Mike Starr, 'Celebrity Rehab' alumnus and former Alice in Chains bassist, dies at 44

Former Alice in Chains bass player Mike Starr, who was on the third season of "Celebrity Rehab With Dr. Drew," was found dead in a Salt Lake City home on Tuesday, the Salt Lake City Police Department has confirmed. He was 44. Dr. Drew Pinksy, host of "Celebrity Rehab," responded to Starr's death by tweeting Tuesday, "Devastating to hear of Mike Starr succumbing to his illness. So very sad. Our prayers are with his family."  Starr appeared on the VH1 reality series' third season, which aired in 2009, with a cast that included Tom Sizemore and Heidi Fleiss. He was in desperate need of help: His first appearance included him being treated for a large sore caused by shooting up heroin.  The musician was arrested in Salt Lake City last month for felony possession of a controlled substance. According to police, he had Xanax and the painkiller Opana in his possession at the time of his arrest.

Kandi Burruss' Deceased Fiance's Daughter Shot in the Head

“Real Housewives Of Atlanta” Kandi Burruss’ deceased fiance A.J. Jewell’s daughter was shot in head on Saturday. Asheley Jewell, 15 years old, was driving with friends when someone from another vehicle that was chasing them, opened fire on the car she was riding in. She was hit in the back of the head and is now in critical condition. The police believe it to be a road rage incident.

Mary Stuart Masterson Is Expecting Twins

Mary Stuart Masterson is expanding her family – by two. The actress, 44, and husband Jeremy Davidson are expecting twins this summer. The couple are already parents to a 17-month-old son. "We are four months along. So balancing career and family is becoming increasingly challenging for me," Davidson, who stars on Army Wives, says "And in five months we are going to have three kids under the age of 2. We are in happy shock about it."



Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz: Custody Battle Brewing
Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz may have seemed extra friendly after announcing their divorce, but clearly that's not the case anymore. Ashlee requested full custody of their two-year-old son, Bronx, but Pete's not having it. Pete's ready to take Ashlee to court to fight for custody--which means things are about to get nasty! "Pete just filed legal papers in response to Ashlee's divorce petition asking the judge for JOINT physical and legal custody of their son." Pete also asked that each party pay for their own legal fees, but Ashlee wants Pete to foot the bill. Hey, she's unemployed!
 



Tiki Barber returning to NFL
Tiki Barber and his agent said that the former Giants running back has decided to return to the NFL. "After seeing my brother still have fun at our age, it reignited the fire. I'm really looking forward to the challenge of seeing if I can get back to the level  of where I was," Barber, who turns 36 in April. "I started working out again recently. It kind of shocked myself. I still had a lot of the strength I had before. I'm really looking forward to making a return." Barber played 10 seasons, all with the Giants. He retired after the 2006 season when he rushed for 1,662 yards. In his final three seasons, Barber ran for 5,040 yards. "We filed papers for Tiki to come out of retirement" Barber’s agent, Mark Lepselter advised. "We filed papers with the commmissioner's office and the Giants. And there are interested parties."  The Giants now have to activate him and when they do, the team said it will release him. “We wish Tiki nothing but the best, and when we are able to make the transaction, we will release him from our reserve/retired list,” the Giants said in a statement. During his time away from the field, Barber served as an NFL broadcast analyst and a correspondent for NBC's "Today" show.

Charlie Sheen lashes out at Jon Cryer, calling former co-star 'traitor'

Charlie Sheen has turned his fire-breathing fists -- or at least his acid tongue -- toward Jon Cryer. The newly unemployed "Two and a Half Men" star reached out to lambaste his former co-star, calling Cryer a variety of unflattering names that start with "T."  Sheen fumed that Cryer had not shown him any support during his very public feud with "Men" creator Chuck Lorre and subsequent firing. Sheen said, "Jon has not called me. He's a turncoat, a traitor, a troll. Clearly he's a troll. He issued a statement. Is it gonna take me calling him a 'traitor, juvenile and scared' for him to get it?"  Cryer has not issued a statement on Sheen's war of words with Lorre -- a Twitter statement from someone claiming to be Cryer and declaring himself "shocked" by the whole Sheen situation turned out to be bogus. A source close to Cryer, 45, insists to the site that the actor has indeed reached out to Sheen, but has declined to comment publicly out of respect.

 

Michaele Salahi Booted From Celebrity Rehab...Because She Didn't Need Rehab!

