Brooke Burke-Charvet reveals cancer diagnosis

Brooke Burke-Charvet released a video online Thursday to announce that she was recently diagnosed with a cancerous growth on her thyroid gland. In the video posted on her ModernMom blog, the 41-year-old actress and TV host explained that a nodule was discovered on her thyroid and after a series of tests over the last few months, it was eventually determined to be cancerous and her thyroid will have to be removed. "Which means that I'm going to have a nice big scar right her across my neck," Brooke said. "And I don't get to just walk around and pretend like nothing happened or not follow up or not share it, because it's going to be pretty much dead center." Brooke said the discovery -- which originated from a regular physical -- came as a complete shock because she's otherwise healthy. "As crazy as it is, my head is in the right place, and it's going to be good," she said, adding that the doctors consider this a form of "good cancer" compared to many others and the prognosis is good. "I'm just going to make a positive out of this negative thing." She said the surgery has been scheduled and she promised to keep her fans updated through her blog. "Now I'm ready to deal with it and I'm going to be fine. And I feel really, really strong."
 Meet Tennessee James Toth. Reese Witherspoon's, third child — her first with husband Jim Toth — arrived Sept. 27 in Santa Monica.


Chris Matthews Apologizes for Saying He Was 'So Glad' About Sandy
MSNBC host Chris Matthews apologized on the air for saying after President Obama's re-election that he was "so glad" for Hurricane Sandy because it helped Obama win. He said his comments were "not just stupid but wrong." Matthews made the initial comments at the end of ten hours on the air, and quickly clarified that he was only "glad" from a political standpoint. "I'm so glad we had that storm last week because I think the storm was one of those things... No, politically I should say. Not in terms of hurting people. The storm brought in possibilities for good politics," he said. Matthews explained on "Hardball" Wednesday that he could blame exhaustion for the statement, but in fact "wasn't thinking." "It was a terrible thing to say, period," Matthews said, adding that he "wasn't thinking of the horrible mess this storm has made of people's real lives." "I was too deeply enmeshed in political thinking," he continued. "I left out the number one of anyone on air... to think about the real lives of people. ... I said something not just stupid but wrong." He added: "Please believe me, I am determined to do what I can to try to help the people who have already been hurt enough, who are suffering and have suffered enough hardship without hearing stupid stuff from me."
   The romance between Johnny Depp and his Rum Diary co-star Amber Heard is going strong.  The New York Post spied the megastar, 49, "getting cozy" with his "Rum Diary" co-star Amber Heard, 26, at AV Nightclub in Los Angeles earlier this week. The pair, who were linked as Depp's 14-year relationship with Vanessa Paradis hit the skids last summer, "sat close" in a roped-off section of a patio, where they supposedly looked "flirty" as they chitchatted for several hours. Heard had parted ways with her photographer girlfriend of four years, Tasya van Ree. A smitten Depp even bought the Texas native a horse.  Heard, who was snapped with van Ree in September, has called Depp a "beautiful specimen of a human being," while he's gushed, "When I first saw Amber, it was like seeing an old-time movie star. It was like I was seeing Lauren Bacall." As for Paradis, her acting career has switched into high gear with a role in Woody Allen's latest, but she remains tight-lipped about Depp. "I don't sell my private life, and nobody knows the truth or has done a proper journalist's work on that situation," she tells The Daily Beast. "Nowadays, people speculate, but nobody knows! I have my children [Jack and Lily-Rose] to protect. There are children involved, so it's really no one's business but the family."
 Michael Bay has officially confirmed that the star of Transformers 4 will be Mark Wahlberg, who worked with the director on his upcoming crime tale Pain and Gain. The Transformers sequel, planned to debut June 27, 2014, also has a sleek new logo based on the Decepticon insignia. “Mark is awesome. We had a blast working on Pain and Gain and I’m so fired up to be back working with him. An actor of his caliber is the perfect guy to re-invigorate the franchise and carry on the Transformers’ legacy,” said Bay.

Mark Basseley Youssef, "Innocence Of Muslims" Producer, Sentenced To Year In Prison

The California man behind an anti-Muslim film that led to violence in many parts of the Middle East was sentenced Wednesday to a year in federal prison for probation violations in an unrelated matter, then issued a provocative statement through his attorney. The sentence was the result of a plea bargain between lawyers for Mark Bassely Youssef and federal prosecutors. Youssef admitted in open court that he had used several false names in violation of his probation order and obtained a driver's license under a false name. He was on probation for a bank fraud case. Shortly after Youssef left the courtroom, his lawyer, Steven Seiden, came to the front steps of the courthouse and told reporters his client wanted to send a message. "The one thing he wanted me to tell all of you is President Obama may have gotten Osama bin Laden, but he didn't kill the ideology," Seiden said. Asked what that meant, Seiden said, "I didn't ask him, and I don't know." U.S. District Court Judge Christina Snyder accepted the plea agreement and immediately sentenced Youssef after he admitted to four of the eight alleged violations, including obtaining a fraudulent California driver's license. Prosecutors agreed to drop the other four allegations under the plea deal, which also included more probation time. All parties agreed that none of the violations had to do with the content of "Innocence of Muslims," a film that depicts Mohammad as a religious fraud, pedophile and womanizer. However, Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert Dugdale argued Youssef's lies about his identity have caused harm to others, including the film's cast and crew. Deadly violence related to the film broke out Sept. 11 and spread to many parts of the Middle East.  "They had no idea he was a recently released felon," Dugdale said Wednesday. "Had they known that, they might have had second thoughts" about being part of the film.  He said they have had death threats and feel their careers have been ruined. Seiden said his client admits to being the film's scriptwriter but had no other involvement except what he described as being a "cultural adviser." Youssef, 55, was arrested in late September, just weeks after he went into hiding when the deadly violence erupted.

