Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees hospitalized for intestinal surgery

Robin Gibb's "spectacular" recovery has taken a turn for the worse, with the singer hospitalized following intestinal surgery over the weekend.

Gibb, whose twin brother Maurice died at 53 of twisted intestine caused by a congenital defect shared by Robin, announced in February that a growth on his colon had been removed and his health was looking up.

On Wednesday, however, his publicist said the 62-year-old singer and songwriter was recovering in the hospital after intestinal surgery Sunday and had been forced to cancel a number of commitments.

Still on the schedule, at least for now, is Gibb's classical music concert debut in April. He'll lead a performance of "The Titanic Requiem," a new work composed by him and his son, RJ, in honor of the 100th anniversary of the ship's sinking.

The illness, widely reported to be cancer, has dogged the onetime Bee Gees member and required chemotherapy as recently as January, his spokesman told the BBC at the time.

"It's all simple," Gibb told BBC Radio 2 back in February. "I was diagnosed with a growth in my colon. It was removed. And I've been treated for that by a brilliant doctor, and in their own words 'the results have been spectacular.' "

Gibb had been reveling in the notion of gaining some weight.

"I love food, I love eating," he told the BBC, adding: "I've always been thin. If you go back to when we first started I've always been skinny. It's hard for me to put on weight."

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— Christie D'Zurilla
Twitter.com/dzurillaville
Christie D'Zurilla on Google+

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photo: Robin Gibb on "American Idol" in May 2010. Credit: Vince Bucci / Fox

Robin Gibb announces 'spectacular' recovery from colon cancer

Robin Gibb is back in good health, he said Friday, eager to start gaining some weight and preparing for his classical concert debut coming in April.

Gibb, whose twin brother Maurice died at 53 of twisted intestine caused by a congenital defect shared by Robin, set the record straight after recently battling a condition widely reported to be cancer.

"It's all simple," he told BBC Radio 2's Steve Wright on Friday (via the Daily Mail). "I was diagnosed with a growth in my colon. It was removed. And I've been treated for that by a brilliant doctor, and in their own words 'the results have been spectacular.' "

After Gibb was rushed to the hospital suffering from abdominal pain in November, the Ministry of Gossip passed along a Sunday Mirror account alleging Gibb had liver cancer. According to the Sun, the singer later issued a statement saying he was being treated for inflammation of the colon.

Only last month, his spokesman told the BBC, "Robin is responding well to treatment and we are very upbeat about his recovery. As always chemotherapy has taken its toll, but Robin feels good."

About his shockingly thin appearance, Gibb said no worries -- his appetite is great again and he's looking forward to gaining some weight.

"I love food, I love eating," he told the BBC, adding, "I've always been thin. If you go back to when we first started I've always been skinny. It's hard for me to put on weight."

The singer and prolific songwriter, who enjoyed massive worldwide fame as part of the Bee Gees with Maurice and older brother Barry Gibb, will make his classical music concert debut in April. Robin Gibb will lead a performance of "The Titanic Requiem," a new work composed by him and his son, RJ, on the 100th anniversary of the ship's sinking. 

Hear a bit of "The Titanic Requiem" as it was recorded, and see the two collaborators discussing the project, in the video below."Jive Talkin'," this ain't.

 

ALSO: 

Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees is fighting cancer

Joyce DeWitt, Suzanne Somers reunite after 30 years, talk about John Ritter

Florence Henderson brought home a souvenir from one-night stand with a New York mayor

— Christie D'Zurilla
Twitter.com/dzurillaville

Photo: Robin Gibb on "American Idol" in May 2010. Credit: Vince Bucci / Fox

inistry of Gossip

The gospel on celebrity and pop culture

Category: The 1970s

Joyce DeWitt, Suzanne Somers reunite after 30 years, talk Ritter

February 2, 2012 |  1:48 pm

   

 

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Joyce DeWitt and Suzanne Somers reunited recently for the first time in 30 years, sitting down for the Thursday episode of Somers' "Breaking Through" Web series, revisiting their "Three's Company" time together and remembering their last conversations with John Ritter -- plus a couple other sexy somethings about their former costar.

It was a chat DeWitt ultimately pegged as "unexpected, way cool, pretty wonderful," while Somers dubbed it "a teaching moment in reconciliation and resolution."

