CASTING Tommy Lee Jones will team with Clint Eastwood in "Space Cowboys," the tale of four ex-astronauts recruited by NASA for an important space shuttle mission. Eastwood, who will also direct, has not yet settled on the other two flyboys.... Ryan Phillippe has joined the cast of "Company Man," the story of a high school teacher in the 1960s who finds himself somehow entangled in a plot to oust Fidel Castro. Sigourney Weaver, John Turturro, and Alan Cumming ("Cabaret") also star.... Rutger Hauer has given his thumbs up to a sequel to his 1986 thriller, "The Hitcher," in which he'll reprise his role as the deadly roadside wanderer.

NEW CAREER You don't have to be seeking the spotlight to become a rock star: Salman Rushdie has collaborated with U2 in writing a song for the band's next album. The tune is based on Rushdie's new novel, "The Ground Beneath Her Feet," due out in April. No word yet when U2's new CD will be released.

AWARDS WATCH The Directors Guild of America announced its nominees for its annual best director award: Roberto Benigni ("Life is Beautiful"), John Madden ("Shakespeare in Love"), Terrence Malick ("The Thin Red Line"), Steven Spielberg ("Saving Private Ryan"), and Peter Weir ("The Truman Show"). The winner, who will be announced March 9, is a good bet for an Oscar win: the DGA winner has only differed from the Academy Award winner four times. One of those discrepancies was Spielberg, who won in 1985 for "The Color Purple," but lost at the Oscars. This nomination marks his record ninth DGA nod. Meanwhile, Spielberg picked up even more accolades when the Broadcast Film Critics Association awarded "Saving Private Ryan" best picture, director, and score honors. Other winners at the BFCA ceremony yesterday were actors Ian McKellen, Billy Bob Thornton, Cate Blanchett, Joan Allen, and Kathy Bates.

TV MOVES Warner Bros. announced that its Queen Latifah talk-fest will debut this fall. Other shows for next season confirmed at this week's National Association of Television Production Executives (NATPE) convention were "Richard Simmons' Dream Maker" and a remake of "Divorce Court".... Fox has canceled production of the supernatural drama "Brimstone" after 13 episodes. The show will continue to air until at least February; no announcement yet as to what will replace it on Fridays at 8 p.m.

OBITUARY Renowned conductor Robert Shaw, 82, died from a stroke yesterday. Acclaimed for his work with choral groups, Shaw led the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for 21 years, and in his long career has been awarded Kennedy Center Honors, the National Medal of Arts, and 14 Grammys.

TODAY IN HISTORY Paul Newman was born in 1925.... In 1984, Michael Jackson's hair caught fire during the filming of a Pepsi commercial.