Tony Snow, Jennifer Hudson, Sean Penn, Heather Locklear and much more

Tony Snow: Even though liberals aren't fond of the White House Press Secretary's boss, they cut Snow some slack because he has always been a consistent newsman who gives credit where credit is due. Case in point: He recently said, "When you see an Elizabeth Edwards saying, "I'm going to embrace life and I'm going to move forward," that is a wonderful thing." Snow, who had his colon removed in 2005, underwent surgery Monday to remove a small growth in his lower right pelvic area. He was told that is was cancerous and that he will need more treatments again. A second report stated that he has cancer of the liver. During the White House press briefing today, Dana Perino told reporters, "He said he's going to beat it again." She was clearly shaken by the news. There was no spin, no political agenda at play. Perino is like most of us. She wants the best for her friend and co-worker. Keep the Snow family in your thoughts and prayers.

Sean "Diddy" Combs: Fans of the rap superstar in England won't be able to see him perform on his current European tour. His record company reported that he canceled all of his UK gigs because the government would not issue a visa to his performance partner, Snoop Dog. Snoop gave British law enforcement officials a major headache the last time he was in the area. He was arrested at London's Heathrow airport last year after members of his traveling party got into a mini-battle that left seven police officers injured. The Diddy/Snoop tour will issue refunds to people who bought tickets for the concerts.

Jennifer Hudson: The former American Idol contestant has been a busy lady since winning the Supporting Actress Oscar for her stunning performance in Dreamgirls. During the GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) Media Awards Monday in New York, she had a chance to meet one of the women she considers tops in the music world. Hudson presented the Excellence in Media Award award to Patti LaBelle to honor her dedication to the gay and lesbian community as well as the work she does on behalf of the AIDS community. Before the singers left the stage, they delighted the crowd with an a cappella version of "Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen." Rosie O'Donnell scored with the audience when she accepted the Outstanding Documentary award for All Aboard! Rosie's Family Cruise. Other winners included Bravo's Project Runway and the independent film Quinceanera. A complete list of all the people and shows honored can be found at the GLAAD web site.

Sean Penn: The Oscar-winning actor was in Oakland over the weekend to either speak at an anti-war rally or to find a company that can plug the hole in that boat he tried to rescue people with in New Orleans. At a town hall meeting attended by numerous politicians, he said, "Let's make this crystal clear: We do support our troops, but not the exploitation of them and their families." Penn added later, "Iraq is not our toilet. It's a country of human beings whose lives that were once oppressed by Saddam are now in Dante's Inferno." The star also referred to the pro-Bush crowd as "smarmy pundits." It's probably that reference that will get him kicked off the White House Christ card list this year.

R. Lee Ermey: Speaking of military matters, this item from the History Channel caught TVNow's attention this morning. Ermey singed a new multi-year deal with History that will keep his popular Mail Call (web site) series running beyond its current eighth season. The former Full Metal Jacket star uses the show to educate viewers about combat and the tools soldiers need to be successful on the field of battle. Ermey's new deal also calls for him to play a major role in the network's online sites and to help develop new programming.

Heather Locklear: The actress left quite an impression on ABC suits when she starred on Boston Legal two years ago in the role of Kelly Nolan, a murder defendant who was called "The Black Widow" by the media. The two-part episode offered viewers the chance to see Alan Shore (James Spader) and Brad Chase (Mark Valley) put aside their petty differences for the good of their beautiful client. ABC announced that Locklear will play the lead role in the new comedy pilot See Jayne Run. She will play a successful investment banker who tries to leave her hard-edged work personality at the office when she goes home at night to be a mother with nanny issues. Other actors assigned to the project include Ava Gaudet, Jarrad Paul, Kurt Fuller and Stephen Rannazzisi.

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Anna Nicole Smith, James Gandolfini, Britney Spears and more...

Anna Nicole Smith: A "breaking news" event played out on television this morning that was fit for a king, or at least the death of a king. Broward County Medical Examiner Joshua Perper made it clear that Smith died from an accidental overdose of legal drugs. Chief Charlie Tiger of the Seminole police department also said that her death was not caused by any type of foul play. When the model was found unresponsive at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood (Florida), she had nine drugs in her system. Maybe someone should look into the conduct of the people who acquired the drugs and gave them to her. Smith had a high temperature for days before she died. Her death could have been prevented so easily!

