Patty Andrews, the last surviving member of the singing Andrews Sisters trio whose hits such as the rollicking "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B" and the poignant "I Can Dream, Can't I?" captured the home-front spirit of World War II, died Wednesday. She was 94. Andrews died of natural causes at her home in the Los Angeles suburb of Northridge, said family spokesman Alan Eichler in a statement. Patty was the Andrews in the middle, the lead singer and chief clown, whose raucous jitterbugging delighted American servicemen abroad and audiences at home. From the late 1930s through the 1940s, the Andrews Sisters produced one hit record after another, beginning with "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen" in 1937 and continuing with "Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar," ''Rum and Coca-Cola" and more. They recorded more than 400 songs and sold over 80 million records, several of them gold (over a million copies). Other sisters, notably the Boswells, had become famous as singing acts, but mostly they huddled before a microphone in close harmony. The Andrews Sisters — LaVerne, Maxene and Patty — added a new dimension. During breaks in their singing, they cavorted about the stage in rhythm to the music. The Andrews' popularity led to a contract with Universal Pictures, where they made a dozen low-budget musical comedies between 1940 and 1944. In 1947, they appeared in "The Road to Rio" with Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour. In 1947, Patty married Martin Melcher, an agent who represented the sisters as well as Doris Day, then at the beginning of her film career. Patty divorced Melcher in 1949 and soon he became Day's husband, manager and producer. Patty married Walter Weschler, pianist for the sisters, in 1952. He became their manager and demanded more pay for himself and for Patty. The two other sisters rebelled, and their differences with Patty became public. Lawsuits were filed between the two camps. The trio continued until LaVerne's death in 1967. By that time the close harmony had turned to discord, and the sisters had been openly feuding. Patty continued as a single, finding success in Las Vegas and on TV variety shows. Her sister also toured as a single until her death in 1995. 
Legendary porn star Ron Jeremy is in critical condition in a Los Angeles hospital after suffering a heart aneurysm. The adult film actor admitted himself into Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Jan. 29, complaining of severe chest pains. His condition worsened overnight and he has since been receiving treatment in the intensive care unit. Jeremy's manager, Mike Esterman, says the 59 year old will undergo emergency surgery.
Whitney Houston's brother tells Oprah he introduced the singer to drugs
Whitney Houston's brother, Michael, says he feels responsible for the superstar's death because he introduced her to drugs. During an interview on "Oprah's Next Chapter," which aired Monday, he said, "I think probably the first time she ever did it (cocaine), it was with me. But you have to understand during the '80s, it was acceptable to the entertainment world. It was available. It wasn't a bad word ... (like it is) now. We just didn't know. ... We were traveling, we were on the road, we were young -- late 20s -- had money. We just got caught up. And it's been a battle ever since. ... It's painful. I feel responsible for (her drug problems), that I let it go so far. ... I taught her to drive. We played together ... and then when you get into drugs, you do that together too. It just got out of hand. Drugs are rough." Michael says he will never forgive himself for setting a bad example for his little sister: "(It's) something I'll live with for the rest of my life." Michael also reveals that Whitney told him he shouldn't accept the blame for her problems, adding, "She always told me, 'I'll never let anyone make you feel bad or responsible for what I do. I'm a grown woman.'" Previously, the singer's addictions have been blamed on her troubled ex-husband, Bobby Brown. Houston died by drowning last February due to heart disease and the effects of cocaine use.
Seahawks LB Leroy Hill arrested
Seattle Seahawks linebacker Leroy Hill was arrested after police say he assaulted his girlfriend and kept her in his home against her will. Hill was arrested on investigation of unlawful imprisonment-domestic violence and third-degree assault-domestic violence. Both charges are felonies in Washington state. It's at least the fourth time Hill, 30, has been arrested and the second time he's been accused of domestic violence. Police said they responded to Hill's home around 4 p.m. Tuesday. A 26-year-old said she had been assaulted several times and was kept in Hill's home against her will. The women told police that Hill blocked the doorway and took her cellphone. She was able to escape the home when Hill used the bathroom, police said. She was treated at a hospital and released. A Seahawks spokesman said the team is aware of the situation. Hill played last season on a one-year contract with the Seahawks. He played in 13 games, starting 12, and recorded 47 tackles and 1 1/2 sacks. Hill is one of two players still on the Seahawks roster from their lone Super Bowl appearance when they lost to Pittsburgh. He's played all eight NFL seasons with the Seahawks and has started 89 of 97 games in his Seattle career. Hill is scheduled to become a free agent this offseason. For much of his career, off-field problems have followed Hill. He was arrested less than a year ago for marijuana possession in Atlanta, but the charge was later dismissed. His first arrest came in 2009 in Georgia for marijuana possession where he was sentenced to 12 months of probation. Then in April 2010, Hill was arrested by Issaquah police on a fourth-degree assault-domestic violence charge. Hill avoided trial on that charge after agreeing to a stipulated order of continuance that required him to avoid legal troubles for 18 months and complete a one-year, state-certified domestic violence treatment program. Issaquah prosecutor Lynn Moberly said Wednesday that Hill's previous domestic violence case had closed and the latest arrest has no influence on his previous deal. Hill was suspended by the NFL for two games during the 2010 season.Lewis 'agitated,' not angry over story
