The News Of …

Last year provided some ups and downs for Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler, who broke off their engagement in July. But after reconciling in November, they’re starting off 2012 with big news.
“We are thrilled to announce we are expecting our first child together” – they tell PEOPLE exclusively. “It’s an amazing time in our life and we can’t wait to meet the new addition to our growing family.”
Shortly after Cavallari (25) and her Chicago Bears quarterback beau (28) renewed their engagement, the former Hills star and Dancing with the Stars contestant said: “Sometimes, in order for things to get better, they have to end – even if it’s momentarily.”

Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler.

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The health of former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, who was fired last November in the wake of a child sex abuse scandal involving an assistant coach, has deteriorated and his status is serious, a family spokesman said on Saturday.
“Over the last few days Joe Paterno has experienced further health complications. His doctors have now characterized his status as serious” – a statement said.
The Paterno family said it would have no further comment on the situation and asked that their privacy be respected “during this difficult time.”
Paterno (85) disclosed on November 18 that he had treatable lung cancer. He has been in and out of the hospital since then for treatment with radiation and chemotherapy, and after he fell at home in December and broke his pelvis.
The winningest coach in major college football history, Paterno was head coach at Penn State for 46 years. University trustees ousted him for failing to tell police what had been passed on to him about the alleged sex abuse.
Longtime Paterno assistant Jerry Sandusky faces 52 counts of sexual abuse of boys over a period of 15 years – including some incidents at the football complex on campus. Disclosure of the charges against Sandusky shocked the university and led to one of the biggest scandals in college sports history.

Joe Paterno.

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A woman kidnapped at knifepoint at age 14 and held captive for nine months is getting married.
A spokesman for 24-year-old Elizabeth Smart says she got engaged last weekend and will likely marry in the summer.
No details about the groom-to-be were disclosed. The spokesman says Smart plans to keep her personal life private.
Smart’s father (Ed Smart) tells The Associated Press his future son-in-law is a ‘fine young man.’ Ed Smart says he’s pleased for his daughter and hopes she has a happy life.
Onetime itinerant street preacher Brian David Mitchell was convicted in 2010 of Smart’s 2002 kidnapping and sexual assault. He’s serving a life prison sentence.

Elizabeth Smart.

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Gary Carter’s condition has worsened with the discovery of new tumors on his brain – his daughter said Thursday on the family’s blog.
Six months ago, Carter (57), the former Mets catcher, was found to have an aggressive brain cancer, glioblastoma, that has been treated with radiation and chemotherapy.
“I write these words with tears because I am so sad for my dad” – Kimmy Carter Bloemers said.
She said that one of her father’s doctors “will be coming to my parents’ house this evening to talk to the family about the next step.”
Carter has had an especially difficult week.
“Every day is exhausting and every move takes great effort” – Bloemers wrote.
Last Wednesday, Carter had an open gum wound treated by an oral surgeon. The next day, he fell in his doctor’s office — he also fell on Christmas Eve — and he is being treated for a torn rotator cuff.
Carter attended his annual golf tournament’s banquet on Sunday. Bloemers wrote – “Dad spoke a few words thanking everyone for being there and for all the support and prayers. He said he wants to feel better so he can continue to help others.”
He was at the tournament the next day in West Palm Beach, Fla., which benefits the Autism Project of Palm Beach County.

Gary Carter.

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Gabrielle Union has been the talk of the town since celebrating her Miami Heat beau Dwyane Wade’s 30 th birthday party. But while Gabby may have stole the show from Wade his lavish birthday gifts were fighting for second place.
On Sunday night at Setai Hotel in South Beach Wade received a 2012 McLaren MP4-12C, a vintage 1982 bottle of Dom Perignon, and a diamond-encrusted Hublot 3000 watch. The 230 000 dollars car was a gift to Wade from the luxury car brand.
Christy Cartaya, The Collection’s director of PR, told the Miami Herald: “It was a gift – Dwyane is our brand ambassador and spokesperson. We consider him part of our ‘family’.”
According to the Miami Herald, the “gift” was “designed by Wade in “Fire Black” with two tone “Saddle Tan/Carbon Black” leather interior. The one-of-a-kind 12C boasts custom alloy wheel center caps with Wade’s signature logo as well as a specialty “WADE” emblem for the rear, WADE Limited Edition side badges and dedication plates on the inside door panels that read “Hand assembled in the United Kingdom in recognition of Dwyane Wade’s 30 th Birthday.”
Wow! The custom ordered vehicle was airlifted into a pool to be presented to Wade at the party. Wade’s party which included guest like Lebron James, Chris Bosh, Kelly Rowland, TI and others was just the icing on the cake from a special present he received earlier in the weekend.

Gabrielle Union.

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Paula Deen (the Southern belle of butter and heavy cream) is making no apologies for waiting three years to disclose she has Type 2 diabetes while continuing to dish up deep-fried cheesecake and other high-calorie, high-fat recipes on TV.
She said she isn’t changing the comfort cooking that made her a star, though it isn’t clear how much of it she’ll continue to eat while she promotes health-conscious recipes along with a diabetes drug she’s endorsing for a Danish company.
“I’ve always said: ‘Practice moderation, y’all.’ I’ll probably say that a little louder now” – Deen said Tuesday after revealing her diagnosis on NBC’s Today show. “You can have diabetes and have a piece of cake. You cannot have diabetes and eat a whole cake.”
Health activists and one fellow chef called her a hypocrite for promoting an unhealthy diet along with a drug to treat its likely effects. Deen added her support of the Novo Nordisk company to a collection of lucrative endorsements that include Smithfield ham and Philadelphia Cream Cheese.
Deen, who will turn 65 on Thursday, said she kept her diagnosis private as she and her family figured out what to do, presumably about her health and a career built solidly on Southern cooking. Among her recipes: deep-fried cheesecake covered in chocolate and powdered sugar, and a quiche that calls for a pound of bacon.
“I really sat on this information for a few years because I said: ‘Oh, my gosh, what am I going to do about this? Is my life fixing to change? Am I no longer going to like my life?’ ” she asked. “I had to have time to adjust and soak it all in and get up all the information that I could.”

