Former child actor, Gary Coleman dies of Brain Hemorrhage

Diminutive former child actor Gary Coleman, known to millions as the star of hit sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, died Friday after suffering a brain hemorrhage, U.S. media reported.

 

Coleman, 42, had been on life support after being hospitalized at the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center on Wednesday, according to a family statement.

People magazine reported on its website that coma-stricken Coleman died shortly after midday after being taken off life support.

"Family members and close friends were at his side when life support was terminated," People quoted a statement as saying.

"Family members express their appreciation and gratitude for the support and prayers that have been expressed for Gary and for them."

Coleman achieved huge fame through his role as Arnold Jackson in hit show Diff'rent Strokes, which ran for eight years from 1978 to 1986.

He was best known for his character's catchphrase -- "What'choo talkin' 'bout Willis?"

Despite the show's success, Coleman remained mired in financial difficulties, and was unable to emulate the success of his childhood acting career as an adult.

Coleman had regularly hit the headlines in recent years because of his stormy marital life. Both Coleman and wife Shannon Price had been detained on separate incidents of domestic violence since their 2006 marriage.

Coleman's family issued a statement earlier Friday.

In recent years Coleman had health and personal difficulties, the statement said. "At times, it may not have been apparent, but he always has had fond memories of being an entertainer and appreciates his fans for all their support over the years."

Source: Vancouversun

Former child actor, Gary Coleman dies of Brain Hemorrhage

George Clooney to play assassin?

The Oscar-winning actor is still riding high from the hyped Jason Reitman film, Up in the Air, released this past winter. The movie earned Clooney his fifth Academy Award nomination, further cementing his elite status in Hollywood. Audiences rarely see the 49-year-old actor completely flop, at least not in the past decade. 

Clooney's work continues to resonate in classic heist films, animation, pure drama, and of course, the usual crime thriller that doubles as a humorous tale such as Burn After Reading. Most times, Clooney is the film's protagonist, moving through the plot as the lovable character we tend to cheer. 

His newest film, The American, features a different side of Clooney that will either sink or swim with audiences and critics. The movie is directed by Anton Corbijn, and will be released in September. Corbijn's filmography includes mostly music videos and independent features, so his newest work with Clooney will easily be his most mainstream project. 

The screenplay is written by Rowan Joffe, who penned the horror sequel, 28 Weeks Later. The film is based on the novel, A Very Private Gentleman, by Martin Booth. Thekla Reuten and Bruce Altman co-star with Clooney. The plot focuses on one man's final job as an assassin (Clooney) working in Italy. His fateful work eventually flirts with temptation. 

The real question with the film is whether Clooney can pull off the assassin persona, considering his recent "good guy" roles a la Ocean's Eleven and Michael Clayton. I personally think anything's possible for an actor destined for a second Oscar victory in the very near future. Clooney is more daring than ever before in his young career, so I'm not completely stunned he's taking on this role. 

Source: Seattle PI

George Clooney to play assassin?

Lee DeWyze Won American Idol

 "This is amazing!" DeWyze said once host Ryan Seacrest announced his name. "Thank you guys so much for everything... I can't believe this... I'm so happy right now. I've never been happier in my life!"

The 24-year-old Mount Prospect, Ill. native bested fellow competitor Crystal Bowersox during Wednesday night's live finale. Choking back tears of joy, he ended the evening by singing his debut single, "Beautiful Day."


After being told he lacked confidence in his performance the previous night, DeWyze admitted to reporters it wasn't easy singing in front of 7,000 people.

"Throughout the season, the word 'confidence' has come up with me a lot. I think looking confident and being confident are two different things for me," he said. "If I wasn't confident, I wouldn't be able to do this."
Despite the criticism, he remained optimistic. "Thinking about winning... I'm lying to you if I said I'm not," he said. "But what can you do? You put everything out there and hope for the best."

And in the end, DeWyze's positive attitude and stage presence managed to impress the toughest of the four judges, Simon Cowell.

