reporter, but eventually did so. No police were called.

Just hours before his DUI arrest, Lamar was visited by two drug counselors from the NBA. Former NBA players Dirk Minniefield and Cliff Robinson reached out to Lamar to offer help and he accepted. Lamar was reportedly receptive to what the men had to say.

DOUGLAS SAYS HE AND WIFE ARE FINE

Barely a week after it was reported that Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones had separated, Douglas doesn’t seem worried about their marriage. “We, we are fine. My wife and I are, are fine,” Douglas told reporters in Berlin. “We take a temporary separation, but the press… it gives you stuff to write about.” Asked whether there was a crisis at home, Douglas replied, “no, I think the press has a crisis.”

BYNES’ PSYCH HOLD EXTENDED

Amanda Bynes is still in a mental health facility and she won’t be getting out anytime soon. Last week a judge granted a request by Amanda’s doctors to keep her on a long-term psych hold. Control of that hold is now in the hands of Amanda’s mother, who has a temporary conservatorship over the 27-year-old. Sources say the plan is to keep Amanda at UCLA Medical Center for the next 60 days to stabilize her and then transfer her to her mom’s home. Meanwhile, it appeared that Amanda had returned to Twitter over the weekend, tweeting “I love Drake,” but it turns out her account was hacked. According to her attorney, Amanda has no access to social media while at UCLA.

CONNICK, JR. ON BOARD FOR IDOL

It looks like American Idol has finally found its third judge. While Fox has yet to make an official announcement, reports claim Harry Connick, Jr. has signed a deal to join Keith Urban and andJennifer Lopez at the judges’ table. Production on Idol is expected to begin today.

SIMON TALKS IMPENDING FATHERHOOD

Simon Cowell seems to be warming up to the idea of fatherhood. The X Factor judge said in an interview that he recently saw a sonogram of the baby he’s expecting with girlfriend Lauren Silverman and “It is just surreal. "You literally see this thing which is now alive moving around," he told The Times of London. "I feel very paternal right now. So I am very happy."

KATHERINE JACKSON SAYS PARIS WANTED TO DIE AFTER MICHAEL’S DEATH

Katherine Jackson gave an interview to 60 Minutes Australia this weekend in which she revealed that Michael Jackson’s daughter Paris did not want to live after her father passed away. “When Michael died, Paris was screaming and crying and saying, ‘I want to go with you daddy, I don’t want to live without you,’” explained Katherine. Paris attempted suicide earlier this summer, and Katherine admits the family “didn’t know” how badly she had been suffering.

BIEBER ATTACKED AT NIGHTCLUB

Justin Bieber was reportedly attacked at a Canadian nightclub over the weekend. According to TMZ, Justin was at a Toronto club Saturday when he decided to leave the VIP area and mingle. Suddenly a male clubgoer charged at Bieber and attempted to take the pop star down by grabbing his shirt. Security quickly tackled the guy to the ground, while Justin tried to protect himself by kicking at the man. The attacker was then escorted out of the club, and Justin and his crew left as well.

LOHAN SAYS SHE’S NOT TO BLAME FOR VENICE NO-SHOW

Lindsay Lohan was a no-show at the Venice Film Festival premiere of her movie The Canyons, which didn’t sit too well with her director Paul Schrader. He told reporters that he’d been “held hostage” by the actress for the past 16 months, calling her “very talented by unpredictable.” But Lindsay insists she did nothing wrong. “I was never confirmed to attend,” she wrote in a post on her website. “Of course I would have enjoyed returning to that wonderful city and being a part of the event, but my focus is on my health and well being. “

JOAN RIVERS THREATENS TO SUE MICHAEL LOHAN

Joan Rivers is entangled in a war of words with Lindsay Lohan’s father Michael Lohan. After Joan made a crack about Lindsay on Fashion Police, Michael shot back by saying that the 80-year-old comedian is “obsessed with needles and cutting/self-mutilation,” referring to Joan’s love of plastic surgery. “Focus on you, Joan and have a little compassion for people with real talent like Lindsay, who have turned their lives around,” he told Radar. But Joan is fighting back. She told TMZ, “it’s a little to late to become a concerned parent,” regarding Michael, and threatened him with legal action. “As for ‘cutting’ it is totally not true and if he ever says this again, I will sue,” she said.

SURI CRUISE BREAKS ARM

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ seven-year-old daughter Suri Cruise has broken her arm. A rep for the actress says Suri’s “doing fine,” but would not elaborate on how she sustained the injury.

