Actor Conrad Bain, who played father Phillip Drummond on “Diff’rent Strokes,” died Monday night in Livermore, Calif. His daughter told The Associated Press that Bain died of natural causes. He was 89.  Bain became a household name starring opposite Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges on the iconic 1980s series. Coleman and Bridges played two brothers from Harlem, who are taken in by Bain’s character to live with him and his daughter, played by Dana Plato, on Manhattan’s Park Avenue. Bain, who hailed from Canada, played conservative neighbor Dr. Arthur Harmon on the feminist sitcom “Maude” before starring on “Diff’rent Strokes,” which debuted in 1978. He also was a journeyman actor on stage, screen and television. After “Diff’rent Strokes” ended in 1986, he virtually retired from acting, reprising his role as Drummond in the 1996 series finale of the “Fresh Prince of Bel Air.” He is survived by three sons and one daughter and a twin brother, Bonar Bain, also an actor.
 Last year, things were looking up for Mindy McCready after a judge awarded her custody of her 6-year-old son, Zander. "It was good news," her rep, Kat Atwood, says. "The custody battle was over. Zander was comfortable at home with Mindy. She had a new baby. Things were going well." But everything fell apart for McCready on Sunday night, when her partner, David Wilson, shot himself. "It was a self-inflicted gunshot wound," Atwood says. "Now they're working on funeral arrangements and figuring out where to go from here." For the first 24 hours after the shooting, McCready, 37, was alone with her children. (She and Wilson had a 9-month-old son, Zayne.) "Her family drove up from Florida," says Atwood. "I'm not exactly sure when they got there, but her personal friends arrived late last night." This marks the latest setback in the troubled life of McCready, who has struggled with custody battles, addiction and her own suicide attempts. Those close to her hope that the love of family and friends will help her through this difficult ordeal. "She is surrounded by people who love her and are there for her," says Atwood. "It's a very sad time, but she has support in place."
 Engagement buzz has been building around "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Kandi Burruss and her line producer beau, Todd Tucker, ever since the two debuted their relationship on the fifth season of her Bravo reality series. Tucker, 39, popped the question on New Year's Day, during a New Year's celebration with friends at the couple's home in Atlanta. (Among the party guests was fellow Atlanta "Housewife" Phaedra Parks, who's currently expecting her second child with husband Apollo Nida.) After talking it over with Burruss' daughter, 10-year-old Riley -- who gave him her blessing -- he got down on one knee and proposed to his love of more than a year with a two-carat diamond sparkler by Gregg Ruth. The happy couple already have two dates in mind for their big day, but they're still working out a lot of the other details, including whether the wedding will be filmed for "The Real Housewives."
 Elton John is a father again! The musician and David Furnish welcomed their second child, son Elijah Joseph Daniel Furnish-John, via surrogate on Friday, Jan. 11 in Los Angeles. Born at 6:40 p.m., Elijah weighed in at 8 lbs., 4 oz. John and Furnish, who married in 2005, are already parents to son Zachary Jackson Levon, 2.

'Die Hard' director John McTiernan headed to prison

John McTiernan, director of action films "Die Hard" and "The Hunt for Red October," has lost his bid for the U.S. Supreme Court to review his one-year prison sentence for perjury and lying to the FBI. This could clear the way for McTiernan to begin serving his prison term in a wiretapping case, reports Reuters. Prosecutors accused McTiernan of lying about having hired former private detective Anthony Pellicano in order to wiretape film producer Chuck Roven. McTiernan initially pleaded guilty after the FBI obtained a recording of the two men discussing the wiretap, but later withdrew his guilty plea. After a second indictment, McTiernan entered a conditional guilty plea allowing him to appeal but his appeal has been rejected by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and will not be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, which means McTiernan is expected to start serving his prison sentence. Pellicano is already serving a prison sentence of 15 years for racketeering, conspiracy and wiretapping.
 Arrow" star Stephen Amell, 31, tied the knot with actress and "America's Next Top Model" cycle 5 contestant Cassandra Jean, 27, in the Caribbean on Dec. 25.  The pair tied the knot in a romantic sunset ceremony, officiated by a mutual pal. The newlyweds, who shared pictures from their vacation via Instagram, celebrated their union with a trip to St. Barts. In addition to his leading role on The CW's "Arrow" (airing Wednesdays at 8 p.m. EST), Amell has appeared in episodes of "Hung," "Private Practice," "New Girl," "90210," "The Vampire Diaries" and "Heartland." Jean, a former Texas beauty queen, has appeared on the small screen in "One Tree Hill," "Hannah Montana" and "The Middleman." She recently taped an episode of The CW's "Hart of Dixie."

