Patti Page, one of the most successful pop stars of the '50s – famed for hits such as "Tennessee Waltz" and "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?" – died in Encinitas, Calif.  She was 85. Seacrest VIllage Retirement Communities, where she lived, confirmed her death on Wednesday. Page's songs sold millions – "Tennessee Waltz" spent months atop the pop, country and R&B charts and sold a total of 10 million copies. Among her other notable musical accomplishments: she recorded the theme to Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte, the 1964 thriller starring Bette Davis, which was nominated for an Oscar. In 1965, Page performed the song on the Academy Awards telecast. In 1999, she won a Grammy, her first and only one, for Live at Carnegie Hall, an album she recorded in 1997 celebrating 50 years in the music business. Page was married twice, first to Charles O'Curran, a choreographer, in 1956. They divorced in 1972. She married Jerry Filiciotto, a retired aerospace engineer, in 1990. Together, they co-founded a company that marketed maple syrup products. He died in 2009. Page is survived by her son, Danny O'Curran; her daughter Kathleen Ginn; and some grandchildren.

  Did Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie mark the birth of the baby Jesus by secretly getting hitched on his big day? So claims the London Telegraph, which has sent the rumor mill into overdrive with speculation that the hugely anticipated wedding might have happened on Christmas Day during a family-oriented Caribbean getaway. According to the paper, the A-list amours spent the holiday at Donna Karan's private and palatial Parrot Cay estate on the Turks and Caicos Islands. The fashion designer wasn't in residence, but Brad, 49, and Angelina, 37, were reportedly joined at the so-called "cocoon of serenity" by their brood of six, along with the actor's parents and siblings.  Reps for the Jolie-Pitts have yet to comment on the nuptial nattering, which in all likelihood will turn out to be like every other "I do" rumor (i.e., not true).  After seven years of tabloid-topping togetherness, the couple announced their engagement in April 2012, and in late November, Brad hinted to People that the aisle-walk was drawing closer: "The time is nigh. It's soon. I got a good feeling about it."  When asked what kind of ceremony he'd like to have, he explained, "Just family. Keep it simple. Keep it simple -- really."

 

Al Jazeera taking over Current TV

Long-struggling news network Current TV has been acquired by Al Jazeera, the massive Middle East news corporation which has variously earned praise and attracted controversy for its coverage. Al Jazeera plans to create a completely new channel — tentatively called Al Jazeera America — which will feature 60 percent original programming. (The rest will be provided by Al Jazeera’s English-language channel, headquartered in Qatar.)  The acquisition marks the end of the Current TV experiment — the network was founded in 2005 and appeared poised for a major leap in viewership after it hired Keith Olbermann in 2011, but that plan backfired. Al Jazeera remains controversial in the U.S., but has attracted considerable accolades, especially in its coverage of the Arab Spring. The new channel is currently slated to officially launch in 2013. Current TV has released an official statement from Al Gore, the channel’s co-founder and chairman: “We are proud and pleased that Al Jazeera, the award-winning
international news organization, has bought Current TV. Since its founding in 2005, Current has grown into a national network available in nearly
60 million homes, offering thought-provoking commentary and Emmy and Peabody award-winning programming. Current
Media was built based on a few key goals: to give voice to those who are not typically heard; to speak truth to power; to provide independent and diverse points of view; and to tell the stories that no
one else is telling. Al Jazeera, like Current, believes that facts and truth lead to a better understanding of the world around us.”
 The state of the Secretary of State has improved. Hillary Rodham Clinton was discharged from New York Presbyterian/Columbia Hospital in Manhattan on Wednesday after checking in on Sunday for treatment of a blood clot in a vein in her head. News photos showed the secretary, 65, leaving the facility with her husband, former President Bill Clinton, and daughter Chelsea. It is reported that she is now resting at the Clinton home in Chappaqua, N.Y. "Her medical team advised her that she is making good progress on all fronts, and they are confident she will make a full recovery," Philippe Reines, a senior adviser to the secretary, said in a statement. On Wednesday, Chelsea Clinton Tweeted, "Thank you to the doctors, nurses & staff at NewYork Presbyterian Hospital Columbia University Medical Center for taking great care of my Mom."  The blood clot was found in the space between her brain and skull behind the right ear during an exam related to a concussion Clinton sustained during a fall earlier last month in her Washington, D.C., home. The series of health setbacks prevented Clinton from appearing at a Congress probe about the State Department's handling of the fatal attack on an American mission in Libya or attending President Obama's announcement that Senator John Kerry is his pick to serve as her successor when she soon steps down from her cabinet post.

