Sideshow: Sandler's killer crossover

 

"Actor-comedian Adam Sandler broke his ankle over the weekend while playing basketball - but still won the game," says the Associated Press, which says Sandler's rep has confirmed the report. No other details were available as of late yesterday afternoon.

Out of the woods?

Jessica Simpson, who was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Friday for a "minor kidney infection," was released Monday and is feeling "much better now."

Turner, churched and ready

Ted Turner, 69, who once called Christianity a "religion for losers," yesterday launched a $200 mil joint health program with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and the United Methodist Church to fight malaria in Africa.

The CNN founder said his thinking on religion had evolved and that he regretted dissing faith. He now embraces it.

"Religion is one of the bright spots as far as I'm concerned, even though there are some areas . . . where they've gone over the top a little," he said. "But I'm sure God, wherever he is, wants to see us get along with one another," Turner said in a reference to the famed "can't we just get along" doctrine of theologian Rodney King.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation chipped in with a $10 mil grant to be used to help publicize the campaign in churches.

Brit, Larry reconcile

Britney Spears, who dumped Larry Rudolph as her biz manager last year because he talked her into entering a posh Malibu rehab (?!), has rehired him, says E! News.

Someone, somewhere on Earth must surely find this to be important, even exciting, news.

Paula calls the top four

In an interview with Fox's The Morning Show With Mike and Juliet that aired yesterday, American Idol judge Paula Abdul shared her picks for the competition's top four finalists: "I'll tell you who I think are going to be the top four: Carly [Smithson], David [Archuleta], David [Cook] and Michael [Johns]."

Disney goes for the jugular

USAToday.com says Disney is so keen to drill its next movie musical into the brain of every man, woman and child in America, it plans to carpet-bomb the TV spectrum this summer with its latest inane musical comedy film, Camp Rock! (It's about "a teen girl who desperately wants to spend her summer at a prestigious rock camp," says IMDB.com.)

The flick will premiere June 20 to 23 on the Disney Channel, ABC, ABC Family, Radio Disney and Disney.com. What's more, the soundtrack is due out June 17 and the DVD will be released Aug. 19.

Lost-city idea sells

Brad Pitt will produce and possibly star in the adventure flick Lost City of Z, about the search for a lost city in the Amazon, says Variety. (Whoa! A shockingly original idea.) The picture will be written by David Grann, author of a forthcoming nonfiction tome about British explorer Col. Percy Harrison Fawcett, who disappeared in 1925 while out looking for the City of Z.

Gil Grissom, call home . . . Gil Grissom.

TV's favorite science geek, William Petersen, will return to CSI: Crime Scene Investigation for its ninth season, says the Hollywood Reporter. Petersen, who is also the show's exec producer, has signed a one-year contract to return as Gil Grissom, but with the understanding that his role will be reduced. (Is he phasing himself out entirely? Who knows.) Petersen reportedly will make $600,000 per episode.

I'd rather neuter cats . . .

The lovely and talented thesp Kristen Bell, who held her own opposite indie horror oddball Lucky McKee in Roman, is the latest cover girl for trash fash mag Cosmo. Kristen tells the mag that if she hadn't made it as an actor, she'd be out taking care of all creatures great and small as a vet. She'd be "the Patch Adams of the veterinary world." The Heroes star said she finds gossip rags amusing, adding the weirdest rumor she's read about herself is that she had "a boob job. "I'm barely a B cup!" she says.

Fiddy's Indecision '08

In the beginning, he stood by his woman, Hillary Rodham Clinton, in her quest for the White House. Then gangsta rapper 50 Cent changed his mind and endorsed Barack Obama. Now? He's not sure. Fiddy tells MTV, "Don't look for my vote, for me to determine nothing on that. Just say, '50 Cent, he don't know, so don't ask Fiddy.' " We won't.

Obama returns to WIP today

Angelo Cataldi says Barack Obama will be on his show (WIP 610) today in the 7 a.m. hour for a sports interview. The last time Obama was on WIP, on March 20, he wound up making waves when he used the phrase "typical white person" to describe his grandmother.

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Contact "SideShow" at sideshow@phillynews.com. This article contains information from Inquirer news services and Web sites.