Buzz Briefs: Regis Philbin, Jackie Chan
Regis Philbin: Not A Winner, But Wallet Is Thicker
Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa lost the People's Choice Award for favorite talk show host, but Philbin still came out a winner. He won $100 from Ripa.
Phiblin had bet Ripa $100 in singles that they'd lose the award. He held out his hand on "Live With Regis and Kelly," saying "I want it right here, baby."
Even though they have a history of losing various types of awards for best talk show host, Ripa thought they could win this one because she urged their fans to vote. She says she's "not really bummed out about losing," she's bummed out about paying Philbin the money.
Jackie Chan's New Movie Raises Flags In China
A Hong Kong movie company announced the Asian release dates for Jackie Chan's new Chinese-language film -- except in China, where its subject matter may have raised flags for the country's movie censors.
"Shinjuku Incident," which features Chan as a refugee who escapes to Japan and becomes a killer for the mob, will be released in Hong Kong and southeast Asia on April 2 and in Japan on May 1, Emperor Motion Pictures said in a statement.
But the statement didn't announce the release date in mainland China, a key market for the movie.
The film may have concerned China's censors because it touches on two known taboo subjects for Chinese films: gangsters and Japan. It also casts Chan, a national icon in China, as a villain.
Stephanie March Returns To "Special Victims Unit"
Stephanie March is going back to work as New York prosecutor Alexandra Cabot on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."
March will return to the drama for six episodes, beginning Feb. 17.
The actress said Thursday she looks forward to spending time with a production that has been rewarding for her, and compared it to "an old flame."
March starred on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" for four seasons, leaving the show in 2003 and returning for one episode in 2005. She briefly reprised the role of Cabot on NBC's "Conviction," which aired in 2006.
CeCe Winans, Others Honored For Gospel Music
Gospel stars CeCe Winans, Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark and Donald Lawrence will be saluted by their peers in a musical tribute in Nashville.
Kirk Franklin, Faith Evans, Karen Clark-Sheard and Donnie McClurkin will be among the performers at BMI's Trailblazers of Gospel luncheon on Jan. 16.
Winans helped expand the boundaries of gospel music with hits such as "Say a Prayer" and "Addictive Love."
Clark is a singer, musician and songwriter whose songs have been recorded by the Rev. James Cleveland, Al Green, Mary J. Blige and others.
Lawrence is an influential singer and producer who is known for his work with the Tri-City Singers, Stephanie Mills, Peabo Bryson and The Clark Sisters.
"In The Heights" Recoups $10 Million Investment
The producers of "In the Heights" say the Tony-winning musical has recouped its $10 million production costs in the 10 months since it opened on Broadway.
The show, a celebration of Latino life in an upper Manhattan neighborhood, stars Lin-Manuel Miranda, who also wrote its music and lyrics. The production won the 2008 Tony Award for best musical as well as three other Tonys.
"In the Heights" began life off-Broadway in January 2007 for a six-month run. The show reopened last March at Broadway's Richard Rodgers Theatre, where it recently broke the house record with two consecutive weeks of $1 million-plus grosses.
Rachael Ray Cooks Up New Show For Daisy Martinez
Rachael Ray is giving Food Network fans a taste of the Latino kitchen.
Ray is producing a new show for the network starring actress and cookbook author Daisy Martinez. The weekly "Viva Daisy!" premieres Saturday for a six-week run. The show is the network's second focused on Latino foods, joining Ingrid Hoffman's "Simply Delicioso."
Martinez previously hosted public television's Hispanic foods-focused "Daisy Cooks." The new show will be the first from Ray's production company, Watch Entertainment, that doesn't feature Ray.
The collaboration began after Ray and Martinez bonded while participating in a panel discussion together. Ray says she knew immediately she wanted to give Martinez a bigger platform from which to talk about Latino foods.
Jan. 7, 2009
Jackson Goes Back To Bel Air
The King of Pop is back - in town, that is.
Michael Jackson has signed a yearlong lease on a mansion in the swanky Bel Air area of the city, a spokesman for the singer said Wednesday.
