Harry Morgan, who played Col. Sherman Potter on TV's M*A*S*H and Jack Webb's detective partner in Dragnet, died Wednesday at age 96. The actor died in his home in Los Angeles after suffering from pneumonia, his daughter-in-law Beth Morgan says. After appearing in dramatic films The Ox Box Incident and High Noon, he began a television career in December Bride and Dragnet, before appearing in his Emmy-winning role in M*A*S*H.
 
Stax Records stalwart J. Blackfoot has lost his battle with cancer at the age of 65. The Memphis-based soul man, who was born John Colbert, died Nov. 30. He started recording for the Stax label after impressing producer and songwriter David Porter at an audition in the late 1960s. Porter and partner Isaac Hayes created the Soul Children around their protégé. Born in Mississippi, Blackfoot had a tough upbringing on the streets of Memphis, and he was jailed for car theft at 18. Behind bars he met Johnny Bragg, the founder of 1950s vocal group the Prisonaires, who served as the young hoodlum's music mentor. As a member of the Soul Children with Norman West, Anita Lewis and Shelbra Bennett, Blackfoot recorded 15 chart hits throughout the late 1960s and early 1970s. He later went solo and recorded the 1980s hit "Taxi." He reformed the Soul Children for a 2008 album, and most recently appeared as part of Porter's musical revue.
 


Blagojevich gets 14 years in prison despite plea for mercy
Rod Blagojevich, the ousted Illinois governor whose three-year battle against criminal charges became a spectacle, was sentenced to 14 years in prison Wednesday, a stiff penalty for the man convicted of trying to sell President Barack Obama's vacated Senate seat to raise campaign cash or land a high-paying job. Judge James Zagel gave Blagojevich some credit for taking responsibility for his actions — which the former governor did in an address to the court earlier in the day — but said that didn't mitigate his crimes. Zagel also said Blagojevich did some good things for people as governor, but was more concerned about using his powers for himself. "When it is the governor who goes bad, the fabric of Illinois is torn and disfigured and not easily repaired," Zagel said. As the judge announced the sentence, which includes a $20,000 fine, Blagojevich hunched forward and his face appeared frozen. Minutes later, his wife, Patti Blagojevich, stood up and fell into her husband's arms. He pulled back to brush tears off her cheek and then rubbed her shoulders. The twice-elected Democrat received by far the harshest sentence among the four Illinois governors sent to prison in the last four decades. He is the second in a row to go to prison; his Republican predecessor, George Ryan, currently is serving 6 1/2 years. The other two got three years or less. Blagojevich, in a last plea for mercy, tried something he never had before: an apology. After years of insisting he was innocent, he told the judge he'd made "terrible mistakes" and acknowledged that he broke the law. "I'm here convicted of crimes ... ," Blagojevich said, "and I am accepting of it, I acknowledge it and I of course am unbelievably sorry for it."



Candace Bushnell Files for Divorce, Claims Husband Had Affair
Sex and the City creator Candace Bushnell has filed for divorce from her husband of nine years, ballet dancer Charles Askegard. In court papers, Bushnell, 53, claims Askegard had an affair, with ballerina Georgina Pazcoguin. The two have worked with the New York City Ballet for the past eight years. In a statement about the divorce, Bushnell said of Askegard, "We had some wonderful times in our nine-year marriage, and I still care about Charles as a person. I respect his desire to pursue his own happiness and hope that we will continue to be friends in the future." Bushnell may not have known about the affair at the time of the initial divorce filing. "The divorce was proceeding amicably, then Candace found out about Georgina and became very upset," sources tell the Post. "She believes their affair could have gone on for some time. Humiliated, it was her idea to take the unusual step of naming Georgina as a co-respondent in the divorce papers." Askegard left the New York City Ballet in October to form his own company. He and Pazcoguin performed together at the 2011 Alzheimer's Association Rita Hayworth Gala later that month. Bushnell and Aksegard were married in 2002.

Terrence Howard's wife receives restraining order; actor denies allegations of abuse

A judge has ordered Terrence Howard to stay 100 yards (90 metres) away from his estranged wife after she claimed the actor repeatedly threatened her. The Oscar-nominated actor denies in a sworn statement that he has ever threatened his wife, Michelle, and says he has tried to refrain from contacting her as they undergo a divorce. She stated in a sworn declaration that she is in constant fear of Howard and has chronic health issues caused by the actor's treatment. Howard in his own sworn declaration wrote that he has never threatened his wife and that she has repeatedly vowed to ruin his reputation and release private details. "I live in constant fear of Michelle's endeavors to ruin my reputation; even providing this declaration may well lead to my being subjected to a paparazzi blitz which would not be good for my career," Howard wrote. Michelle Howard wrote that Howard has hit her several times and threatened to throw her from a hotel balcony in South Africa last year. She included a text message she said he sent to her on Thursday in which he begged her not to pursue the divorce and threaten his career, ending the missive, "I can't promise how I will respond." Michelle Howard filed for divorce in January after a year of marriage.  Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon ordered Howard to not contact his estranged wife until a hearing Jan. 17. Howard's filing states he is afraid his reputation will be ruined because of the allegations. The 42-year-old actor received an Oscar nomination for his role in "Hustle and Flow."