SETH MEYERS WEDS

Saturday Night Live star Seth Meyers married longtime girlfriend Alexi Ashe Sunday on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. Among the 150 guests witnessing the happy event was Meyers’ SNLproducer Lorne Michaels, and co-stars Amy Poehler Fred Armisen, Andy Samberg, Jason Sudeikis, Kristen Wiig, Will Forte and Kenan Thompson. The couple announced their engagement in July.

LANCE BASS ENGAGED

Lance Bass is making it legal. The *NSYNC star announced Saturday via Twitter that he had proposed to boyfriend Michael Turchin in New Orleans. "New Orleans is my favorite city in the world, it really is. I've been coming here my whole life," he explained. "I got down on one knee and I proposed, right in front of Jackson Square, my favorite place. I was pretty nervous." The couplehas been dating since December 2011.

KATE BOSWORTH WEDS

Kate Bosworth is a married woman. The Blue Crush star, 30, wed fiancé Michael PolishSaturday in an intimate ceremony at The Ranch at Rock Creek in Philipsburg, Montana. The couple, who met on the set of the 2011 film Big Sur, got engaged in August 2012.

TIMBERLAKE WANTS TO PLAY RIDDLER

Justin Timberlake doesn’t understand why people are so upset that Ben Affleck has been cast to play Batman in the Man of Steel sequel. “I think he’s an extreme talent, so he could surprise a lot of people,” said Justin of his Runner Runner co-star. But don’t expect Justin to play Robin to Ben’s Batman. “Not a chance in hell … I have no aspiration to ever be a superhero in a movie,” he said. “Now, a villain! I’ll tell you the villain I want to play more than anything because I grew up loving Batman, funnily enough, is the Riddler. The Riddler is my favorite villain. The Riddler was like a sociopath. He was proper crazy. So if I’m gonna play crazy, I’m wanna play proper crazy.”

CRANSTON DENIES LEX LUTHOR RUMORS

And speaking of the Man of Steel sequel, Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston is denying rumors he’s signed on to play Lex Luthor in the upcoming film. “This is all news to me,” he told the Boston Globe. “I think that maybe my name is bandied about because I’m known to be bald. ‘What bald guy can we get?’ The reality is they can take any actor and shave his head or put a bald cap on him.” But even though he doesn’t have the role, Cranston definitely seems interested. "Give me a call.,” said Cranston. “I like Lex Luthor. I think he's misunderstood. He's a loveable, sweet man."

JOURNALIST DAVID FROST DIES

Veteran British journalist David Frost died Saturday of a suspected heart attack. He was 74. Frost is probably best known for his 1977 interviews with Richard Nixon in which he discussed his presidency, as well as the Watergate scandal. The sit down was turned into a play, Frost/Nixon, which starred Frank Langella as Nixon and Michael Sheen as Frost, and then later a Ron Howard-directed film, with Langella and Sheen reprising their roles. During his career, Frost was the only person to interview all six British prime ministers from 1964-2007. He also interviewed seven presidents between 1969 and 2008, as well as several movie stars.

REMINI TO APPEAR ON ELLEN

Leah Remini will be a guest on the September 9^th premiere of The Ellen DeGeneres Show. It will be the King of Queens star’s first TV interview since it came out that she left the Church of Scientology. Rumor has it, Remini has signed on to compete in the upcoming season of Dancing with the Stars. Other guests for Ellen’s 11^th season premiere week include: X Factor judgesSimon Cowell and Kelly Rowland, Ray Romano, Andy Samberg and Glee’s Amber Riley.

VAN DER BEEK AND WIFE EXPECTING THIRD CHILD

James Van Der Beek and his wife Kimberly are expecting their third child. “I feel ridiculously blessed. I feel so much love, honestly,” James told People. The couple is already parents to three-year-old Olivia, and 17-month-old Joshua.

ROCKY V’S TOMMY MORRISON DIES

Former heavyweight boxing champ Tommy Morrison, who appeared in Rocky V (5), died in Nebraska Sunday after a long battle with AIDS. Morrison had been in the hospital for several months, and reportedly died with his wife by his side. In Rocky V, Morrison played a rookie boxer who trained under Sylvester Stallone’s character Rocky Balboa.

TV TIDBITS

TV fans in Dallas, New York and Los Angeles got some good news Monday. Time Warner and CBS Corp settled their month-long carriage dispute, returning CBS and Showtime to customers at 6 pm eastern time. The settlement means football fans won’t miss out on NFL’s opening kickoff next weekend.

ROCK NEWS:

DAY-3 OF EDM FESTIVAL ELECTRIC ZOO CANCELLED FOLLOWING 2 DEATHS

Day-three of the electronic dance music festival Electric Zoo held over the weekend on Randall’s Island in New York was cancelled after two concertgoers died and four were hospitalized during the event’s first two days. Authorities believe the casualties and injuries were caused by the abuse of the drug ecstasy. A statement issued by the mayor’s office read in part: “The Electric Zoo organizers have worked with City officials to reduce health risks at this event, but in view of these occurrences, the safest course is to cancel the remaining day of the event.”

