Buzz Briefs: Justin Timberlake, Madonna
JT To Induct Madonna Into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
Justin Timberlake will induct Madonna into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The "Sexyback" singer has been working with the Material Mom on her upcoming album, expected to be released this year.
Madonna will be among those honored March 10 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in Manhattan. Other inductees include Leonard Cohen, John Mellencamp, The Dave Clark Five, The Ventures and Little Walter.
Tom Hanks will induct The Dave Clark Five, the '60s British pop band behind the hit "Glad All Over." Billy Joel will pay tribute to Mellencamp, and Lou Reed will honor Cohen.
Ben Harper will induct Little Walter, who produced 14 Top 10 hits on the R&B charts before his death in 1968 at 37. John Fogerty will induct The Ventures, whose hits include "Walk Don't Run" and "Hawaii Five-O."
Singer-songwriter Jerry Butler will induct Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, founders of the Philadelphia International record label that collaborated with R&B artists such as Butler, The O'Jays, Patti LaBelle and Lou Rawls.
Prolific TV Writer Richard Baer Dies In Santa Monica
Richard Baer, a prolific television writer who contributed to the hit sitcoms "Bewitched," "That Girl" and "The Munsters," has died. He was 79.
Baer died Friday at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica from complications that followed a heart attack he suffered last month, according to his son, Matthew.
Baer's career began in the 1950s and spanned three decades. His first credit was for NBC's "The Life of Riley" in 1953.
He wrote for some two dozen shows, ranging from a single episode of "Have Gun Will Travel" to 34 for "Hennesey." He received an Emmy nomination for one episode of the show, which starred Jackie Cooper as a Navy medical officer.
His final TV script was an episode of the 1980s sitcom, "Who's the Boss?"
Baer also wrote a play, "Mixed Emotions," a comedy about the courtship of a widow and widower in New York, ran for more than six weeks on Broadway in 1993.
In addition to Matthew, Baer is survived by his wife, Diane; another son, Josh; a daughter, Judy; stepdaughter Michele, and three grandchildren.
Naomi Campbell Hospitalized In Brazil
A publicist for the 37-year-old British supermodel confirmed Campbell was treated at a hospital and had a small cyst removed. There were no other details.
"Naomi Campbell was admitted to hospital ... to have a small cyst removed," her publicist, Jeff Raymond, said in a statement. "Following the successful procedure, she is now resting and is looking forward to getting back to work. She would like to thank the doctors who have kindly looked after her."
Campbell, a frequent visitor to Brazil, celebrated Carnival earlier this month in the northeastern city of Salvador. She was hospitalized Sunday in Sao Paulo's Sirio Libanes Hospital.
She is under the care of David Uip, a specialist in infectious diseases, and gynecologist Jose Aristodemo Pinotti, the hospital said in a statement.
"The patient and her advisers have determined that the hospital's medical staff will not issue any formal or informal information on her medical condition," the hospital statement said.
Brad Renfro Excluded From Academy Award Memorial
The troubled 25-year-old actor died Jan. 15 of a heroin and morphine overdose. Heath Ledger, killed by an overdose of prescription drugs one week later, appeared in a scene from "Brokeback Mountain" at the conclusion of the three-minute video tribute at Sunday night's Oscar ceremony.
"Unfortunately we cannot include everyone," said Leslie Unger, spokeswoman for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. "Our goal is to honor individuals who worked in the many professions and trades of the motion picture industry, not just actors."
Hilary Swank introduced the Oscar segment, which featured 43 people including makeup artists, a stuntman and several Hollywood agents. Unger said it was not required that those honored be members of the Academy or past Oscar nominees.
USA Today blogger Whitney Matheson headlined a post Monday, "Why was Brad snubbed last night?" and Perez Hilton posted a mug shot of Renfro with the words "Oscar Snub."
TMZ speculated Renfro was not "feel-good enough" for Oscar, but public comments left on the site also pointed out that in contrast to Ledger, "Renfro wasn't a big enough star."
Unger shook off the suggestion that Renfro wasn't included because of his history with drugs. "I can't speak to what other people are going to think," Unger said. "We can't include everybody."
Renfro was most well-known for his title role in 1993's "The Client," and had his last major roles more than a decade ago. He had appeared in smaller parts in recent years.
