NEW X-MAN?: Here’s a juicy rumor I really hope is true: There’s increasing chatter that Buffy the Vampire Slayer mastermind Joss Whedon is in talks to replace Bryan Singer at the helm of X-Men 3. Singer recently signed on to direct the new Superman flick, leaving the fate of the next X-Men installment up in the air. Whedon’s camp isn’t commenting on the buzz, but Spike issued the following statement: "There bloody well better be a part in it for me."

MOURNED: Johnny Ramone, the lead guitarist and cofounder of seminal punk-rock band the Ramones, died Wednesday after a five-year battle with prostate cancer. He was 55. Ramone is the third member of the band to die in recent years. Lead singer Joey Ramone passed away three years ago from lymphatic cancer and bassist Dee Dee Ramone died of a drug overdose in 2002.

LEGAL TROUBLE: Accused stalker Dawnette Knight, 33, will stand trial for terrorizing Catherine Zeta-Jones, an L.A. judge has ruled. Knight - who has pleaded not guilty to one count of stalking and 24 counts of making criminal threats - is being held on $1 million bail. She’ll return to court Sept. 27 for her arraignment. In the meantime, she’s expected to spend her downtime performing the "Cell Block Tango."

PSST...: Another day, another reality-TV contestant with a "secret" past. Turns out, Survivor: Vanuatu’s Ami Cusack is the ultimate heterosexual male fantasy. The 31-year-old is not only a lesbian, she’s also a former Playboy pinup. Back in 1996, she posed nude for the lad mag, which billed her "the perfect Venus guy trap." So much for truth in advertising.

MOVIE MAGIC: Paramount Pictures is teaming up with Archie Comics Entertainment to make a big-screen version of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, according to The Hollywood Reporter. No word on whether Melissa Joan Hart will be tapped to reprise her old TV role as Sabrina, though.

MARTHA FACES PRISON: Martha Stewart told reporters at a press conference Wednesday morning that she wants to begin her five-month prison sentence ASAP. Although saddened by the prospect of missing out on the holidays, she expressed an "intense desire and need to put this nightmare behind [her]." As expected, Stewart has requested to serve the time at a federal prison in Danbury, Conn. After that, she’ll have another five months to lick her wounds (and do some serious redecorating) while under house arrest on her fancy estate.

NICOLE AND PENNY: Nicole Kidman is Australia’s richest living legend, er, young woman. According to BRW magazine, the Oscar winner has an estimated worth of $108 million. Supermodel Elle Macpherson and pop star Kylie Minogue tied for third place with $42 million each.

IT’S OFFICIAL: Bravo has ordered 10 one-hour episodes of Being Bobby Brown, the long-rumored reality series about Whitney’s troubled hubby. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the show will chronicle Brown’s efforts to clean up his act. And yes, Houston has agreed to appear - a decision I’m fairly certain she’ll live to regret.

TRAYLOR PARKED: Traylor Howard (Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place) has joined the cast of the USA series Monk as a replacement for Bitty Schram, Variety reports. Howard will play Tony Shalhoub’s new assistant Natalie, a former bartender and single mom. She’ll debut in January.

CARNIE’S BABY: Carnie Wilson is about to lose her hard-earned figure. According to Entertainment Tonight, the Wilson Phillips singer - who underwent gastric-bypass surgery in 1999 to battle obesity - is expecting her first child with husband Rob Bonfiglio.

SHALOM: Kabbalah devotee Esther (aka the weird lady formerly known as Madonna) left for Israel Wednesday to celebrate the Jewish New Year in the Holy Land. Having just wrapped her "Re-Invention" tour, she’s expected to visit some traditional burial places during her trip.

FINAL TIDBITS: R&B singer Toni Braxton’s sister, Towanda, has joined NBC’s reality soap, Starting Over. Towanda will be coping with the disappointment of her own failed musical aspirations and the misery of life in her famous sister’s shadow. Sounds humiliating, but it’s better than just hiring a hit man like Whitney’s bitter sibling did in The Bodyguard! In other insignificant news, Dawn picked self-described "male gigolo" Acie as the winner on UPN’s The Player. That’s when Survivor: All-Stars runner-up Boston Rob revealed himself as the voice behind the show’s "player operator" and handed Acie the keys to a tricked-out Cadillac Escalade. Cheesy much? - Additional reporting by Daniel R. Coleridge