Ravens' Lewis to retire after playoffs

Ray Lewis spent 17 seasons deftly patrolling the middle of the football field and serving as an inspirational leader for the Baltimore Ravens. Now he's poised and eager to become a full-time dad. Lewis announced Wednesday that he will end his brilliant NFL career after the Ravens complete their 2013 playoff run. Lewis has been sidelined since Oct. 14 with a torn right triceps. The 13-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker intends to return Sunday to face the Indianapolis Colts in what will almost certainly be his final home game. ''Everything that starts has an end,'' Lewis said. ''For me, today, I told my team that this will be my last ride.'' Lewis will walk away from the game because he wants to spend more time with his sons. While working to return from his injury, Lewis watched two of his boys play on the same high school football team. He intends to see Ray Lewis III perform as a freshman next year for the University of Miami, where the elder Lewis starred before the Ravens selected him in the first round of the 1996 NFL draft. ''God is calling,'' the 37-year-old Lewis said. ''My children have made the ultimate sacrifice for their father for 17 years. I don't want to see them do that no more. I've done what I wanted to do in this business, and now it's my turn to give them something back.'' That's why Lewis will pull off his No. 52 uniform for the last time after the Ravens lose or claim their second Super Bowl title. ''It's either (that or) hold onto the game and keep playing and let my kids miss out on times we can be spending together,'' Lewis said. ''Because I always promised my son if he got a full ride on scholarship Daddy is going to be there. I can't miss that.'' Lewis was the AP Defensive Player of the Year in 2000, when Baltimore won the Super Bowl title, and in 2003. ''I never played the game for individual stats. I only played the game to make my team a better team,'' he said. Lewis could have made the announcement during the offseason, but thought it best to do it now. ''I think my fans, my city, I think they deserved for me to just not walk away,'' he said. ''We all get to enjoy what Sunday will feel like, knowing that this will be the last time 52 plays in a uniform in Ravens stadium.''
 Brandy and her music executive beau Ryan Press are engaged. The R&B singer, 33, and former competitor on Dancing with the Stars, went public with their romance last New Year's Eve, cuddling at a Las Vegas party.

 Bradley Cooper and Zoe Saldana have broken up again. Bradley is currently promoting 'Silver Linings Playbook' as well as shooting a commercial while Zoe has been filming 'Star Trek' and 'Blood Ties'. They got too busy for love, apparently.  “Zoe had planned to spend the holidays with Bradley and his family in Europe. They were all going to Paris, but things didn’t work out between them. Zoe spent New Year’s Eve with friends in Miami.”

 

Son of Clippers owner found dead
The son of Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was found dead of an apparent drug overdose at his Malibu home. The body of 32-year-old Scott Ashley Sterling was found shortly after 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, Los Angeles County coroner's Lt. Larry Dietz said. The 77-year-old Donald Sterling, a billionaire real estate mogul who purchased the team in 1981, and wife Shelley released a statement thanking friends for sympathy, asking for privacy and saying their son was diabetic, but did not indicate what role, if any, that may have played in his death. ''Our son Scott has fought a long and valiant battle against Type 1 Diabetes,'' the statement said. ''His death is a terrible tragedy, the effects of which will be felt forever by our family and all those who knew and loved him.'' The death cast a pall on what has been a joyous season for the Clippers, normally an NBA doormat but now among the league's best teams. The team is in first place in its division and had a franchise-record 17-game winning streak that was snapped Tuesday night. NBA Commissioner David Stern also expressed sympathies to the Sterlings. ''On behalf of the NBA family, we extend our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to Donald and Shelly Sterling on the loss of their son, Scott,'' Stern said.  In 1999, the then-19-year-old Sterling was arrested for shooting his friend with a shotgun. Beverly Hills police said Philip Scheid was shot in the legs during an argument at Donald Sterling's mansion. Scheid said he was shot from behind while running away. Sterling said he fired in self-defense after Scheid approached him with a knife. The county district attorney's office declined to file criminal charges, citing credibility problems with the victim. The death at a beachfront apartment building on Pacific Coast Highway was discovered after a friend of Scott Sterling called police after not hearing from him for several days, according to a statement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Deputies found the body and paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. ''Sheriff's homicide and Los Angeles County coroner's personnel at this time believe that Sterling died of an apparent drug overdose,'' the statement said. Dietz said the death appeared to be accidental, but an autopsy was planned to determine the exact cause of death.
  Len Goodman of Dancing with the Stars tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend Sue Barrett on Sunday in London. The couple exchanged vows during a surprise ceremony in front of 30 family members and friends. Goodman, 68, and Barrett, 47, have been together for more than 10 years. This is Goodman's third marriage.
 It was certainly a big year for Amar’e Stoudemire and wife Alexis, but 2013 may just prove to be their slam dunk. The couple, who were engaged in Paris in June and tied the knot on Dec. 12 (12-12-12) on their N.Y.C. apartment roof deck, reveal that they’re expecting their fourth child together late this spring. “We’re blessed that we were able to extend our family,” the New York Knicks forward, 30, says. “We’re both huge on having a nice size family. It was something we’ve been talking about for a while. It happened naturally and at the right time so it all worked out.” The duo, who already have three children together — Ar’e, 7, Amar’e Jr., 6, and Assata, 4 — say everyone is thrilled for the impending arrival.

