Patrice O'Neal Dies at 41

New York-based comedian Patrice O'Neal died Monday after suffering a stroke in October that was related to his diabetic condition. He was 41. His death was confirmed via Twitter Tuesday by host Opie (Gregg Hughes) of the Opie and Anthony SiriusXM radio show, on which the stand-up comic was a regular guest. The message read: "Yes it's true that our pal Patrice O'Neal has passed away. The funniest and best thinker i've ever known PERIOD. #devastated." O'Neal, a 6' 5", 300-plus-lb. native of Boston, also appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and Late Show with David Letterman and the sitcoms Arrested Development and The Office. In September, O'Neal, whose humor was often confrontational but funny, participated in the Comedy Central roast of Charlie Sheen, where other comedians made fun of his diabetes. It was his last performance.

George Michael "Slowly Improving" From Pneumonia Bout

The 48-year-old British singer was admitted to a hospital in Vienna on Nov. 21 for severe pneumonia, but a source close to the former Wham frontman says Michael is "getting better and better." Numerous reports -- including a Telegraph article stating Michael is "at death's door" -- claim the singer is suffering from much more serious health problems than pneumonia. British paper The Telegraph also reports that the Grammy winner's family and loved ones have flown in to be by his side at the hospital. But his publicist says that "any other speculation regarding his illness is unfounded and untrue. He is receiving excellent medical care. He is responding to treatment and slowly improving." The musician has sought treatment several times in the past for failing health and substance abuse problems. In Aug. 2010, he checked into a "detox program" after getting arrested for a previous DUI incident. He returned to rehab in Oct. 2010 after spending four weeks in jail in connection with his previous crash while driving under the influence.
 

Conrad Murray Sentenced to Four Years in Michael Jackson's Death

Dr. Conrad Murray was sentenced Tuesday to the maximum penalty of four years behind bars for administering a lethal dose of a powerful anesthetic to Michael Jackson. "He violated the trust of the medical community, of his colleagues and of his patient," said Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor, "and he has absolutely no sense of remorse, absolutely no sense of fault, and is and remains dangerous." Murray, 58, was convicted of manslaughter in the 2009 death of the pop star at age 50 as he was preparing for a major concert series in the U.K.
 Get ready for one more member of the extended Kardashian family to keep up with! Kourtney Kardashian and beau Scott Disick are expecting their second child together. The E! reality star, 32, took a pregnancy test about five weeks ago -- and woke up Disick, 28 (not a morning person!), around 7.a.m. to tell him the positive results. "Now I'm nine weeks along," Kardashian says. "You're supposed to wait 12 weeks to tell people, but I feel confident." The son or daughter-to-be will be the second child for the couple of five years, whose son Mason, nearly 2, was a bit of a surprise.

8 years for rapper Lil Boosie in drug smuggle plot

A Baton Rouge rapper known as "Lil Boosie" has been sentenced to eight years in prison following his guilty plea to drug charges. The 29-year-old rapper's real name is Torrence Hatch. He pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiring to smuggle codeine, marijuana and ecstasy into two state prisons. They were the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola and Dixon Correctional Institute in Jackson, La. Assistant District Attorney Dana Cummings says Hatch was serving a prison term for a separate conviction for marijuana possession when he smuggled the drugs with help from a prison guard. State District Judge Mike Erwin in Baton Rouge sentenced him to the new prison term. Hatch also faces a first-degree murder charge in the 2009 death of Terry Boyd. The trial is scheduled to start April 30.

 

Marley Shelton Expecting Second Child

The Scream 4 actress, 37, and her husband, What’s Your Number? producer Beau Flynn, are expecting their second child in the spring. The couple say they “couldn’t be more excited” to welcome a sibling for their 2-year-old daughter West. Shelton, currently appearing in The Mighty Macs, will next star in Decoding Annie Parker.