"I do want you to know how much I learned from watching you, and I do want you to know how awed by all your 'subtext,' which I'd never heard the word," the one with the business mind (Somers) told the one with the drama training (DeWitt). "And you're the first person who told me we were doing farce, and at first I thought we were talking about farts or something but ... I really didn't know anything."

PHOTOS: Thirty years ago

DeWitt said she never thought the producers would let Somers go after five years, and the two agreed that those in charge "could not respect the feminine contribution" -- meaning, could not see why the men and women on the show should be paid equally.

Whatever the women's "ick" may have been that kept them apart over the years, they put it aside for the three-part webisode (part two is above, part one below). Warmly remembering Ritter, who died suddenly in September 2003, they praised his comedic gifts and then got down to business, discussing his possible, ahem, liaisons on set.

"I think Jonathan and a lot of our guest stars," um, ya-know ya-know, DeWitt hinted.

"No!," said a shocked Somers. "No!"

"That's what I got told later."

"Well, John was very horny," Somers conceded. "I mean, like, the horniest guy I've ever known, but it all seemed very innocent. I guess not!"

 

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Kristy McNichol of "Family," "Empty Nest" comes out as a lesbian

David Cassidy pleads no contest to driving under the influence, gets probation

— Christie D'Zurilla
twitter.com/dzurillaville

Joyce DeWitt and Suzanne Somers reunited recently for the first time in 30 years, sitting down for the Thursday episode of Somers' "Breaking Through" Web series, revisiting their "Three's Company" time together and remembering their last conversations with John Ritter -- plus a couple other sexy somethings about their former costar.

It was a chat DeWitt ultimately pegged as "unexpected, way cool, pretty wonderful," while Somers dubbed it "a teaching moment in reconciliation and resolution."

"I do want you to know how much I learned from watching you, and I do want you to know how awed by all your 'subtext,' which I'd never heard the word," the one with the business mind (Somers) told the one with the drama training (DeWitt). "And you're the first person who told me we were doing farce, and at first I thought we were talking about farts or something but ... I really didn't know anything."

PHOTOS: Thirty years ago

DeWitt said she never thought the producers would let Somers go after five years, and the two agreed that those in charge "could not respect the feminine contribution" -- meaning, could not see why the men and women on the show should be paid equally.

Whatever the women's "ick" may have been that kept them apart over the years, they put it aside for the three-part webisode (part two is above, part one below). Warmly remembering Ritter, who died suddenly in September 2003, they praised his comedic gifts and then got down to business, discussing his possible, ahem, liaisons on set.

"I think Jonathan and a lot of our guest stars," um, ya-know ya-know, DeWitt hinted.

"No!," said a shocked Somers. "No!"

"That's what I got told later."

"Well, John was very horny," Somers conceded. "I mean, like, the horniest guy I've ever known, but it all seemed very innocent. I guess not!"

 

ALSO:

Farrah Fawcett's red swimsuit donated to Smithsonian

Kristy McNichol of "Family," "Empty Nest" comes out as a lesbian

David Cassidy pleads no contest to driving under the influence, gets probation

— Christie D'Zurilla
twitter.com/dzurillaville

Joyce DeWitt, Suzanne Somers reunite after 30 years, talk Ritter

Joyce DeWitt and Suzanne Somers reunited recently for the first time in 30 years, sitting down for the Thursday episode of Somers' "Breaking Through" Web series, revisiting their "Three's Company" time together and remembering their last conversations with John Ritter -- plus a couple other sexy somethings about their former costar.

It was a chat DeWitt ultimately pegged as "unexpected, way cool, pretty wonderful," while Somers dubbed it "a teaching moment in reconciliation and resolution."

"I do want you to know how much I learned from watching you, and I do want you to know how awed by all your 'subtext,' which I'd never heard the word," the one with the business mind (Somers) told the one with the drama training (DeWitt). "And you're the first person who told me we were doing farce, and at first I thought we were talking about farts or something but ... I really didn't know anything."

PHOTOS: Thirty years ago

DeWitt said she never thought the producers would let Somers go after five years, and the two agreed that those in charge "could not respect the feminine contribution" -- meaning, could not see why the men and women on the show should be paid equally.

