Band Aid back for Christmas

London — The founders of Band Aid, the 1984 charity effort that raised millions for Ethiopian famine relief, plan a new version of the single “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”

The Sun tabloid said Wednesday that Bob Geldof and Midge Ure had approached top British acts including Coldplay, The Darkness, Robbie Williams and Dido to appear on the single, which would be released before Christmas.

“It’s definitely going to happen. I’m very excited,” Ure was quoted as saying.

The original single, which featured musicians including Bono, Boy George, Phil Collins and Sting, sold 3 million copies and raised $9.4 million for Ethiopia.

ABC scraps ‘Miss America’ show

Atlantic City, N.J. — ABC has dropped Miss America, leaving the famous beauty pageant without a network TV outlet for the first time in 50 years.

The network, which had carried the annual telecast since 1997 with a series of one-year contracts, notified Miss America Organization officials that they would not pick up the option this year, acting President and CEO Arthur McMaster said Wednesday.

“We are now free to pursue other parties who have expressed interest in our organization, and we are excited at the limitless opportunities that are now available for us to grow our brand,” he said.

The move comes on the heels of a Sept. 18 pageant that drew a record low 9.8 million viewers. The first Miss America was crowned in 1954.

Gotham Award winners

New York — Don Cheadle and “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” will be honored with Gotham Awards from the Independent Film Project.

On Dec. 1, Cheadle will receive the Gotham Actor Award for his body of work, while “Eternal Sunshine” will be honored with the organization’s inaugural Celebrate New York Tribute.

Cheadle’s screen credits include “Swordfish,” “Traffic,” the TV movie “The Rat Pack” and “Boogie Nights.”

“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” stars Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet as a couple who undergo a procedure to erase each other from their memories when their relationship sours.

TBS testing reality TV

Atlanta — More reality comedies are coming to TBS, which plans to boost its new image as a comedy-centered network with quirky reality shows, not original sitcoms.

The Atlanta-based network announced deals Monday with Coquette Productions, a Los Angeles firm owned by “Friends” star Courteney Cox Arquette and her husband, David Arquette, and Nash Entertainment, for an undisclosed number of reality sitcom pilots.

Nash Entertainment produced this summer’s “Outback Jack” comedy dating show that was TBS’ first reality venture.

The network has two more original reality shows, “The Real Gilligan’s Island,” set to debut next month, and “He’s a Lady,” where men compete to see who can best live as a woman.