"If you'd of asked me [who should win] five or six weeks ago, 100 percent I would have said Crystal," Cowell told Ellen DeGeneres earlier in the week. "But now I've changed my mind... he's talented. He hasn't had any real breaks in life and this has given him a shot and I like that."

The night was also a milestone for Cowell, who is leaving Idol after eight years to become a producer and judge on the American version of The X Factor, set to debut in 2011.

"I didn't think I was going to be this emotional, but I genuinely am," Cowell said as he joined past Idol contestants onstage. "The show will go forward, it'll be different, but I just want to thank you for the support, the fun and... everyone, your sense of humor, thats what's been the best part."


Also on hand to bid the acid-tongued Brit farewell? Former Idol judge Paula Abdul, who left the singing competition in Aug. 2009 after a much-publicized stall in contract negotiations.

"I've worked with a lot of people over the years... but the truth is, none of them hold a candle to you, my friend," Abdul said. "I've loved all the fun we've had together. I love all the laughter we shared together. American Idol is not going to be the same without you, but as only I can tell you: it will go on."

Seven former Idol winners -- including Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood -- paid tribute to Cowell when they performed the song "Together We Are One." (Noticeably absent: season seven winner David Cook).

The two-hour finale also brought out a number of surprise collaborations from musicians such as Christina Aguilera, Alice Cooper, Janet Jackson, Alanis Morisette, Hall & Oates and others.

Source: OMG

Lee DeWyze Won American Idol

Court Ordered Lindsay Lohan To Wear Alcohol Monitoring Bracelet

BEVERLY HILLS, California (AP) - A judge on Monday ordered Lindsay Lohan to wear an alcohol-monitoring bracelet and refused to ease restrictions involving drug and alcohol testing so the actress can film a movie in Texas.

Lohan sported an ugly, alcohol-monitoring ankle bracelet that came with tough restrictions on her probation that could cut into her career plans.

The measures were ordered after Lohan angered Superior Court Judge Marsha Revel by failing to show up for a hearing last week in Beverly Hills and instead attended the Cannes Film Festival in France. Photos from Cannes showed the actress partying on a yacht into the late hours on the day she was supposed to be in court in Beverly Hills.

A bench warrant was issued for her arrest then lifted when her lawyer posted bail and Lohan flew back to the United States over the weekend.

Lohan's lawyer said the actress had her passport stolen in Canne and couldn't travel in time to attend the hearing. Lohan, wearing a dark gray pants suit, arrived in court a few minutes late and appeared somber and concerned when she conferred with her attorney about the move to attach the bracelet and require drug and alcohol testing every week in the Los Angeles area.

The bracelet gets a signal through the skin if a person has been drinking and sends the signal to the company that monitors it, court spokesman Allan Parachini said.

Lohan should be familiar with the alcohol detection device. She was seen wearing one when she left the Promises rehab center in Malibu in 2007. She posed for a promotional picture that year wearing a bikini, the ankle bracelet and spike heels. Lohan's attorney, Shawn Chapman Holley, told Judge Revel that Lohan was planning to travel to Texas to film a movie titled "Machete."

Revel suggested the actress might have to delay the project and was unmoved when Holley suggested Lohan could fulfill the probation requirements in Texas.
Revel stressed that she was prepared to spend a half-hour reading Lohan and Holley a list of her reasons for ordering the bracelet, drug tests and an alcohol-education program.
Holley conferred with Lohan then accepted the judge's decision.

Asked if she understood the orders, Lohan said quietly, "Yes, your honor." It was her only statement in court.
Holley noted that Lohan had missed one previous hearing after he uncle died. "Did she attend the funeral?" the judge asked coldly. Holley turned to Lohan, who sadly shook her head no.

Lohan, 23, did not address a throng of media outside the courthouse before joining Holley at the hearing. The actress rushed past the media on her way out, leaving in a waiting sport utility vehicle.

The actress has been on probation since August 2007 after pleading guilty to misdemeanor drug charges and no contest to three driving charges.

Revel set a probation violation hearing for July 6 to address Lohan's failure to appear in court last week for a scheduled progress report on the probation stemming from the two high-profile arrests.

