Nick Cannon moved from Aspen to an L.A. hospital for treatment

Nick Cannon, who is suffering from what wife Mariah Carey called "minor kidney failure," has been moved to a hospital bed closer to home -- so much for being "straaaaaanded in Aspen," right?

"Currently being transfered to a hospital in LA. Thank you all for all your love, prayers and concern. You know me... I will be a'ight," Cannon said late Wednesday on Twitter.

The stranded reference has come from Carey on her blog as she put a "dramatic diva" spin on what she acknowledged was a "serious situation." The couple and their 6-month-old twins, Moroccan and Monroe, had been celebrating the holidays in fine style in the Colorado enclave.

Mild kidney failure: What is it?

In the medical community, there really is no term called "mild kidney failure," Dr. Bryan Becker, the immediate past president of the National Kidney Foundation, told the Booster Shots blog Wednesday via a rep. However, Becker speculated that Cannon might have been hospitalized for some decrease in kidney function.

The kidneys flush extra fluids, waste material and salts from the blood, so if they slack off for whatever reason -- Becker mentioned illness, dehydration, taking an over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication -- those things may build up in the body. Ouch.

Cannon's "America's Got Talent" cohorts expressed sympathy, with Howie Mandel tweeting "Get well buddy" and Sharon Osbourne saying on "The Talk" (see it below), "He is such a naughty, gorgeous boy, he's going to be fine ... He's young, he's strong and he's going to be fine."

Carey told People that Cannon was stable but "in a lot of pain."

But the Nick is still Nick: "As always," Carey said, "he's in good spirits considering the situation."

 

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— Christie D'Zurilla
twitter.com/dzurillaville

Photo: Nick Cannon in October. Credit: Matt Sayles / Associated Press

 

Nick Cannon hospitalized for kidney issues after Aspen holiday

Nick Cannon has been hospitalized for what wife Mariah Carey described as mild kidney failure. The singer tweeted the picture above Wednesday, after a kid-centric holiday in Aspen that Nick said would realize a lifelong dream.

"We're trying to be as festive as possible under the circumstances but please keep Nick in your thoughts because this is very painful," Carey wrote on her blog.

"They tried to kick me out of the hospital," she added, but -- a diva gets what a diva wants, and Mariah wasn't going anywhere. She noted that it was a big turnaround from a year ago, when Nick was at her side after she gave birth to their twins, Monroe and Moroccan.

'Mild' kidney failure: What is it?

The Christmas trip to Aspen was going to be a big deal for all involved, Cannon told the Ministry at the beginning of December.

"I think my wife has been planning this all her life, Christmas with the kids," Cannon said. "We always have a real Santa Claus come with real reindeer on Christmas Eve, but this is the first time with our own children."

An elaborate dinner and church services in Aspen were on the agenda, plus the "real Santa Claus ... with real reindeer" that has been a part of their holiday celebrations since before dem babies showed up.

Carey said Wednesday on her blog, "We're doing OK but we're "straaaaaanded in Aspen". #DramaticDivaPlace (I know, we could be in a lot worse places) but the truth is as long as we're together, we're OK. I'm not trying to make light out of the situation because it's a serious moment that's very tough on all of us so please keep us and our family in your prayers."

About 26 million Americans suffer from chronic kidney disease, according to the National Kidney Foundation, which notes that early detection can help prevent the disease from progressing to kidney failure. African Americans, Hispanics, Pacific Islanders, Native Americans and seniors are at increased risk of kidney disease, the foundation says.

George Lopez and Tracy Morgan are among the celebs who've had kidney transplants.

Cannon's rep had no further information Wednesday about his condition but told the Associated Press the actor and "America's Got Talent" host is still hospitalized.

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twitter.com/dzurillaville

Photo: Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon in the hospital in Aspen on Wednesday. Credit: Twitter

 

George Michael thanks doctors for saving his life [Video]

George Michael, short of breath while speaking to reporters outside his London home on Friday, thanked doctors in Austria for their care during "by far, the worst month" of his life, and hinted at the dire nature of his condition while he'd been in the hospital.

"They spent three weeks keeping me alive, basically," said the singer, 48, who had to cancel a number of dates at the end of his Symphonica tour after contracting streptococcus pneumonia. He was taken to AKH Hospital in late November, nixing his Nov. 21 show just two hours before it was to start.

