W/C April 13, 2005

Jay-Z and watchmaker Audemars Piquet announced Tuesday the creation of a limited-edition timepiece. A series of 100 watches will retail for between $23,500 and $69,500. The watches were co-designed by Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter. They are to commemorate his 10th anniversary in the music industry, with a portion of the proceeds to benefit the S. Carter Scholarship Fund.

Mark Burnett is planning a TV show about Lyor Cohen.

Jimmy Kimmel is embarking on a nationwide couch-potato hunt. The late-night funnyman is looking to pay someone roughly $500 a week to watch TV all day and gather clips for his opening monologue on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Candidates must have at least five years experience in being brain dead and be proficient in absolutely nothing. Got to ABC.com for an application.

Reebok pulled an ad featuring rapper 50 Cent from UK airwaves over public concern that the spot glorifies gun violence, but the company declined to disclose its plans for the ad in the United States. In the ad, a camera slowly pans in on 50 Cent as one of his raps serves as the ad's soundtrack: ''Shot nine times in Jamaica Queens. 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 4 . . . 5 . . . 6 . . . 7 . . . 8 . . . 9 . . . Tell me, who you planning to massacre next?" Then, 50 Cent laughs, kicks up his Reeboks and stares straight into the camera as the tagline, ''i am what i am," appears on the screen.

Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher are reportedly planning to get married in Las Vegas. The couple have already commissioned wedding rings by celebrity jeweller Neil Lane.

Russell Simmons has launched the Russell Simmons Music Group to be distributed by Island Def Jam Records, the company he founded. Russ has signed his brother Reverend Run. “I am happy to serve LA Reid,” Simmons said. “I have never had anything but respect for him. I am honored to be a part of his team

Rod Stewart's daughter Kimberly will reportedly join Paris Hilton for the new series of The Simple Life. She will replace Nicole Richie in the show reports Contactmusic.com. Nicole is leaving the show to star in another reality show with her fiance DJ AM. TV bosses are said to be putting the finishing touches to the deal with Stewart. Kimberly said: "We can't talk about it. It's top secret... We're in the works with something very special."

Tyrese is set to star in the thriller Waist Deep for Focus Features. The actor-singer plays an ex-convict who gets car-hacked with his son inside, which drives him to retaliate against the carjackers with the help of a young woman.

Vinnie Jones is to play a villain in X-Men 3. He has agreed to play a baddie called Juggernaut in the film reports the UK tabloid, The Sun. He will apparently wear a four-stone latex suit for the role. Halle Berry, Hugh Hackman and Sir Ian McKellen will also star in the film.

Sirius satellite radio has already turned over channels to Eminem and (starting next January) Howard Stern. On Monday, Martha Stewart announced that she's joining the Sirius lineup. On her channel, Stewart and her staff will dispense homemaking tips 24 hours a day. The channel will launch this fall, after Stewart's house arrest sentence ends.

Jenna Von Oy and Kevin Dunn have been added to the cast of the ABC's comedy pilot "Carol Potter Gets a Life." The series stars Brenda Blethyn. Von Oy ("Blossom" and "The Parkers") will play the woman's uptight daughter. Dunn plays Carol Potter's ex-husband.

Michael Douglas is executive producer of a new Sci Fi Channel series about the life and work of the late Shirley Jackson. It is being reported to be a cross between "Desperate Housewives" and "The Twilight Zone." The late author wrote "The Lottery" and "The Haunting Of Hill House."

Wesley Snipes stands to lose his Orlando house due to failure to pay back taxes to the state of Florida. According to a Celebrity Justice report, Snipes owes more than $20,000 on his 4,000-square foot spread in Disney country. Thanks to some 11th-hour wrangling, the Blade: Trinity slayer narrowly averted an auction of the property last Tuesday. The house, appraised at more than $250,000, is now scheduled to hit the auction block in June unless Snipes pays off his tax bill. Snipes' financial woes may be the least of his problems these days. He remains wanted on a warrant in New York for failing to take a court-ordered DNA test in a long-simmering paternity case. Snipes has refused to cooperate in the case involving Lanise Pettis, an Indiana woman who claims Snipes fathered her son from a crackhouse rendezvous in 2000.