   The "wife" part of Adrienne Maloof's "real housewife" status is officially done. Maloof, 50, and her estranged husband, Dr. Paul Nassif, have finalized their divorce after 10 years of marriage and more than three months of legal drama. That included a restraining order, abuse allegations and messy custody disputes over their three sons, Gavin, 9, and twins Colin and Christian, 6. "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," announced that they had reached an agreement on a settlement and were both pleased with the result. "There has been so much untrue negative innuendo and destructive rumors beyond our control," they said. "We want the best for each other and we're confident we can help each other make a continuing positive impact with our children. ... Our goal is for our children to have stable and nurturing relationships with both of us so we can all find as much happiness as possible."

Kim Zolciak's ex Big Poppa, Lee Najjar, arrested

Kim Zolciak's ex-boyfriend Lee Najjar -- known only as "Big Poppa" and never shown on-camerNajjar had failed to appear in court after he neglected to maintain a storm water system at one of his homes; he's already been charged a $75,000 fine for violating an ordinance and blew off a July 5 court date.a during their romance on earlier seasons of "Real Housewives of Atlanta" -- was arrested in Atlanta. Najjar, who famously remained Zolciak's anonymous sugar daddy on seasons one and two of the Bravo smash -- while he was still married to another woman -- has been released from custody after being taken into the Fulton County Sheriff's Dept. Nov. 6.  34-year-old Zolciak has moved on from Big Poppa in a big way: She wed Atlanta Falcons player Kroy Biermann in November 2011; the nuptials inspired a Bravo spinoff, "Don't Be Tardy for the Wedding." Already mom to Brielle, 15, and Ariana, 11, the "Tardy for the Party" singer has baby boys Kroy, 17 months, and Kash Kade, 3 months, with Biermann.


TV NEWS
Superstorm Sandy left a lot of damage in its wake, and now, it's touching down on "Sesame Street" Friday. The show's hurricane special, "Sesame Street Gets Through a Storm," which first aired in September 2001 as a five-part series, and again in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina, is returning to help educate children.


The Big C‘s fourth and final season has yet to secure a premiere date, but it has obtained a brand-new name. Titled The Big C: hereafter, the four-episode event will conclude the story of Laura Linney’s cancer-battling Cathy and those who have stood by her side over the past three seasons. It will also introduce two new characters in guest stars Kathy Najimy and Isaac Mizrahi.


 Jim Rome on Showtime, the cabler’s new sports-centric series, is set to launch Nov. 2.

The 1980s-set "Sex and the City" prequel "The Carrie Diaries" will debut on the CW on Monday, Jan. 14, the network announced. "90210," meanwhile, will move to its new 9 p.m. timeslot. And most CW shows will return from holiday break during that week. "The Carrie Diaries," one of the CW's most-anticipated shows, stars AnnaSophia Robb as 16-year-old Carrie Bradshaw, who discovers the flashing lights of Manhattan as she copes with the death of her mother. She quickly discovers a vibrant and thrilling club scene.

IFC will launch a new season of Portlandia on Friday, Jan. 4 at 10/9c, with a winter-themed special bowing ahead of the official premiere on Dec. 14 at 10:30 pm. Take a peek at the quirky comedy’s upcoming cycle below.


Gossip Girl‘s Monday, Nov. 12 installment will feature music exclusively from R&B star Frank Ocean.


The freshman drama Chicago Fire lights NBC’s fire, and as such has earned a full-season order.The ensemble series, fronted by Jesse Spencer, Taylor Kinney and Eamonn Walker, got off to a lukewarm start with its launch on Oct. 10, placing third in the 10 o’clock hour with just 6.4 million total viewers and a 1.9 demo rating. Even so, NBC showed faith by ordering five additional scripts in late October.


Fresh off re-election, Vice President Joe Biden will appear on the NBC sitcom "Parks and Recreation" next week. The vice president's office said Biden taped a cameo appearance back in July. He said Thursday on Twitter that "my whole family loves the show, and I had a great time doing it."


Adam Lambert will host this year’s VH1 Divas special, airing Dec. 16. Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Ciara, Kelly Rowland and Jordin Sparks will take the stage at the event.


Once Upon a Time‘s Pinocchio has found a new gig. Eion Bailey, who plays the fairytale character/August on the ABC series, has landed the male lead iTNT’s drama pilot Trooper. The project, from producer Jerry Bruckheimer (CSI), stars Mira Sorvino as a recently divorced state trooper who is as unconventional at work as she is at home raising her three kids. Bailey will play her partner on the job, a widowed dad with a much more by-the-book approach to policing.

Meagen Fay (Malcolm in the Middle) has been tapped to play Bernadette’s mom in an upcoming episode of The Big Bang Theory.