HOLLYWOOD DIRT OVERFLOW (9-03-09)

CHARLIE GIBSON IS LEAVING "WORLD NEWS TONIGHT" . . . AND DIANE SAWYER IS TAKING OVER:

Yesterday, CHARLIE GIBSON announced that he'd be stepping down as anchor of ABC's "World News Tonight" at the end of the year, and retiring from ABC News altogether. He's 66.

Charlie was actually planning on retiring in 2006, but changed his mind when the "World News Tonight" gig opened up.

Longtime anchor PETER JENNINGS had died of lung cancer in 2005 . . . and then his "permanent" replacements . . . ELIZABETH VARGAS and BOB WOODRUFF, only lasted six months.

Bob and his cameraman were seriously wounded in a roadside bomb attack in Iraq, and then Elizabeth left to have a baby. Charlie took the job in May of 2006.

No offense to Mr. Gibson, but the REAL news here is that his replacement will be . . . DIANE SAWYER. This will make Diane the second woman to act as solo anchor of one of the "big three" networks' nightly newscasts. KATIE COURIC became the first, back in 2006. (--But Diane now has the chance to own the distinction of being the first woman to anchor a nightly news show THAT PEOPLE ACTUALLY WATCH.)

As you probably know, Charlie and Diane co-hosted "Good Morning America" together from 1999 to 2006. Diane . . . who's 63 . . . now hosts "GMA" with ROBIN ROBERTS.

In an email to his coworkers, Charlie said, quote, "It has not been an easy decision to make. This has been my professional home for almost 35 years. And I love this news department, and all who work in it, to the depths of my soul." -He plans to continue part-time, as an occasional "World News Tonight" contributor.

Diane will take over in January. ABC hasn't announced what they're going to do with "Good Morning America" . . . so there's no word on her replacement yet. --Diane said in a statement, quote, "There is no one like Charlie Gibson and it is an enormous honor to be asked to join the terrific broadcast he and the great team of journalists have built at 'World News'."

(--"World News with Charles Gibson" regularly ranks second in the news ratings . . . behind "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams" and ahead, far ahead, of "The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric".)

SNL NEWS

"Saturday Night Live" has added two new female cast members for its upcoming season. You've never heard of them, but their names are JENNY SLATE and NASIM PEDRAD.(--Check out pictures and write-ups of each of these girls, here. . .)http://thecomicscomic.typepad.com/thecomicscomic/2009/09/saturday-night-live-hires-jenny-slate-and-nasim-pedrad-join-the-snl-cast.html

U2 will perform on the "Saturday Night Live" season premiere, which airs on September 26th. We've heard talk that MEGAN FOX will be the host.


MUSIC & THE LOTTERY

In California, you can now purchase scratch lottery tickets featuring artists like: the Goo Goo Dolls, Michelle Branch, Seal and Taking Back Sunday. It's part of a new partnership between Warner Music and the California State Lottery.

For Warner, the tickets will serve as "subliminal" ads for artists' new or upcoming albums. And for the lottery, they'll provide an extra draw . . . since they come with a chance to win music-related prizes, like free downloads or concert tickets.


CHRIS BROWN SAYS HE AND RIHANNA WILL PROBABLY ALWAYS BE FRIENDS:

CHRIS BROWN'S "Larry King Live" interview aired last night. We've already heard the juiciest parts, but here's something interesting that we HADN'T heard . . . --Remember when Chris and RIHANNA got together at DIDDY'S Miami mansion shortly after the assault took place in February??? Well, Chris said he and Rihanna were trying to salvage their relationship. --And they did briefly. But not permanently.

Chris said, quote, "It was sort of like a 'Romeo and Juliet' story, like both sides not wanting us to kind of have contact, so we just got away and just wanted to . . . and that's the main reason I was [photographed] on a Jet Ski.

"I know I got a lot of flak from that, and other people were like, 'Well, why is [he] on a Jet Ski? Why is he just acting like there's no care in the world?' Because I was rekindling my relationship with my friend."

Asked if they succeeded, Chris said, quote, "At the time, yes." But he added, quote, "I'm pretty sure we can always be friends, and I don't know about our relationship, but I just . . . I know definitely that we ended as friends."

(--If you're not completely Chris Brown-ed out by now, here's a 10-minute clip from last night's "Larry King Live" . . .)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xs5RfxssZ1c&feature=player_embedded

DJ AM NEWS

ADAM "DJ AM" GOLDSTEIN was laid to rest yesterday at Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary in West Los Angeles. BLINK-182 drummer TRAVIS BARKER was there, not surprisingly.

Goldstein's ex-girlfriend, NICOLE RICHIE, also showed up with her current boyfriend, JOEL MADDEN, and Joel's brother BENJI.

OUCH!

CATE BLANCHETT was struck in the head with a radio during a production of "A Streetcar Named Desire" in Sydney, Australia on Tuesday night. Cate was knocked to all fours, but she got up and tried to soldier on. The show was stopped, however, when blood started running down her neck from a gash in her head.

Cate wasn't seriously injured, though, and was expected to be back onstage last night.


MICHAEL JACKSON MADNESS: MICHAEL JACKSON WILL BE BURIED *TONIGHT* . . . AND COREY FELDMAN WILL BE THERE!!!

MICHAEL JACKSON will finally be buried TONIGHT . . . (--not tomorrow night, as some people were claiming on Tuesday). It'll be a PRIVATE service for family and friends. But of course, those "friends" include a few celebrities.

DIANA ROSS, BROOKE SHIELDS, LARRY KING and the one and only COREY FELDMAN are expected to be there.

GLADYS KNIGHT will perform. (--Yesterday, we heard that ARETHA FRANKLIN was going to sing. We don't know if that's really the case . . . but Gladys' involvement has been confirmed by her rep.) -Michael's estate will pay whatever costs are incurred by the city of Glendale, California in helping to control the chaos. There's no word how much that'll be, but it won't be cheap.

An attorney for Michael's estate said, quote, "The expenses will be extraordinary, but Michael Jackson was extraordinary."