People talk 1/8/04

Dan Rather goes off air after blemish removal

NEW YORK -- CBS News anchor Dan Rather is off the air for a few days after a minor dermatological procedure on his face. The 72-year-old had some basal skin cells removed as a precautionary measure, the network said Wednesday. There's no indication that the cells were cancerous, CBS said. Rather is expected back on the "CBS Evening News" sometime next week.

Paltrow complains about career scrutiny

NEW YORK -- Whether her films are critical successes ("The Royal Tenenbaums"), commercial hits ("Shallow Hal") or all-out flops ("View From the Top"), Gwyneth Paltrow's choices have made her the subject of constant fascination and scrutiny. "I had taken a year off and done a play, and they started to say, 'Well, where is she and what's she doing? All these other girls are moving up and she's going to lose her place in line,"' said Paltrow, an Oscar-winner for "Shakespeare in Love," in Vanity Fair magazine's February issue. "I'm just a girl, so that can really get to me."

Norwegian monarch undergoes surgery

OSLO, Norway -- Sixty-six year-old King Harald V of Norway was released from the hospital Wednesday after being treated for a urinary tract infection, a spokesman for the royal court said. "The king is in good condition and improving. However, he will be on sick leave for the next two or three months," a spokesman said. Harald was taken to the hospital Saturday. Doctors said the infection was related to his cancer surgery in December, but added his prognosis was good.

Duvall cites money for missing 'Godfather'

NEW YORK -- Robert Duvall says money was the reason he didn't appear in Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather: Part III." "If they paid Al Pacino twice what they paid me, that's fine, but not three or four times, which is what they did," the 73-year-old actor tells "60 Minutes II" correspondent Charlie Rose in an interview airing Wednesday on CBS.

-- From wire reports