Michael, who was released from the hospital Thursday and looked thin on camera Friday, said he was still weak but felt "amazing." His team had downplayed the severity of his illness, he said, thanking fans for their good wishes while he was ill and apologizing for not being able to reach out before now. He also revealed he'd had a tracheotomy, which would suggest he'd had some serious trouble breathing.

"Apparently the hospital in Austria that they rushed me to was absolutely the best place in the world I could have been to deal with pneumonia, so I have to believe that somebody thinks I've still got some work to do here," Michael said.

"If I wasn't spiritual enough before the last four-five weeks," he added, "then I certainly am now."

Michael said he plans to add a show for the medical folks in Austria who he said saved his life.

 

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— Christie D'Zurilla
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photo: George Michael outside his London home on Dec. 23. He fought back tears after acknowledging he'd been at death's door with pneumonia. Credit: Max Nash / Agence France-Presse / Getty Images

Etta James hospitalized; care decisions remain in husband's hands

Etta James has reportedly been hospitalized after her health took a turn for the worse.

The 73-year-old blues singer was taken to a Riverside hospital Monday because of an infection that resulted in sepsis, according to CNN, which talked to one of her sons on Friday. A judge on Monday had made a ruling regarding control of her care, but left the decision on hospitalization up to her doctors.

It's not the first time James — who is suffering from leukemia and dementia — has battled sepsis brought on by a urinary tract infection; she was hospitalized for the same in January 2010 and May of this year. She also struggled with addiction in the 1960s and '70s.

Though the Grammy winner's health has improved since Monday, "She's not out of the woods quite yet," son Sametto James told CNN.

A judge ruled Monday that James' husband since 1969, Artis Mills, would keep decision-making control over her finances and her healthcare, but released only $350,000 for the singer's medical costs from her $1-million estate instead of the half-million Mills had requested. According to Mills, James' at-home care runs about $30,000 a month. Donto James, Sametto's brother, had requested a temporary conservatorship because of concerns over those expenses and his mother's care.

"The only issue is my mother going into the hospital," Donto James told The Times. "I begged the doctors to do it this one time to make sure everything is OK."

Dr . Elaine James (no relation), the "At Last" singer's live-in physician since March 2010, revealed last week that Etta James' leukemia was terminal.

Requesting prayers be said for her patient, the doctor said Dec. 15 to the Riverside Press-Enterprise that fans "know she's been sick, but not how sick."

 

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Photo: Etta James at the Playboy Jazz Festival in June 1990. Credit: Los Angeles Times

 

Etta James is terminally ill, live-in doctor says

Etta James, the "At Last" singer whose health has been in decline, is terminally ill with chronic leukemia, her doctor says.

Dr. Elaine James, who has lived with the 73-year-old singer since March 2010, made the announcement Thursday, explaining that James’ leukemia was deemed incurable two weeks ago. The diagnosis was determined with help from an oncologist-hematologist and an internist.

"I am Southern and Christian and would just ask for the prayers of her fans and friends," the doctor, who is no relation to the singer,  told the Riverside Press-Enterprise. "[Fans] know she’s been sick, but not how sick."

Leukemia is a cancer of the blood and bone marrow, where blood cells are produced, according to our sister blog Booster Shots. When abnormal cells are created, they disrupt the function of healthy cells. Treatments for more advanced stages of chronic leukemia can include drug therapy, chemotherapy and bone marrow or stem cell transplants.

Adding to Etta James' suffering are kidney failure and dementia, according to court records, and Elaine James says Etta's communication is at this point mostly just "uh-huhs”"and "no's." The Riverside resident, who underwent gastric bypass surgery in 2003, was hospitalized earlier this year with blood and urinary tract infections, and has suffered from heroin and painkiller addictions in the past.

Donto James and his brother Sametto James told Reuters on Friday that they were not involved in the announcement and are still trying to determine the accuracy of the diagnosis.

Donto has been involved with ongoing court proceedings concerning his mother's estate and care. So far, he is asking for a conservator to take over his mother’s $1-million estate in place of her husband, Artis Mills, and is questioning the employment of Elaine James. The doctor’s salary was previously reported at $20,000 per month, then $25,000 and now $30,000.

In past proceedings, Donto has drawn comparisons between Elaine James and Michael Jackson’s live-in physician Dr. Conrad Murray and recently said of his mother's at-home care: "I saw her the day before yesterday, and I think she needs to be in the hospital. She doesn't look good."