The controversy is usually over whether a celeb's problems require more than Celebrity Rehab has to offer. Not whether the celeb doesn't have enough to offer the show. But that's apparently why former Real Housewives of D.C. matron Michaele Salahi was more or less fired by Dr. Drew Pinsky.  "The treatment program that Celebrity Rehab documents is intended for individuals with serious substance abuse and addiction issues," VH1 said in a statement. "Prior to the taping of the current season, producers were advised that Michaele Salahi met the criteria to be treated in this setting. However, professional assessments spanning from that time to the present, found that she did not meet such criteria.  "As a result, she is no longer participating in the program." A rep for Salahi said yesterday that the self-proclaimed philanthropist, who didn't appear to suffer from addiction during Real Housewives, was hoping Dr. Drew would "be able to assist her about everything she has endured over the last year." Salahi revealed in September that she suffers from multiple sclerosis, a degenerative disease that attacks nerve cells around the brain and spinal cord. Dr. Drew did a full medical workup on Salahi and she is doing fine, a production source said. But apparently she and her husband are pretty pissed! "She was really leaning on Dr. Drew, who is a respected doctor to get her through some of the issues after the White House, when she went to Congress, when she went into relapse with her multiple sclerosis," Tareq Salahi said. "My wife takes her health situation very seriously, she has a real diagnosis of multiple sclerosis," he continued. "You know, we can show you a bunch of emails about what they wanted her to pretend to be, therefore, but that's going to come out later on with one of the major networks."

Bad Romance: Lady Gaga & Target Break Up

The music superstar has reportedly ended her Born This Way deal with the retail giant. Gaga reportedly pulled out because she doesn't agree with Target's corporate policies on political donations and how they impact the gay community. "Lady Gaga and Target came to a mutual decision to end their overall exclusive partnership a few weeks ago," a rep for the singer tells me. Gaga raised eyebrows among her gay fans when she announced that Target would be releasing an exclusive edition of her new album, Born This Way. Target came under fire from gay groups just months before because it donated to MN Forward, a political action committee that supported Tom Emmer, an antigay politician who made an unsuccessful 2010 run for governor of Minnesota. Gaga had said she had signed off on her deal after meeting with Target executives. "That discussion was one of the most intense conversations I've ever had in a business meeting," Gaga said about three weeks ago. "Part of my deal with Target is that they have to start affiliating themselves with LGBT charity groups and begin to reform and make amends for the mistakes they've made in the past...our relationship is hinged upon their reform in the company to support the gay community and to redeem the mistakes they've made supporting those groups." No word on what went down since that interview took place, but I'm told Target has refused to promise that it would never donate to a political candidate or group believed to be antigay.

 

TV NEWS
The return of serial killer Nate Haskell isn’t all bad for the Vegas crimefighters of CSI. Rather, his latest reign of terror will actually set the stage for the return of former series regular Louise Lombard! CSI alumna will reprise her role as the well-liked Sofia Curtis during May sweeps — and one major thing has changed since we last saw her back in Season 8. “Sofia’s a deputy chief now,” executive producer Carol Mendelsohn reveals. “She’s gotten her shield and she has a real ‘take no prisoners’ attitude.”  “Sofia actually blames Langston and Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) for Haskell’s escape,” the showrunner continues. “And she blames Brass (Paul Guilfoyle).”




The O.C. hottie Chris Carmack (you remember Luke, right?) has landed a part as a musician in the ABC pilot Grace. Eric Roberts is already set to star in the network’s professional dance-based drama.




Dr. Cox alert! John C. McGinley (Scrubs) has joined the ABC comedy pilot Smothered.



NBC has scheduled season finale dates for most of its series, including hour-long finishes for "The Office" and "Parks and Recreation" in May, "Chuck" ending its fourth season on May 16 and a quickly approaching sayonara for "Harry's Law."


Monday, April 4
10 p.m. "Harry's Law"

Friday, April 8
8 p.m. "Who Do You Think You Are?"

Tuesday, April 19
10 p.m. "Parenthood"

Sunday, May 1
8 p.m "America's Next Great Restaurant"

Thursday, May 5
8:30 p.m. "Perfect Couples"
10 p.m. "30 Rock"

Thursday, May 12
8 p.m. "Community" (one hour)
10:30 p.m. "Outsourced"

Monday, May 16
8 p.m. "Chuck"


Wednesday, May 18
10 p.m. "Law & Order: SVU"

Thursday, May 19
9 p.m. "The Office" (one hour)
10 p.m. "Parks and Recreation" (one hour)

Saturday, May 21
11:30 p.m. "Saturday Night Live"

Sunday, May 22
9 p.m. "The Celebrity Apprentice"

Monday, May 23
9 p.m. "The Event"


Tuesday, May 24
9 p.m. "The Biggest Loser"