Elizabeth Taylor, the Hollywood icon and Oscar-winner who was practically born in the spotlight, has died. She was 79. "She was surrounded by her children – Michael Wilding, Christopher Wilding, Liza Todd and Maria Burton," Taylor's publicist, Sally Morrison, said in a statement. In addition to her children, Taylor is survived by 10 grandchildren and four great grandchildren. On Feb. 11, it was announced that she had been in taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles earlier that week for symptoms caused by congestive heart failure, and around 1:30 a.m. she "peacefully died there," according to her publicist. "Though she had recently suffered a number of complications, her condition had stabilized and it was hoped that she would be able to return home. Sadly, this was not to be." For the past several years she had suffered ill health, though to the very end she was a tireless advocate for AIDS research. Her more notable pictures as an adult included Father of the Bride, A Place in the Sun, Giant, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and two for which she won Best Actress Oscars: Butterfield 8 and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. With 1963's Cleopatra, the dark beauty with the violet eyes became the first Hollywood star to earn a $1 million salary. The $46 million spectacle, though dismissed by critics, also teamed her with the actor who would become her 4th and 5th husband: Richard Burton. The beauty was not only known for her string of movie roles and generous charitable contributions: Her storied personal life, which included eight marriages and seven husbands, added to Taylor’s status as a true Hollywood legend.

 

Chris Brown Still Set To Perform on DWTS, Even After 'Very Angry' Backstage GMA Outburst

Chris Brown is still set to perform on next Tuesday’s Dancing With the Stars results show. Addressing the situation on Wednesday morning, GMA‘s Roberts said that Brown knew the domestic violence case would be a topic during their sit-down. When Roberts brought up the fact that Rihanna had dropped the restraining order that was part of Brown’s guilty plea, the singer shrugged off the situation as “not really a big deal,” and expressed his wish that people  focus on his new album F.A.M.E., and not “stuff that happened two years ago.” After performing on the morning show, Brown got “very angry” backstage, ABC News correspondent Andrea Canning confirmed on Wednesday’s GMA, breaking a large window in his dressing room. He then exited the studio shirtless, and later said on Twitter about the on-camera interview, “I’m so over people bring this s–t up!!! Yet we praise Charlie Sheen and other celebs for there [sic] bulls–t!” That tweet has since been deleted. Later, he wrote: “Thank you to everyone who supports my music!!! Key word music!”

Disco's Loleatta Holloway dead at 64

Loleatta Holloway, the disco singer best known for her 1980 hit "Love Sensation," has died at the age of 64, her manager Ron Richardson said. Richardson confirmed on his Twitter account that Holloway had died on Monday after a brief illness. "Another Legendary Angel Loleatta Holloway Gone to (sic) soon Rest in Peace Sweet Loleatta..RR," he posted.  Holloway also sang on Black Box's 1989 hit "Ride on Time," and she was featured on Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch's 1991 hit "Good Vibrations," which climbed to No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart


Former NFL star Lawrence Taylor sentenced to probation for sex crime
Hall of Fame NFL linebacker Lawrence Taylor was sentenced to six years probation during a court hearing Tuesday after pleading guilty to sexual misconduct with an underage girl. Taylor, who pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges in the case in January, will also have to pay a $2,000 fine, Judge William Kelly said.
Kelly will also determine which sex-offender level status Taylor is expected to receive -- which could range from low to high risk -- during a separate hearing set for April 12. Taylor was arrested last May on charges of "improper sexual conduct involving an underage girl in a Rockland County hotel," the district attorney's office said. Prosecutors said Taylor paid the teen $300 after "sexual acts." The girl, who was 16 years old at the time of the incident, denied allegations that she was a prostitute. "I'm very upset about what Mr. Taylor did to me," she said. "I did not want to go to his hotel." The teenager said she was glad Taylor had been prosecuted though disappointed that the former New York Giant won't receive jail time.  "He took something very special from me," she said. "I'm not a prostitute. I'm a victim, and I'm hurting." Taylor entered a guilty plea to one count of sexual misconduct and one count of patronizing a prostitute in the third degree, both misdemeanor charges, prosecutors said.

Lawyer: Bonds admits using steroids

Barry Bonds admits using steroids during his baseball career, his lawyer told a jury. The catch is that Bonds' personal trainer misled him into believing he was taking flax seed oil and arthritis cream.  ''I know that doesn't make a great story,'' Allen Ruby said during his opening statement at the home run leader's perjury trial. ''But that's what happened.'' Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Parrella called such claims ''ridiculous and unbelievable'' and portrayed Bonds as a liar during his first chance to present the government's position. And so the crux of the criminal case against Bonds was laid before an eight-woman, four-man jury as the testimony phase of the trial got under way. Bonds has pleaded not guilty to four charges of lying to a grand jury in 2003 when he denied knowingly taking steroids and one count of obstruction. Parrella started the day by saying Bonds lied to the grand jury even though the government promised not to prosecute him for drug use if he testified truthfully. ''All he had to do was tell the truth, Parrella said. ''That's all, but he couldn't do it.''



