Maria Cole, the widow of singing legend Nat "King" Cole, the mother of Natalie Cole and in her own right a former Big Band singer, died Tuesday in Boca Raton, Fla., after a brief battle with cancer, her family announced. She was 89. "Our mom was in a class all by herself. She epitomized class, elegance, and truly defined what it is to be a real lady," said Natalie Cole and her siblings, Timolin and Casey Cole, in a statement. "We are so blessed and privileged to have inherited the legacy that she leaves behind along with our father. She died how she lived – with great strength, courage and dignity, surrounded by her loving family," the Coles' statement also said. Maria and Nat Cole, the smoky smooth voice behind such standards as "Unforgettable," "Nature Boy," "Smile," "Too Young," "Mona Lisa" and "Ramblin' Rose" – and, in 1956, the first African American ever to host his own network TV show, NBC's The Nat King Cole Show – were married from 1948 until his death from lung cancer in 1965, shortly after he finished filming the comedy Western Cat Ballou, with Lee Marvin and Jane Fonda. Maria sang with the Count Basie Band before moving on to the Duke Ellington Orchestra, as its vocalist until 1946, when she became a soloist. She met Nat "King" Cole at New York's Club Zanzibar. "The couple traveled throughout Europe in the 1950s, and Maria recorded several songs with her husband for Capitol Records and sang at top venues in California and on the East Coast," said the family statement. After her husband's death, Maria did charity work as well as briefly co-hosted a local daytime TV talk show in Los Angeles. Natalie was born in 1950, and twins Timolin and Casey in 1961. Another child, Carol, known as "Cookie," was adopted in 1949. She died of cancer in 2009, during the operation to donate a kidney to sister Natalie. Besides her three children, Maria Cole is survived by a sister, two sons-in-law and six grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Nat King Cole Generation Hope Inc.
 A falling piece of equipment struck actress Kristin Chenoweth on the set of The Good Wife in Brooklyn on Wednesday, sending her to the hospital in an ambulance. An ambulance transported the actress from the show’s Brooklyn studio to a nearby hospital after a piece of scaffolding hit her in the head, her publicist. Chenoweth’s condition as of Wednesday night was unknown, though a New York City Fire Department spokesperson had said that a woman taken by ambulance from the studio’s location had suffered minor injuries. Chenoweth was cast late last month as a political reporter who will recur in Wife’s upcoming Season 4.
 Alec Baldwin and Hilaria Thomas’s Wedding Photo
 

Jesse Jackson Jr. Alcohol Addiction? Congressman's Office Denies Report Of Arizona Facility Treatment

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) is being treated for a mood disorder, according to a statement released by his office. From Jackson's doctor, via CNN: "The Congressman is receiving intensive medical treatment at a residential treatment facility for a mood disorder. He is responding positively to treatment and is expected to make a full recovery." Earlier reports about Jackson's condition suggested he was hospitalized due to alcoholism. NBC's Andrea Mitchell tweeted that Jackson was staying in a rehabilitation facility in Arizona where he was reportedly receiving treatment for alcoholism. That initial report claimed Jackson was also receiving treatment for addiction, but NBC Chicago later reported the congressman is only being treated for alcoholism. Jackson's office subsequently denied the NBC report, according to a tweet from ABC's John Parkinson. Sandi Jackson, Jackson's wife, further clarified to NBC Chicago that her husband is not in rehab, but did not provide additional details. Jackson, 47, went on medical leave June 10 but did not publicly disclose his decision until two weeks later. Last week, Jackson's office released a statement reporting that the congressman was being treated at an inpatient medical facility for "physical and emotional ailments" that are "more serious" than initially believed. Earlier Wednesday, both House Leader Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) contributed to mounting pressure for an update on Jackson. On Tuesday, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Jackson's father, told an NBC affiliate in Chicago that it was "inappropriate" for him to disclose his son's medical condition. The Chicago Democrat is currently the subject of an ethics investigation related to Illinois' imprisoned former governor Rod Blagojevich, though Jackson has never been charged with any wrongdoing.

Usher reportedly pulls out of awards show after stepson's accident

Usher has reportedly pulled out of a planned appearance at an awards show after his stepson was involved in a tragic  accident over the weekend. Kyle Glover, the 11-year-old son of the singer's ex-wife, Tameka Foster, was hospitalized on Saturday after he was hit by a personal watercraft while sitting on an inflatable raft on Lake Lanier in Atlanta. The child remains in critical condition, and Usher has scrapped plans to attend the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles on Wednesday night. The star was due to present a prize at the ceremony, which will be held at the Nokia Theatre. ESPY stands for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly.
 Vera Wang’s Fall 2012 bridal collection was heralded by critics for its beauty, elegance and unique color palette; many of the designer’s dresses were blush, nude and black. But looking back on those romantic gowns, one has to wonder: was there a hidden message inside? Wang and husband Arthur Becker announced that they were separating on Wednesday, after 23 years of marriage (the couple wed in 1989 at New York’s Pierre Hotel. “They remain devoted parents to their two daughters,” Cecilia and Josephine, Wang’s company president, Mario Grauso, said in a statement. Though Becker reportedly had his own business ventures, he was also involved in Wang’s company, which has expanded into makeup, fragrances, mass market, juniors, home goods and a lower-cost bridal line in recent years. However, a friend of the designer tells WWD that the couple “will not let this impact the running of the company. They have worked too hard to build it up.”

