TV, film and stage actor Lou Myers, best known for playing Mr. Gaines on the sitcom A Different World in the '80s and early '90s, has died at 77. Myers passed away at the Charleston Area Medical Center in his native state of West Virginia after battling pneumonia for several months. Myers was born in Chesapeake, W.V., the son of a Cabin Creek coal miner. After attending West Virginia State University, he got his first acting break as an understudy in the Broadway play The First Breeze of Summer. He went on to appear in more than a dozen films, including How Stella Got Her Groove Back and The Wedding Planner. On television, he had roles on ER, JAG and NYPD Blue, but is best remembered for playing Vernon Gaines on A Different World, which was a spin-off from The Cosby Show. On Broadway, Myers appeared in productions including Oprah Winfrey's The Color Purple and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. He won an NAACP Image Award for his portrayal of the Stool Pigeon in the play King Hedley II. An accomplished piano player, Myers also sang jazz and blues with the touring company of Negro Music in Vogue. He is survived by his mother, Dorothy Jeffries, 95, a son, Melvin Myers, and two grandsons, Brayden and Christian,

Nike suspends contract with Oscar Pistorius

Sportswear company Nike has suspended its contract with double-amputee Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius, who is accused of the premeditated murder of model Reeva Steenkamp. "Nike has suspended its contract with Oscar Pistorius. We believe Oscar Pistorius should be afforded due process and we will continue to monitor the situation closely," the company said in a brief statement posted on its website Wednesday. Another of the runner's major sponsorships, eyewear maker Oakley, suspended its contract with Pistorius on Monday. Nike has sponsored Pistorius since 2007. Pistorius, dubbed "Blade Runner" because he competes while wearing carbon fiber racing blades, is in the midst of a bail hearing in the murder case. Pistorius maintains he fired into his locked bathroom in a panic over a possible prowler. However, prosecutors say the 26-year-old put on his artificial legs and stalked Steenkamp to the bathroom to kill her.
 She doesn’t have kids on her show, but Maya Rudolph‘s offscreen role as mom continues to expand. The Up All Night actress and director Paul Thomas Anderson, have informed NBC that she is pregnant with their fourth child. Although the writers had originally planned to work the pregnancy into her character’s storyline, recent events — including star Christina Applegate leaving the show — has put everything at a standstill. Rudolph, 40, and Anderson, 42, are already parents to daughters Pearl, 7, and Lucille, 3, and son Jack, 19 months.

Shia LaBeouf Drops Out of Broadway Play Due to 'Creative Differences'

Shia LaBeouf will not be bowing on the Great White Way this spring. The actor, who was scheduled to make his Broadway debut in a revival of the play Orphans alongside Alec Baldwin, has dropped out due to "creative differences" producers say in a statement. A source confirms the actor's departure, saying, "He was really into it, but at the end of the day he and the director had very different visions of what his character was like. And, unfortunately, they couldn't resolve those differences." Another source close to the play echoes that the reason for LaBeouf's withdrawal "amounted to creative differences with the director and Shia." Producers decided to replace LaBeouf on Tuesday night, a week after rehearsals began, after the show's director, Daniel Sullivan, became concerned about "performance choices" the actor made in the role. Sullivan reportedly spoke to LaBeouf about his concerns, but things did not improve. But he hasn't exactly gone quietly. Several hours after news broke he was leaving Orphans, LaBeouf shared a series of apologetic emails via his official Twitter feed. On Wednesday he Tweeted, "Creative differences," alongside an excerpt of an apparent email he purportedly sent to the creative team and his costars. The Tweet and email exchange also includes a reply, purportedly from the play's director Daniel Sullivan, who writes, "I'm too old for disagreeable situations. ... Alec is who he is. You are who you are. You two are incompatible. I should have known it." A representative for Orphans confirmed the legitimacy of the emails. Later, in another email posted to Twitter, Baldwin and LaBeouf share mutual praise. "I don't have an unkind word to say about you," a man who signs his name AB, and is purported to be Alec Baldwin, writes in the email that LaBeouf posted. "You have my word." In reply, LaBeouf writes, "Same. Be well. Good luck on the play. You'l be great," and then signs the email "Shia."