Nina Simone's daughter sues father over late singer's master recordings

Nina Simone's daughter is suing her father for $155 million, claiming that he improperly obtained and transferred ownership of numerous items belonging to the singing icon, including master recordings, personal writings, diaries, letters, photos and other personal possessions. Lisa Simone Kelly, the administrator for Simone's estate, filed the suit in U.S. District Court in Northern California on Friday against Andrew B. Stroud, as well as his associate Wally Roker, to whom Stroud allegedly transferred Simone memorabilia. In the suit, Kelly maintains that Stroud transferred possession of the material to Roker at no cost in October, as part of "an ongoing shell game" to keep the items from Simone's estate -- the rightful owner, according to the suit.  The suit seeks a full accounting of the items in question, plus any proceeds, and all transfers and deposits involved in the defendants' bank accounts, plus a restraining order preventing Stroud and Roker from selling or otherwise financially profiting from the items in question.

Jeff Probst Is Married

Lisa Ann Russell and Survivor host Jeff Probst said, "I do."  The pair married Monday in front of family and friends in an intimate ceremony at a private Los Angeles residence, says a spokesperson for the couple. This is the second marriage for both. Russell, 40, shares custody of two children with Franklin & Bash/Saved By the Bell actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar, 38, who got engaged to advertising executive Catriona McGann this summer. Probst, 50, will preside over the finale of Survivor: South Pacific on CBS Dec. 18. His self-titled talk show will debut in the fall of 2012.


Sandusky rearrested in Pennsylvania
Jerry Sandusky has been taken to a Pennsylvania county jail after he was unable to post $250,000 bail in cash, The Associated Press reports. Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was arrested Wednesday at his home in State College, Pa., on new sexual abuse charges involving boys. "Today's criminal charges were recommended by a statewide investigating grand jury, based on evidence and testimony that was received following the initial arrest of Sandusky on November 5," Attorney General Linda Kelly said in a statement.  At that time, Sandusky was charged with sexually assaulting eight boys, all of whom first met Sandusky as children through The Second Mile, an organization that he founded to operate programs for disadvantaged young people. Kelly said the latest criminal charges follow grand jury testimony from two more young men, identified as Victim 9 and Victim 10, who were allegedly targeted by Sandusky when they were children. "Later, the grand jury found that during overnight stays at Sandusky's home, behavior such as hugging, rubbing, cuddling and tickling — initially viewed as acts of affection — escalated to sexual assaults," Kelly's statement said. Alleged victim says cries for help from Sandusky basement went unheeded. One of the new alleged victims in the sexual harassment case against former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky told a grand jury that Sandusky's wife ignored his screams for help while Sandusky raped him in the basement of their home. "As in many of the other cases identified to date, the contact with Sandusky allegedly fit a pattern of 'grooming' victims," Kelly said, "beginning with outings to football games and gifts; they later included physical contact that escalated to sexual assaults."

Ashlee Simpson & Pete Wentz's Divorce Finalized

It's officially over for Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz. The musicians, who cited irreconcilable differences when Simpson, 27, filed for divorce in February, dissolved their marriage on Nov. 22. The pair, who wed in 2008, had son Bronx Mowgli in November 2008.


Snitch
Benjamin Bratt has signed on to join Dwayne Johnson in Ric Roman Waugh's action thriller "Snitch" which just began production in Louisiana. Johnson plays a father forced to become an informant for the DEA to reduce his falsely accused son's 10-year jail sentence. Bratt portrays a major player in the Mexican drug trade exposed by Johnson. Susan Sarandon, Barry Pepper, Jon Bernthal, Melina Kanakaredes, Michael K. Williams, Rafi Gavron and Nadine Velazquez also star.


Lovelace
Juno Temple and Wes Bentley are joining the cast of Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman's drama "Lovelace." The biopic covers the life of Linda Boreman, who as 'Linda Lovelace' became the world's first erotic superstar. Amanda Seyfried, Peter Sarsgaard and Sharon Stone star. Temple will play Linda's best friend, Bentley will play Lovelace's second husband, Larry Marchiano. Shooting kicks off at the end of this month in Los Angeles.


Seven Psychopaths
Abbie Cornish ("Bright Star," "Limitless") is joining the cast of Martin McDonagh's "Seven Psychopaths" about a screenwriter (Colin Farrell) with writer's block who gets pulled into the dog thieving antics of his friends. Cornish would play Kaya, the girlfriend of Farrell's character. Christopher Walken, Tom Waits, Sam Rockwell and Woody Harrelson also star.


TV NEWS
A Desperate Housewives and The Event actor is coming to CSI. Roger Bart has landed a colorful guest-starring role on the CBS crime drama, playing an eccentric wig maker. Bart’s character makes wigs for women suffering from cancer and has a very high opinion of the artistry of his work — “giving back what God has taken away” and all. He’ll appear in an episode during the February sweeps.


Robin Givens (Head of the Class) will play a longtime rival of Cheryl Hines’ Dallas on a March episode of ABC’s Suburgatory.


The first of three Ab Fab specials, The Absolutely Fabulous 20th Anniversary Special, is set to premiere Sunday, Jan. 8 at 10/9c on Logo and BBC America.


One of Pine Valley’s finest is coming to Wisteria Lane. All My Children alum Cameron Mathison has landed a guest spot on the final season of Desperate Housewives, playing Bree’s next lover. Mathison’s episode is slated to air in late January.


Funny lady Kathy Griffin has landed a guest spot on NBC’s Whitney. The My Life on the D List star will play a co-worker of Whit’s pal Roxanne.