Kris Humphries to File for Separation – Not Divorce
The NBA player likely will file the court papers within days, say the sources. Rather than pursue a divorce as Kardashian has, the NBA player's ultimate intent is to annul the marriage, clearing the record of ever being married to the reality star. This would be a change of heart for Humphries. After Kardashian traveled to Minnesota and met with Humphries and the pastor who married them, sources close to Humphries insisted he intended to move on and sign the divorce papers.  Just 72 days after a lavish wedding, Kardashian, 31, filed for divorce from Humphries, 26, on Oct. 31, citing irreconcilable differences. Their troubles flared almost immediately and were on display in the season premiere of Kourtney & Kim Take Manhattan.
 Kellan Lutz decided it was time for a new 'do.The Breaking Dawn actor posted a self-portrait of his new mohawk on Twitter. "Movember equals Mohawk month, right? Or was it mustache," he wrote. ("Movember" is an ongoing campaign during the month of November which asks men to grow mustaches to raise funds for men's health issues.) "Out with the old and in with the new!" the 26-year-old added. "Goodbye dark hair. It's been fun."


Justin Combs, Diddy's son, commits to UCLA
Justin Combs, the son of music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, said he will attend UCLA in a statement released by his family. Combs is a defensive back at New Rochelle Iona Prep. “Playing Division I football was a lifelong dream of mine, and through hard work I was able to achieve it,” Combs said in a statement released by his family’s public relations firm. Combs is a 5-foot-9, 170-pound defensive back, with a 3.75 GPA.  He was offered scholarships by Illinois, Virginia and Wyoming. “As a parent, this is one of the proudest moments of my life,” Sean Combs said in a statement. “This is everything a father could want in his son, for him to excel at what he loves to do.” Combs walks into a unknown situation. The Bruins, who play in the Pac-12 Conference championship game Friday, fired head Coach Rick Neuheisel Monday.
 Singer Jewel an her 4-month old son Kase.
 
 TV NEWS
Mayday mayday, what’s going on with Pan Am? The ABC drama’s co-star Karine Vanasse sent a tweet that heavily suggested the show was finished: “Well, we received THE call, #PanAm is only coming back for one more episode after Christmas. But up to the end, we’ll give it our all!” THE call? One more episode? The End? And do airline pilots even say “mayday” anymore? ABC says Pan Am fans don’t need to assume crash positions … quite yet. But the signs aren’t good. The network ordered 13 episodes for the show’s first season. Then ABC quietly ordered one more, which is pretty grim. ABC is committed to airing all 14 — and that includes five episodes that will air next year, contrary to the Doom Tweet.


The new year is bringing new episodes of BET’s hit The Game: The network just announced, via Twitter, that the series starring Tia Mowry Hardrict as the wife of a football star will premiere its fifth season on Jan. 10 at 10 p.m.


ABC Family has picked up Pretty Little Liars for a third season. The network has ordered a hearty 24 episodes for the next round, same as the second season (though that was eventually expanded to 25 with the special Halloween episode). New second-season episodes of PLL return starting Jan. 2, with the story picking up a month following the events in the summer finale.



After nine seasons of sending unknown designers to Fashion Week, Project Runway is going retro and bringing back some of its most memorable (Elisa Jimenez) and talented (Mondo Guerra) contestants from seasons past for a 12-episode run on Jan. 5, 2012 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.


Glee is temporarily lifting its moratorium on stunt casting, and with good reason. The Fox phenom is in negotiations with Ricky Martin to guest star early next year. The bon-bon shaker extraordinaire will play what a Glee insider is calling “the hottest Spanish teacher ever in the history of Ohio.”



Mitch Larsen will for certain be around for the reveal of her daughter Rosie’s killer, now that Michelle Forbes has been locked in as a series regular for Season 2 of AMC’s The Killing. Forbes earned an Emmy nomination for her heart-wrenching portrayal of Mitch, whose teen daughter died under very mysterious circumstances. And though Season 1 wrapped with wannabe Seattle mayor Darren Richmond being wrongly pinched for — and then seemingly killed for — the murder, series boss Veena Sud assured us that in Season 2, “We will solve the investigation of who murdered Rosie Larsen — all will be revealed — and there will also be a second case that emerges.”


Mrs. Suit’s fate will be revealed on Tuesday, Jan. 17, when White Collar resumes its third season. USA Network has also announced the return date for Royal Pains, which will continue its own Season 3 on Wednesday, Jan. 18. Both returning shows will air at 10/9c.