Howard Stern Sues Sirius XM Claiming He Was Stiffed On Stock

In 2004, before Howard Stern signed a blockbuster deal with Sirius Satellite Radio, he thought about retiring. Instead, he took a "significant risk" and went with Sirius. The moment is captured in a lawsuit filed today in New York Superior Court where Stern's company, One Twelve Inc., and his agent Don Buchwald are pressing charges that Sirius XM Radio stiffed them on promised stock. In 2004, Stern was negotiating with both Sirius and XM, two rivals before they merged in 2008. In the lawsuit, Stern says Sirius got the upper hand by promising him that he would be treated like more than just an employee; that he would share in the company's success.  The plaintiffs explain: "In 2004, when Sirius desperately needed Stern to make its business viable, it induced him to move to Sirius by offering him a chance to share in the success of the company. Now that Stern has put the company on the map, brought in millions of subscribers, and helped it conquer its chief rival, Sirius has unilaterally decided that Stern has been paid enough. The amounts owed to One Twelve and Buchwald represent a fraction of the revenue that Stern enabled Sirius to achieve, yet Sirius refuses to honor its commitments to him and Buchwald." Sirius is being sued for breach of contract, and the plaintiffs are seeking unspecified money due, plus interest. Sirius issued a statement: "Sirius XM just signed a contract through 2015 with Howard Stern, and he is a valued part of our company. We were thus surprised and disappointed by the subsequent legal action initiaed by his production company and agent. We have me all our obligations under the terms of our 2004 agreement with Howard, his agent and production company."

Rapper Ja Rule pleads guilty to tax evasion
Rapper Ja Rule pleaded guilty on Tuesday to failing to file tax returns and promised to pay more than $1 million in back taxes and penalties, the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey said. Ja Rule, whose original name is Jeffrey Atkins, 35, pleaded guilty in Newark federal court to three counts of failing to file a tax return, from 2004 through 2008, even though he was making money from royalties and live tours. The Grammy-nominated rapper and New Jersey resident agreed to pay the government more than $1.1 million in tax debts, plus penalties imposed by the Internal Revenue Service, according to federal prosecutors. "Each of us must pay our fair share to keep this country going," U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman said in a statement. U.S. federal judge Patty Shwartz set bail at $500,000 and permitted Atkins' release pending sentencing scheduled for June 13. He faces a maximum sentence of one year in prison on each count. In December, Atkins was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to a weapons possession charge stemming from a 2007 incident in which he was pulled over by police who discovered a semi-automatic handgun hidden in his luxury car.


Spice Girl Expecting
Mel B, aka Scary Spice, and husband Stephen Belafonte are expecting a new baby this summer. She joins fellow Spice moms, Victoria Beckham (expecting a girl) and Emma Button (expecting a boy), who are also due this summer. The sex of her baby is not known at this time. Mel B and Stephen have three children from previous relationships. Mel B is mom to Phoenix, 12, and Angel Iris, 3. Stephen is dad to daughter Giselle, 6.



Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges Joins 'New Year's Eve'

Chris "Ludacris" Bridges has been cast in New Year's Eve, New Line's all-star ensemble dramedy currently shooting in New York under the direction of Garry Marshall. The movie tells intertwining stories of a group of New Yorkers as they navigate their way through bittersweet drama and romance over the course of New Year's Eve. The cast ranges from Halle Berry and Jessica Biel to Hilary Swank and Sofia Vergara. Bridges plays a NYPD cop who is working with the director of the Times Square festivities (Swank). Bridges, repped by CAA, has had a busy winter-spring. He appeared in the recent Ivan Reitman romantic comedy No Strings Attached and in Justin Bieber: Never Say Never as himself. He also shows up in Fast Five, the fifth installment of Universal's Fast and the Furious franchise.

Brooke Mueller Drops Restraining Order
Charlie's ex, Brooke Mueller has notified the court that she wants her restraining order against Charlie to expire, saying that she and her ex-husband have settled their differences. Brooke had the option to seek a permanent restraining order but decided not to.

Movie bosses searching for Tupac biopic star online

Movie producers have launched an online hunt to find an actor to play slain rapper Tupac Shakur on the big screen.  The hip-hop hero was gunned down and killed in Las Vegas in 1996. The new film will tell Tupac's life story.  Film bosses at Morgan Creek Productions are searching for a star to play the rapper and have teamed up with Skee.TV to find the perfect casting. They're calling for actors to upload a five-minute audition video, which will include a prepared monologue and a one-minute performance of a chosen Tupac song. Skee.TV founder DJ Skee says, "This audition process is a great example of utilizing today's ever-evolving technology to reach fans and actors around the world to pay homage to a hip-hop legend."