James Gandolfini: The actor has banked a ton of cash since taking on the role of Tony Soprano in HBO's The Sopranos, so he should have a say in how his series ends this year. In April, DISH Entertainment Magazine has an interesting section that features comments from ten of the award-winning drama's stars. If he was writing the final episode, Gandolfini would like to see Tony, "whacked and fed to the ducks." The actress who plays his shrink on the show, Lorraine Bracco, would probably agree, and who can blame her. She told DISH that her favorite client mooned her one day. Now that really is cruel and unusual punishment. The final nine episodes will begin airing on HBO Sunday, April 8.

Britney Spears: If you read gossip news today that suggests the fallen pop star is back in the hospital, ignore most of it. She has not had a relapse and is not going nuts. Spears visited Century City Hospital to have repair work done on one of her molars. The entire procedure took less than an hour. Prior to the emergency, she was seen shopping with her bodyguard and cousin. To be honest about it, the singer was in more danger from the paparazzi that followed her to the hospital than the tooth.

Richard Dreyfuss: When Dreyfuss talks about being a responsible citizen, he backs it up with actions. The Oscar-winning star of The Goodbye Girl is the co-founder of L.A. Works, a nonprofit, public action and volunteer center in Los Angeles. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles ACLU Foundation. Today (Monday, March 26), he will be the keynote speaker at the Philadelphia Bar Association's Quarterly Meeting. Association Chancellor Jane Dalton said, "Mr. Dreyfuss speaks passionately and eloquently about the importance of an enlightened populace that understands the need for reason, logic, clarity, dissent, civility and debate." The actor plans to talk about the importance of civic education.

Johnny Depp: Earlier this month, TVNow reported on the actor's daughter, 7-year-old Lily-Rose, when she was in a London hospital fighting for her life. According to the British newspaper The Sun, there was a very good reason for Depp and his life-mate, Vanessa Paradis, to spend all their waking hours by their child's side. Lily-Rose was infected with the E.coli virus, which is normally passed to its victims through food or drink. In children, the virus can cause severe diarrhea that results in dehydration. Untreated, the condition can be fatal. Fortunately, Depp's daughter responded to treatment and is recovering at home in France. The actor is scheduled to resume his work on the movie version of Sweeney Todd on Monday.

Skeet Ulrich: Fans of the Jericho star will be able to find the latest series episodes via Sprint. CBS and Sprint announced that network programming is coming to Sprint TVSM with live mobilecasts, full episodes and video clips from many popular CBS programs. Of course, there's a price for this new digital adventure. CBS plans to sell advertising across its programming on the Sprint TV platform. The new service will include daily clips from The Late Show with David Letterman and The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson. Live nightly mobilecasts of The CBS Evening News with Katie Couric will be included with the package.

Dylan Walsh: Former Still Standing star Jamie Gertz doesn't have to worry about Walsh rearranging her face while they are in Calgary, Alberta even though the Nip/Tuck star plays her estranged husband in the Lifetime flick Christmas Miracle. He wasn't allowed to carry his surgical equipment across the border. The original movie centers around a father's (Walsh) surprise visit to see his two daughters in Idaho that becomes a nightmare when he talks his wife (Gertz) into a quick snowmobiling trip to the local mountain. A massive blizzard strikes the area and the pair gets stranded in the storm. For the first time in many years, they are forced to work together if they want to survive. Christmas Miracle will premiere in December on Lifetime Television.

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Emilio Estevez, Andre Agassi, Ray Liotta and more...

Emilio Estevez: Martin Sheen's son is making a lot of people happy with his new movie, Bobby, which centers around the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy and what the political murder did to some of the people who were at the Ambassador Hotel on that tragic day in American history. Estevez wrote and directed the important movie. He did it right, so right in fact that the Kennedy family has announced its support of the movie. Mrs. Robert F. Kennedy said, "Our family is grateful to Emilio Estevez and the extraordinary cast of 'Bobby' for remembering Robert Kennedy's life and his commitment to social justice, peace and equality. Hopefully the film will inspire a new generation to make gentle the life of the world." The phrase "make gentle the life of the world" deserves to be repeated and the advice, if followed, would greatly help all of us. Bobby will be released nationwide on November 23.

