Hicks: Keith Urban will be ‘American Idol’ judge, says source

Keith Urban is close to being named the next judge on "American Idol," TMZ reports.

"Idol" sources told the website that the country singer/guitarist and husband of actress Nicole Kidman is in the final negotiation stages with producers to take the third judging spot on the show, alongside Mariah Carey and, presumably, Nicki Minaj (who also isn't officially signed yet). Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler have left the judge's table. Keith will replace Randy Jackson, but hasn't officially signed up yet. He's still working out a few contract kinks, but it's pretty much a lock, says TMZ.

He'll be receiving roughly between $3 million and $4 million for his hard work, about half what Minaj is expected to make and far less than Carey's $18 million paycheck.

There will likely be a fourth judge this season, and producers allegedly want a man.

Contact Tony Hicks at thicks@bayareanewsgroups .com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BayAreaNewsGroup.TonyHicks.

Republican convention’s noteworthy media moments few, far between

Clint Eastwood's impact on Mitt Romney's campaign remains to be seen, but his digressive speech — and the frenzied response to it — will almost certainly be the most memorable media moment to emerge from what had been, until Thursday night, a Republican National Convention notable for its predictability.

Earlier in the week, the biggest "story" of the convention seemed to be Hurricane Isaac. On Sunday night, as the storm swirled ominously toward the Gulf Coast, broadcast TV producers faced a dilemma: How to cover the potentially devastating event while also giving adequate attention to the Republican gathering?

For CNN's Anderson Cooper

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‘Here Comes Honey Boo Boo’ ratings top RNC, Paul Ryan veep speech on Fox News

The fourth episode of "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo," TLC's reality show about a self-proclaimed "redneck" family, drew more viewers in a key demographic Wednesday night than vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan's speech at the Republican National Convention on the nation's biggest news network.

Among adults 18-49, the show pulled a 1.3 rating with 2.9 million viewers, according to Nielsen.

The half-hour series is a spinoff from TLC's hit "Toddlers and Tiaras."

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Rep. Paul Ryan addresses the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla. in an Aug. 29 speech that was popular with his live audience but critically reviled by pundits and fact-checkers.

vcavaliere@nydailynews.com

Schultz: Eastwood is an ‘ironic choice’

all right. here's what we know about the order of business. we're sort of going up the on ramp on to the
main event
here. what is due to happen right now is a video which we think is a video tribute to
mitt romney
. here's why i'm saying i think and it seems a little weird. because as far as i understand the order of business, it's video, followed by
mystery guest
,
spoiler alert
, it's
clint eastwood
, followed by
marco rubio
, followed by
mitt romney
. doesn't the video

To Read The Full Article, Click Here: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/msnbc/48852889/

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‘Good Morning America’s’ Robin Roberts’ mother dies

Lucimarian Roberts, the mother of "Good Morning America" co-host Robin Roberts, has died a day after the anchor announced she was taking a medical leave for a bone marrow transplant.

The 88-year-old Roberts died in Gulfport, Miss., on Thursday night, Jeffrey W. Schneider, senior vice president of ABC News, said Friday.

The announcement of the death also was made on "GMA" on Friday morning.

"Robin arrived home with her sister, Sally-Ann, forging through flooded and blocked roads to be with her beloved mother in time to see her," GMA Senior Executive Tom Cibrowski said in an email to the entire news division Thursday evening.

The Mississippi area was dealing with flooding from the effects of Hurricane Isaac.

Over the years, Lucimarian Roberts made numerous appearances on "GMA."

She was a Gulf Coast icon for more than four decades. She often was the first black woman to work with organizations and state and local agencies, and she became known for her ability to get things done.

She was the first black to serve as chairman of the Mississippi State Board of Education in the 1980s.

She also had a great passion for poetry and music.

Lucimarian Roberts collaborated with her daughter on a book titled, "My Story, My Song -- Mother-Daughter Reflections on Life and Faith."

"I sing because the music of the church speaks my soul language," she wrote. "I sing because these songs are tightly woven in to the texture of who I am."

"She even recorded a CD of hymns for her family as a gift last year," said Cibrowski.

The family was gathered in Pass Christian, Miss., and planned a small private service, he said.

The death came on the same day Roberts said goodbye to her co-workers and audience before starting her medical leave. Sally-Ann, a morning anchor at WWL-TV in New Orleans, is donating the marrow to her sister.

Robin Roberts' departure had been set for Friday. But in a last-minute change of plans, she told her viewers she was leaving a day early to visit her ailing mother.

In a statement on her Facebook page, Robin Roberts said she and Sally-Ann arrived in Gulfport in time to visit with their mother before she died.

"A CD of her favorite hymns is playing in her room. So thankful for my sister, Dorothy, and the nurses who have been caring for her. I will cherish these moments I have with mom. Then focus on what is ahead of me undergoing a bone marrow transplant."

Besides her three daughters, Lucimarian Roberts is survived by a son and eight grandchildren.

