Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi diagnosed with cancer

Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has cancer. The band released a statement saying the 63-year-old has been diagnosed with lymphoma and is working with doctors on treatment. The news comes two months after the pioneering heavy metal quartet's original lineup announced it was working on its first album in 33 years with producer Rick Rubin in Los Angeles. The album remains set for a fall release and the rest of the group — vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward — will go to England to continue working with Iommi. There was no word about Sabbath's plans for its live dates. His bandmates asked fans "to send positive vibes" to Iommi.

Nick Cannon released from hospital

Nick Cannon is out of the hospital after battling what wife Mariah Carey called “mild kidney failure.”The entertainer was hospitalized in Aspen, Colo., last week after he fell ill while the couple was on vacation there. He was transferred to a Los Angeles hospital a few days later. Carey said he was suffering from a form of kidney failure but no further details were released. In a statement Monday, Cannon’s publicist Tracy Nguyen said he’s now “resting and recovering at home” and thanks everyone who was concerned about him. She says he’ll return to his live morning radio show, “Rollin’ with Nick Cannon,” on Jan. 17.

 

Dr. Dre, Radiohead, Black Keys headline Coachella

Rappers Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, rock duo The Black Keys and alternative rock band Radiohead will headline the popular Coachella music festival in April, organizers said. Rising folk band Bon Iver, the British bands Florence and the Machine, Arctic Monkeys and Pulp, will also play Coachella when the biggest annual music festival of its kind in the United States expands to two weekends for the first time.The 13th year of the festival, which takes place in the southern California desert some 130 miles east of Los Angeles, also will see performances from Swedish House Mafia, Noel Gallagher, David Guetta and newly-reunited Texas rock band At the Drive-In, organizers said. Tickets for the 2012 event went on sale in May last year and hotels in the area are already filling up fast. The 2011 festival, headlined by Kanye West, Arcade Fire and Kings of Leon, attracted more than 90,000 people and prompted the decision to move to two weekends this year -- April 13-15 and April 20-22. The lineup announced on Monday will be the same for both weekends.

Snoop Dogg Arrested for Weed

Snoop Dogg has a medical prescription for cannabis in California, his home state, but that doesn't fly in Texas. The rapper was arrested over the weekend after a drug-sniffing police dog found less than half an ounce of marijuana in a waste basket. The bus was stopped at a border-control checkpoint in Sierra Blanca – the same town where Willie Nelson was busted for weed in 2010. Snoop was cited on a misdemeanor drug possession and released. If convicted, he could face up to 180 days in jail.  The rapper has been arrested on other occasions for possession of marijuana and, in some cases, weapons possession, including firearms and a police baton.
 On AMC's Breaking Bad, Aaron Paul plays troubled drug addict Jesse Pinkman, but in real life, the actor's life is getting better and better.  Paul, 32, just got engaged to his girlfriend Lauren Parsekian, 24, in Paris. Showing off pictures of her flashy engagement ring to pals, along with a photo of the couple with a "bride + groom" sign Parsekian wrote, "Coming back home today with my fiancé!!! NYE proposal in Paris … Couldn't be more perfect. I’m so happy and excited." Parsekian, who calls Paul "the most amazing man on the planet," is the Co-CEO of Finding Kind Productions, a campaign that "brings awareness and healing to the negative and lasting effects of girl-against-girl crimes." Paul most notably dated the 90210 reboot's Jessica Lowndes in 2010.


Beyoncé & Jay-Z: 'We're In Heaven' with Baby Blue
Their careers are demanding, but Beyoncé and Jay-Z are taking a moment to bask in the joys of becoming new parents. "We are happy to announce the arrival of our beautiful daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, born on Saturday, January 7, 2012," the couple said, confirming the news in a joint statement Monday. "Her birth was emotional and extremely peaceful – we are in heaven." "She was delivered naturally at a healthy 7 lbs.," the statement adds, dispelling rumors that the birth was by scheduled cesarean. "It was the best experience of both of our lives," continue Beyoncé and Jay-Z, who has already released a song devoted to his baby girl. "We are thankful to everyone for all your prayers, well wishes, love and support."  Following Knowles's highly publicized childbirth, rumors swirled about special perks she received at New York City's Lenox Hill Hospital, including having a floor to herself. "The suggestion that the couple paid $1.3 million to rent an entire maternity floor is simply not true," Lenox Hill Hospital Executive Director Frank Danza said in a statement Monday. "The family is housed in an executive suite at the hospital and is being billed the standard rate for those accommodations. Our executive suites are available for any patient, including the food service and amenities provided to the Carter family." In response to reports that Beyoncé and Jay-Z's presence has stopped visitors from being able to see relatives and even disrupted a father's visit with his newborn twins in the neonatal intensive care unit, Danza says such stories are untrue. "We have made every effort to ensure minimal disruption to other families experiencing the births of their own children over the past three days," he explains. "No security plan that we or the Carters' security team put in place would have prevented or delayed families from gaining access to the NICU, and to date, no families have complained to the hospital about being denied access to the NICU."
 

