Whitney a No-Show, U2 to Give Shows

By Stephen M. Silverman

09/11/2001 at 12:42 PM EDT

CANCELED: Whitney Houston, 38, shocked fans Monday night when she backed out of Michael Jackson's second Madison Square Garden concert, reports New York's Daily News. (She had performed at Friday's concert.) No explanation for her no-show appearance was given . . . SCHEDULED: Irish rock band U2, which just finished a European tour, will return to North America in October for 15 arena dates, the group's promoter said. The tour will kick off Oct. 10 at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and will conclude on Nov. 18 in Las Vegas. U2 will also play Chicago, Baltimore, New York City, East Rutherford, Providence, Philadelphia, Austin, Denver, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, Oakland and the Canadian cities of Montreal and Hamilton . . . SET: One of the year's most-anticipated films, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," will have its world premiere Nov. 4 in London's West End, reports Variety. The $150 million film hits screens in North America 12 days later . . . SIGNED: Elizabeth Taylor, 69, signed a contract with Simon & Schuster for a tell-all book -- about her baubles, bangles and beads. "Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair With Jewelry" will be published in 2002. "I'm so excited to be able to share the moving, funny and beautiful memories behind these pieces of jewelry," the star said in a statement . . . ASSISTED: Leonardo DiCaprio, 27, is helping to promote the sales of "gorilla-friendly" cell phones. Prompted by the Dian Fossey Fund, the actor's work is part of a promotion designed to persuade the public not to buy cell phones containing the mineral coltan -- if it has been mined from areas where gorillas have been killed . . . SET: "Survivor" million-dollar winner Richard Hatch has a court date. He will go on trial Sept. 17 for allegedly assaulting a former boyfriend, reports USA Today . . . DIED: Spike, 17, a Yorkshire terrier who appeared with his owner, Joan Rivers, on "The Tonight Show" (in the '80s) and on the cover of PEOPLE, suffered a fatal heart attack Saturday, said the comic's publicist. In addition to the TV and magazine appearances, Spike also was Mr. February in a Ralston Purina calendar.