‘Simpsons’ guests announced

New York – Next season’s guests on “The Simpsons” will include some old faces, some new ones and a Worm.

Returning for roles on the Fox cartoon will be Alec Baldwin, who appeared on the show in 2002, and Kelsey Grammer, who will reprise his role as Sideshow Bob, the network announced Thursday. In the season opener (dubbed “Bonfire of the Manatees”), Baldwin plays Caleb Thorn, a marine biologist who attempts to steer Marge away from Homer.

Former NBA star Dennis “The Worm” Rodman and NFL quarterback-turned-broadcaster Terry Bradshaw will make cameos as themselves for the annual “ghoultide” Halloween episode.

Other guest athletes include New York Yankees pitcher Randy Johnson and boxer Joe Frazier.

Ricky Gervais, William H. Macy, Lily Tomlin, Frances McDormand, Rob Reiner and Richard Dean Anderson are all also slated to appear in episodes.

The 17th season of “The Simpsons” premieres Sept. 11 (7 p.m. CT).

Stamp of approval

Los Angeles – Ray Charles put his stamp on music. Now folks can buy stamps from the Ray Charles Post Office Building.

Earlier this month, President Bush signed a bill into law that will change the name of a building near downtown to honor the musician, who died last year at age 73. An official renaming ceremony is scheduled next month.

The post office is near the business office and recording studio where Charles produced “Georgia on My Mind” and his final album, the Grammy-winning “Genius Loves Company.” The building was declared a city historic landmark last year.

Actor for a day

Washington – The mayor of the nation’s capital had a bit of Hollywood on his doorstep Thursday, filming a cameo for the movie “The Sentinel” at the swank Mayflower Hotel on Connecticut Avenue.

Anthony A. Williams – playing himself – walks into the hotel and shakes hands with a Secret Service agent played by a more recognizable name, Michael Douglas.

“It took several takes,” Williams’ spokesman Erik Linden said of the scene which takes up 30 seconds of film. Williams was on the busy downtown set for about 90 minutes.

Based on the novel of the same name by former Secret Service agent Gerald Petievich, “The Sentinel” stars Douglas as an agent who is having an affair with the president’s wife, played by Kim Basinger. Kiefer Sutherland and Eva Longoria, of “Desperate Housewives,” are also in the movie. It is tentatively scheduled for release in 2006.

Williams plans to donate his $600 fee to charity.

Aniston auction called off

New York – If you wanted a makeshift birthday card supposedly written on a piece of toilet paper by Jennifer Aniston, you’ll have to look elsewhere.

Aniston’s former fling Michael Baroni, a California lawyer, has canceled his eBay auction – originally set to begin Friday – of keepsakes from the pair’s teenage romance. The goods included a piece of paper with Aniston’s name and phone number written in lipstick and a photo of the pair hugging when they first met.

“I have voluntarily canceled the eBay auction upon receiving word from one of Jennifer’s representatives that she didn’t want me conducting the auction,” Baroni said in a statement to The Associated Press on Friday. “I have nothing but fond memories of Jennifer as a friend and only wish her well.”

Moore making HMOs queasy

Traverse City, Mich. – Michael Moore says his next documentary already has HMOs quaking in their boots.

Moore has not yet begun shooting the film, “Sicko,” but his planned critique of the nation’s health care system, he says, is making “freaked-out” HMOs warn employees what to do if approached by the filmmaker.

“At this point we haven’t shot anything yet and they’re totally discombobulated,” Moore said at the inaugural Traverse City Film Festiva, a festival he founded with local movie buffs to showcase excellent films.

Moore described good movies as a bridge across the political divide for people “tired of the hate, tired of the yelling, tired of … the screamfests, the talk radio.”

Though the festival is showing films like “Casablanca” and the upcoming Bill Murray movie “Broken Flowers,” Moore’s involvement sparked a conservative Texas group to sponsor a rival festival showing Hollywood classics and conservative-themed movies. That festival was to begin Saturday.

ABC sends birthday greetings

New York – ABC News colleagues on Friday sent a plane with birthday greetings over the home of Peter Jennings, who hasn’t been seen on the air since announcing on April 5 that he had lung cancer.

It was the job of Jennings’ wife to steer the veteran anchor to where he’d see the banner saying, “Happy Birthday, Peter – love from all at ‘World News Tonight”‘ flying above his home outside of New York City.

His co-workers also taped birthday greetings sent via e-mail and viewers participated in a “virtual birthday party” over the Web, the network said.

Jennings turned 67 on Friday.

Jennings responded by sending ice cream to “World News Tonight” staffers and calling in his thanks, a spokeswoman said. He also posted a message of thanks to viewers wishing him a happy birthday on ABC’s message board.

“Your words – as always – are a great source of strength,” he wrote.