Isaac Mizrahi Weds Arnold Germer

Isaac Mizrahi announced his recent marriage to Arnold Germer Wednesday on The Wendy Williams Show, jokingly flashing his band until the talk show host and her audience made note of it. "We've been together for six years, but we met 10 years ago. We didn't think we wanted to get married until they said we could in New York, and then it was like, 'We're getting married!' " the Project Runway: All Stars judge, 50, says. "We were at a dinner party [when we told everyone] and people have ideas. You have to have a series of parties, Vera Wang has to be called ... it's like, start now! We were terrified and decided to just elope at City Hall." The act of making it official took Mizrahi by surprise, he admits. "I didn't really expect it to be a ceremony – I thought it was just a bunch of paperwork," he tells Williams of the Nov. 30 nuptials. "Then [the justice of the peace] said, 'Meet us at the chapel ... Please come forward. Do you, Arnold Germer, take...' and I started sobbing. It was one of those moments [where] I wasn't expecting that kind of emotional, emotional impact. I think when it's right, you know it."

 

Michael Jordan’s eldest son leaves Central Florida

One of Michael Jordan's sons is Central Florida's leading scorer. The other is unexpectedly leaving the program. Jeff Jordan, eldest son of the Chicago Bulls legend, will not return to the Knights this semester due to undisclosed "personal reasons," the school announced Saturday evening. Neither Jordan nor Central Florida coach Donnie Jones have gone into greater detail about why the point guard is leaving in the middle of his senior season. "I thank coach Jones for the opportunity to be a part of the UCF basketball family," Jordan said in a news release. "I wish the team and coaching staff much continued success. Jordan's decision to leave UCF appears to be the final chapter in the basketball career of a player who grabbed more headlines for his pedigree than his performance.
 

Why did Tiger Woods’ ex-wife level a $12 million mansion?
The story of Elin Nordegren's curious-at-the-time decision to knock down a $12 million mansion. It seemed, at first glance, a rather conspicuous display of wealth -- I've got so much money I can demolish a mansion and build a new one! A divorce from Tiger Woods, it seemed, was the gift that kept on giving. Well, turns out that there was a pretty good reason for razing the North Palm Beach, Fla., estate: termites. A report indicated that the 1920s-era mansion fell short of current hurricane safety codes, and combined with a termite infestation, that was enough to warrant blasting it down to the sand. Nordegren offered a local Habitat for Humanity chapter a month to take whatever it could from the mansion before demolition.
 

Lisa Loeb Expecting Second Child

There’s another baby on the way for Lisa Loeb! The singer/author, 43, and husband Roey Hershkovitz will welcome their second child in June, her rep confirmed.  The couple, who wed in 2009, are already parents to daughter Lyla Rose, 2. Loeb can now be seen on tour for her children’s song book, Lisa Loeb’s Silly Sing-Along: The Disappointing Pancake and Other Zany Songs. “It’s a little bit of a challenge to try to balance my work with my family, but my family comes first,” says Loeb, who also designs frames for her eyewear collection.
 Proud papa Gabriel Aubry, and Halle Berry ex, steps out with his adorable daughter Nahla, 3, in West Hollywood .

Lily Allen’s Daughter’s Name Leaked – By Grandma

After giving birth to a baby girl on Nov. 25, Lily Allen has kept details regarding her daughter under wraps — but a loose-lipped grandma has spilled the beans on the new addition’s name. The songwriter’s mother, Alison Owen, referred to her granddaughter as Ethel Mary to a pal on Facebook. When asked for confirmation Allen’s rep did not have comment on the name nor the birth.


TV NEWS
After an interminable break, a date has finally emerged for the return of Mad Men.
Star Jon Hamm said in a recent interview that the Emmy-winning series will return for a fifth season on March 25. AMC would not confirm or deny Hamm’s statement.


We’ve got ourselves a horse race, folks! Parks and Recreation has tapped Paul Rudd to play Leslie’s opponent in Pawnee’s hotly-contested race for City Council. No word yet on whether Rudd will share scenes with his I Love You, Man leading lady — and Parks and Rec star — Rashida Jones.


After a long wait, fans of Make It or Break It can mark their calendars for the show’s return.The ABC Family gymnastics drama will be back for Season 3 on March 26 at 9/8c.


A mini-series based on the life of Nelson Mandela is in the works, with producers including the former South African president's grandson. Mr. Mandela and his family will give input and feedback on the script for the six-part series. Two of Mandela's books will be used as source material: "Conversations With Myself" and "Nelson Mandela By Himself." Kweku Mandela said the series would not portray his grandfather as "Mandela the saint" but would "unravel Mandela the man."


Country music star Miranda Lambert will make her acting debut in an upcoming episode of Law & Order: SVU. Lambert is set to play an actress accusing a reality show producer (played by Smallville‘s Michael McKean) of rape.
 

Showtime’s House of Lies debuted to 1.6 million viewers across three airings on Sunday, besting the Season 1 premiere night for Homeland (which amassed 1.38 million). Shameless Season 2, meanwhile, opened to 1.6 million viewers in its initial airing, improving on its series debut by 61 percent.


Facts of Life alumna Geri Jewel will be paying a visit to Fox’s Alcatraz, appearing in circa-1960s flashbacks as the eccentric sister of deputy prison warden E.B. Tiller (played by Jason Butler Harner). Fox’s Alcatraz opens its doors to the public on Monday, Jan. 16, at 8/7c.