The all-star "Hope for Haiti Now" album has debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, making it the first digital-only album to hit the top spot.

Nielsen SoundScan said yesterday that the compilation CD of performances from last week's charity telethon sold 171,000 units over the weekend.

The CD features performances by U2, Beyonce and Madonna, among others.

More than 80 million people tuned in for last Friday's telethon, which organizers have said raised $66 million.

The event, which also streamed live online, featured appearances by former President Clinton, Muhammad Ali, Brad Pitt and other stars who encouraged donations for Haiti, hit by a devastating Jan. 12 earthquake.

'UGLY BETTY' GETTING THE AX FROM ABC

It's ugly news for all the fans of "Ugly Betty." ABC says the series will be canceled after this season.

A critical and popular success with its premiere in fall 2006, "Ugly Betty" has struggled in recent years with audience erosion.

Based on a Colombian telenovela, the warmhearted dramedy stars America Ferrera as an ambitious but style-challenged young woman out to build a future at a New York fashion magazine.

The series has been saluted with Emmy, Golden Globe and Peabody awards, among others.

LENO SAYS HE, O'BRIEN HAVEN'T TALKED

Jay Leno tells Oprah Winfrey that he hasn't spoken to Conan O'Brien throughout the recent contentious negotiations over "The Tonight Show."

In quotes provided yesterday by Harpo Productions, Leno tells Winfrey that "it didn't seem appropriate" to speak to O'Brien. But Leno says the two comedians might talk when "things cool down."

NBC unseated O'Brien and moved Leno back to the program he had hosted for 17 years. Leno is scheduled to return to "Tonight" on March 1.

Leno's interview is scheduled to air today.

SHEEN'S WIFE NEARLY DIED, LAWYER SAYS

Charlie Sheen's wife is recovering at a North Carolina wellness center after an infection that nearly took her life, her lawyer said yesterday.

Yale Galanter said Brooke Sheen, 32, was flown by private plane from Los Angeles after her release from a hospital. He denied Internet reports that she was in drug or alcohol rehab.

Brooke Sheen has been through numerous ordeals since Christmas Day, when a domestic disturbance at the Sheens' Aspen home propelled them into headlines, Galanter said.

— Advertiser News Services