CBS denies rumored split with Katie Couric

New York – Two years into a five-year contract, Katie Couric and CBS may split by early next year, according to The Wall Street Journal – but a CBS spokeswoman said the rumor is untrue.

Plagued by low ratings since Couric left NBC’s “Today” show and became the first female solo anchor of a weekday network evening news program, CBS executives are reportedly in talks with Couric that could end her tenure well before her contract expires in 2011, the newspaper reported.

Couric, 51, joined “CBS Evening News” in June 2006 to the tune of about $15 million a year, after the departure of longtime anchor Dan Rather.

But after enjoying an initial spike in viewership, the program tanked in popularity and has remained behind the flagship evening news programs of its rivals NBC and ABC by wide margins.

CBS executives, the newspaper said, have come under increased pressure to curb costs and boost ratings.

The Journal also reported that Couric could leave soon after the presidential inauguration in January.

Penns withdraw divorce petition from court

San Rafael, Calif. – Sean Penn and his wife, Robin Wright Penn, have withdrawn their divorce petition.

A Marin County Superior Court commissioner has dismissed the divorce proceedings between the couple, who call the community of Ross, Calif., their home.

Neither attended this week’s hearing, and no comment has been released on the latest development.

The dismissal came a day after they attended an Eddie Vedder concert at the University of California at Berkeley, where the actor reportedly went on stage to dedicate a song to Wright Penn.

They filed for divorce in December.

Harris says celebrities could hurt ‘Mother’

New York – If Neil Patrick Harris had his way, Britney Spears would be banned from the set of “How I Met Your Mother.”

Nothing against the pop singer personally – he just doesn’t think the show should bring guests aboard for a ratings boost alone.

“I’m in the minority that our show does not need stunt casting in order to succeed,” Harris declared during a break from taping the Monday night CBS sitcom, which has grown a cult following since its 2005 debut.

“I worry that if they start ‘Will and Grace’-ing us too much, that the show will suffer. And we’re all really proud of the content of the show. I mean, viewership is not our game. It’s the network and the studio’s game, you know. It’s the promotion department’s game,” the actor, who plays womanizer Barney, told The Associated Press in an interview last week.

Spears has been the most high-profile guest star to visit the set, following past appearances by Mandy Moore, Enrique Iglesias and Heidi Klum.

Jewel signs to judge ‘Nashville Star’ on NBC

Nashville, Tenn. – Singer-songwriter Jewel will be a judge on the upcoming season of the “Nashville Star.”

She’ll join John Rich of Big & Rich as a judge/mentor on the country music reality series, which premieres June 9.

Last year, Jewel hosted the national talent search, which seeks to find the next country music star. This year’s series is hosted by Billy Ray Cyrus.

“As a young artist, I really benefited from having great mentors like Bob Dylan and Merle Haggard. They took me under their wings and encouraged me to stand up for things that, as an artist, are important,” she said. “They constantly reminded me that an artist’s only concern is being great, not being famous. If you are truly great, success should follow.”

The series has launched the careers of Miranda Lambert, Buddy Jewel and Chris Young.

Jewel’s most recent project is a country album, “Perfectly Clear,” that was produced by Rich and is set for a June 3 release. The first single, “Stronger Woman,” is No. 14 on the Billboard country chart.

Bob Woodruff to receive Pearl journalism award

Los Angeles – Bob Woodruff, the ABC News correspondent nearly killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq, has won the Daniel Pearl Award for Courage and Integrity in Journalism.

Woodruff will receive the honor named for Daniel Pearl, the late Wall Street Journal reporter who was kidnapped and killed in Pakistan in 2002, on June 21 in Los Angeles.

Woodruff suffered serious brain injury in January 2006, when a roadside blast in Iraq tore off part of his skull. He spent 36 days in a medically induced coma, but returned to the job 13 months later.

“Bob has become an iconic role model, not only of journalistic courage and integrity, but also of the capacity of the human spirit to turn injury into challenge,” Daniel Pearl’s parents Judea and Ruth Pearl said.

Past recipients include the late Michael Kelly of Atlantic Monthly, and Time Magazine journalists Michael Weisskopf and James Nachtwey.