Root joins 'Roots'

A+E Networks announced yesterday that Questlove will be the music director for the new four-night, eight-hour reboot of Alex Haley's "Roots."

Phillip Noyce ("Patriot Games," "Salt") and Thomas Carter ("Coach Carter," "Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story") are set to direct nights one and three, respectively. Directors for nights two and four are to be announced.

Dr. Seuss 'Pet' project finally gets release

THE BIGGEST publishing story of the year may be the discovered Harper Lee manuscript for Go Set a Watchman, but also going on sale this week is a discovered novel by another beloved author.

Dr. Seuss (a/k/a Theodor Geisel).

And much to the relief of his fans, his "new" work is not an earlier draft version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, this one being about the Grinch starting out as a great guy who turns into a nasty, Whoville-hating scrooge as the story goes on.

No, What Pet Should I Get? will bring rhymes back 25 years after Seuss' last work, Oh, The Places You'll Go!

This one tells the story of the brother and sister from One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish discussing what pet they're going to bring home from the pet store. The words and oh-so-important pictures were discovered by Geisel's widow, Audrey, soon after the good doctor's death in 1991.

Like a many a grieving spouse, she put the find aside to deal with later.

Later came two years ago.

Should you buy the new book/

If you like Dr. Seuss?

Buy a copy or two/

This one isn't a ruse.

* Chris Brown's departure from Manila was delayed yesterday because of fraud allegations against him and his promoter for a canceled concert last New Year's Eve.

Brown, who performed Tuesday night in Manila, was prevented from leaving on a private plane yesterday pending clearance by the Bureau of Immigration.

Hmm. Most places don't want to let Brown in.

* Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj have traded words on Twitter after the rapper said she was upset she didn't earn a nomination for video of the year at the MTV Video Music Awards.

(Tattle was upset to learn the VMAs still existed.)

Minaj tweeted multiple times she didn't understand why her rump-shaking "Anaconda" vid wasn't up for the top award (or even the top bottom award). She wrote in one tweet: "If your video celebrates women with very slim bodies, you will be nominated for vid of the year."

Swift's "Bad Blood" is up for video of the year. Although Nicki did not mention that video or Taylor by name, the women in "Bad Blood" all have very slim bodies.

Taylor tweeted at Minaj: "I've done nothing but love & support you. It's unlike you to pit women against each other. Maybe one of the men took your slot."

Beyonce, Kendrick Lamar, Ed Sheeran and Mark Ronson also are up for video of the year.

* The publisher of a disparaged Bill Cosby biography has pulled blurbs from a number of celebs.

Simon & Schuster VP Cary Goldstein told the Associated Press yesterday that because of "recent events" it was removing the endorsements for Mark Whitaker's Cosby, whose positive reviews turned to criticism because the 544-page book kinda left out a lot of what was clearly a big part of Cosby's life for the last 50 years - having sex with women not named Camille Cosby, a good number of whom may have been too drugged to consent.

Eh, just a little oversight.

Mary Tyler Moore's quote had read: "If I was America's 'sweetheart' - turning the world on with a smile - then Bill Cosby was and still is our 'best man.' "

Billy Crystal

had called the book "a revealing, honest look at my favorite comedian."

Others praising "Cosby" included Jerry Seinfeld, David Letterman and Wynton Marsalis. Earlier yesterday, a spokesman for Seinfeld and Letterman confirmed a Hollywood Reporter story that the two comedians wanted their endorsements withdrawn.

* "Access Hollywood" reports that an unnamed source claims that Miranda Lambert had a "long-time affair" with someone in the music business and when Blake Shelton confronted her about it, she admitted to it.

At that point he decided to end the marriage.

Country singer Chris Young took to Twitter to deny it was him.

If it turns out to be Adam Levine, this is really going to kill their bromance.

- Tom Mahon and

Daily News wire services

contributed to this report.

Phone: 215-854-5678

On Twitter: @DNTattle