Andre Agassi: Saturday night, the Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation (AACF) raised more than $8.6 million during the gala benefit held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas that featured performances by Phil Collins, Michael Buble, Counting Crows, Ellen DeGeneres, John Mayer, Sarah McLachlan, Tears for Fears and Oleta Adams. The big money really started rolling in during the auction phase of the event. Agassi's wife, Stefanie Graf, paid $360,000 for two of his rackets -- the one he used to win his first tournament and the one he played with in his last match at the 2006 U.S. Open. Monies raised will be used by AACF to fund various charities in the area that assist at-risk youth. Agassi's eleven Grand Slam events have raised more than $60 million for charity.

Ray Liotta: The talented Goodfellas star is not used to failure. Welcome to the television world, sir. CBS executives announced Friday that his new crime series, Smith, which centers around a gang of thieves and their high-dollar, violent heists, has been pulled off the schedule. It's Tuesday night time slot will be taken over by reruns of Criminal Minds and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Even though Liotta's show features some terrific actors like Virginia Madsen, Simon Baker and Amy Smart, it has no redeeming characters, no heroes that a viewer can pull for in tense situations. Since the word "cancel" has not been mentioned yet, it's not too late for Smith writers to correct the situation.

Shiri Appleby: When I interviewed (web site) the former Roswell star for an ABC Family movie, she admitted that she doesn't watch the sci-fi series in rerun mode too often. Shari said, "It's sort of like looking at a picture of yourself for five years. You check it out and then move on to the next project." That next long-term project could be on USA Network. She will star in the cable channel's To Love and Die in L.A., a Lorne Michaels assassin comedy about a young woman who thinks she can solve the abandonment issues in her life if she can locate her missing father. When she finds him, she discovers that he is a contract killer and begins to think that his career choice might work for her. Word of warning to the show's writers: don't make the Smith mistake and force the actress to play someone without a conscience. Study Luc Besson's The Professional to see what I mean.

Friday News:

Smokey Robinson: The Legendary Motown artist is taking his act to the soap opera world. Robinson will guest star on a two-part NBC's Days of Our Lives episode that centers around Marlena Black (Deidre Hall), who is lost in the snowy wilderness and in need of immediate help. The singer will rescue Marlena and carry her back to his cabin so that she can be warmed by his fire. He will also perform "I Love Your Face" from his recent "Timeless Love" album. Robinson's Days of Our Lives episodes will air on November 14 and 15. He will also be honored during the 2006 Kennedy Center Honors for his lifetime contribution to the arts and American culture. The event will be held on Sunday, December 3rd with President Bush and First Lady Bush in attendance at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The Honors Gala will be recorded for later broadcast on the CBS Network for the 29th consecutive year as a two-hour prime time special.

Eva Longoria: It's time for the Desperate Housewife star's agent to demand that ABC adds a hazardous duty pay clause to her contract. For the second time in a year, Longoria had to be carried from the show's set to the hospital after being injured. This week, she slipped coming out of her trailer and bruised her ribs. A year ago, she needed medical help after being hit in the head by equipment. The injuries don't seem to cause production problems as far as timing goes, but considering the high cost of medical services these days, a hospital visit could break the show's budget for the month.

Adrian Pasdar: The actor can fly. So can Milo Ventimiglia. They play brothers on NBC's critically acclaimed new series Heroes, which centers around ordinary people with extraordinary powers who will pool their talents soon in order to save the world a lot, which Buffy did often without taking to the skies. NBC executives are thrilled with the show. They announced yesterday that Heroes has been given a full-season order. Who can blame them? An average of 13.5 million viewers have watched each of the first two episodes on Monday nights at 9pm.