Justin Bieber calls for tough laws after paparazzo death

The 29-year-old photographer had just snapped shots of Justin Bieber’s exotic white Ferrari when he was struck and killed by a passing car – a death that has spurred renewed debate over dangers paparazzi can bring on themselves and the celebrities they chase. The accident prompted some stars including the teen heartthrob himself on Wednesday to renew their calls for tougher laws to rein in their pursuers, though previous urgings have been stymied by First Amendment protections. In a statement, Bieber said his prayers were with the photographer’s family. Ironically, the singer wasn’t even in the Ferrari on Tuesday. “Hopefully this tragedy will finally inspire meaningful legislation and whatever other necessary steps to protect the lives and safety of celebrities, police officers, innocent public bystanders, and the photographers themselves,” Bieber said in the statement released by Island Def Jam Music Group.  Authorities have withheld the name of the photographer, killed after being hit by a Toyota Highlander, pending notification of relatives. Much of Hollywood was abuzz about the death, including Miley Cyrus, who sent several tweets critical of some of the actions of paparazzi and lamenting that the unfortunate accident was “bound to happen.” “Hope this paparazzi/JB accident brings on some changes in `13,” Cyrus said on her Twitter page. “Paparazzi are dangerous! Wasn’t Princess Di enough of a wake-up call?!” Paparazzi roaming the streets of Southern California have been commonplace for more than a decade as the shutterbugs looked to land exclusive shots that can fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars. Industry veterans recalled incidents where paparazzi chasing celebrities have been injured, but they couldn’t remember a photographer being killed while working.
“Here in the state of California, I’m surprised this hasn’t happened before,” said Giles Harrison, a celebrity photographer and owner of London Entertainment Group. Harrison is familiar with the backlash against paparazzi. He and another photographer were convicted of misdemeanor false imprisonment and sentenced to jail for boxing in Arnold Schwarzenegger and his family as they sat in their Hummer in 1998. Citing that incident and the death of Princess Diana, the state Legislature passed its first anti-paparazzi measure a year later. It created hefty civil penalties that could be paid to stars whose privacy was invaded. Six months ago, a paparazzo was charged with reckless driving in a high-speed pursuit of Bieber and with violating a separate, 2010 state law that toughened punishment for those who drive dangerously in pursuit of photos for commercial gain. However, a judge last month dismissed the paparazzi law charges, saying the law was overly broad. The judge cited problems with the statute, saying it was aimed at newsgathering activities protected by the First Amendment, and lawmakers should have increased penalties for reckless driving rather than target those who photograph celebrities.  The law was prompted by the experiences of Jennifer Aniston, who provided details to a lawmaker about being unable to drive away after she was surrounded by paparazzi on Pacific Coast Highway.
 Tim Tebow's NFL season is over, and he's still taking jabs.  In a photo posted on Twitter by New York native Scott Hochenburg, Tebow takes a seat on the bench in a display at a Dick's Sporting Goods store at Palisades Mall in West Nyack, N.Y.  The Tebow mannequin, No. 15, is seen sitting on the bench next to Mark Sanchez (No. 6) in a display of New York Jets and New York Giants players. It never worked out for Tebow in New York, who failed to beat out Sanchez for the starting QB job and was hardly ever used all season. The Jets failed to make the former Heisman Trophy winner useful outside of occasional wildcat plays. It doesn't look like Tebow's mannequin is going anywhere anytime soon. The real Tebow will have a shot at redemption in 2013 when he hopefully signs with a new team.