Queen Latifah: I'm 'Totally Serious' About Adopting a Baby

Queen Latifah has babies on the brain. The Ice Age: Continental Drift star, 42, is set on the plan she's had for years to adopt a child, she said on Wednesday's The View. "I'm actually kind of working on that," Latifah told co-host Barbara Walters when, according to ET, she was asked if it's something she seriously considers. "I just always wanted to bring a child home." The aspiring mom tells Walters, "I'm totally serious, so if you got a kid that you don't ... just give me a year – let me set up camp and send me the kid. But no, no [I'm] totally [serious about adopting]."

Coldplay comic book to explain 'Mylo Xyloto' origins

Coldplay are getting into the comic book business. A six-part "Mylo Xyloto" series, the first of which will go on sale at Comic-Con in San Diego this week, will tell the origin story of the Mylo Xyloto character, the band members announced on their website. The series will be co-written by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Mark Osborne ("Kung Fu Panda"). For the band, the project was conceived three years ago. According to the post, "gradually mylo's story and universe came together and this ended up providing the backdrop for the album and tour. .. to kick things off mark's going to be holding a panel at comic con in san diego this week. so if you're there you can ask him 'who's major minus?' and 'what the hell's the hypnofeed all about?' we hope you like it. it was fun making it." The following issues will be available monthly, beginning February 2013. The series will be published by Matt Groening's Bongo Comics Group. "Mylo Xyloto" is Coldplay's latest studio album, which was released October 2011 and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
 They haven't performed together in over a decade, but the surviving members of Run-DMC are set to reunite this fall at the Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, Texas. Joseph Simmons, now known as Rev. Run, and Darryl "DMC" McDaniels retired the group after their DJ, Jam Master Jay, was killed in 2002. But it was announced Tuesday that the band will be among the performers for the Nov. 2-4 event. Festival organizers say they plan to donate some of the proceeds to the JMJ Foundation for Music, which works to give youths access to the arts. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group is best known for hits like "Walk This Way," "It's Like That" and "My Adidas."

Wynonna Judd sues ex-stepfather over mortgage

Country singer Wynonna Judd has sued her former stepfather over an unpaid mortgage dating to 1994, but his lawyer says the money was a gift, not a loan. Judd filed suit this week in Jefferson County Circuit Court in Louisville against Michael Ciminella. He's the ex-husband of Judd's mother, Naomi Judd, and father of actress Ashley Judd. Wynonna Judd's lawsuit contends that Ciminella defaulted on a mortgage in the Old Louisville neighborhood where he lives. Records show that Judd's representatives wrote to Ciminella in September demanding principal and interest of $242,051. Ciminella's lawyer, Jeffrey Thompson, said the money was not a loan but a gift and that Judd had never asked that it be repaid until now. He declined to discuss further details.


TV NEWS
NCIS boss Gary Glasberg had “no doubt that it will all work out,” and sure enough it did: Michael Weatherly, Sean Murray and Pauley Perrette all have signed new deals with TV’s most-watched drama series. The actors, who respectively play Tony DiNozzo, Timothy McGee and Abby Sciuto, each inked two-year deals, which take them into the upcoming Season 10 as well as 11.


It’s official: The Legend continues! Nickelodeon has picked up a second season of the animated adventure series The Legend of Korra, After averaging 3.8 million viewers for Season 1, Book 1, which concluded June 23, the Avatar: The Last Airbender sequel received an order for 26 more episodes (which presumably will be divided into two parts called Books 3 and 4.)


TNT has announced its third renewal in as many weeks, granting a Season 3 order to Falling Skies.


TruTV has ordered 10 episodes of Upload with Shaquille O’Neal, a weekly series in which the NBA vet and his comic friends Gary Owen (Think Like a Man) and Godfrey (The Mr. Men Show), along with a special guest, comments on the funniest online videos, as well as create their own viral videos, pull pranks and parody current pop culture stories.


CBS announced its fall premiere dates today, including the return of Survivor (its 25th edition!) and the series debut of Vegas, which features Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis.
Monday, Sept. 24
8:00-8:30 p.m.              How I Met Your Mother (8th season premiere)
8:30-9:00 p.m.              Partners (Series debut)
9:00-9:30 p.m.              2 Broke Girls (2nd season premiere)
9:30-10:00 p.m.            Mike & Molly (3rd season premiere)
10:00-11:00 p.m.          Hawaii 5-0 (3rd season premiere)
Tuesday, Sept. 25
8:00-9:00 p.m.              NCIS (10th season premiere)
9:00-10:00 p.m.            NCIS: Los Angeles (4th season premiere)
10:00-11:00 p.m.          Vegas (Series debut)
Wednesday, Sept. 26
9:00-10:00 p.m.            Criminal Minds (8th season premiere)
10:00-11:00 p.m.          CSI (13th season premiere)
Thursday, Sept. 27
8:00-8:30 p.m.              The Big Bang Theory (6th season premiere)
8:30-9:00 p.m.              Two and a Half Men (10th season premiere)
9:00-10:00 p.m.            Person of Interest (2nd season premiere)
10:00-11:00 p.m.          Elementary (Series debut)
Friday, Sept. 28
8:00-9:00 p.m.              CSI: NY (9th season premiere)
9:00-10:00 p.m.            Made in Jersey (Series debut)
10:00-11:00 p.m.          Blue Bloods (3rd season premiere)
Saturday, Sept. 29
10:00-11:00 p.m.          48 Hours Mystery (26th season premiere)
Sunday, Sept. 30
7:00-8:00 p.m.              60 Minutes (45th season premiere)
8:00-9:00 p.m.              The Amazing Race (21st edition premiere)
9:00-10:00 p.m.            The Good Wife (4th season premiere)
10:00-11:00 p.m.          The Mentalist (5th season premiere)