Talk show host Jimmy Kimmel's beloved Uncle Frank Potenza, a former police officer who became a frequent guest comedian on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, died at the age of 77. Kimmel, whose show is on hiatus until next month, Tweeted, "thank you for your kind words about a very kind man - my Uncle Frank - who passed away this morning." Prior to engaging in hi-jinx with his nephew on the ABC late-night show, Potenza was a Korean War veteran who worked 20 years as a New York City police officer. He also worked for 20 years as a security guard at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas and at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. In 2003, Kimmel asked Potenza to move to Los Angeles to join his then-upstart talk show as security guard and on-air contributor. "During his nine-year run on-air, 'Uncle Frank' contributed many great moments to Jimmy Kimmel Live!," the show said in a statement. "He was beloved by his co-workers and considered an Uncle to all. His kindness and humor will be missed by everyone he touched."

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith: 'We Are Still Together'

Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are still happily married. After a day of buzz following a tabloid report that they have separated after 13 years of marriage, the couple have put a stop to the rumors. "Although we are reluctant to respond to these types of press reports, the rumors circulating about our relationship are completely false," the couple said in a joint statement Tuesday. "We are still together, and our marriage is intact." While a media storm brewed around them Tuesday morning, the couple ran errands, stopping at a Michaels craft store to pick up canvases and paints for Jada. Earlier, Jada's rep refused to comment on the split rumors. But Will's son Trey took to Twitter on the matter. "Did #WillandJada split? No they did NOT split! False information ... its not true RETWEET!!!" Trey Tweeted. "Everyone can think what they want ... even if its not true."

William Petersen Welcomes Twins Via Surrogate

It's a boy and a girl for William Petersen. The CSI actor, 58, and wife Gina Cirone welcomed twins via surrogate. The pair were born prematurely, Petersen's rep says, but are steadily improving. "The babies are doing great and are improving every day and we can't wait for them to come home," the couple, who married in July 2003 said.

 

Amy Winehouse: No Illegal Drugs in System at Death

No illegal drugs were in the system of Amy Winehouse when the troubled singer died July 23, says her family. Spokesman Chris Goodman said in a statement Tuesday: "Toxicology results returned to the Winehouse family by authorities have confirmed that there were no illegal substances in Amy's system at the time of her death." The statement also said, "Results indicate that alcohol was present but it cannot be determined as yet if it played a role in her death" at age 27.

Rev. Al Sharpton officially tapped as MSNBC host

After several weeks in a tryout role, the Rev. Al Sharpton has officially been named host of a weeknight hour on MSNBC. The program, now called "PoliticsNation," will air at 6 p.m. Eastern and premieres next Monday. In his new role, the well-known civil rights activist and minister will lead a lively and informed discussion of the day's top headlines, MSNBC said. Sharpton called the hosting job "a natural extension of my life work and growth." Besides his work as a community leader and religious figure, Sharpton already hosts a nationally syndicated radio show. He was a candidate for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination that eventually went to U.S. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts. The 6 p.m. hour serves as an important lead-in to MSNBC's weeknight slate that includes Chris Matthews, Laurence O'Donnell, Rachel Maddow and Ed Schultz. The network has done a swift reconfiguration in prime time since the abrupt departure of its marquee host, Keith Olbermann, in January. Olbermann took his show to Current TV. In addition to being a guest on MSNBC throughout the network's history, Sharpton has also served as an occasional guest host on several of its programs.

TV NEWS

Add two more names to the already extensive list of guest stars on "Hawaii Five-0" in the coming season. Greg Grunberg will join his former "Heroes" co-star Masi Oka (who's now a regular) in an episode, and separately, Meredith Monroe ("Dawson's Creek") will play a perp/victim in another episode. Grunberg will play an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who works with Five-0 when a fellow agent is killed. As for Monroe, she'll guest-star as a woman who skips out with some of her rich husband's money, only to be kidnapped by a criminal who also has claim to the husband's cash.

Andre Braugher is in negotiations for a recurring role on Law & Order: SVU. The Emmy winner will play an attorney for the underprivileged who may get close to Mariska Hargitay’s Det. Benson. This marks Braugher’s most significant stint on a crime drama since his Homicide days and his first TV gig since the cancelation of his critically praised TNT drama Men Of a Certain Age.

TNT has laid out its schedule of originals for the end of 2011 and the early part of 2012, including the return of "Southland" in January and new episodes of "Leverage," "The Closer" and "Rizzoli & Isles" starting in late November.

Isaiah Mustafa, best known as the guy from the Old Spice ads, has just landed a recurring role on the ABC series "Charlie's Angels." Mustafa, a former professional football journeyman, began acting in film and television in 2006 on shows like "Football Wives" and "Ugly Betty." But he shot to fame for his role in the series off-beat, Emmy-winning Old Spice commercials. Mustafa will play Detective Ray Goodson who has a romantic past with Kate, played by Annie Ilonzeh. He is expected to turn up in the series in mid- to late-October. "Charlie's Angels" debuts Sept. 22 at 8 p.m. ET.

Law & Order: SVU vet Tamara Tunie will trade in her scalpel for a gavel this fall on NBC’s Days of Our Lives. Tunie — who will still regularly appear on SVU — makes her Days debut on Friday, Nov. 18.

Chord Overstreet, whose enrollment on Fox’s Glee screeched to a halt over the summer, will resurface — this time on the teaching end of things — on ABC’s The Middle. Overstreet will guest-star as Ralph Wilkerson, Brick’s new, young and idealistic fourth-grade teacher whose involved teaching methods run counter to Frankie and Mike’s “more relaxed” parenting style.

Battlestar Galactica and Dollhouse alum Tahmoh Penikett has landed a starring role in the TNT movie Innocent, based on Scott Turow’s book of the same name. The telefilm — which will kick off TNT’s new Mystery Movie Night series on Nov. 29 — features Penikett as Jim Brand, a hot-headed, tenacious prosecutor after one guy: Bill Pullman’s Judge Rusty Sabich, who has been charged with the murder of his wife. Convinced Rusty did it while others doubt, Brand takes matters into his own hands. The cast also includes Damages‘ Marcia Gay Harden (as Rusty’s wife), Law & Order: LA‘s Alfred Molina (playing his defense attorney), and The West Wing‘s Richard Schiff.

Big Brother season 2 winner Will Kirby is engaged to his partner of six years, two-time For Love or Money champ Erin Brodie. Kirby, a board-certified dermatologist in Beverly Hills, and Brodie, who works at a Fortune 500 software company, live in California and have a 15-month-old son together, Cash.