Thursday November 21, 2013

LaToya Jackson marries Jeffre Phillips in Los Angeles

Singer La Toya Jackson has married her business partner Jeffre Phillips in Los Angeles, UsMagazine.com said Monday. "He's been by her side forever and they already live in the same building in L.A.," an unnamed source told the magazine. "He has invested her well in real estate and other business dealings so she is financially in great shape. And he's always with her. They are the very best of friends and Jeffre is part of the family by now." Phillips proposed to Jackson, 57, on her reality show, "Life with La Toya," which airs on the Oprah Winfrey Network. RadarOnline said Jackson's mother, Katherine, and nephew, Prince, attended the Dec. 6 wedding ceremony. Prince's father is Michael Jackson, who died in 2009 at the age of 50.


Annie Potts joins the cast of Broadway's 'Pippin'

Actress Annie Potts is to join the cast of the Tony Award-winning production of "Pippin," the Broadway musical's producers announced Monday. Potts is to start playing Berthe Jan. 21 at the Music Box Theatre. Tovah Feldshuh is to give her final performance in the role Jan. 19. Best known for her work on the TV sitcom "Designing Women," Potts made her Broadway debut in Yasmina Reza's comedy, "God of Carnage."


LOOSE LIPS:

"I haven't met her yet."
- George Clooney, who is still looking for the love of his life, to W magazine


'Sound of Music Live!' draws 18.6M viewers

NBC's "Sound of Music Live!" starring Carrie Underwood was the network's most-watched program in nearly seven years, Nielsen ratings indicate. The three-hour musical drew 18.6 million total viewers Thursday night as Underwood sang the part of Maria and "True Blood's" Stephen Moyer performed as Captain Von Trapp, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday. The large audience draw could foreshadow a shift in programming for networks, which are competing for viewers against Netflix, Amazon and even mobile phone apps like Instagram, the newspaper said. "There is an edge to doing something live on TV [rather] than something pre-recorded, and it showed," said Brad Adgate, an analyst at ad firm Horizon Media in New York. "Anyone familiar with the movie saw different scenes from the Broadway show." This type of live programming could be especially attractive for advertisers, which are seeing viewers fast forward through commercials as they watch shows on DVRs, the Times said. "I thought it would have done 10 to 12 million... not the 18-plus million," Adgate said. "We will definitely see more of this based on the ratings."


Susan Boyle says she has Asperger's

British singer Susan Boyle said a doctor diagnosed her with Asperger's, a high-functioning form of autism. The singer told Britain's the Observer people have often misunderstood her to have brain damage or some other complication that makes appear to be a slow learner."It's been something else," she said, adding that the Scottish specialist she saw said she has an above-average IQ. "I have always known that I have had an unfair label put upon me," Boyle said. "I have Asperger's." Asperger's mostly affects a sufferer's ability to have social interaction and their communication skills.
Boyle said it was "a relief" to finally learn of the diagnosis and put a name to her difficulties. "Asperger's doesn't define me. It's a condition that I have to live with and work through, but I feel more relaxed about myself. People will have a greater understanding of who I am and why I do the things I do," she said.