Munchkin Karl Slover dies at age 93

Karl Slover, one of the last surviving cast members of the 1939 hit "The Wizard of Oz," has passed away at age 93. John Fricke, author of "100 Years of Oz," says, "Of the 124 little people, he's one of the handful who got to enjoy this latter-day fame, to have people know who he was and be able to pick him out of the crowd in the movie." In 2007, seven of the survivor Munchkins were honored with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star. One of them, Meinhardt Raabe, who played the Munchkin coroner, passed away in April 2010.
 Supermodel Niki Taylor and her husband of 5 years, former NASCAR driver Burney Lamar, welcomed their fourth child. Their son, Rex Harrison, joins sister Ciel (2) and half brothers Jake (16) and Hunter (16).

Justin Bieber Accuser Still Wants DNA Test, Says New Lawyer

With her paternity lawsuit against Justin Bieber dropped, Mariah Yeater now is trying to pursue her claim out of court. "We're negotiating with Bieber's counsel, to reach a confidentiality agreement and to get private testing and results," one of Yeater's new lawyers, Chicago-based attorney Jeffrey M. Leving says. Yeater's previous lawyers filed a request to dismiss the paternity suit in a San Diego court on Nov. 9, says Leving, who had been involved in the case earlier on and is now back, along with Los Angeles attorney John Carlson. The attorneys for Yeater, 20, are negotiating with Bieber's camp for him to privately take a DNA test in the next few weeks to determine whether he's the father of Yeater's child. "Yes, of course I believe my client's allegations," says Leving. "I can't comment on whether she has physical evidence or not." Leving adds that he fears for his client's safety. "I just spoke to Mariah today, someone was recently stalking her," he says. "She is happy that she changed her number so she's not getting death threats by phone. She's a young 20-year-old mother who now has to worry about her safety and her child's. It's a lot for any woman that age to handle."


Alleged Baby Mama Sent Incriminating Text Messages
Justin Bieber's alleged baby mama sent a text Wednesday to a friend, begging him to erase an incriminating text in which her mom says someone OTHER than Justin Bieber is the baby daddy, and then promising to give him a cut of the action when she scores a payday. He has been in touch with Yeater regularly ... even before the baby was born on July 6. In the text, Yeater pleads for John to "ERASE ALL MESSAGES from my mom." The text goes on to say that her mom sent John messages in the past, stating that baby Tristyn was fathered by Robbie -- an ex-boyfriend. She then goes on to talk about giving John money if he cooperates:  "Ill kick u when we get paid." All of her texts end with Mariah Laci-- Laci is Mariah's middle name. In one text, Mariah writes, "[John], would you please stress to Robbie how important it is for him to be in his son's life?.."  John says he's already shared this information with Howard Weitzman, Justin Bieber's lawyer. Weitzman says, "This information proves Mariah Yeater fabricated the story.  Our independent investigation indicates Ms. Yeater never meet Justin, she has consistently identified another man as the child's father, and Ms. Yeater and her co-conspirators hatched this scheme in order to extort money from him and to sell her story to the media." Weitzman adds, "There have been no settlement discussions and there never will be."
 Sure, he's easy on the eyes, but there's more to 2011's Sexiest Man Alive Bradley Cooper than dazzling baby blues and a killer smile. Ladies, take note: this Georgetown grad can whip up dinner, take you for a spin on his motorcycle and whisper sweet nothings in French (he's fluent!). Just don't try convincing him what a catch he is. "I think it's really cool that a guy who doesn't look like a model can have this [title]," says the Hangover actor, 36. "I think I'm a decent-looking guy. Sometimes I can look great, and other times I look horrifying." Another reason to love him? Cooper, whose father Charles passed away in January, is especially close with his mom, Gloria. When he learned he'd been crowned Sexiest Man Alive, the "first thing I thought," he says, "was, 'My mother is going to be so happy.'

Feds seize cocaine from boxer's home

Federal agents in Puerto Rico have seized more than $4 million worth cocaine from a house owned by pro boxer Ivan Calderon. Drug Enforcement Administration spokeswoman Laila Rico says 225 kilograms (nearly 500 pounds) of cocaine were found when agents raided the house in the coastal town of Humacao. Calderon issued a statement in Puerto Rico denying any knowledge of the drugs. The boxer says the house was one of a number of investment properties he owns and he was not aware of any illegal activities there. The house was raided earlier this week following the arrest of an alleged Puerto Rican trafficker who has been charged in Miami with smuggling cocaine into the U.S. through the Dominican Republic.
 Posh Spice Victoria Beckham and 4-month old daughter Harper Seven.


TV NEWS
Thicken your hides, Hollywood, because Ricky Gervais is set to complete the hat trick and host the Golden Globes for a third straight year. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which throws the annual kudosfest, announced Gervais’ return on Wednesday afternoon via Twitter. NBC will, as is tradition, broadcast the comparatively fast-and-loose awards ceremony on January 15, 2012.


NBC has axed the ratings-challenged Prime Suspect. Production on the Maria Bello-starring crime drama will wrap this month, ultimately fulfilling the series’ 13-episode order.


How I Met Your Mother producers have found a new girlfriend for Barney, and this time they’re not playing around (no offense, Nora). Much-missed Ugly Betty scene-stealer Becki Newton is joining the CBS hitcom as a potential love interest for Neil Patrick Harris’ brokenhearted cad.



Bridesmaids scene-stealer Wendy McLendon-Covey will play a nurse in a January episode of TV Land’s Hot In Cleveland.


Susan Lucci wants fans to know that it’s “simply untrue” that she is one of the reasons why All My Children is not moving forward via Prospect Park’s TheOnlineNetwork.com. “This is simply untrue and not the case,” the daytime legend said Wednesday in a passionate statement posted to her Facebook page. Lucci went on to explain that she has “been in discussions [to stay with AMC] since Prospect Park first expressed interest in moving the series online, and [in early September] I made it clear that I would be ecstatic to be a part of All My Children in a prominent way if they committed to producing the series for another year. “I have not heard back from Prospect Park since then,” she revealed. “In fact, I learned of their decision not to proceed with All My Children at the same time you did, through the media.”



Criminal Minds has tapped Dean Cain (Lois & Clark) to guest-star in an episode slated to air in early 2012. Cain will play a “down-on-his-luck gambler” who thinks killing people is his lucky charm.



NBC has given the go-ahead to Bryan Fuller’s modern-day reboot of the creepy classic The Munsters!A Peacock spokesperson confirms that the network has ordered a pilot of what it’s calling an “imaginative reinvention of The Munsters as a visually spectacular one hour drama.”