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Giuliana Rancic recovering from double mastectomy, reconstruction

-- Emily Christianson

Reuters contributed to this report.

Photo: Etta James in 2009. Credit: Rick Diamond / Getty Images.

Giuliana Rancic recovering from double mastectomy, reconstruction

Giuliana Rancic has had her double mastectomy and is "doing really well," according to husband Bill Rancic, who was lucky enough to help pick out the new look that will come with his wife's reconstructive surgery.

Giuliana, 36, was diagnosed with breast cancer in October after a mammogram ordered as part of in vitro fertilization therapy revealed cancer cells in both breasts, a circumstance she recently told Wendy Williams happens in less than 5% of cases. This week's surgery became necessary after a double lumpectomy failed to nab all the cancerous cells and she was unwilling to live with the risks that would come with another lumpectomy and chemo.

Though Bill noted to Williams that his wife's scars would be "a badge of courage," he went on to explain that the procedure was not the disfiguring experience of years past. Plus he got to have a little fun related to the reconstructive surgery she had done with the mastectomies.

"Bill helped pick 'em out and everything," she said, smiling. "So I'm, like, Bill, that big?"

Though he might not have been a breast man before, he said that, "given the option, go big or go home, right?"

Jokes aside, Giuliana told Us Weekly that she was a little afraid of the unknown. "I've never been through anything like this. I'm scared of waking up and the pain. I do hear it's a painful recovery, so I worry about that."

Bill told Us they were looking forward to starting 2012 with a clean slate. "Once the clock strikes midnight," he said, "we're taking the rear view mirror off the car and we're not looking back, because we're going to be done"

Giuliana underwent the four-hour surgery on Tuesday night, according to E!, which employs the TV host and noted, "Just get well soon, G. The office isn't the same without you."

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Photo: On "The Wendy Williams Show," Giuliana Rancic reacts to husband Bill Rancic's delight over his participation in picking out the implants that were used in her reconstructive breast surgery. Credit: Rahav Segev / "The Wendy Williams Show."

 

Giuliana Rancic to have double mastectomy in breast cancer fight

Giuliana Rancic appeared on NBC's "Today" show Monday morning to announce that she's planning to undergo a double mastectomy as the next step in her battle against breast cancer.

The E! News host and star of the reality show "Giuliana & Bill" sat beside husband Bill and discussed her decision to move forward with the procedure after a double lumpectomy failed to properly clear the cancer from her body.

"Today's" Ann Curry asked Rancic, who made her desire to have children the focus of her reality show, what role her parenting plans played into the decision to have the mastectomy.

"If I'd chosen to just do another lumpectomy and then do radiation, and then do anti-estrogen therapy, which means two to five years of medication, that basically puts me into early menopause," Rancic said. "Then I would have to put off having a baby for several years. So that was something we took into account. But to be honest, at the end it came down to choosing to live and not looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life."

Rancic said it was her husband's words that really stuck with her. "Bill said to me, 'I just need you around for the next 50 years, kid,' " she said.... "'I don't care what you look like, I don't care about the physical portion of this, I just need you around for the next 50 years, so let's get you healthy.' And that helped me come to a decision."

Rancic disclosed on "Today" in October that she had been diagnosed with early stage breast cancer. She underwent the double lumpectomy in mid-October and returned to E! after.

Bill Rancic told Curry he had his eye on the finish line. "Our goal is to be done with this by Christmas time and then don't look back."

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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Photo: Giuliana Rancic at the Golden Globes in January. Credit: Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times

Patrice O'Neal dead at 41; comic had suffered a stroke in October

Comedian Patrice O'Neal died Tuesday morning from complications of a stroke he suffered on Oct. 19. "Many of us have lost a close and loved friend," his rep said in confirming the news. "All of us have lost a true comic genius."

The veteran New York-based stand-up comic was 41.

O'Neal was a familiar face on Comedy Central -- getting a lot of attention during his ribald turn (that means watch out for the cuss words if you click) on "The Roast of Charlie Sheen" in September -- as well as a frequent guest on the "Opie & Anthony" radio show.

The radio show broke the news in late October that O'Neal, a diabetic, had suffered a stroke the previous week.