Whatever the women's "ick" may have been that kept them apart over the years, they put it aside for the three-part webisode (part two is above, part one below). Warmly remembering Ritter, who died suddenly in September 2003, they praised his comedic gifts and then got down to business, discussing his possible, ahem, liaisons on set.

"I think Jonathan and a lot of our guest stars," um, ya-know ya-know, DeWitt hinted.

"No!," said a shocked Somers. "No!"

"That's what I got told later."

"Well, John was very horny," Somers conceded. "I mean, like, the horniest guy I've ever known, but it all seemed very innocent. I guess not!"

 

ALSO:

Farrah Fawcett's red swimsuit donated to Smithsonian

Kristy McNichol of "Family," "Empty Nest" comes out as a lesbian

David Cassidy pleads no contest to driving under the influence, gets probation

— Christie D'Zurilla
twitter.com/dzurillaville

Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees is fighting liver cancer

UPDATED POST: Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees hospitalized for intestinal surgery

Robin Gibb, one of the two surviving members of the Bee Gees, is suffering from liver cancer and was rushed to the hospital several days ago via ambulance after his family called 999 -- the British  equivalent of 911 -- for treatment.

Gibb, 61, was diagnosed with liver cancer several months ago, according to the Sunday Mirror, which reported that older brother Barry, 65, his wife, Linda, and mother Barbara Gibb, 91, had flown in from their homes in the U.S. to be with Robin.

Robin Gibb was allowed to return home Tuesday after spending five hours in the hospital; he said later in a statement that he had been treated for inflammation of the colon, the Sun reported. The always-slim singer, who has appeared gaunt in recent months, has had to cancel a number of appearances this year.

"Robin is not good and there is a lot of concern for him ... ," a family friend told the Sunday Mirror. "But Robin is a strong character, he is a fighter and has been encouraged by all the online messages from his fans. Dwina [his wife] is doing everything ­possible and hasn’t left his side"

In a previously recorded "Living the Life" TV interview that the Telegraph said was set to air Sunday night, Robin speaks of his twin brother's death in 2003 as "something I haven’t accepted still. He was a relatively young man and he just went all of a sudden."

Maurice Gibb, the third member of the Bee Gees, died at age 53 of complications due to a twisted small intestine, which was noted in his autopsy report as a congenital condition. After suffering abdominal pain while performing in August 2010, Robin Gibb had surgery for the same sort of blockage.

In April, he canceled a series of concert dates in Brazil after being hospitalized for abdominal pain.

Andy Gibb, the family's fourth brother and a solo artist, died of heart failure in 1988 at age 30 after years of struggling with cocaine addiction. The Bee Gees, famed for their dominance in the disco era, were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

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— Christie D'Zurilla
Twitter.com/dzurillaville

Photos, from left: The Bee Gees, shown in 1978, comprised Robin, left, Barry and Maurice Gibb (Maurice, Robin's twin, died in 2003); Robin Gibb, shown in 2007, has been diagnosed with liver cancer. Credits: Lennox McLendon / Associated Press, Ian Gavan / Getty Images

'Brady Bunch' mom Florence Henderson brought home a souvenir from one-night stand with a New York mayor

Florence Henderson, matriarch of "The Brady Bunch," got crabs in the 1960s from a one-night stand with then-New York Mayor John Lindsay.

Freaking out over the idea of Carol Brady with pubic lice? There's more: She and Lindsay were married at the time — but not to each other. Tsk-tsk, Mrs. Brady.

"I was lonely. I knew it wasn't the right thing to do. So, what did I do? I did it," the actress, 77, reveals in her upcoming memoir, "Life Is Not a Stage," which hits bookshelves in September. The book discusses her childhood in an abusive home, second marriage and Broadway stardom.

The morning after the one-night stand, she woke and saw "little black things" crawling on her bed and body.

"Guess I learned the hard way that crabs do not discriminate but cross over all socioeconomic strata," Henderson writes. "He must have had quite the active life. What a way to put the kibosh on a relationship."

Flowers and a note of apology came from Lindsay, who had served as a U.S. congressman before being elected mayor and took a run at the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination. He died in 2000.

Henderson also squashes rumors that she'd had an affair with Barry Williams, who played her on-screen stepson Greg Brady and was 20 years her junior.

"Barry did have a serious crush on me, which I understood and helped him get past," Henderson writes. "Let us just say that if he had entertained a roll in the hay with me, I would never have done it."