Oscar-nominated "Jaws" star Roy Scheider also was not included. His death on Feb. 10 fell outside the time frame of the tribute video, which covered Feb. 1, 2007 to Jan. 31, 2008.
Whoopi Goldberg Gets The Shaft From Oscar Hosts Montage
The 52-year-old Goldberg has received two Oscar nominations, winning for her role as Oda Mae Brown in 1990's "Ghost." She hosted the event in 1994, 1996, 1999 and 2002. She did, however, appear as an Oscar winner in a separate montage Sunday night.
Goldberg appeared stumped that the academy would leave her out of the one clip, as well as repeat host Steve Martin.
"Maybe they accidentally lost a clip of you hosting. ... But I think it's wrong," Elisabeth Hasselbeck said. Joy Behar said "being slighted is never fun." Sherri Shepherd wondered if Goldberg had made someone mad.
"Undoubtedly," Goldberg said, smiling. "Undoubtedly I (bleeped) somebody off yet again. You know what, I don't, I don't know."
"Hey, we think you're a great host," reassured Barbara Walters, the creator of the ABC chatfest.
"I think we should do our own montage of you to make up for it," Hasselbeck said.
"This makes up for it," Goldberg responded, before getting up and kissing each co-host on the cheek. She and Walters embraced.
Jerry Seinfeld's Lawyers Target Competing Cookbook Author's Lawsuit
In a filing in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, attorneys for the former sitcom star asked a judge to throw out a lawsuit filed by Missy Chase Lapine against Seinfeld and his wife, the Daily News reported in Tuesday editions.
"Jerry Seinfeld made overstatements of opinion for comic effect," the comedian's lawyers said in the filing.
Lapine is seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages for copyright and trademark infringement, and made slander and defamation claims.
Lapine, the author of "The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals," accused Seinfeld's wife of plagiarizing her cookbook. Jessica Seinfeld's "Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food" was published in October; Lapine's book was published in April.
Lawyers for the Seinfelds dismissed the plagiarism allegations in the court filing, saying, "The idea of sneaking healthy foods into a child's diet is not original to your author."
Lapine also contended in her lawsuit that Jerry Seinfeld, while making a promotional stop on CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman," suggested she was a crackpot by comparing her to the killers of Lennon and King.
Valerie Bertinelli Admits Past Infidelity And Drug Use
Valerie Bertinelli says despite her girl-next-door image, her marriage to Eddie Van Halen was hurt by infidelity and drug use by her, too.
"I wasn't an angel, either. I cheated, too," Bertinelli said on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" broadcast Monday. "He claims to this day that I cheated first, but I don't know. I don't know about the timing."
Bertinelli, who starred in the long-running sitcom "One Day at a Time," married Van Halen in 1981 when she was 20. She said she was "destroying my body," trying to keep up with a rock-star lifestyle on the weekends and weeks off from taping her TV show.
"It got to a point where whenever I heard the birds chirp, I'd be like, `Oh, God, no.' It took me years after stopping the cocaine before I was able to enjoy a sunrise and enjoy the sound of birds," she said.
The couple separated in 2001. Their divorce became final in December. They have a son, Wolfgang, who's now 16 and touring as bassist with the band Van Halen.
The actress, 47, said she has struggled with body-image issues since she was a child, but especially turned to food for comfort as her marriage dissolved.
Bertinelli is now a spokeswoman for Jenny Craig and said she's lost 40 pounds. She has a new book, "Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time."
Van Halen's publicist said the musician had no comment on Bertinelli's book or interviews to promote it.
Rebecca Broussard DUI Charge Lands Her In Jail And On Morgue Duty
Actress Rebecca Broussard was sentenced to jail time and morgue duty Monday after pleading no contest to a drinking and driving felony charge.
Broussard, charged under the name Rebecca Kelly, was sentenced to five days in county jail and three years probation, said Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office.
Superior Court Judge Katherine Mader also ordered the 45-year-old to perform 30 days of state highway cleanup, participate in a hospital and morgue "Scared Straight" program and undergo an alcohol treatment program, Gibbons said.
A second DUI charge was dismissed.
Attempts to find a phone listing for Broussard were not successful.
The charges stemmed from an August collision near Los Angeles International Airport.
Broussard is the mother of Jack Nicholson's two teenage children.
Her movie credits include Nicholson titles "The Two Jakes" and "Mars Attacks!"