Today's people

Bernard Shaw

leaves anchor desk

LOS ANGELES - It was a fitting farewell for a newsman: A CNNtribute to departing anchor Bernard Shaw was bumped by coverage ofthe Seattle earthquake. "As you've always said, Bernie, the newscomes first at CNN," colleague Judy Woodruff told him on the airWednesday.

Shaw was to return for what Woodruff called "a more full andappropriate goodbye" at 5 p.m. Friday during "Inside Politics."

With the focus Wednesday on the magnitude-6.8 quake that hit thePacific Northwest, Shaw said only a brief goodbye after serving aschief anchor for most major stories during CNN's two-decade history.

Woodruff, who shared anchor duties with Shaw on "InsidePolitics," will work solo on the program. "CNN World View," will bereplaced in April by a new program with CNN senior analyst JeffGreenfield.

Chris Rock flick

succeeds after all

NEW YORK - Chris Rock shrugged off the so-so reviews of his newmovie when it came out.

"What can you do?" he told The Associated Press in an interview.

But in the two weeks since then, "Down to Earth" has been a solidsecond to "Hannibal" at the box office.

"You gotta take the good with the bad," said Rock, who plays astandup comic who's accidentally killed and then returns in the bodyof an aging, rich white guy.

The film is a remake of Warren Beatty's "Heaven Can Wait" (1978)and that film's 1941 predecessor, "Here Comes Mr. Jordan."

Rock said reviewers should only expound on what they have anaffinity and affection for.

"It's weird with the critics," he said. "I believe you can onlycriticize things you're a fan of. For instance, I love Prince. I'mhis audience. So the fans of his audience could criticize him.

"I don't really listen to country music. If it's something Iwouldn't see, listen to in the first place, I am not qualified tocriticize it."

'Sopranos' son

wants normal role

NEW YORK - Will A.J. wind up in the family business on "TheSopranos"?

After all, he's the son of New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano.

For now, Robert Iler, who plays Anthony Soprano Jr., hopes he'llget to be more of a normal kid on the show, which has its third-season premiere Sunday night on HBO.

Iler, 16, is into skateboarding and listening to music, and he'dlike viewers to see A.J. doing some of that, too.

He told reporters recently that when fans see him on the street,they either try to pump him for information or sell him a scriptidea.

"People always get mad at me when something happens in the showbut I don't write the episodes so it's not up to me what happens,"Iler said.

"People every day just walking down the street try to give meideas for a script."