Michael Clarke Duncan, who received an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his role in 1999′s The Green Mile, has died, he was 54. The actor, who most recently played Leo Nox on Fox’s Bones spin-off The Finder, suffered a heart attack in July that kept him in the intensive care unit for over a month. The 6 -foot-4 Duncan made a name for himself by playing roles that called for someone of his massive size — like bodyguards and bouncers. His role in 1998′s Armageddon was among his first exposure to mainstream audiences, who quickly fell in love with Duncan’s charming demeanor. He went on to appear in The Green Mile as death row inmate/healer John Coffey, the role that earned him his Oscar nomination. He also appeared in The Whole Nine Yards, Sin City, Daredevil, and many television shows, including Chuck and The Finder. Born and raised in Chicago by a single mother, Duncan relocated to L.A. in his mid-20s. While trying to make it as an actor, he found work as a bodyguard for celebrities including Will Smith and Jamie Foxx. After the 1997 murder of rapper Notorious B.I.G., his former employer, Duncan decided to quit his job and pursue acting full-time. A statement from his rep says: Michael Clarke Duncan passed away this morning in Los Angeles, said his fiancée, Reverend Omarosa Manigault. The Oscar-nominated actor suffered a myocardial infarction on July 13 and never fully recovered.  Manigault is grateful for all of your prayers and asks for privacy at this time. Celebrations of his life, both private and public, will be announced at a later date.


Star React to Michael Clarke Duncan's Death
"I am terribly saddened at the loss of Big Mike," Hanks said Monday. "He was the treasure we all discovered on the set of The Green Mile. He was magic. He was a big love of man and his passing leaves us stunned." "`When something happens, we always say it happens for a reason' (tilde) Michael Clarke Duncan 12/10/57 - 9/3/12 I'll miss you my brother.." – Dwayne Johnson(@TheRock).  "Michael Clarke Duncan always had a smile on his face & a big bear hug ready for you. My thoughts & prayers are with his family&friends. RIP" – Actress Olivia Munn (@oliviamunn). "RIP Michael Clarke Duncan Heaven has an amazing new angel. I will miss your smile most." – Actress-television host Holly Robinson Peete: (@hollyrpeete). "I will miss my friend, Michael Clarke Duncan. What an incredible soldier in God's Plan." – Comedian-talk show host Steve Harvey (@IAmSteveHarvey). "I will miss my friend, Michael Clarke Duncan. What an incredible soldier in God's Plan." – Comedian-talk show host Steve Harvey (@IAmSteveHarvey). "Ju"Rip Michael Clarke Duncan. We shared sum great times! C u on the other side friend... @OMAROSA praying 4 u & the fam." – Actress-comedian Niecy Nash (@NiecyNash).st heard the news that (at)officialmcd passed away. My prayers go out to his family and @Omarosa during this very sad time." – Former boxing champion Lennox Lewis (@LennoxLewis). "RIP- Michael Clarke Duncan.. A really GOOD Brother, I'll miss U Bruh." – Former NBA star and television host John Salley (@thejohnsalley).
 The Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the self-proclaimed messiah who turned his Unification Church into a worldwide religious movement and befriended North Korean leaders as well as U.S. presidents, has died, church officials said Monday. He was 92. Moon died Monday at a church-owned hospital near his home in Gapyeong, northeast of Seoul, two weeks after being hospitalized with pneumonia, Unification Church spokesman Ahn Ho-yeul told The Associated Press. Moon's wife and children were at his side, Ahn said.  Moon founded his Bible-based religion in Seoul in 1954, a year after the Korean War ended, saying Jesus Christ personally called on him to complete his work. The church gained fame -- and notoriety -- in the 1970s and 1980s for holding mass weddings of thousands of followers, often from different countries, whom Moon matched up in a bid to build a multicultural religious world. His followers were derisively referred to by critics as as "Moonies."  The church was accused of using devious recruitment tactics and duping followers out of money; parents of followers in the United States and elsewhere expressed worries that their children were brainwashed into joining. The church responded by saying that many other new religious movements faced similar accusations in their early stages. In later years, the church adopted a lower profile and focused on building a business empire that included the Washington Times newspaper, the New Yorker Hotel in Manhattan, Bridgeport University in Connecticut, as well as a hotel and a fledgling automaker in North Korea. It acquired a ski resort, a professional soccer team and other businesses in South Korea, and a seafood distribution firm that supplies sushi to Japanese restaurants across the U.S.  His youngest son, the Rev. Hyung-jin Moon, was named the church's top religious director in April 2008. Other sons and daughters were put in charge of the church's business and charitable activities in South Korea and abroad.   After ending a first marriage, Moon remarried a South Korean, Hak Ja Han Moon, in 1960. She often was at Moon's side for the mass weddings. Moon is survived by his second wife and 10 children.