Her husband, Col. Lawrence E. Roberts, died in 2004 at the age of 81. He was a member of the all-black U.S. Army Air Corps, also called the Tuskegee Airmen. He served in Vietnam, where he was awarded one of his three Legion of Merit medals.

Cibrowski said there would be a special tribute to Lucimarian Roberts on GMA. Details were being worked out.

Clint Eastwood’s GOP Speech: President Obama, Celebs React to Star’s Chair …

Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Clint Eastwood caused a sensation with his surprise appearance at the Republican National Convention Thursday night.

But his head-scratching speech didn't seem to make everyone's day.

The Oscar winner took the stage in Tampa and began talking to an empty chair, pretending that

To Read The Full Article, Click Here: http://www.eonline.com/news/342469/clint-eastwood-s-gop-speech-president-obama-celebs-react-to-star-s-chair-talking-ad-libbing

Chris Lighty Found Dead In Apparent Suicide in NYC at age 44

Hip-hop mogul Chris Lighty killed himself Thursday after a heated argument with his estranged wife in the Bronx, police sources told the Daily News.
Lighty — a longtime manager who worked with the likes of 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes, Diddy, Ja Rule and Mariah Carey — shot himself in the head behind his South Riverdale home about 11:30 a.m., the sources said.
Cops found Lighty, 44, the founder and chief of Violator Management, lying faceup on the basement patio in a pool of blood with a 9-mm. pistol at his side, the sources said.
The shocking suicide followed a wild spat between Lighty and his 36-year-old wife, Veronica, who filed for divorce last year. Moving trucks were at the home, as the veteran music manager prepared to move out of the three-story townhouse, sources said.
Law enforcement sources said Lighty's wife of seven years told police he was facing financial woes that include a $5 million debt to the IRS. However, the Associated Press reported that Lighty paid off most of what he owed by selling a Manhattan apartment for $5.6 million in October.
Lighty still owed more than $330,000 in state and federal taxes, the AP reported. And in April, he was sued by City National Bank for not paying them after he had overdrawn his account by $53,584.
His 17-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son were inside the W. 232nd St. home and left when the argument erupted. They were in a park nearby when Lighty, who has three other children, stepped outside and shot himself, sources said.
"On the entrepreneurial side, this is one of the biggest losses in hip hop,"

Tori Spelling Gives Birth to a Boy!

Tori Spelling is a mother once again.

Wasting little time in sharing the momentous occasion with their fans, the actress and husband Dean McDermott announced on their website yesterday that Finn Davey McDermott was born on August 30 at 5:39 p.m. and weighed in at 6 pounds, 6 ounces.

The tyke is 20 inchdes long and joins the couple's other three kids: Liam Aaron, 5, Stella Doreen, 4, and Hattie Margaret, 10 months.

Wrote Tori and Dean: “We are so excited to announce the birth of the newest member of the McDermott family!”

Spelling said previously that

To Read The Full Article, Click Here: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/08/tori-spelling-gives-birth-to-a-boy/

Son of Rocky actor Sylvester Stallone had coronary heart disease and trace of …

Sage Stallone, the son of actor Sylvester Stallone, died of a heart attack and a toxicology report showed no signs of excessive drug use, the Los Angeles coroner's office has said.

Stallone, who died at age 36 on 13 July, suffered from coronary heart disease caused by atherosclerosis, which brought on the heart attack, Fred Corral of the coroner's investigative division said.

"There were no signs of an overdose. It was just a natural death," Corral said.

Stallone had a small amount of the sedative hydrocodone in his body, Corral said, but it was an acceptable level and one that could be found from taking over-the-counter pain medication. No other drugs surfaced in the toxicology report.

Sage Stallone's body was found in his Hollywood Hills home after family and friends became concerned when they hadn't heard from him for a day. A housekeeper went to check, found his body and called police, according to his lawyer, George Braunstein.

At the time police said there was no sign of foul play but speculation surfaced of a possible drug overdose.

Sage Stallone was the younger of two sons from the Rocky and "Rambo" actor's first marriage to Sasha Czack, whom he divorced in 1985.

Sage had appeared in a number of films, most notably with his father in 1990's Rocky V playing the title character's son, Rocky Balboa Jr, and in the 1996 disaster movie Daylight in which Sylvester Stallone starred as a hero leading an escape from a New York tunnel collapse. Sage played a prison inmate.

Sylvester Stallone, 66, has not been seen much in public since his son's death, even as his new movie, The Expendables 2, opened in theatres. On Thursday his spokeswoman said the actor had no comment.

Sylvester Stallone gave a recent interview to the ABC News show Good Morning America in which he said: "Time hopefully will heal and you try to get through it, but it's just something ... it's a reality of life."

Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott Welcome a Baby Boy—What’s His Name?

Noel Vasquez/Getty Images

Another precious little boy has entered the world.

According to her personal website, Tori Spelling and husband Dean McDermott welcomed a son, the couple's fourth child together, tonight, and first shared the news on Twitter

To Read The Full Article, Click Here: http://www.eonline.com/news/342429/tori-spelling-and-dean-mcdermott-welcome-a-baby-boy-what-s-his-name