"One of a kind. In heaven right now, charming half and infuriating half, then reversing," tweeted Colin Quinn, host of Comedy Central's defunct "Tough Crowd With Colin Quinn," which had regularly featured O'Neal.

Fellow comic and close friend Jim Norton posted a picture of himself and O'Neal online Tuesday, captioning it, "I couldn't possibly love a friend more than I love you. Goodbye brother."

"Yes it's true that our pal Patrice O'Neal has passed away," Opie and Anthony said via Twitter. "The funniest and best thinker i've ever known PERIOD. #devastated." The show posted a video link on its Facebook page, sending people to what they called O'Neal's "greatest laugh ever."

The 6-foot-5 O'Neal reportedly got his first taste of stand-up at Estelle's in Boston when he was heckling a comic who then invited him to come onstage and see if he could better. "The following week he went on stage at Estelle's and brought down the house," according to his Comedy Central bio.

His final performance was at the Charlie Sheen roast.

"Patrice had that rare 'light' around him and inside of him," the actor said Tuesday via Twitter. "I only knew him for the few days leading up the roast. Yet I will forever be inspired by his nobility, his grace and his epic talent. My tears today are for the tremendous loss to his true friends and loving family."

O'Neal is survived by his wife Vondecarlo, stepdaughter Aymilyon, sister Zinder and mother Georgia, his rep told TMZ.

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Photo: Comedian Patrice O'Neal arrives at Comedy Central's Roast of Charlie Sheen held at Sony Studios in L.A. on Sept. 10. O'Neal died Tuesday at age 41. Credit: Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images

George Michael nixes rest of Symphonica tour on doctors' orders

George Michael, who has been fighting pneumonia, has postponed the remainder of the concert dates on his Symphonica tour, it was announced Friday. Doctors' orders, it seems.

After postponing four shows that were to happen this week, Michael remains hospitalized with the pneumonia that hit him in Vienna.

"His condition has stabilized and he is responding to treatment," said Drs. Christoph Zielinski and Thomas Staudinger said in a statement, speaking on behalf of the hospital where the 48-year-old singer is being treated as an inpatient.

"From the current point of view, the time until recovery cannot be estimated, but he will not be able to perform the rest of the tour. Besides medical treatment, complete rest and peace and quiet are mandatory."

The statement on his website notes that "George was very much looking forward to bringing his tour back home and performing for his loyal and dedicated UK fan base." Fans were being told to hang on to their tickets while arrangements are made to reschedule the shows.

Michael was taken to the hospital Monday, shortly before he was to go onstage in Vienna. His spokeswoman on Friday dismissed rumors that the singer might be suffering heart problems.

"George Michael is ill with pneumonia and any other speculation regarding his illness is unfounded and untrue," she said in a statement.

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— Christie D'Zurilla
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Reuters contributed to this report.

Photos, from left: George Michael performing in Milan, Italy, on Nov. 11 (credit: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images); Vienna General Hospital, where he is being treated (Georg Hochmuth / European Pressphoto Agency).

George Michael hospitalized, cancels shows due to pneumonia

George Michael postponed two more concerts Wednesday after being hospitalized in Vienna for treatment of pneumonia. 

"With great regret, George Michael has been forced to postpone his November 26 and 27 shows in Cardiff, Wales, due to his ongoing illness," said a message on his website. "George was recently forced to postponed tour dates in Vienna and Strasbourg, [France] under doctor’s orders after being diagnosed with pneumonia. He is currently receiving treatment."

The 48-year-old performer nixed the Monday show in Vienna just two hours before it was to start. The onetime Wham! singer, who has been on the road with a 41-piece orchestra, said at the start of his 47-date tour that he "felt very reenergized" after his "recent troubles," according to BBC News.

Those "troubles" included a conviction (for driving under the influence of drugs) that landed him behind bars for four weeks of an eight-week sentence, and the end of a what he called a "turbulent" long-term relationship with Kenny Goss. He was released from prison in October 2010.

Michael went public with the breakup in August, onstage at the Prague State Opera House on the opening night of his current effort, "Symphonica: The Orchestral Tour." He and businessman Goss had been involved since the mid-1990s.

As for the postponed tour dates: Details on plans to reschedule will be provided when available, according to the George Michael website.

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Photo: George Michael on stage in Zurich, Switzerland, on Oct. 14. Credit:  Alessandro Della Bella / European Pressphoto Agency