Tyson sues firm over embezzlement

Mike Tyson sued a financial services firm owned by Live Nation Entertainment on Wednesday, claiming one of its advisers embezzled more than $300,000 from the former heavyweight champ and cost him millions more in lost earnings. The lawsuit claims that Live Nation and its company SFX Financial Advisory Management Enterprises haven't given the boxer and his wife, Lakiha, a full accounting of their losses. The company returned some of the embezzled money but wanted the Tysons to sign a nondisclosure agreement, which they refused, the suit states. The lawsuit seeks more than $5 million in damages for breach of fiduciary duty, negligent hiring, unjust enrichment and other claims. A spokeswoman for Live Nation Entertainment Inc. said the company had not been served with the lawsuit and could not comment on it. The lawsuit claims the embezzlement prevented the Tysons from emerging from bankruptcy, and forced them to hire new advisers and turn down lucrative contracts. The couple trusted Brian Ourand, their adviser at SFX, so much that he attended their wedding, the case states. Ourand, who could not be reached for comment, has since left SFX, according to the lawsuit. The filings claim his conduct has not been reported to regulators. ''Defendants did not secure, protect, safeguard and appropriately apply the Tysons' finances for their intended purposes,'' the case states, ''but instead misappropriated said funds for the benefit and enrichment of SFX/Live Nation.

Melanie Brown replaces Sharon Osbourne as 'America's Got Talent' judge

Former Spice Girls singer Melanie Brown has been unveiled as Sharon Osbourne's replacement as a judge on "America's Got Talent." Ozzy Osbourne's wife quit the TV competition, which also features comedian Howie Mandel and shock jock Howard Stern on the panel, last year following a disagreement with bosses at NBC, the U.S. network behind the show. Brown, who previously appeared on "Dancing with the Stars' and worked as a judge on the Australian version of  "The X Factor," has now signed up to take over Osbourne's chair.


Wesley Snipes Gets a Release Date
The official date of Wesley Snipes' release is 13 July 2013. He began his three-year prison sentence on 9 December 2010. Before his prison sentence, Snipes was an actor and martial artist best known for his roles in the Blade films.
 From marriage to baby carriage! Mario Lopez and his wife Courtney are expecting their second child in late summer, the newlyweds announced. “I am the happiest father in the world. We cannot wait to welcome baby Lopez number two into our lives,” the X Factor host, 39, said. Two-year-old daughter Gia Francesca broke the news in her own way, appearing onscreen with a shirt reading, “Big Sister Gia.”

Ja Rule In Jail: Rapper Set To Leave New York Prison In Gun Case

Platinum-selling rapper Ja Rule left an upstate New York prison Thursday morning after serving most of his two-year sentence for illegal gun possession and headed straight into federal custody in a tax case. U.S. Marshals escorted the 36-year-old musician out of Mid-State Correctional Facility at 9:30 a.m., but it wasn't immediately clear where he'll serve time in the tax case. The rapper, who had been in protective custody because of his celebrity, has some time remaining on a 28-month sentence for tax evasion. Ja Rule, whose real name is Jeffrey Atkins, may have less than six months left and may be eligible for a halfway house, defense attorney Stacey Richman said. An order to pay $1.1 million in back taxes is one of the main reasons he wants to get back to work, she said.

Lil Mama, Keke Palmer & Drew Sidora To Star As Girl Group TLC In Biopic For VH1

VH1 has announced the actors set to play R&B/hip-hop group TLC in the upcoming biopic for the network - "Crazy, Sexy, Cool: The TLC Story." "Akeelah and the Bee" actress Keke Palmer will play Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas. "Step Up" star Drew Sidora will play Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins. Lil Mama, best known for her stint as a judge on "America's Best Dance Crew," will play Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes. Chilli and T-Boz will act as consultants and executive producers of the TV movie. "With this cast, we are thrilled with the talent assembled both in front of and behind the cameras," Jeff Olde, Executive Vice President for Original Programming and Production for VH1, said in a statement. "TLC are truly music pioneers and this movie is a fantastic way to expand our scripted push by combining our audience's passion for music with their love of story. We know our viewers will be eager to go beyond the headlines and into the surprisingly personal, never before told stories of these groundbreaking women.""Drumline's" Charles Stone III will direct the project.