Omarosa speaks out about brother Jack Manigault's shooting death

Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth -- better known in reality TV simply as Omarosa -- has issued a statement on the shooting death of her brother, Jack Manigault.

Jack Manigault, 40, was caught up in a lovers' quarrel, Ohio police said, and was killed when his girlfriend's ex shot him Sunday in the bedroom where Manigault and the woman were sleeping.

"Manigault was home with his 34-year-old girlfriend when the woman’s former boyfriend, 22-year-old Marco Cardenas, forced his way into the house past two juveniles and entered a bedroom where Manigault and the woman were sleeping,"  the Youngstown Vindicator said, citing police reports. "Several shots were fired, and Manigault ran from the room and collapsed with a gunshot wound to the head."

Omarosa, pictured above not with her brother but with actor Michael Clarke Duncan, said Monday in a statement, "We thank everyone for their amazing outpouring of support surrounding the tragic death of my brother Jack. Right now it is an extremely difficult time and we ask that you allow family privacy to grieve and make all necessary arrangements."

Manigault had a history of legal troubles, including a prison sentence for aggravated assault and arrests on weapons and drug possession charges. But Omarosa said in her statement that Manigault had "turned his life around."

"My brother was so special to us! We loved him unconditionally. And we were so proud of him when he turned his life around and gave his life to God two years ago."

Omarosa hit the reality-TV big time in 2004 on the first season of Donald Trump's "The Apprentice," returning for "Celebrity Apprentice" in 2008, having earned said celebrity on an abundance of reality and chat shows in between and up to the present.

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Reuters contributed to this report.

Photo: Omarosa Manigualt-Stallworth and Michael Clarke Duncan of "The Finder" attend a party for Emmy nominees on Sept. 18. Credit: Christopher Polk / Fox

 

Obama birth certificate: Brought to you by Donald Trump, says Donald Trump

The Obama birth certificate has been made public, shining light on exactly what it takes to get Donald Trump to shut up. Seems it must be something bigger than Obama's birth certificate, the release of which on Wednesday prompted Trump to talk even more.

"I am so proud of myself," the "Celebrity Apprentice" star said before a midday GOP fundraiser in New Hampshire and after calling for the Obama birth certificate for what may have been eternity. "I got this guy to release his birth certificate. I'm really, really happy."

President Obama had a bit to say as well at a White House news briefing after his long-form certificate of live birth was made public. "We're not going to be able to solve our problems if we get distracted by sideshows and carnival barkers," that "guy" said, not naming any names. 

As we noted recently, Trump is not the only celebrity getting in on the Obama birth certificate action, though we wonder now if Tracy Morgan really had the president's birth certificate in Brooklyn like he said he did.

"BREAKING NEWS: The President Of The United States Of America was born in The United States Of America," actress Alyssa Milano tweeted Wednesday, right after announcing she'd be on Capitol Hill for the next few days advocating for arts funding from Congress.

Dennis Miller wanted more, tweeting, "All I'm asking is that now Obama release his lifeguard accreditation card." Sarah Palin, who Tuesday seemed more interested in Libya than anything involving who was or was not born in Kenya, challenged the media "admit it, Trump forced the issue." Kirstie Alley, after surviving elimination from "Dancing With the Stars," seemed to be asleep.

Trump supporter Gary Busey's 1-year-old son hospitalized

Gary Busey's 1-year-old son has been hospitalized since earlier this week at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he is being treated for "a childhood illness."

Luke Busey, son of the actor and fiancee Steffanie Sampson, is expected home by the end of the week, a Busey rep told "Access Hollywood" on Tuesday.

"Gary is very grateful to his fans for their love and support," the rep said. "Gary and Steffanie thank everyone for their prayers and get-well wishes for Luke."

The "Lethal Weapon" actor also has a son, Jake Busey, with ex-wife Judy Helkenberg, and a daughter, Alectra "Ellie" Busey, with Tracy Hutchinson.

The freshly fired "Celebrity Apprentice" contestant made headlines earlier this week when he expressed his support for Donald Trump's rumored presidential bid. Busey told the "Today" show that although he has "great respect" for President Obama, Trump "would be an absolutely good" president.

"He knows about this country," Busey said. "He knows the situation we're in now."

On the "The Wendy Williams Show," the actor went so far as to pledge his vote, calling Trump "a great man."

Richard Hatch reports for prison — just wait till the Donald gets home [Poll]

Whether Bret Michaels would be healthy enough to make the "Celebrity Apprentice" finale was last season's cliff-hanger; this season, it could be whether Richard Hatch can pull off a prison break in time.