Smiling, even laughing, at questions about a report linking him to a company that purports to make performance-enhancers, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis said Wednesday he ''never, ever took'' the stuff. Lewis described himself as ''agitated,'' not angry, that the story has become part of the Super Bowl-week prelude to Baltimore's game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. He added that he's certain his teammates won't be distracted by the report in Sports Illustrated. The magazine said Lewis sought help from a company that says its deer-antler spray and pills contain a banned product connected to human growth hormone. The 37-year-old Lewis is the leading tackler in the NFL postseason after returning from a torn right triceps that sidelined him for 10 games. In a private conversation with Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, and later in the public setting of a news conference, Lewis distanced himself from Sports With Alternatives To Steroids (SWATS). SI reported that company owner Mitch Ross recorded a call with Lewis hours after the player hurt his arm in an October game against Dallas. According to the report, Lewis asked Ross to send him deer-antler spray and pills, along with other items made by the company. ''It's so funny of a story because I never, ever took what he says or whatever I was supposed to do. And it's just sad once again that someone can have this much attention on a stage this big, where the dreams are really real,'' Lewis said Wednesday, wearing his white No. 52 Ravens jersey, gray sweat pants and a black hat with the team's purple logo. ''I don't need it. My teammates don't need it. The 49ers don't need it. Nobody needs it.'' In an emailed statement, Ross said: ''It is the view of SWATS and Mitch Ross that the timing of information was unfortunate and misleading and was in no way intended to harm any athlete. We have always been about aiding athletes to heal faster and participate at an optimum level of play in a lawful and healthy manner. We never encourage the use of harmful supplements and/or dangerous drugs.'' Baltimore's Bobbie Williams says the team wants to stay away from anything that has to do with the controversy. The guard says ''Ray is an awesome guy and we're here to play football. We don't even want to give that any merit.'' Harbaugh didn't think his players would be bothered a bit by the subject this week, dismissively waving his left hand while saying: ''As a football team, it's not even a factor for us.''
Vijay Singh has admitted he used deer-antler spray, saying he wasn't aware that it may contain a substance banned by the U.S. PGA Tour. The 49-year-old Fijian first revealed he used the spray in an interview with Sports Illustrated. The magazine said Singh paid one of Sports With Alternatives To Steroids' owners $9,000 last November for the spray, hologram chips and other products. The magazine also reported Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis sought help from SWATS in his recovery from a torn right triceps. The company says its deer-antler substance contains a banned performance-enhancer connected to human growth hormone. Singh released a statement on Wednesday at the Phoenix Open. ''While I have used deer-antler spray, at no time was I aware that it may contain a substance that is banned under the PGA Tour Anti-Doping Policy,'' Singh said in the statement. ''In fact, when I first received the product, I reviewed the list of ingredients and did not see any prohibited substances. I am absolutely shocked that deer-antler spray may contain a banned substance and am angry that I have put myself in this position. I have been in contact with the PGA Tour and am cooperating fully with their review of this matter. I will not be commenting further at this time.'' Tour spokesman Ty Votaw said it was ''looking into the matter.'' ''It's sad that people live and die by their sport and they have to, I guess, cheat and go around it and try to better themselves with deer-antler spray. I'm not just going to take something and ask questions later. I'm not going to take deer antler-spray and find out what it is later. ... I think we should check them for mental problems if they're taking deer-antler spray. That's kind of weird.'' Singh won the last of his 34 tour titles in 2008. The three-time major champion also has 22 international victories. Early in his career, he was suspended from the Asian Tour for two years for altering his scorecard during a tournament in Indonesia.
Nicole Kidman gets a warm welcome from hubby Keith Urban – and a helping hand from buddy Russell Crowe – after touching down in Sydney, Australia, on Wednesday with daughters Sunday, 4½, and Faith, 2, in tow.
ABC denies Diane Sawyer's possible retirement
ABC is setting the record straight about Diane Sawyer's future after it was reported that the star newswoman was considering retirement as early as this year. "That is not true," Jeffrey Schneider, SVP of ABC News, said in a statement. In its report, the Daily News quoted "a source close to Sawyer" as saying that the 67-year-old ABC World News anchor had "discussed with a few close friends and some people at ABC that she is seriously considering retiring," possibly sometime in 2013. The report added that while Sawyer "loves work and what she does and has endless energy," she also had been "overwhelmed with personal problems, and was thinking about leaving to take care of her family."
The actor best known for playing the TV character Gomer Pyle in the 1960s has married his male partner of 38 years. Jim Nabors and his partner, Stan Cadwallader, traveled from their Honolulu home to Seattle to be married Jan. 15. Gay marriage became legal in Washington state last month. The 82-year-old Nabors says you've got to solidify something when you've been together as long as they have. The couple met in 1975 when Cadwallader was a Honolulu firefighter. Cadwallader is 64. Nabors says he's been open about his homosexuality to co-workers and friends, but never acknowledged it to the media before.
