ABC out of Obama campaign ad buy

Los Angeles – A half-hour Barack Obama campaign ad will blanket the major broadcast networks tonight – except for ABC.

Attempting to protect its struggling Wednesday lineup, ABC tried to reach an agreement with the Obama campaign to air the commercial on a different night, according to people familiar with the discussions who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.

ABC had a change of heart, but by the time it decided to make the 7 p.m. CDT Wednesday slot available for the Democratic presidential candidate’s spot, his campaign had already finalized the ad buy, the people said. ABC will air an episode of the hourlong “Pushing Daisies” at that time as scheduled.

The Obama campaign bought time on CBS, NBC and Fox for $1 million per network. In Fox’s case, the ad will precede the resumption of rain-suspended Game 5 of the World Series in Philadelphia.

Fox decided to pre-empt its World Series pre-game show for the Obama spot and will start its baseball coverage after the commercial’s 7:30 p.m. conclusion.

The 30-minute spot, which was announced in early October, will air six days before the election between Obama and Republican candidate John McCain. It is also scheduled to run on Univision, BET, MSNBC and TV One.

Marion Jones gives post-prison interview

Chicago – Disgraced track star Marion Jones will give her first post-prison interview to Oprah Winfrey.

Jones’ appearance on today’s episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” is to be her first interview since she was released Sept. 5 from a Texas federal prison after completing most of her six-month sentence for lying about steroid use.

Jones tells Winfrey that it wasn’t difficult for her to return the three gold medals she won in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She says “it’s the memory that will be tarnished.”

Jones also is to read aloud a letter to her children that she wrote from prison.

The sprinter admitted last October that she used a designer steroid known as “the clear” from September 2000 to July 2001. Her admission came after years of denials.

Dr. Pepper pulls the trigger on GNR offer

Los Angeles – Enjoy Dr. Pepper at 10, 2 and … 11/23?

Everyone in the United States can claim a free beverage from the soft drink company on that date, thanks to Guns N’ Roses.

Earlier this year, Dr. Pepper officials teased that they would give everyone a free can if GNR’s “Chinese Democracy” arrived before the year was out. It was part of a whimsical promotion connecting the long-gestating album by the Axl Rose-led rock group with the soft drink.

“It took a little patience to perfect Dr. Pepper’s special mix of 23 ingredients,” a company official said in March. “So we completely understand and empathize with Axl’s quest for perfection – for something more than the average album.”

Now that the official word has come that the long-delayed recording is scheduled for release Nov. 23, exclusively at Best Buy stores, Dr. Pepper is making good on the gag.

Anyone wanting to take the company up on the offer will need to go to its Web site, drpepper.com, on the day the album comes out, register and then wait for their coupon for a free 20 ounce Dr. Pepper to show up in the mail. The coupon will be offered only during the 24 hours from 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on Nov. 23, and it will expire Feb. 28.

Spears’ conservatorship extended indefinitely

Los Angeles – Britney Spears’ father will maintain indefinite control of her personal and financial affairs after a court commissioner on Tuesday extended the arrangement beyond 2008.

The conservatorship, which had been set to expire Dec. 31, also allows the people controlling Spears’ affairs – a group that includes father Jamie Spears and several attorneys – some say in her professional career.

It’s a move the singer apparently approves: A court-appointed attorney said the details had been explained to the 26-year-old and she agreed not to oppose it.

Spears could petition later to have the conservatorship removed, but the court’s order otherwise constitutes a lifetime arrangement, a court information officer said.

Attorneys for Jamie Spears declined to comment after the hearing.

Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Reva Goetz said she was granting the permanent conservatorship in part because Britney Spears has shown she is “susceptible to undue influence.”

Reeves says he didn’t run into photographer

Los Angeles – Keanu Reeves says he slowly moved his Porsche forward to get a paparazzo to move out of the way but never hit him.

Reeves took the stand in his civil trial Tuesday morning, testifying about his recollection of a night in March 2007 when a photographer claims the actor seriously injured him with his car.

Alison Silva is suing Reeves for damages and lost wages. He claims the actor pushed him to the ground with his car while Silva was taking photographs.

Wearing a dark suit and frequently using his hands, Reeves described how he tried to get Silva to get out from in front of his car by rocking it and moving it slowly forward, but never hit the photographer.