September 4th
Jerry Lewis: Congratulations are in order for the funny man who has been serving as the driving force behind the Muscular Dystrophy Association Labor Day Telethon for forty-two years. The televised Monday event raised $63.7 million, beating last year’s record $61 million haul with ease. The International Association of Fire Fighters contributed almost half of the total with $25.2 million raised during its local “fill the boot” drives around the country. At 81, Lewis is like that Energizer Bunny that seems to never slow down. He told his viewers, “We’ll be here every year as long as I’m breathing in and out.” That’s good news for all of us.
David Tennant: Fans of the popular BBC science fiction series Doctor Who will have to wait an extra year to see new episodes. Tennant, who stars in the show as the Doctor, has been granted a leave of absence from the TARDIS world so that he can join the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford Upon Avon to work on various projects, including a new production of Hamlet. The BBC told fans that season four will air in the Spring, 2008. Season five will not be ready for broadcast until sometime in 2010. Since The Doctor’s wondrous phone booth can move between time periods, Tennant ought to be able to take part in his stage work at the same time he does the series. I’m beginning to think that the thing is just a set prop. Bummer!
Owen Wilson: Is another celebrity getting a special break? Many people who try to kill themselves end up being evaluated by a court or hospital official before being allowed to return to public life. It’s a way to insure their future safety and the safety of people close to them. On Saturday, Wilson was allowed to leave Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center so that he can recover from his suicide attempt at home. That’s where he was when he tried to end his life. It might not be the best place for him to be now, especially if his personal demons haven’t left the neighborhood yet. Family members are keeping him company twenty-four hours a day. Wilson’s mental health crisis forced him to cancel his plan to star with movie pal Ben Stiller in their new comedy, Tropic Thunder. The movie was supposed to begin production this month.
Larry Birkhead: Don’t be surprised if the late Anna Nicole Smith’s former lover sues Rita Cosby after her new book, “Blonde Ambition: The Untold Story Behind Anna Nicole Smith’s Death,” goes on sale. Birkhead won the custody battle over baby Dannielynn that Howard K. Stern opposed in court, but was it really a battle over a child or something else? According to people who have read the advance copy of Cosby’s book, the writer says that the two men in Smith’s life were lovers … of each other. The book also alleges that Smith and one of her friends caught her favorite male twosome in a sexual act together. Can we all say “lawsuit” together?