Legendary Songwriter Hal David Dies In Los Angeles At 91
Hal David, whose simple, heartfelt lyrics made a perfect fit with Burt Bacharach’s quirky melodies and resulted in dozens of hit songs, including “Do You Know the Way to San Jose” and “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head,” died Saturday. He was 91. David died of complications from a stroke Saturday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to his wife Eunice David. He had suffered a major stroke in March and was stricken again on Tuesday, she said. “Even at the end, Hal always had a song in his head,” Eunice David said. “He was always writing notes, or asking me to take a notedown, so he wouldn’t forget a lyric.” David and Bacharach won an Oscar for “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” (from the movie “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid”), Grammys and Tonys for the songs from the hit Broadway musical “Promises, Promises,” as well as other top 40 hits including “Close to You” and “That’s What Friends Are For.” Many of the duo’s lyrics and tunes continue to resonate in pop culture, including “I Say A Little Prayer, " '‘What The World Needs Now Is Love,” and “This Guy’s in Love with You,” Their music was recorded by legendary singers including The Beatles, Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond and their longtime partner Dionne Warwick. David was married to Eunice David for 25 years. He had two sons, Jim and Craig, from a previous marriage to Anne Rauchman.

Bobby Brown’s Wife Hospitalized After Seizure

Alicia Etheredge-Brown, wife of Bobby Brown, was rushed to the hospital after suffering a seizure on Saturday. Alicia – who is also Bobby’s manager – had a seizure in the couple’s hotel room in Kissimmee, Fla., while the singer was performing a soundcheck ahead of the New Edition show scheduled to take place at the Gaylord Palms Resort on Saturday evening. Bobby confirmed the report via Twitter, writing, “The report that my wife was rushed to the hospital is true. She is recovering and is in good spirits and doing well.“Please keep my family in your prayers,” he added. The seizure that Bobby Brown's wife Alicia suffered was brought on by diabetes, with which she was diagnosed in 2009, Despite Alicia’s health scare, Bobby – who checked himself into rehab last month following a DUI arrest – performed as planned, and shared some positive news with the audience. “I’m seven and a half years off narcotics, 21 days clean of alcohol and I go by Bad Ass Bobby Brown!” he told the crowd. Bobby and Alicia married in June, after Bobby proposed during a New Edition concert in Jacksonville, Fla., in 2010. They have a son, 3-year-old Cassius, together.
 Grey's Anatomy hunk Jesse Williams, who plays brash surgeon Jackson Avery on the hit ABC drama, tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend, real estate broker Aryn Drake-Lee, in Los Angeles on Saturday. Williams, 31, and Drake-Lee, 32, have been dating for more than five years. The TV heartthrob first met his bride while he was working as a schoolteacher in New York. Williams taught high school and middle school students before landing his breakthrough role in 2008's The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, playing Alexis Bledel's love interest. "She's been with me through all different facets of my career," Williams told said in 2010. "She's stuck with me through thick and thick and thick and thin. We know each other in and out."


'The Possession' enjoys second best Labor Day weekend ever with $21.3 million
Another summer at the movies come and gone, folks. The season, which kicked off with The Avengers‘ record-breaking bow in May, officially ended this weekend with a record of a very different sort courtesy of The Oogieloves. Fortunately for Hollywood, not every picture performed that badly — in fact, almost none of them did!  In first place was Lionsgate’s $14 million horror title The Possession, which stars Kyra Sedgwick and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. The film earned $21.3 million over the Friday-to-Monday period, a stronger start than most industry insiders were expecting, and the second best gross ever for a movie over Labor Day weekend (a traditionally slow moviegoing frame) behind 2007′s Halloween, which debuted with $30.6 million. The Weinstein Company’s moonshine crime drama Lawless debuted in second place with $13 million.
1. The Possession – $21.3 million
2. Lawless – $13.0 million
3. The Expendables 2 – $11.2 million
4. The Bourne Legacy – $9.4 million
5. ParaNorman – $8.9 million


George Clinton Owes the IRS

George Clinton has allegedly been atomic dogging the U.S. government once again ... so says Uncle Sam who just filed yet ANOTHER federal tax lien filed against the music legend.  According to documents filed in Leon County, Florida ... Clinton failed to pay $7,457.89 worth of taxes in 2009 and $13,301.57 for the year 2010.  Clinton already owes $115,552.27 to the IRS for the tax years 2007 and 2008. Grand total for ALL FOUR years ... $136,281.73.
 Maria Sharapova and Sasha Vujacic will not be taking a trip down the aisle together — the couple has ended their engagement. The tennis beauty has confirmed that she and the former Los Angeles Lakers guard are no longer engaged. “It’s been since the end of spring,” Maria told reporters (via E! News) of when she and Sasha called it off, at a post-match conference following her victory over Mallory Burdette on Friday. “I was waiting for someone to actually ask me that question.” The 25-year-old athlete – who said the decision to end it with Sasha, 28, was “challenging” – said she’s not one to announce personal matters. She was forced to confirm the split after Sasha reportedly broke the news to Italian tabloids this week. “I have never really been the person to announce things,” she said. “I never announced when we were together or never announced we were engaged. I never have in any of my previous relationships, as well.” Though their romance has come to the end of its nearly 3-year road, Maria said she and Sasha are still on good terms.  “It was a really nice period of time for both of us, but our career schedules just made it extremely difficult to see each other with the traveling and especially his career move to Turkey,” she said. “But we have a tremendous amount of respect for each other. I still would love to call him as a friend. We spent really great years together.”