Paula Deen.

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As occurs with most things in life, the new series Betty White’s Off Their Rockers brought to mind a quote from The Simpsons.
Homer, speaking to his father (universally known as Grandpa), adopted a sugary sweet tone as he said: “Dad, you’ve done a lot of great things. But you’re a very old man, and old people are useless.”
Betty White is counting on all you whippersnappers THINKING that. Then, bam.
Betty White’s Off Their Rockers, which debuts Monday, Jan. 16, on NBC and CTV, is a hidden-camera prank show where, for a change, seniors are the perpetrators rather than the victims.
“(The seniors) are just hip enough and maybe mean enough to want to get even” – White said at the Television Critics Association tour. “It’s just kind of a reverse psychology of the poor old senior. It’s, ‘Hey, we’ve got a sense of humour, too, warped as it may be.’ ”
White, continuing her media omnipresence of the past few years, is featured alongside a team of sassy seniors who find ways to shock the younger generation.
“I can take no credit for (finding the senior pranksters), but it’s a little posse that we have, a little team” – White said. “My only function really in the production is to be sure that it’s not mean-spirited. Things aren’t funny if they’re mean-spirited.
“It’s just a silly, fun show, and I think one that will appeal to all ages. Younger people might get a kick out of seeing the oldsters get a jump on somebody, and oldsters might see it and say, ‘Hey, go get ‘em!’ ”

Betty White.

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“The Artist” won three Golden Globes, boosting the financial prospects for Weinstein Co.’s silent, black-and-white movie and its chances to win at next month’s Academy Awards.
“The Descendants” (from News Corp. (NWSA)’s Fox Searchlight) received two trophies during the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards, telecast by Comcast Corp. (CMCSA)’s NBC. Comedian Ricky Gervais hosted the show for a third time last night from Beverly Hills, California.
“The Artist” – a winner in the best musical or comedy category, highlighted a night in which Weinstein won six awards, triple the runner-up studios. Co-founder Harvey Weinstein has perfected turning critical acclaim into box-office rewards with movies such as “The King’s Speech” – last year’s Oscar winner, and earlier Miramax titles.
“Limiting the distribution puts in the mindset of people that this is a prestigious film” – said Brad Adgate, research director at the New York-based advertising company Horizon Media Inc. The studio can then capitalize at the box office and with home-video sales, he said.
“The Artist,” made for about 15 million dollars and released in November, has earned 27.3 million dollars worldwide, according to researcher Box Office Mojo. “The King’s Speech,” with a similar budget, won last year’s best-picture Oscar and ended up with 414 million dollars in worldwide sales, according to researcher Box Office Mojo.
“Your expectations change when the Weinsteins enter the game” – said Michel Hazanavicius, who directed “The Artist.” “We never expected anything like this; we thought it would be a small movie that critics might enjoy. We never expected it would be this accepted by mainstream.”

Golden Globes 2012.

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A federal judge disclosed Friday that former presidential candidate John Edwards has a life-threatening heart condition – a court source confirmed to CNN.
Edwards had sought a delay in his criminal corruption trial, scheduled to begin this month.
Attorneys and the federal judge met in a North Carolina courtroom Friday afternoon for a status hearing regarding the pending trial of Edwards – a former U.S. senator.
Edwards appeared at Friday’s hearing. His lawyers had made the motion for a delay under seal, but some of its details were publicly revealed by the judge in the open hearing.
The criminal trial has been delayed until at least Mar. 26, according to the court source. Judge Catherine Eagles said she has been in contact with Edwards’ cardiologist, who recommended a postponement, saying Edwards is scheduled to undergo surgery next month.
Edwards has to provide the court with a written medical update by Feb. 28, according to court records.
One legal expert, Marcellus McRae, a trial lawyer and former federal prosecutor, said he doubted that Edwards’ illness would influence a jury verdict.
“Edwards’s illness may prompt the public, including potential jurors, to view him in a more sympathetic light. However, it is doubtful that this will have any impact on the outcome of his trial” – McRae said. “Given the nature of the charges, his physical condition is of no relevance and he will have in theory recovered by the time the case went to trial in March in any event.”
Edwards’ attorneys asked in December to delay his criminal trial, saying he had an unspecified medical issue.
Edwards is charged with six felony and misdemeanor counts related to donations to and payments from his failed 2008 presidential campaign. He is accused of conspiracy, issuing false statements and violating campaign contribution laws. He denies any wrongdoing.

John Edwards.

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Heather Locklear was in ‘medically stable’ condition at a Thousand Oaks, Calif., hospital Thursday night with her parents at her side.
“She is in no danger and she’s going to be just fine” – Bill and Diane Locklear said in a statement issued by Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center.
The Melrose Place star (50) was taken to the hospital after the fire department and sheriff’s deputies responded to a 911 call at her house northwest of Los Angeles. Reports say she may have mixed alcohol and prescription medication.
Los Robles spokesperson Kris Carraway-Bowman declined to disclose any medical information beyond Locklear’s condition. The actress arrived at 2:30 p.m. and by 8 p.m. was sleeping – says Carraway-Bowman.

Heather Locklear.

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