The TV producer accused of shaking down David Letterman to keep mum about his affairs is drawing on the Tiger Woods sex scandal to try to bolster his defense.

In court papers filed yesterday, Robert "Joe" Halderman's lawyer cited published reports that Woods paid an alleged mistress millions of dollars to stay silent. Attorney Gerald Shargel suggested that since the woman hasn't been charged with a crime, Halderman shouldn't be, either.

Halderman has pleaded not guilty to attempted grand larceny in a case that shoved Letterman's love life into public view. The "Late Show" host stunned viewers in October by abruptly revealing the extortion case and acknowledging he had had affairs with women on his staff.

WHILE OBAMA'S HERE, PELOSI'S ON BIG ISLE

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is on the Big Island where she is vacationing, according to Big Island police.

The California congresswoman, who arrived in the Isles on Sunday, and President Obama are among the Washington elite who are visiting Hawai'i this winter. Obama arrived on O'ahu on Thursday and is staying at a Kailua beachfront home.

LAB TESTS AWAITED IN DRUMMER'S DEATH

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — An autopsy is inconclusive as to the cause of death for Avenged Sevenfold drummer Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan.

Orange County sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino said yesterday that the coroner's office ordered toxicology, microscopic and laboratory tests to help determine why Sullivan died. It's expected to take several weeks to get the results of the tests.

Sullivan was found dead in his Huntington Beach home on Monday.

Avenged Sevenfold formed in Huntington Beach in 1999 and won Best New Artist at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2006. According to their MySpace page, the five-man metalcore band was working on its fifth album.

COMEDY CENTRAL AXES 'JEFF DUNHAM'

Comedy Central won't be renewing "The Jeff Dunham Show" for a second season.

The show, featuring comedian Jeff Dunham and his repertoire of puppets, attracted plenty of attention, both positive and negative. Its debut drew 5.3 million viewers, a season premiere record for Comedy Central. But most of the reviews were terrible, and ratings dwindled during the season.

JACKMAN, CAREY HEAD TO PEOPLE'S CHOICE

Hugh Jackman, Mariah Carey, Taylor Lautner and Sandra Bullock are among the stars expected at next week's People's Choice Awards.

Steve Carell, Carrie Underwood, Ellen DeGeneres and LL Cool J also are set to attend the celebrity-filled ceremony Jan. 6 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. The show will be broadcast live on CBS.

Queen Latifah will host the show in which fans vote for their favorite actors, musicians, movies and TV programs.

— Advertiser News Service