Broken Spell

SHANNEN SPLITS The third time was a charm for Shannen Doherty, who is leaving ''Charmed'' after three seasons. Though no one is saying why, the parting seems more amicable than her last departure from an Aaron Spelling show, ''Beverly Hills 90210,'' in 1994, after four tumultuous years. ''We have had a long and prosperous relationship with Shannen and we didn't want to hold her back from what she wanted to do,'' said a Spelling spokesperson. Doherty faces sentencing for drunk driving charges, to which she pleaded no contest, on June 12.

LEGAL BRIEFS Kid Rock is charging fraud in a lawsuit against Alvin Williams, who helped produce an early Kid Rock album 12 years ago and who claims he's contractually entitled to a share of the rap rocker's profits ever since. ''Where were they for 12 years?'' asked Kid Rock's lawyer. Williams responded through his attorney that he had spent $100,000 launching Kid Rock's career, and that even though he hadn't filed a suit, he had sought legal assistance.

GOOD BOOKING Not only is Marilyn Manson disregarding a Denver based church group's plea that he cancel his area appearance at next month's Ozzfest date, but he's also planning to read from the Bible during the show. ''This way, fans will not only hear my so called 'violent' point of view, but we can also examine the virtues of wonderful 'Christian' stories of disease, murder, adultery, suicide and child sacrifice,'' says a statement posted to Manson's website. ''Now that seems like 'entertainment' to me.'' The show will mark Manson's first appearance in Denver since he canceled a 1999 show there in the wake of rumors (later discredited) that the Columbine killers had been Manson fans.

REEL DEALS Is he doing it all for the nookie? Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst is set to make his feature directing debut with ''Life Without Joe.'' Durst, who has directed videos for his own group as well as Korn and Staind, will also produce the soundtrack for the film, which is about a teenage football team chased through the back woods by ''Deliverance'' like oddballs. Production begins in September.

Catherine Zeta-Jones is ''Coming Out'' -- to her native Wales, to star in and produce a rugby comedy of that title, based on an idea by her brother, Lyndon Jones. Older brother David Jones will coproduce the film, which will shoot early next year.

Roberto Benigni is surely leaping with joy and kissing everybody over his deal to write, direct, and star in an adaptation of ''Pinocchio.'' Shooting begins next month in Italy.

Robert Duvall is producing, writing, directing, and starring in ''Assassination Tango,'' a thriller that exploits his passion for the Argentinean dance -- he is a past chair of the U.S. Tango Academy. Shooting is under way in Buenos Aires.

SUNDANCE KIDDING You'd think Robert Redford, star of ''Three Days of the Condor'' and narrator of a film about the drive to save the endangered birds, would be glad to see a rescued condor released into the wild. Not if he has to do so as a guest of Interior Secretary Gale Norton.

Redford spurned her invite, writing, ''Sadly, since assuming the interior secretary post, you have compiled an abysmal record of capitulating to big businesses at the expense of the nation's public health, public lands and wildlife.'' He said he'd rather spend his time fighting ''the devastating environmental repercussions of the agenda you and President Bush embrace.''

Norton's spokesman, Mark Pfeifle, responded with a statement seemingly designed to plug as many of Redford's movies as possible: ''It was hardly an indecent proposal for Mr. Redford to spend an afternoon with ordinary people releasing an endangered bird. Unfortunately, Mr. 'Three Days of the Condor' chickened out.''

PASSING NOTES Perry Como, known for his crooning, cardigans, and Christmas specials, died Saturday at his home in Jupiter, Fla., at age 88. Called ''the man who invented casual'' by no less an authority than Bing Crosby, Como went from owning a small town barbershop in Pennsylvania to enjoying a seven decade career as a pop singer, selling 100 million copies of such easy listening hits as ''Catch a Falling Star'' and novelty tunes like ''Hot Diggety.'' He also created, for his long running TV series, the ''letters, we get letters'' jingle that David Letterman still uses.

Douglas Adams, creator of the sci fi spoof ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,'' died Friday of an apparent heart attack while working out at a Santa Barbara gym. Adams, 49, had been preparing to make a movie version of ''Hitchhiker,'' which had been a radio series, a five book ''trilogy,'' and a TV series.

James Myers, whose song ''Rock Around the Clock'' caused riots to erupt in movie theaters when Bill Haley and his Comets performed it on the soundtrack of 1955's ''The Blackboard Jungle,'' died Wednesday of leukemia in Tampa. The 81 year old composer, also known as Jimmy Darknight, wrote more than 300 songs.