TV NEWS
"How I Met Your Mother" will be back for a ninth and final season that will reveal -- finally -- who the mother is. CBS and 20th Century Fox Television announced Wednesday that the series would be back for one final go-round with series regulars Josh Radnor, Jason Segel, Cobie Smulders, Neil Patrick Harris and Alyson Hannigan, as well as series creators Carter Bays and Craig Thomas.
NBC announced that Django Unchained star Christoph Waltz will host SNL for the first time on Feb. 16. Though the Best Supporting Actor winner (and current nominee) has never appeared on NBC’s sketch series before, he has shown off his comedic timing on talk shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live! — as well as in his signature menacing-yet-hilarious roles in Quentin Tarantino’s Django and Inglourious Basterds.
Once Upon a Time is welcoming back a face from the past. Jamie Dornan, who played the Sheriff/Huntsman, is headed back to Storybrooke. Dornan’s non-fairytale character Sheriff Graham was killed off in Season 1, but the Huntsman (as the show’s creators have repeatedly reminded us) could still appear in flashbacks.
Katie Couric's daytime career looks secure: Her show "Katie" has been renewed for a second season. "'Katie' is the number one new syndicated talk show of the 2012-2013 season and we are thrilled to announce a green light for season two," said Janice Marinelli, president of Disney-ABC Domestic Television. "Hosting, producing and launching a show from scratch has been challenging but very rewarding," said Couric. The series has led other freshman and sophomore daytime talk shows since its premiere in September. Couric recently scored a coup with the first on-camera interview with Manti Te' o after the college football star addressed the faked death of a fake Internet girlfriend.
Ashley Judd and Dario Franchitti are splitting after more than a decade of marriage. "We have mutually decided to end our marriage. We'll always be family and continue to cherish our relationship based on the special love, integrity, and respect we have always enjoyed," Judd, 44, and Franchitti, 39, say in a statement. After being engaged for about two years, the Missing star and the racecar driver tied the knot in a highly private ceremony in Scotland in 2001. Judd's sister, Wynonna Judd, served as maid of honor, while the groom's brother Mario was the best man. 
The former “Little House on the Prairie” star is set to wed “thirtysomething” star Timothy Busfield, a rep for the actress confirmed. Melissa was previously married to actors Bruce Boxleitner, and before that Bo Brinkman. Timothy was previously married to Jenny Merwin, and actress Radha Delamarter.
Deion Sanders was a two-sport athlete. Now his daughter is making a name for herself by playing a sports league named after a two-piece bathing suit. Deiondra Sanders, daughter of the Hall of Fame football player, has agreed to play in the upstart Bikini Basketball League this season. Featuring several former professional basketball players including some who have played in the WNBA and overseas, the league is a bit of a misnomer as the players wear shorts and sports bras and not actual bathing suits.Still, it amounts to a little more material than Deion’s famous bandanna he’d wear on his head on game day. And even though Deiondra's father was known for his flamboyant personality including gold chains and exuberant touchdown dances, his daughter's signing with the league didn’t originally sit well with dear old dad. “My dad was kind of upset, but that’s like any parent who just sees bikini league,” Deiondra told Jeff Sammut of 590 The Fan in Toronto. “He thought I was gonna be out there in a bikini. He [saw] a picture of our uniform and stuff like that, so I think once he saw that we’re actually covered up a little bit, he wasn’t as concerned.” Deiondra hopes that playing in the league will put her in prime-time position for her career and for being a “positive voice.” She will play for the Atlanta Peaches. This isn't the first time that Deiondra has been in the headlines. She went on a well-publicized Twitter rant against her stepmother in 2011 and a very public breakup with Quincy Miller of the Denver Nuggets in 2012.
World, meet girl. Rowan Blanchard, an 11-year-old actress, has been cast in the crucial central role – that of Cory and Topanga's daughter Riley Matthews – in Girl Meets World, the Disney Channel update of '90s show Boy Meets World.
When Elijah Joseph Daniel Furnish-John arrived in Los Angeles on Jan. 11 — two days after his due date — dads Elton John and David Furnish were in the delivery room just as they were when Elijah’s big brother Zachary Jackson Levon was born to the same surrogate two years ago.“We tried to create a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere,” John, 65, says. “We were excited at the prospect of Elijah’s birth as we were at the prospect of Zachary’s — but much less nervous.”Adds Furnish, 50: “I would say we feel more secure in our parenting skills now — it’s far less scary than the first time ’round!”When the couple, who entered into a civil partnership more than eight years ago, decided just before Zachary’s first birthday in December 2011 to expand their family, they knew they wanted to use the same surrogate.“She is a wonderful, kind and loving woman,” says John, who thinks of her as “part of our family.”