Jeremy Renner Is Going to Be a Dad, Ex-Girlfriend Is Pregnant!

Jeremy Renner shared some big news with Eva Longoria on the smoking patio at the Golden Globes Jan. 13: He's going to be a father. Multiple sources confirm that an ex-girlfriend of the actor is due to give birth next month. "they used to date but it wasn't serious," explains one insider, adding that the expectant mom is currently living in Renner's L.A. home."  The Oscar-nominated actor also spoke to the magazine about his four-year relationship with ex-girlfriend, actress Jess Macallan. They met when Macallan was 23 and working at a film festival in Florida; she later decided to become an actress, which contributed to their split in 2010. The Oscar-nominated actor said about his four-year relationship with ex-girlfriend, actress Jess Macallan. They met when Macallan was 23 and working at a film festival in Florida; she later decided to become an actress, which contributed to their split in 2010. "That was part of the issue," Renner explained of Macallan, who is now married. "I was going through the Hurt Locker campaign and she's like, 'Where do I get headshots?'"

Nev Schulman, the star of the documentary "Catfish" and host of the similarly named TV show on MTV, says he will be working on the Manti Te'o girlfriend hoax story.  "Catfishing," is about to enter the American lexicon thanks to Wednesday's affairs. The name refers to the practice of someone who creates a fake identity to deceive another person for purposes of an online relationship. Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick referenced the term when defending Te'o as a victim in the alleged hoax. Schulman hosts "Catfish: The TV Show," in which he gets two people who have forged an online relationship to meet for the first time to see if one has been fooled or not.

Katherine Webb will cover Super Bowl for “Inside Edition”

The beauty pageant queen who shot to social media stardom during the BCS championship will be back in front of the cameras ahead of the NFL's title game. Former Miss Alabama USA Katherine Webb will serve as a correspondent for ''Inside Edition'' leading up to next month's Super Bowl in New Orleans. The girlfriend of Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron, Webb became a star when ESPN's cameras lingered on her during the Crimson Tide's rout of Notre Dame on Jan. 7 and announcer Brent Musburger commented on her looks. Webb calls the temporary job ''an honor and a dream come true.'' She says she'll ''give fans an insider's look at what goes on as the teams prepare to battle and as the fans get ready to cheer on their favorites.'' The show said Wednesday she'll start work Jan. 28. ''Inside Edition'' is syndicated by CBS Television Distribution but not part of CBS' coverage of the Super Bowl, which Webb won't be involved with.

 Actor Victor Garber, who played Jack Bristow on Alias and the shipbuilder Thomas Andrews in Titanic, confirmed this week what he thought people already knew. Yes, he is gay. "I don't really talk about it, but everybody knows," Garber, 63 said. The actor, who has been nominated for six Emmy Awards, including three for Alias, has hardly kept it a secret. In an interview last year with a magazine in his native Canada, Garber said: "My companion Rainer Andreesen and I have been together almost 13 years in Greenwich Village. We both love New York." Andreesen, an artist and model, accompanied Garber to this year's Golden Globe Awards. Garber also appears in Ben Affleck's Argo, and spoke to Hernandez about the joy of his connection to Affleck and his wife Jennifer Garner, who costarred on Alias. "It's such a gratification ... to see him emerge now as one of the great directors," Garber says. "And the fact that people love the movie so much means the world."

Sarah Jessica Parker’s Role Cut From Lovelace

After stepping in for Demi Moore in “Lovelace,” Sarah Jessica Parker’s role has been cut from the film. directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman say they chose to alter when the film ended, picking 1980 instead of the planned 1984 – when Linda Lovelace became associated with Parker’s character, famed feminist activist Gloria Steinem. “You never want to make that call,” Friedman told the mag. “But she was a pro,” Epstein added. But could SJP’s take on Steinem make it on to an extended DVD cut for the film? The filmmakers said that they are still seeking distribution for the film about the legendary adult film star (it debuts Tuesday at the Sundance Film Festival), and have yet to figure out DVD details.
  With their baby boy set to arrive any day now, Shakira and Gerard Piqué shared a sexy and shirtless black and white maternity portrait with fans — and asked for their help. “We’d like to celebrate the imminent birth of our first child with all of you,” the singer and upcoming Voice judge, 35, writes on her social media accounts. Working with UNICEF, a charity Shakira has been a global   ambassador for since 2003, the couple requests donations from $5-110 rather than gifts for their son. The minimum amount buys a mosquito net to protect a child from malaria, while the maximum purchases a peanut-based paste that can save a malnourished child. “To celebrate the arrival of our first child, we hope that, in his name, other less privileged children in the world can have their basic needs covered through gifts and donations,” the couple write.  “Thank you for sharing this unforgettable moment with us.”


