Garth Brooks' ''Scarecrow'' debuts at No. 1 | brooks_l
FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES Brooks knocks Britney out of the top spot

SOUND BITES Garth Brooks had plenty to be thankful for this week. His first record in two years, ''Scarecrow,'' scared Britney Spears off the top of the Billboard chart, debuting at No. 1 and selling 465,525 copies, according to SoundScan. ''Britney,'' which enjoyed the year's second biggest-selling debut the previous week, dropped off 55 percent to land at No. 2 and sell 336,975 units. ''Laundry Service,'' the first English-language record by Colombian singer Shakira, opened at No. 3 (202,300 sold). Michael Jackson's ''Invincible'' slid one spot to No. 4 (188,675 CDs). Enya's ''A Day Without Rain'' held at No. 5 (159,475 copies).

Falling two spots to No. 6 was Enrique Iglesias' ''Escape.'' Madonna's ''GHV2'' opened at No. 7. Rob Zombie's ''Sinister Urge'' premiered at No. 8. Jewel's ''This Way'' debuted at No. 9. Holding onto a top 10 spot was Nickelback's ''Silver Side Up'' at No. 10.

Another chart hopeful, Mick Jagger, hasn't exactly rocked the chart in his native England, where ''Goddess in the Doorway'' is languishing at No. 82 and has sold only about 2,300 copies. London's The Sun tabloid wants to help, so it's launched ''Mick Aid,'' buying 100 copies of the Rolling Stones frontman's solo record to give away to readers, and offering record buyers badges that say, ''I did my bit for the old git.'' The paper says it's helping the 58-year-old singer because it's ''trying to save a prehistoric animal from dying out.''

REEL DEALS They could call it ''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Doofus.'' That might be as good a title as ''Good Cook, Likes Music,'' a romantic comedy to costar Adam Sandler and Zhang Ziyi. Sandler, who will also produce, will play a guy living in a trailer park with his mother who breaks out of his rut by ordering a mail-order bride (Zhang) who turns out to be a musical virtuoso. Also, she can fly and subdue a bar full of thugs with kung fu kicks....

Cedric the Entertainer is following in the footsteps of fellow Original King of Comedy Bernie Mac and trying his hand at fatherhood. He'll play a dad to several kids in an untitled comedy (which he'll also produce) for Fox Searchlight Pictures, sister company to the Fox TV network, where Mac raises his brood....


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