WEEK IN REVIEW: Loyal Dave, Mom Jolie

By Elizabeth Darst

03/15/2002 at 11:00 AM EST

LETTERMAN LOYAL: The offer from ABC was tempting he said, but wasn't enough to lure Dave from his current home at CBS, reports the Associated Press. The late-night wars raged on last week as executives at Disney/ABC sought to bring "The Late Show" host over to their network, replacing news show "Nightline," hosted by Ted Koppel. While Letterman, 54, demurred, joking, "I would like to finish my career -- a week from Tuesday -- at CBS," the staff at "Nightline," including Koppel, issued an outraged statement, lambasting the network for putting profits ahead of the news. Disney execs tried to mend fences with Koppel, but defended their move, as being in the best interest of the company. Dave's new deal at CBS will give him $31.5 million annually with an opportunity for yearly increases, reports Variety.

BABY MAKES THREE: The tattooed twosome became parents on Sunday when they adopted a 7-and-a-half-month-old baby boy from Cambodia, whom they named Maddox, reports Reuters. Angelina Jolie, 26, and Billy Bob Thornton, 56, were given custody of the boy in Africa, where Jolie is filming a movie, but will not be able to bring their new son home to the U.S. until a passport is secured for him. In a statement, the couple, married since May 2000, said, "We are very grateful to have him in our lives."

BRITNEY'S DENIAL: The pop princess refuted rumors that she and boyfriend Justin Timberlake of 'N Sync have broken up, reports Reuters. Speculation that the power couple of pop were splitting up was fueled when she was seen crying in an L.A. nightspot with friend, actress Tara Reid. Spears, 20, and Timberlake, 21, met as pre-teens while cast members of "The Mickey Mouse Club," and have dated for the past two years.

CROWE, BERRY SNAG SAGS: At the last movie award show leading up to the Oscars, Russell Crowe and Halle Berry, the stars of "A Beautiful Mind" and "Monster's Ball" respectively, were honored by their peers in the Screen Actors Guild for best male and female performances. Berry, who has received overwhelming critical praise for her role, was overcome with emotion as she accepted her award. The cast of "Gosford Park" won for film cast performance, Sir Ian McKellen took the supporting actor award for "Lord of the Rings" and Helen Mirren was named best supporting actress for "Gosford Park." In TV, "The West Wing" swept the drama category for the second year in a row with co-stars Allison Janney and Martin Sheen taking top honors and the whole cast being lauded for ensemble acting. In comedy, Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes both won for their work on "Will & Grace" and the cast of HBO's "Sex and the City" won for best ensemble.

WINONA CLEARED?:A store surveillance videotape that was supposed to be the smoking gun in the case against Winona Ryder for alleged shoplifting has far less bite than was previously thought, according to the Los Angeles Times. Last December, the petite actress was arrested by police at a Saks Fifth Avenue store in Beverly Hills and accused of removing anti-theft devices from merchandise. At the time, the Los Angeles D.A.'s office indicated that she had been caught red-handed by surveillance cameras. After viewing the tape, the Times reports that it isn't clear that the actress did anything illegal. Ryder, released on $20,000 bail, still faces charges of felony theft, burglary and vandalism (and a charge of possession of a prescription pain reliever without a prescription). Her lawyer asserted that the drug charges, like the theft charges, were the result of a mistake.