Reality-TV personality Hatch, who was sentenced Friday to nine months in prison on a probation violation, turned himself in Monday at the U.S. District Court in Providence, R.I.

Eleven of the show's 12 episodes have been taped, with the live finale expected, um, sooner than nine months from now. Season 11 premiered on March 6, and who makes it to the final two has obviously not yet been revealed.

"We don't expect this to be a conflict" with the live finale, "Apprentice" honcho Donald Trump told "Hollywood 411" on Monday in New York. "If we have to, we will get him out. ... I assume he will behave well."

"I don't know what it is with him," Trump said. "I like him; he's a nice guy. I thought he served his time, and now he's going back to jail. ... I'm gonna have to sit down with him and talk to him."

"You can continue to proclaim your innocence," Judge William Smith told Hatch in court on Friday. "You don't have the option of engaging in this type of game or negotiation with the court. It needs to be a severe punishment. That's the only thing that will deter you in the future."

The first "Survivor" winner served three years behind bars for tax evasion after failing to pay taxes on the $1-million prize he won in 2000. He was put on three years' supervised release starting in 2009, with terms of probation including re-filing his 2000 and 2001 tax returns and paying what he owed. That never happened, though Hatch told the judge Friday that his taxes were extremely complicated and he was working with an accountant to determine from the IRS what he owed.

Also awaiting Hatch: 26 months of supervised release to follow the new prison time, and the garnishing of 25% of his gross wages, to be paid to the IRS toward the $2 million the prosecution said he now owes in back taxes and penalties.

Plus, perhaps, that sit-down with the Donald.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photo: "Survivor" and "Celebrity Apprentice" star Richard Hatch leaves federal court in Providence, R.I., on Dec. 15. Credit: Stew Milne / Associated Press.

 

Oscars: Donald Trump just wants to have fun [video]

Donald Trump left New York behind for a while and took a stroll down the Academy Awards red carpet Sunday with wife Melania Trump.

"We just want to have a little fun," said the Donald, who will be back in the "Celebrity Apprentice" boardroom next Sunday.

"We just have a lot of great competitors" this coming season, he said.

Trump apparently knows how to pick a winner, preferring " 'King's Speech' more than anything else," he said.

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-- Amy Kaufman

Photo: Helena Bonham Carter, left, gets roped in by Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, on the red carpet at the Oscars in Hollywood on Feb. 27, 2011. Credit: Ethan Miller / Getty Images

Bret Michaels out of the hospital after heart surgery

Bret Michaels is out of the hospital and recuperating with his daughters and fiancee at home in Scottsdale, Ariz., following surgery Monday to repair a hole in his heart.

The rocker and "Celebrity Apprentice" winner was discharged from St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, a hospital spokeswoman said Wednesday.

The procedure -- involving a catheter inserted into a vein in Michaels' groin, with a device attached to close the hole between chambers of his heart -- had "excellent results," Dr. Mansour Assar said in statement. "Because of the successful outcome and Bret's determination, I believe he will be able to return to normal activity within weeks."

Doctors discovered the hole in Michaels' heart when he had a "warning stroke" in May, after being treated for a brain hemorrhage in late April, after having an emergency appendectomy in early April.

The Energizer Bunny -- oops, we mean the reality-TV star -- was healthy enough to return to the May 23 finale of "Apprentice" and start performing again right away, but knew that the hole would eventually have to be repaired.

Michaels, 47, proposed to longtime girlfriend Kristi Gibson, 39, for the December finale of his show "Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It." They have two daughters together.

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-- Christie D'Zurilla

Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photo: Bret Michaels performs in St. Louis on May 29, 2010. Sarah Conard / St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Bret Michaels undergoing heart surgery

Bret Michaels is undergoing heart surgery in Phoenix where doctors will repair a hole in his heart that has been there since birth.

Surgeons at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center are performing a cardiac catheterization, which would stop blood from abnormally flowing between two chambers in his heart. The procedure requires inserting a scope in the groin area and guiding a closure device to repair his heart. Without the procedure, Michaels, 47, would have a higher risk of developing blood clots and suffering from another stroke.

The hole was discovered when the former Poison frontman was recovering from a brain hemorrhage last April, 10 days after an emergency appendectomy.

"Barring any complications, I should be out within three to four days," he told The Arizona Republic. "Then, I will be down [resting] for three weeks. I don't know if I can sit around for that long, but I'll try my best."