Jackson has been staying in the estate for about a month, said spokesman Tohme Tohme, who called the property "a little bit more than an average home."
The lease agreement, first reported Monday by the Los Angeles Times, is for $100,000 a month. The home has seven bedrooms, 13 bathrooms and 12 fireplaces.
Jackson, 50, relocated to the city with his three children to be closer to Hollywood and the entertainment industry, said Tohme, promising that "the second half (of his career) will be better than the first."
Lisa Marie Presley Defends Scientology
Lisa Marie Presley is expressing her condolences over Jett Travolta's death and defending Scientology, the religion that Presley, John Travolta and Kelly Preston follow.
Presley's MySpace blog on Tuesday read: "I am writing this because I have noticed that for the most part, people and the media have been very sympathetic and respectful, but there are those certain ones that want to use this horrible tragedy as an opportunity to once again, blame and-or attack Scientology."
Elvis Presley's daughter also writes that it's untrue that Scientologists do not believe in medical care and insisted if "a medication will make it better then they take it."
Jay-Z To Perform On Eve Of Obama Inauguration
Jay-Z isn't performing at President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration, but he is planning to make a big splash on the eve of the event.
The rapper, one of Obama's biggest celebrity boosters, has announced that he's playing a concert in Washington on Jan. 19, the day before Obama officially drops "elect" from his title.
Jay-Z will perform for a crowd of less than 2,000 at the Warner Theatre.
Donda West Surgeon Jailed In Calif. DUI Case
The plastic surgeon who operated on Kanye West's mother before she died has been sentenced to a year in jail for drunken driving.
Dr. Jan Adams pleaded no contest to misdemeanor drunken driving last year.
Authorities say his Jaguar was spotted early June 26 traveling the wrong way on Interstate 680 near Cordelia. Adams' blood alcohol level was .20 percent.
Solano County Court Commissioner Ray Wieser sentenced the 54-year-old surgeon, author and TV personality Monday. He'll get credit for eight days he previously was jailed.
Adams performed breast reduction, tummy tuck and liposuction on Donda West a day before she died in 2007. An autopsy blamed heart disease coupled with complications from the surgery.
T.I. Opens Check Book For Overdue Lawyer Fees
Rapper T.I. went to court and promptly paid an $8,000 overdue lawyer bill for the mother of two of his sons, telling a judge the debt was an oversight.
Lawyers for LaShon Dixon asked a Fulton County judge to intervene after the 28-year-old rapper, whose real name is Clifford Harris, failed to pay in November. He had agreed to the payment as part of an ongoing child support case.
T.I. had a check for the money owed, effectively settling the matter. During the Tuesday hearing, which lasted more than four hours, he told the judge the order to pay got lost when he changed assistants.
"It was just a clerical error, totally innocent," he said. "I will accept full responsibility for that."
The two-time Grammy winner was ordered in September to pay more than $3,000 a month to Dixon - to whom he had been paying about $2,000 per month - as well as the boys' private school tuition, uninsured medical bills and expenses related to their extracurricular activities.
T.I. and Dixon are still negotiating child support and custody of the boys, ages 7 and 8. He also has two sons with his fiancee, Tameka "Tiny" Cottle, of the defunct R&B group Xscape.
It is unclear when the judge will issue a final decision. T.I. is scheduled to be sentenced on federal weapons charges in March. He is expected to serve at least a year in federal prison.
No "King Lear" Nude Scene For McKellen On PBS
Ian McKellen says his on-stage "King Lear" nude scene is discreetly avoided in the upcoming public television version of the play.
A public TV executive said Wednesday at a meeting of the Television Critics Association that the decision to forgo full-frontal nudity by McKellen was made by Trevor Nunn, director of the acclaimed Royal Shakespeare Company production that airs March 25.
McKellen said audiences can be distracted when an actor or actress strips. The British actor, 70, of "Lord of the Rings" and "X-Men" films fame, said cutting the nudity left the production's quality unaffected.