Cher: Who knew the singer's personal possessions would be worth so much money? Cher auctioned off many of her personal items at a Sotheby's event held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel Tuesday and Wednesday. She told reporters that the sale was to help her pay to redecorate her home in Malibu and to fund some worthy charities to be named later. Some folks with big money paid attention to her statement. $3.5 million was the total take after the sale ended. The big ticket items included a 2005 Bentley Continental GT Coupe at $204,000 and an outfit designed by Bob Mackie at $60,000. In July, Cher said that she would under-price many of the items so that her fans could afford to buy them. She must have been talking about the relatives of Middle East oil barons who buy her records.

Rosie O'Donnell, Gene Kelly , Steve Irwin and more...

Rosie O'Donnell: If ABC's The View producer ever tries to book Brad Pitt for the show, his appearance better be set for a day when new co-host O'Donnell is on vacation. Newsweek's senior writer Marc Peyser spoke with her for an article that appears in the September 11 issue of the magazine (on newsstands today). When she had a popular talk show of her own, O'Donnell often said how much she cared for Tom Cruise. She added to that prior history by telling Peyser, "I love him, and love is eternal. It never went to sexual. My Angelina Jolie crush was much more sexual than my Tom Cruise crush ever was." The Newsweek issue didn't have to be labeled with an "X" for content because O'Donnell didn't elaborate on her Jolie crush. If nothing else today, that simple fact should be rewarded with a sigh of relief.

Gene Kelly: The late actor's Singin' in the Rain was honored by the American Film Institute (AFI) when it was declared the Greatest Movie Musical of all time Sunday night during a special concert featuring Director John Mauceri and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Kelly co-directed, acted and sang in the classic 1952 MGM production with Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, Jean Hagen and Cyd Charisse. When I interviewed O'Connor a few months before his death, he explained his energetic work with Kelly as follows: "I didn't smoke then, and I don't smoke now. We worked every day. That keeps you in pretty good shape. We could go for a long time in one take. You had to be in good shape with Gene Kelly." The top five AFI picks also include West Side Story (1961), The Wizard of Oz (1939), The Sound of Music (1965) and Cabaret (1972). Visit the official AFI web site for a list of the Institute's 25 top Movie Musicals.

Steve Irwin: The man known to millions as the "croc hunter" was killed earlier today while filming a documentary entitled "Ocean's Deadliest." Irwin was swimming in shallow water at Australia's Batt Reef off Port Douglas when a stingray stung him in the chest. Early reports in Australia suggest that the stingray's barb pierced his chest and punctured his heart. The 44-year-old daredevil was snorkeling in shallow water when he was fatally wounded. His manager, John Stainton, told reporters, "It's likely that he possibly died instantly when the barb hit him, and I don't think that he felt any pain." Irwin was able to use his popularity and money to champion causes that made his Australian neighbors proud. Prime Minister John Howard said, "He was a wonderful character. He was a passionate environmentalist. He brought joy and entertainment and excitement to millions of people." No funeral or memorial information has been released to the press yet.

Brooke Shields: The battle between the actress and Tom Cruise appears to be over for good. Friday night, she spoke with Jay Leno about the feud that was caused when the Mission Impossible star questioned her use of medication to treat postpartum depression. Shields told The Tonight Show audience that Cruise came to her house to apologize for getting her involved in his rant. She said, "He came over to my house, and he gave me a heartfelt apology," She later added, "I didn't feel at any time that I had to defend myself, nor did I feel that he was trying to convince me of anything other than the fact that he was deeply sorry." Maybe the leaders of North Korea and America can meet somewhere to make nice with each other like the two Hollywood stars. The world would be a safer place.

Britney Spears: The folks in charge of GoldenPalace.com don't believe the press reports that the former pop star's career is in the tank. On the contrary, the executives have total faith in Spears and her husband's (Kevin Federline) ability to rise above their negative press. GoldenPalace bought another Spears eBay goodie from a caterer who worked the couple's table at a music industry event dinner. Spears' half-eaten egg salad sandwich and a corn dog that was sampled by both stars sold for $520. The online casino folks will add the food to their Spears collection, which includes among other things her baby pacifier and a used pregnancy test kit. Maybe now we have a better idea why so many people think the celebrity world is full of kooks.

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