AVENGED SEVENFOLD’S HAIL TO THE KING CROWNED UK CHART CHAMP

Congratulations to Southern California rockers Avenged Sevenfold whose new album, Hail to the King, currently rules the UK chart album chart after debuting at No. 1. The Huntington Beach five-piece is currently on the road, with stops slated Friday in George, WA and Saturday in Ridgefield, WA, and U.S. dates scheduled all the way through October 26 in Las Vegas before taking off on a 19-show European tour.

PEARL JAM SHEDS LIGHT ON LIGHTNING BOLT TRACKLIST

Fans of Pearl Jam got a Labor Day weekend surprise Saturday when the Seattle stalwarts shared the complete tracklist for their forthcoming album, Lightning Bolt, available October 15. In order, the 12 songs include “Getaway,” the first single “Mind Your Manners,” “My Father’s Son,” “Sirens,” “Lightning Bold,” “Infallible,” “Pendulum,” “Swallowed Whole,” “Let the Records Play,” “Sleeping By Myself,” “Yellow Moon” and “Future Days.” The band kicks off a North American tour October 11 in Pittsburgh, and wraps December 6 in Seattle.

RIVAL CONCERT PROMOTERS BIDDING FOR BOWIE GIG

Two of the biggest concert promoters on the planet are posturing to persuade “Space Oddity” singer David Bowie to return to the concert stage for the first time in over eight years. According to Britain’s Daily Mirror, concert giants Live Nation and AEG have offered the 66-year old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer millions to stage a massive concert at London’s Olympic Park or the city’s Hyde Park, respectively, in 2014. However, a rep for Bowie has stated, “There are currently no plans for any live dates.”

THE BLACK CROWES SET FINAL 2013 TOUR DATE

Perennial road warriors The Black Crowes have announced their final 2013 concert will take place December 14 at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco. The Tedeschi Trucks Bandand The London Souls will also be on hand to open the festivities. The Crowes' late summer/fall trek gets underway Friday, September 5 in Cooperstown, NY. Visit blackcrowes.com for more details.

THE CLASH’S JONES DONE WITH ASSEMBLING REISSUES

As far as The Clash guitarist Mick Jones is concerned, the band’s massive 13-disc box set,Sound System, will be the final reissue he’ll have a hand in putting together. He told Rolling Stone, “I’m not even thinking about any more Clash releases. This is it for me, and I say that with an exclamation point.” Asked why the band never regrouped after breaking up, Jones said, “We were never in agreement. That’s why we never got together in the first place. Most importantly for us, we became friends again after the group broke up, and continued that way for the rest of the time. That was more important to us than the band.”

NUGENT’S WIFE ARRESTED TRYING TO BOARD PLANE WITH LOADED GUN

Fanatical gun rights advocate Ted Nugent’s wife, Shemane, was arrested last week after authorities found a loaded .38 caliber revolver and extra ammunition in her carry-on baggage at Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport. The attorney representing “Terrible Ted’s” wife described the incident as an “honest mistake,” adding that Mrs. Nugent “completely forgot or never knew the weapon was in her bag.”

NEW ZEALAND’S GHOST WAVE HOPES TO BREAK ON AMERICAN SHORES

New Zealand four-piece Ghost Wave is hoping to make a big splash with the release its debut album, Ages, which was just released last week. The group’s throwback sound can be described as a Byrds-meets-R.E.M. hybrid, sprinkled with 60’s British Invasion sensibilities which are plain to see (hear) in songs such as “Here She Comes,” “Country Rider” and “Bootlegs.” Ghost Wave is currently formulating fall North American tour plans, with dates to be announced soon.

OZZY’S WIFE, SIR ELTON SHARE DIRTY LITTLE SECRET

Most rock fans know that Sharon Osbourne, wife of Black Sabbath frontman, Ozzy, has a very dirty mouth and mind, but some might be surprised to learn Sir Elton John shares Sharon’s penchant for being naughty. Sharon recently revealed John sends her links to dirty websites, telling UK television, “He sent me this thing and it’s a Brazilian farting website. And there’s this one lady, she’s…voluptuous! And she’s farting up a storm and there is this other lady who’s very tiny with her nose – she’s got a big nose, and it’s right up this other woman’s bum. He’s filthy!”

NEW ALBUM RELEASES

New albums out today: Nine Inch Nails – Hesitation Marks; North Mississippi Allstars –World Boogie is Coming; Pepper – Pepper; Reckless Kelly – Long Night Moon.