President George W. Bush

TV networks were determined not to repeat the same mistake they did in the 2000 election by calling out an early winner and instead dubbed the results "too close to call"--with the exception of Fox News Channel and NBC. Fox declared President Bush had won Ohio at 12:41 a.m. EST followed by Alaska at 1 a.m., announcing at least a tie for the presidency with 269 electoral votes. NBC followed suit and called Ohio and Alaska for Bush at 1 a.m. "This race is all but over," NBC anchor Tom Brokaw said. But by 5 a.m., ABC, CBS, CNN and The Associated Press, four other news organizations that received the same vote count and exit poll information as NBC and Fox, had kept Ohio in the "too close to call" category. But Brokaw said the network would not act as the arbiter. "There will be no declaration from us tonight as long as the Kerry campaign is contesting in Ohio," he said. ABC wouldn't call Ohio either--even though analyst George Stephanopoulos said it was almost mathematically impossible for Kerry to win. According to ABC's Terry Moran, the fact that none of the networks were declaring Bush the winner appeared to have irritated the White House. "Essentially…the president and his team is waiting for him to be declared the winner by us," he said. CNN's Jeff Greenfield, meanwhile, told the AP the 2000 election night ignominy--when all of the networks twice prematurely declared a winner in Florida and awarded the presidency to George W. Bush weeks before it was settled--had a lot to do with the network's indeterminate state. "If we hadn't gone through what we had gone through in 2000, we probably would have called Ohio for Bush," Greenfield said.

Jackie Chan not thinking of retirement just yet

Jackie Chan may have turned 50 this year, but the martial arts star has no plans to retire anytime soon. "I don't know how far I can go, but I'll just keep going. I feel I still can do it," Chan told a news conference in Singapore, where he is promoting the share market listing of Hong Kong-based film company Media Asia Entertainment Group Ltd. Chan, best known for performing most of his own stunts, came close to death in 1985 after falling from a tree and splitting his skull open. But he said would like to make more action movies both in Hollywood and Asia." Movies are my business and movies are my job," he said. "But if I am not in front of the screen then I would become a director or producer."

Delaney washes up in The O.C.

Fox's The O.C. and NBC's The West Wing are beefing up their lineups. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Emmy-winner Kim Delaney landed a key role on The O.C. as an ex-flame who reappears in character Sandy Cohen's (Peter Gallagher) life. She is slated to appear in at least five episodes of the show. Teri Polo, meanwhile, will play the potential first lady and wife of Jimmy Smits' character Matthew Santos, a three-term Democratic congressman from Texas with strong presidential aspirations in the political drama The West Wing. Polo is set to do four episodes this season and has an option for 12 more next season, provided the show returns for a seventh year.

CBS, NBC pull shows

CBS' Dr. Vegas and NBC's Father of the Pride have become the first casualties of the new television season, Reuter reports. CBS said it would put the new Rob Lowe drama, which ranked 53rd among prime-time network programs, on an indefinite hiatus, while NBC has yanked Pride, an expensive foray into computer-animated about a family of talking lions, from its schedule completely. The move comes amid admissions by network executives that NBC has struggled this season, with ratings for its target audience of viewers aged 18 to 49 on the decline following years of dominance in that demographic, Reuters reports.

Ailing LL Cool J cancels tour

LL Cool J, who is touring in support of his latest album The DEFinition, has canceled the remaining 12 dates on his tour due to an abdominal ailment, the AP reports. "I am extremely disappointed to have to cancel the rest of this fun and successful tour," the 36-year-old rapper-actor said in a statement. Shows have been canceled in cities including Atlanta and Miami. "I apologize for disappointing my fans who have already bought tickets." A release from his publicist said he is under a doctor's care and requires medication and rest. Ticket holders can seek refunds at the point of purchase.

Patty Duke to have bypass surgery

Actress Patty Duke, who won a best-supporting Oscar in 1963 for her portrayal of Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker, will undergo single heart bypass surgery Wednesday at an Idaho hospital, the AP reports. Hospital spokeswoman Lisa Johnson said Tuesday the actress is expected to make a successful recovery. Duke, 57, was admitted last spring to the center for insertion of a stent in one of her arteries to improve blood flow. Duke, who was married to John Astin from 1973 to 1985, is the mother of Lord of the Rings star Sean Astin. For years, it was believed John Astin was his father but genetic testing proved rock promoter Michael Tell, whom Duke was to married for less than a month, was actually Sean's father.

Kit Bowen contributed to this report.