QUICK TAKES

Palin to talk to Couric

CBS announced Tuesday that Katie Couric will spend two days on the road with Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Couric's interview material will air Sept. 29 and 30 on the "CBS Evening News" and "The Early Show." Awarding Couric the interview appears to be a clear message from the McCain campaign to NBC News. Republicans have been unhappy with NBC, primarily because of the support for Barack Obama voiced by MSNBC's Keith Olbermann. While ABC's Charles Gibson and Couric have interviews with Palin, NBC's Brian Williams, who anchors the top-rated evening news program, has been snubbed so far.

She wrote a letter

Lynne Spears said on NBC's "Today" show Wednesday that when it came time to admit her pregnancy, daughter Jamie Lynn told her in a note. Jamie Lynn handed Spears the note and told her to go into the bedroom to read it. The note said she was pregnant, but "everything was gonna be OK, mom." In the interview, Spears said she thought it was a joke, but when Jamie Lynn's boyfriend, Casey Aldridge, wouldn't look at her, she realize it wasn't. Jamie Lynn and Aldridge welcomed daughter Maddie Briann in June. The couple are now engaged.

NJ Hall of Fame

Members of the public will help select the 10 inductees for the New Jersey Hall of Fame's second class by voting online through Nov. 30. Among the 30 nominees are actor Jack Nicholson, rocker Jon Bon Jovi and NBA star Shaquille O'Neal. The nominees are from the fields of arts and entertainment, sports, history and enterprise. Only those who lived in the Garden State for at least five years are eligible, though current residency is not required, said hall spokesman Don Smith. Last year, the hall inducted 15 members, including Bruce Springsteen, Yogi Berra and Frank Sinatra. Other nominees include entertainers Jerry Lewis, Count Basie and Budd Abbott, and writers F. Scott Fitzgerald, Walt Whitman and Philip Roth. The public will elect five and the academy will choose the other five inductees. If you want to get your say, visit www.njhalloffame.com

Get up close

Beginning at 9 a.m. Monday, movie buffs can enter for a chance to win a seat in front of the Kodak Theater for the Feb. 22 Oscars. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said 300 bleacher seats will be up for grabs in an online lottery. Applicants can register for up to four seats at www.oscars.org/bleachers. The lottery runs through 9 p.m. Sept. 28.

BET announces nods

Lil Wayne received 12 nominations for the third annual BET Hip-Hop Awards, which will air on Oct. 23. Kanye West drew the second-most nominations with seven, while Jay-Z received six. T.I., who was arrested hours before he was to headline the show last year, snagged three nods. Russell Simmons, who is known for launching Def Jam Recordings with Rick Rubin, will receive the "I Am Hip-Hop" icon award. Katt Williams will host.

New TV project

Two writers for "Homicide" will team up for a miniseries project at HBO. David Simon and Tom Fontana, who wrote for the 1990s' NBC show, will combine forces for "Manhunt," which tells the story of Abraham Lincoln's assassination in 1865 and the 12-day search for his killer, John Wilkes Booth. It's based on the 2006 book by James L. Swanson. After his work on "Homicide," Fontana created "Oz" for HBO. Simon's work for HBO includes "The Wire" and the miniseries "The Corner" and "Generation Kill."

Colbert for Christmas

Stephen Colbert will show off his pipes on "A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift of All!," which will air as a one-hour special Nov. 23 on Comedy Central. It will be a musical special featuring John Legend, Elvis Costello, Toby Keith, Willie Nelson, Feist and "The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart, who is scheduled to sing a duet with Colbert of a song called "Hanukkah." Colbert also is slated to sing what appears to be a version of "The Little Drummer Boy" -- called "Little Dealer Boy" -- with Nelson. A DVD of the special will be released Nov. 25, with part of the proceeds going to the charity Feeding America.

She's a beauty

"For some reason, I don't think people appreciate just how beautiful a woman that she is. ... She has everything that goes into a great face: great cheekbones, beautiful eyes, great smile." -- Elizabeth Banks, who portrays Laura Bush to Josh Brolin's George in upcoming film "W," on the First Lady's underrated beauty.

Compiled from wire reports by Melissa Sullivan