Matt Lauer’s Possible Firing from Today Show

Rumors are flying all over Twitter that Matt Lauer of The Today Show is going to see the very same exit door he allegedly pushed former co-host Ann Curry out of if ratings don’t improve in the next few months. Ever since the Curry ousting (which many insiders have claimed Lauer was responsible for) viewers have left Today for ABC’s Good Morning America. The blame is allegedly being placed on Lauer, and NBC is reportedly looking to remove their “image problem” and gain back their ratings. This, however, is all gossip. NBC is publicly denying all the rumors, stating they have no plans to dismiss him and his (gasp!) $25 million contract was just renewed. Alexandra Wallace, head of the Today show, says there is no truth to the rumors, claiming they are “wrong and irresponsible.”

 Amanda Bynes emerged from relative obscurity again on Monday, Jan. 14, to share her new look with fans. In a few images posted to her Tumblr, the former child star showed off a new cheek piercing on her left cheek, grinning for the camera from behind a set of sunglasses. Bynes, 26, has been keeping a low profile since her move to New York last fall following a string of very odd behaviors that landed her in the headlines. In November, one tabloid claimed that Bynes was parading around naked in an New York tanning salon wearing nothing but her goggles and looking stick-skinny.


TV NEWS
AMC and Fox Television Studios have officially revived "The Killing" for Season 3 with stars Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman and showrunner Veena Sud all set to return. But the most important news of all: "Season three will focus on a new case, which will be resolved over the course of 12 episodes."


"Drop Dead Diva" has been dropped. The series has been canceled by Lifetime after four seasons, the last of which ended in September.


Controversial reality show "All My Babies' Mamas" has been canceled by Oxygen after a Change.org petition against the one-hour special received 37,000 signatures. According to reports, Oxygen was planning to highlight Shawty Lo, an Atlanta-based rapper who has 11 children with 10 different women. The show -- which was not being developed as a series, just as a one-time episode -- would have featured all of the women and children moving into one home together. According to an Oxygen press release, the show would "leave the man of the house to split his affection multiple ways while trying to create order" while the women would discover that "sharing your man with several opinionated women is bound to create issues." Petitioner Sabrina Lamb described it as a "one hour spectacle where 11 children are forced to witness their 10 unwed mothers clamor for financial support, emotional attention and sexual reward from Shawty-Lo, the apathetic 'father'." She asked consumers to "sign today to tell Oxygen that their viewers will not tolerate a show that exploits and stereotypes Black children and families, and we will boycott any advertiser who chooses to support the show." Now, Oxygen has axed plans for the show, stating: "As part of our development process, we have reviewed casting and decided not to move forward with the special. We will continue to develop compelling content that resonates with our young female viewers and drives the cultural conversation."


Say goodbye to Syfy’s Alphas. The network has decided to not renew the show, about a group of people with various superhuman abilities, for a third round.


NBC has commissioned a sitcom pilot based loosely on the life of Jessica Simpson for consideration in its Fall 2013 lineup. Simpson appeared on "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno that night to discuss her new pregnancy, her plans to marry her baby daddy, and of course... the sitcom. "Is it about a girl who keeps getting pregnant?" jokes Leno."Yes," Simpson says. "Yes, and how that girl deals with that and everything else."The show remains untitled. "We don't have a name yet, we're just now in the process of casting everyone, doing the pilot," she explains.

Tonight's Premieres:FOX: American Idol (Part 2) at 8p
FX: Anger Management at 9p; Archer at 10p; Legit at 1030p; Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell at 11p
AXS TV: Gotham Comedy Live at 10p
TBS: King of the Nerds at 10p
USA Network: Suits at 10p
Tonight's Finales:Syfy: Haven at 8p & 9p
Lifetime: Project Runway All Stars at 9p