 

Seal Did Not Imply Heidi Klum Cheated on Him
After remarks Seal made during an airport interview regarding his estranged wife Heidi Klum and her bodyguard Martin Kirsten were picked up far and wide this weekend, a rep for the British singer issued a statement."Seal would like to clarify that he was not implying his wife was cheating on him while they were together," said the statement. "But rather he was pointing out that they are separated and the divorce is not final so they are legally still married." In the course of a Los Angeles International Airport interview, Seal, 49, said in reference to recent photos of Klum and Kirsten vacationing in Sardinia: "That's what happens when two people separate, they move on and generally meet other people in their lives."  He also said: "Whilst I didn't expect anything better from him [the bodyguard], I would of thought that Heidi would have shown a little more class and at least waited until we separated first before deciding to fornicate with the help, as it were."  Seal and Klum 39, split in January after being married for seven years. She filed for divorce in April.


This is It Promoters said Michael was a Mess

Michael Jackson was "an emotionally paralyzed mess" who was "scared to death" leading up to his planned "This Is It" concerts in 2009, this according to newly obtained emails sent by the promoters of the show. In the emails,  AEG's Randy Phillips traded messages back and forth with AEG President Tim Leiweke. In one email leading up to the 2009 press conference to announce the concerts, Phillips wrote, "MJ is locked in his room drunk and despondent ... I (am) trying to sober him up." Phillips said Jackson was "an emotionally paralyzed mess," that Jackson was "scared to death," and that Phillips and Jackson's manager had to dress him. The press conference ended up being very brief and very strange. The emails were part of the discovery in an ongoing lawsuit between AEG and the insurance company that backed the tour ... which is suing to get the $17.5 million policy nullified.

 Toronto Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf popped the question over the weekend to his longtime girlfriend, Calgary-born actress Elisha Cuthbert – and she said yes. The actress currently stars as Alex Kerkovich on ABC's Happy Endings, and is also known for having played Kim Bauer on Fox's 24. Phaneuf, 27, a defenseman who hails from Edmonton, played for the Calgary Flames for four and a half seasons before joining the Maple Leafs in early 2010. Cuthbert and Phaneuf began dating in 2008.

Basketball Wife Settles Suit

"Basketball Wives" star Tami Roman and her former NBA-playing ex-husband have finally settled an $800,000 child support lawsuit after battling for almost NINE YEARS. Roman filed a lawsuit in New Jersey way back in 2005 against her ex, retired NBA star Kenny Anderson. Roman claimed he had stopped paying the court-ordered $8,500/month in child support for their two daughters -- totaling $800k in missed payments. Sources close to Tami say the two recently settled the case out of court. We're told Tami received just south of what she was owed and will be paid incrementally through Kenny's NBA retirement fund. In return, all the warrants issued against Anderson for his unpaid child support were dropped. Sources close to Tami add that she is happy Kenny is becoming more involved with their two daughters and is ready to move on from this chapter in her life

 

TV NEWS
Kristin Chenoweth is back on "The Good Wife" after an on-set neck injury forced her to temporarily leave the show. Chenoweth tweeted Friday that she returned to the set to shoot a scene with Alan Cumming.  The Emmy-winning actress was injured on the set of the CBS legal and political drama in July when she was hit on the head by a piece of falling scaffolding.


Grey’s Anatomy is adding a bit of Rex appeal — as in Rex Van De Kamp — with the casting of Desperate Housewives alum Steven Culp in a recurring role. Culp will recur during Season 9 of the ABC drama in the role of Dr. Parker, a top surgeon. It is not clear if Parker practices at Seattle Grace or elsewhere, given that some of the residents’ fates were in play at the close of last season.

Shelley Long will return to Modern Family in Season 4, reprising her role as Jay’s ex-wife Dede. The ABC comedy launches new episodes Sept. 26.


The worst kept secret in the TV biz has finally been made official: Kelly Ripa introduced former NFL star Michael Strahan as her new co-host Monday morning on the newly-rechristened Live! With Kelly and Michael. “As a guest co-host, Michael’s chemistry with Kelly was off the charts, and continued to grow each time he visited the show,” said longtime Live EP Michael Gelman. “The interaction between the co-hosts always has been what makes this show different from any other on television. Kelly and Michael’s ability to play off of one another and just plain have a good time together creates great TV for the audience.”


Weeds may be ending this season, but it won’t burn out without the return of a familiar face. Scandal‘s Guillermo Diaz will reprise his role as Nancy’s foe Guillermo Garcia Gomez in the final three episodes of the Showtime drama.