The cowboy-hat-and-bandanna-clad rocker auctioned off his 1969 Camaro Custom Coupe for $200,000 in Scottsdale, Ariz., over the weekend and donated a portion of the proceeds to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

He won the third cycle of "The Celebrity Apprentice 3" and recently asked his longtime girlfriend Kristi Gibson to marry him.

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Photo: Rocker and Reality TV personality Bret Michaels arrives for a taping of "The Late Show with David Letterman" in New York last July. Credit: Charles Sykes / Associated Press

Ivanka Trump tells the world she's pregnant ... on Twitter

Ivanka Trump, daughter of Donald Trump and co-host of "The Apprentice," announced Friday that she is pregnant.

"I have been wanting to share some amazing news with you all some time ... I'm pregnant! Jared and I couldn't be more excited," she said on Twitter.

The 29-year-old got hitched to New York Observer owner Jared Kushner, 30, in October 2009.

Trump, the heiress-turned-entrepreneur, told OK! that her brother Donald Trump Jr.'s kids were the newlyweds' inspiration to start a family.

"My brother is over-the-moon, and he's an amazing father. And his wife is an incredible mother to their two beautiful children," she said in an interview with the mag. "It’s very encouraging to see such a happy, beautiful family, and I hope to have one of my own one day." 

We can't wait to see more little Trump-ettes running around solely to hear their imitation of grandpa's "You're fired."

And we genuinely hope that the former model's frame will be able to handle both the Trump-ette and her 5.22-carat Trump diamond ring.

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Photo: Ivanka Trump in October. Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images

Bret Michaels wins 'Celebrity Apprentice' with a limp and a smile

After a dramatic week leading up to Sunday's finale of "The Celebrity Apprentice," rocker Bret Michaels made it to Donald Trump's last boardroom meeting of the season -- and won.

Besting actress Holly Robinson Peete, Michaels scored $250,000 for the American Diabetes Assn.

"Lately it seems like me just standing up is risking my life,” Michaels joked to Trump, who asked if Michaels was putting his health in jeopardy by appearing at the New York finale. 

Just a month prior to the finale, Michaels was rushed to the hospital after suffering a brain hemorrhage. He was listed in critical condition for 10 days, then released to out-patient rehabilitation. Though his rate of recovery was considered rare, Michaels was back on his way to "Apprentice."

Then he suffered a small stroke.

In a statement posted last week on his website, Michaels said he was diagnosed with patent foramen ovale, or a hole in the heart, after experiencing numbness on the left side of his body.

So Sunday came as a victory for the resilient singer, who defeated Robinson Peete in a challenge to create and market a celebrity drink for Snapple. Peete's HollyRod Foundation, however, scored its own $250,000 from the iced tea makers.

The singer was in good spirits but appeared to walk with a limp and exhibited some slack in the left side of his face, a report said.

The "Apprentice" farewell saw the reunion of fired contestants like Cindy Lauper, Selita Ebanks and Rod Blagojevich. Sharon Osbourne was inexplicably absent, as was wrestler Bill Goldberg.

— Matt Donnelly

Photo: Michaels said his thoughts were only of his children when his brain troubles hit. Credit: Peter Kramer / AP Photo/NBC

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Bret Michaels hospitalized -- again -- with 'warning stroke,' hole in heart

As if bandanna-clad Bret Michaels didn’t have it hard enough. First it was appendicitis. Then a brain hemorrhage. Now he’s suffered a small “warning stroke” and has a hole in his heart, according to a statement posted on his website.

Michaels, who suffered a near-fatal brain hemorrhage a month ago, was hospitalized again this week after “experiencing numbness on the left side of his body, particularly in his face and hands,” the statement said. He was readmitted to the hospital and diagnosed with a patent foramen ovale, or hole in the heart. 

The conditions are treatable and likely unrelated to last month's brain hemorrhage, according to his neurosurgeon, Dr. Joseph Zabramski.

The news comes just a day after his televised appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," where the long-haired rocker-turned-reality star gave his first interview since his brush with death. 

Michaels' website says he was “up, walking, talking, continuing his daily rehab and very happy to be alive.”

The former Poison frontman is expected to recover, but his participation Sunday in the finale of "Celebrity Apprentice" is in uncertain, as is his planned May 28 return to the concert scene. It's also likely production on his new VH1 series will be stalled again.

-- Yvonne Villarreal

Photo: Bret Michaels in 2008. Gus Ruelas / Associated Press.

At the Ministry, we worry about celebs who are under the weather. If you worry too, follow us on Twitter for all the headlines (we're @LATcelebs) or tell us to get our rest and drink plenty of liquids on Facebook.