AP - MTV is staking its brand on a lesser-known one: Russell Brand.

AP - Estelle Getty always liked a bargain.

Reuters - MTV is developing an unscripted project with actress Elizabeth Berkley and her husband, artist Greg Lauren, that is based on Ask-Elizabeth, the self-esteem workshops for teen girls that Berkley created.

E! Online - Kate Walsh and Amy Brenneman are engaging in a little private negotiation practice of their own.

AP - Lucy Liu is set to embrace her inner warrior.

AP - Barack Obama has packed his overseas trip with presidential images: a helicopter ride over Iraq with the U.S. military commander; a visit to a Holocaust memorial; a meeting at Afghan President Hamid Karzai's palace.

AP - Turns out Seth Green has the job you always wanted.

AP - Pamela Anderson is shacking up with Tommy Lee again — but not like that.

AP - "It's a deeply personal matter. I would ask you to respect my privacy in the matter." — Christian Bale, on allegations that he assaulted his mother and sister at a London hotel.

Reuters - Simon Cowell's scathing critiques of "American Idol" contestants made him the favorite reality TV villain in America, but cohort Paula Abdul was declared the worst reality TV judge in a poll released on Thursday.

AP - The most passionate Spider-Men, Storm Troopers, Harry Potters and other pop-culture fanatics are headed south for their annual pilgrimage. Comic-Con, the country's biggest comic-book convention, begins Thursday at the San Diego Convention Center.

E! Online - Today's the day, fanboys (and girls). San Diego Comic-Con, the world's biggest comic-book convention and pop-culture expo, opens tonight with an expected crowd of more than 120,000.