Lohan, who gained fame in the movies, "Mean Girls" and "The Parent Trap," has provided the tabloid media with lots of fodder with her personal escapades.

She spent more than two hours after the hearing waiting for a bracelet to be placed on her ankle. Lohan must wear the bracelet until the July hearing, when the judge will decide if it will remain in place, Parachini said.
Lohan was to be arrested upon her return to Los Angeles for missing the mandatory hearing, but the judge recalled the warrant late Thursday after Lohan posted bail.

Holley said Lohan's passport was stolen and she had proof Lohan had an airplane ticket to return for that hearing.

Source: The Stars

Court Ordered Lindsay Lohan To Wear Alcohol Monitoring Bracelet

Brittany Murphy's husband, Simon Monjack, is found dead at home

LOS ANGELES - The husband of Brittany Murphy was found dead late Sunday at the Los Angeles home he shared with the late actress, police said.

The preliminary cause of British screenwriter Simon Monjack's death is natural causes, police spokesman Sgt. Louie Lozano said. Another spokesman, Sgt. Alex Ortiz, said there were no signs of foul play or any criminal activity.

Murphy died after collapsing in her Hollywood Hills home on Dec. 20.
Firefighters responding to an emergency call from a woman at 9:40 p.m. found the 39-year-old Monjack dead at the Hollywood Hills residence, Lozano said. Ortiz said he didn't know who called. Monjack and Murphy had shared their home with Murphy's mother, Sharon.

Ortiz said that the Los Angeles Coroner's Office was taking over the investigation because criminal activity had been ruled out, and would provide more details later on the death and circumstances surrounding it.

At his wife's funeral in December, a visibly emotional Monjack talked about their relationship and called her his best friend and soul mate. The two married in 2007. He had said that they had been planning a family and contemplating a move to New York.

Monjack is credited as producer and co-writer of the 2001 film "Two Days, Nine Lives" and executive producer of the 2006 "Factory Girl."

Murphy, best known for her major roles in "Clueless," "Girl Interrupted," and "8 Mile" in 2002, died at age 32. The Los Angeles County coroner's office concluded Murphy's death was accidental, but likely preventable.

The coroner's report said that the medications found in her system were consistent with treatment of a cold or respiratory infection. Monjack and Murphy's mother had reported the actress was ill with flulike symptoms in the days before her death.

An autopsy found no evidence that Murphy abused drugs. Investigators had found numerous prescription medications in her home.

Source: OMG!

Brittany Murphy's husband, Simon Monjack, is found dead at home

Lindsay Lohan back for court showdown on Monday

LOS ANGELES - Lindsay Lohan returned to Los Angeles from France on Saturday night, two days after missing a probation hearing that caused a judge to briefly issue a warrant for her arrest.


Wearing dark hat and sunglasses, Lohan, 23, flew into Los Angeles and gave the slip to many of the paparazzi who had been stalking around the air terminal all day, according to media reports, after a week of partying at the Cannes film festival.




The "Mean Girls" actress missed a court hearing in Beverly Hills on Monday for failing to complete alcohol education classes imposed for a 2007 drunken driving case, angering the judge overseeing her case. She blamed a stolen passport.


But Judge Marsha Revel issued an arrest warrant for Lohan on Thursday, and later it was revoked after her legal team posted bail of $100,000.


The judge said Lohan must now undergo random drug and alcohol testing, get fitted with an alcohol monitoring bracelet and not drink any alcohol until she turns up in court.


Revel extended Lohan's probation last October and warned her then that she risked being sent to jail. The alcohol education classes are part of the actress's sentence for a 2007 arrest for drunken driving, reckless driving and driving under the influence of cocaine.


Lohan was considered one of Hollywood's most talented young actresses after films like "Freaky Friday" and "Bobby". But despite three stints in rehab in 2007, her movie career has slumped and her frequent night-clubbing has become a staple of celebrity gossip columns.


Source: Yahoo!! News

Lindsay Lohan back for court showdown on Monday