Director Antoine Fuqua is overseeing the biopic.

TV NEWS
"The Office" is adding another Will to the mix as it begins its post-Steve Carell life. Will Arnett, whom "Office" creator Ricky Gervais suggested for the show on his blog in February, will guest star in the season finale. So will Gervais himself. The show is wrapping Will Ferrell's four-episode guest arc (he plays another Dunder Mifflin manager) around Carell's April 28 departure. Ferrell's character will leave in the next-to-last episode of the season, which airs May 12, and Arnett's character comes in for the May 19 finale.


We’ve got good news, bad news on the Mad Men front. Lionsgate TV and AMC are inching closer to a new deal with showrunner Matt Weiner. The catch is that arriving at an agreement at this late date all but guarantees a delay in the series’ fifth season. With Weiner’s compensation negotiations continuing into late March, production on Mad Men will likely not begin in time to meet the traditional  summer premiere date. But a pushed-back Season 5.

Demi Lovato is putting her nose back to the grindstone, but sorry "Sonny with a Chance" fans, it doesn't look like the starlet has returned to Disney just yet.  "Demi's management will inform us when she is ready to return to work," a Disney rep says. "As you know, last November, we announced hat we would focus on our 'So Random' sketch comedy show (the show within 'Sonny With a Chance') to keep the staff, cast and crew employed. We began production in January and will debut those episodes this spring."

Academy Award winner Helen Mirren will make her Saturday Night Live hosting debut on April 9 on NBC, alongside musical guests the Foo Fighters. Mirren previously (and fleetingly) appeared on SNL as part of an October 2010 digital short.


Kiefer Sutherland, appearing on "The View" on Monday, said a movie based on the action series "24" is set to be released in the summer of 2012. Sutherland is currently starring in the new Broadway play revival called, "That Championship Season." The play also stars actors, Jason Patric, Jim Gaffigan Christopher Noth.


Law & Order alum S. Epatha Merkerson has been cast in the CBS pilot from Erin Brockovich writer Susannah Grant. The medical drama stars Patrick Wilson, one of the most sought after actors of the current pilot season, as a driven surgeon whose life is changed when his ex-wife dies and begins giving him life lessons from the after-life. British actress Jennifer Ehle (The King’s Speech) co-stars as his wife.

Merkerson, who played Lt. Anita Van Buren for nine seasons on Law & Order, has been cast as Wilson’s no-nonsense administrative assistant. The actress won an Emmy and Golden Globe for her role in HBO’s 2005 movie Lackawanna Blues.

Former Weeds funnylady Elizabeth Perkins has landed the female lead opposite Michael Chiklis in the Conan O’Brien-produced comedy pilot Vince Uncensored. Chiklis’ casting is of course in second position to his current gig on ABC’s No Ordinary Family.



Motley Crue drummer, Tommy Lee is developing a new reality show for the Syfy channel called, "Culture Shock with Tommy Lee". The show will follow Lee as he attempts to uncover various rituals, symbols, and other mysteries of secret societies around the country. Lee will study the history of each society, meet with former members and participate in their ceremonies.


TNT officially announced that Southland will be back for a 10-episode Season 4.


 MTVs' new awards show has announced it will give Eddie Murphy the inaugural "Comedy Icon Award", which goes "to a modern icon, an individual who has made an extraordinary contribution to comedy and whose impact and innovations have changed the landscape and inspired future generations of entertainers." Billed as the first awards show celebrating comedy, The Comedy Awards will be taped March 26th in New York and premiere April 10th on Comedy Central, Spike TV, TV Land, VH1, Logo and Nick at Nite.



Michael Lohan Arrested for Domestic Violence
Like father, like daughter. Lindsay isn't the only Lohan looking at jail time soon--her father Michael Lohan has been arrested on domestic violence charges. Michael's girlfriend called police late Monday night and filed a report with the L.A. County Sheriff's Department between 9:30 and 10:00 PM claiming she had been abused by Michael. She had some visible marking from the alleged incident so cops tracked Michael down and arrested him on suspicion of domestic violence. Michael was admitted into Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after complaining of chest pains, but shortly afterward was booked and charged with domestic violence, false imprisonment, preventing the reporting of victimization.



Jersey Shore's Ronnie May Avoid Jail Time
Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, aka the Italian King Kong, might avoid jail time for his 2009 assault for knocking a man unconscious. Ortiz-Magro applied for a pretrial intervention program, which would allow him to avoid serving jail time if he completes court-ordered stipulations. If granted this program, Ronnie will be able to join the rest of the Jersey Shore herd and moo his way to Italy for shooting. He will return to court on June 6 to learn whether his requested has been granted.