It was Nas' day yesterday. The Brooklyn-born hip-hop artist's new CD, Untitled, sold 187,000 copies to debut at No. 1 on Billboard's album charts, pushing Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III to No. 2. Nas caused a big ruckus in October when he announced he would title the CD with the word considered one of the most offensive to African Americans. Guess the hype was good for sales.

It wasn't all about money yesterday - Nas was also spied agitating for a cause: The star, whose given name, Nasir, means "helper and protector" in Arabic, joined MoveOn.org and ColorofChange.org to deliver to Fox News offices a petition with 620,127 signatures accusing the cable channel of racism in its coverage of Barack Obama and of African Americans in general. "Fox poisons the country with racist propaganda and tries to call it news," Nas said. Fox News said it "believes in all protesters' exercising their right to free speech, including Nas who has an album to promote."Winehouse in wax

Amy Winehouse has been honored by Madame Tussauds in London, which yesterday unveiled a waxwork of the perpetually troubled blues warbler. Calmer, quieter and more sober than the real Amy, WaxAmy brought joy to Amy's parents, who attended the unveiling sans Amy. "This is the reward," dad Mitch said, "for her musical achievements and her talent."

Bradley Cooper ready to blast off?

Philly-bred thesp Bradley Cooper, best-known for the matrimonial comedy Wedding Crashers and his boob-tube roles on Alias and Nip/Tuck, is about to hit the big time, says Men's Vogue.

The Germantown Academy alum has worked on six movies in the last 12 months alone, the mag says. What's more, those flicks pit him against a series of seriously hot Hollywood stars, including Scarlett Johansson and Renée Zellweger. Fact, some Tinseltown gossipers say, B. Coop's become quite a player with the town's hottest eligible women.

"I'm supposedly dating Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Aniston" at the same time, says Cooper, who recently divorced Jennifer Esposito. "Where would I find the time?" he asks the mag.

Cooper concedes that during his school days in Philly, he was anything but a ladies' man.

"All the cool kids were into the Smiths and the Housemartins," he said, "and I was into Metallica, Def Leppard, and parachute pants."

Robert Novak in . . . a Corvette?

Seems nigh impossible to picture, but yes, it appears the 77-year-old syndicated columnist and political pundit Robert Novak does drive a black Corvette. (So, he's a sporty stud on top of being a master at manipulating words.)

We know this because TMZ.com and Politico.com report that yesterday, the eminent conservative opinionator was issued a $50 citation by cops in downtown Washington for hitting a 66-year-old pedestrian with . . . his black Corvette. (The victim was treated for minor injuries.)

Novak tells TMZ.com he didn't even realize his (studly) car had given the man a lovetap. He said he was listening to the National Public Radio show Morning Edition when "some guy came up and hit my car with his fist."

Novak was perplexed. "I figured I had done something that had created road rage, but I didn't know what it was," he said. "Then a bicyclist blocked the road in front of me. I asked what the problem was. He said, 'You can't just hit people and run away'!"

A Hawkette flies among us

In all the Brangelina-baby hysteria, we almost forgot to mention that Ethan Hawke and Ryan Shawhughes were also expecting. Us Weekly says the couple had a baby girl Friday in New York City: Clementine Jane Hawke. Shawhughes has experience with babies: She used to work as the nanny for Ethan's two kids with ex-wife Uma Thurman.

I'm with him, but I'm not WITH him

So did Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee rebuild that awesome, beautiful bridge of love that once joined them in holy matrimony?

"We live together," Pam told Ryan Seacrest yesterday on his KIIS-FM radio show.

So, they are back together!

Not really. Well, not at all, Pam says. Sure, they have moved into the same living space, she told Ryan, but they aren't together.

"[I'm] not with him with him," she clarified.

But, Pam says coyly, things could change.

"You never know what could happen. I mean, we can't get rid of each other, we love each other, you know? And it's kind of a funny, dysfunctional family like everybody else, but you know, hopefully one day we get it together. If not, we're really good friends."

The Hoff is back, baby

David Hasselhoff talks to Parade.com about his most recent battle with addiction, which had all but beaten him into the spiritual gutter. The Hoff says people have been forgiving about his foibles. "You know what? People realize that I'm a human being and that I take responsibility for my mistakes," he says.

The Baywatch stud, who is back on TV as a judge on NBC's America's Got Talent, tells Parade that - as shocking as it may seem - he didn't always get the plum roles.

"I've had some big 'nos,' " he said. "The first was when I was up for Indiana Jones, and Steven Spielberg turned me down. The next came when I was up for Superman, and they passed." Why on earth would they reject him?

It boggles the mind.

Robert Plant, Adele up for Mercury

According to Billboard, nominees this year for the prestigious British music award the Mercury Prize include records made by former Led Zeppelin front man Robert Plant (with Alison Krauss) and 19-year-old teen singing and songwriting prodigy Adele.

The 12 records chosen reflect "a remarkably rich year for British music," chair of judges Simon Frith told Billboard. Chosen from 240 albums by Brit artists, nominated CDs include Do You Like Rock Music? by British Sea Power; Untrue by Burial; Stainless Style by Neon Neon; and Radiohead's In Rainbows.

The winner will be announced Sept. 9.

Who are you?

Pete Townsend brings The Who to the Wachovia Center on Oct. 26. Tix cost from $52 to $202 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. Info: 1-800-298-4200 or www.ComcastTIX.com.

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Contact "SideShow" at sideshow@phillynews.com.

This column contains information from Inquirer wire services.