Dick Clark, the American Bandstand and New Year’s Rockin’ Eve host known for his perpetual youth, died Wednesday at age 82. Clark suffered a massive heart attack following a procedure  in Los Angeles. The former Philadelphia DJ started out on a local show called Bob Horn’s Bandstand, substituting for the titular host. He took over in 1956, beginning a career path that would make “America’s Oldest Teenager” a legend. In 1957, ABC picked the show up for a national run that kept the growing teen market entranced and cemented Clark’s status as a pop culture touchstone. He also presided over the game show The $10,000 Pyramid starting in 1973 — all the way up, through the years, to The $100,000 Pyramid from 1985-88. His production company was a force behind the American Music Awards, TV’s Bloopers & Practical Jokes, and NBC drama American Dreams, among other projects. In fact, he didn’t slow down until his stroke in 2004 — the only year since Rockin’ Eve began that he didn’t appear on the program. (Regis Philbin filled in that year.) He subsequently split on-screen duties with heir apparent Ryan Seacrest. Seacrest mourned the loss of his mentor. “I am deeply saddened by the loss of my dear friend Dick Clark. He has truly been one of the greatest influences in my life. I idolized him from the start, and I was graced early on in my career with his generous advice and counsel,” he said in a statement. Clark’s impact on the country was even noted by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, who released a statement about the remarkable host.“With American Bandstand, he introduced decades’ worth of viewers to the music of our times.  He reshaped the television landscape forever as a creative and innovative producer.  And, of course, for 40 years, we welcomed him into our homes to ring in the New Year.  But more important than his groundbreaking achievements was the way he made us feel – as young and vibrant and optimistic as he was." Clark, twice divorced, had a son, Richard Augustus II, with first wife Barbara Mallery and two children, Duane and Cindy, with second wife Loretta Martin. He married Kari Wigton in 1977.

Summitt steps down as Tennessee coach

Pat Summitt is stepping aside as Tennessee's women's basketball coach and taking the title of ''head coach emeritus'' with long-time assistant Holly Warlick being promoted to replace the sport's winningest coach. Tennessee released a statement Wednesday announcing the move. The 59-year-old Summitt will report to the athletic director and help the women's program she guided to eight national titles. She says she supports Warlick, her assistant for 27 years and a three-time All-American playing for Summitt, as her replacement and wants to ensure the stability of the program. The move comes less than a year after her diagnosis with early onset dementia-Alzheimer's type. ''I've loved being the head coach at Tennessee for 38 years, but I recognize that the time has come to move into the future and to step into a new role,'' said Summitt. ''I want to help ensure the stability of the program going forward. I would like to emphasize that I fully intend to continue working as head coach emeritus, mentoring and teaching life skills to our players, and I will continue my active role as a spokesperson in the fight against Alzheimer's through the Pat Summitt Foundation Fund. Summitt revealed her diagnosis on Aug. 23 after a few months of coming to terms with dementia, which had caused her problems with memory loss both on and off the court during the previous season. Alzheimer's is a brain disease that destroys cognitive abilities over time.  With the blessing of University of Tennessee, Knoxville Chancellor Jimmy Cheek, the Hall of Fame coach said she planned to continue coaching as long as possible and that she wanted to show the world that it was still possible to function, even in the face of dementia and Alzheimer's. She had been going about business as usual. During her time, Tennessee never failed to reach the NCAA tournament, never received a seed lower than No. 5 and reached 18 Final Fours. Her impact reaches beyond wins and losses. Every Lady Vol player who has completed her eligibility at Tennessee has graduated, and 74 former players, assistants, graduate assistants, team managers and directors of basketball operations are currently among the coaching ranks at every level of basketball.


'Catching Fire' director gig down to Francis Lawrence, Bennett Miller
Multiple reports have surfaced on the web today that filmmakers Francis Lawrence and Bennett Miller are the final two contenders for the director of The Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire. The choice for the replacement of Hunger Games‘ Gary Ross — who bowed out of the Catching Fire gig last week, citing the tight production schedule — are pretty stark. Lawrence has extensive experience with visual effects-driven action sequences from his first two films, 2005′s supernatural thriller Constantine and 2007′s post-apocalyptic thriller I Am Legend — which shares a similarly bleak tone to Catching Fire. But his latest effort, the 2011 period drama Water for Elephants, fizzled at the box office, and landed mixed reviews for its handling of the star-crossed romance between Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon. Many complained that the weakest part of Hunger Games was the romance between Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence, no relation), and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), and the romantic angle is far more front-and-center for Catching Fire. Miller, by contrast, has practically no first-hand experience with CG-effects-heavy action scenes, and Catching Fire features more exotic locations that would likely call for extensive green-screen and effects work. Miller does, however, have an Academy Award nomination to his name for his debut feature, the 2005 biopic Capote, and last year’s Moneyball won Miller wide acclaim. He could bring an actor-friendly pedigree to the franchise, and it would certainly be a high-profile boost to his career trajectory. Lionsgate reportedly may have their decision made by the end of this week. A rep for the studio declined to comment.


No More @Mrskutcher?

After slowly warming up to her old friend, Twitter, over the past few days, Demi Moore is apparently ready to shed the digital vestiges of a rocky 2011. "Time for a change, twitter name change... any suggestions?," she tweeted late Tuesday under her old handle, @MrsKutcher. She later thanked her followers for their suggestions and asked that they "keep them coming." Moore, who recently completed a stint in a treatment center following reports of substance abuse and eating disorder issues, split from Ashton Kutcher last fall. Looking healthier than she has in months, she made her first formal public appearance Tuesday with her friend, Amanda de Cadenet, at a launch party for the new show she's executive producing, "The Conversation."

New 'Desperate Housewives' trial set for Sept. 10

Former "Desperate Housewives" star Nicollette Sheridan's $5 million wrongful termination suit against Touchstone Television has a new trial date: Sept. 10. L.A. Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Allen White set the date at a hearing Wednesday morning. She initially set June 4 as the date for the new trial, but Touchstone's attorneys said that was too soon. White also rejected Sheridan's claim of sanctions against the defense and denied Touchstone's request for a directed verdict for dismissal. White strongly urged the two sides to come to a settlement, and warned Touchstone's attorneys that "an 8-4 verdict is nothing to be overly confident about in terms of the case." She was referring to the original trial last month, at which White was forced to declare a mistrial, after the jury deadlocked 8-to-4 in Sheridan's favor after three days of deliberation.

Looks like Atlanta is down one Housewife: Sheree Whitfield says she's leaving the popular Bravo show because she's tired of all the drama. "After four solid seasons of helping Bravo build the show into its most successful Housewives franchise, I have decided to leave," the Real Housewives of Atlanta castmember says. Continues the reality star: "I want to be part of something that empowers and inspires women to not only be healthy, but to treat themselves with respect. I wish the rest of the women the best of luck." Whitfield, an original member of the cast, was a vocal combatant on the show, often getting into loud altercations with castmates such as NeNe Leakes and Kim Zolciak, whose wig she pulled in a dramatic season 2 fight. And in one memorable season 2 scene, she almost came to blows during a heated confrontation with a party planner. During season 4 of the show, which recently wrapped, she was locked in a battle for child support with her ex-husband, former NFL player Bob Whitfield. On Wednesday afternoon, Bravo confirmed the news of her departure, saying in a statement, "We have enjoyed working with Sheree as part of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. We wish her all the best in the future."