And we thought Marcia had issues.

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— Nardine Saad
Twitter.com / NardineSaad

Reuters contributed to this report.

Photos: Florence Henderson in 2010, left, and with the rest of "The Brady Bunch" cast, right. Credits: Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times, left; file, right.

Florence Henderson, the actress who played "The Brady Bunch" matriarch Carol Brady, reveals that she got crabs from a one-night stand with New York mayor John Lindsay.

 

Tsk, tsk, Carol. Both she and Lindsay had been married the night of their affair in the 1960s.

 

"I was lonely. I knew it wasn't the right thing to do. So, what did I do? I did it," the 77-year-old actress revealed her infidelity in her upcoming memoir "Life is Not a Stage," which hits bookshelves in September. The book discusses her childhood in an abusive home, second marriage and Broadway stardom.

 

After the one-night stand, she woke up the next day and saw "little black things" crawling on her bed and body -- those things would be pubic lice.

 

"Guess I learned the hard way that crabs do not discriminate but cross over all socioeconomic strata," Henderson wrote. "He must have had quite the active life. What a way to put the kibosh on a relationship."

 

Flowers and a note of apology came from Lindsay, who died in 2000 after becoming a U.S. congressman and having a brief bid as a Democratic presidential nomination.

 

Henderson also squashed rumors that she had an affair with Barry Williams, who played her on-screen stepson Greg Brady and was 20 years younger than her.

 

"Barry did have a serious crush on me, which I understood and helped him get past," Henderson wrote. "Let us just say that if he had entertained a roll in the hay with me, I would never have done it."

 

And we though Marcia had issues...

 

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Reuters contributed to this report.

David Cassidy pleads no contest to DUI, gets probation

This post has been corrected. See the note below for details.

So much for fighting those DUI charges -- David Cassidy pleaded no contest Wednesday to driving under the influence.

Cassidy, 60, will have his driving privileges suspended for six months, and will be on probation for a year. He was arrested Nov. 3 on the Florida Turnpike after law enforcement saw his car weaving. Despite dash-cam footage showing him failing a field sobriety test, and an open bottle of bourbon in the back seat, the onetime teen idol had said he would fight the charges.

On Nov. 30, he pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of DUI, failure to maintain a single lane and driving with an open container. Breath tests had put his blood alcohol content at around 0.14, police said, above the state's 0.08 limit.

As a first-time offender on a misdemeanor, the "Partridge Family" star did not appear in court in Fort Pierce, Fla. His attorney entered the plea on his behalf.

[For the record, 6:15 p.m. May 2: This post originally put Cassidy's blood alcohol level at .014 rather than 0.14. Thanks to commenter @PhoenixFiresky for flagging the typo.]

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-- Christie D'Zurilla

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photos: David Cassidy in 1972, left, and on Nov. 3, 2010, in his booking photo after being arrested on suspicion of DUI and related charges. Credits: Associated Press, left; Florida Highway Patrol, right.

 

Farrah Fawcett's red swimsuit donated to Smithsonian

The swimsuit worn by the late Farrah Fawcett in the iconic pinup poster that sold more than 12 million copies in 1976 was donated Wednesday to the Smithsonian Institution's popular culture history collections, along with other items related to her career.

Longtime love Ryan O'Neal and friend Nels Van Patten, who was at the 1976 poster shoot, were scheduled to attend the ceremony in Washington. O'Neal is the father of Fawcett's son, Redmond O'Neal.

"If you were to list 10 images that are evocative of American pop culture, Farrah Fawcett would be one of them," Robert Thompson, a professor of television and popular culture at Syracuse University, once told The Times. "That poster became one of the defining images of the 1970s."

Also included in the estate's donation to the Smithsonian: an original copy of the poster, a leather-bound book of the actress' personal copies of scripts for the first season of "Charlie's Angels," magazines with her on the cover, a Farrah doll, a Farrah jigsaw puzzle and a Farrah's Glamour Center hairstyling toy.

'Money Drop' contestant Gabe Okoye 'distraught,' 'haunted' over not-wrong answer [poll]

 

Gabe Okoye, one of the "Million Dollar Money Drop" contestants who lost $800,000 on the show's premiere after giving what would turn out to be a correct answer, has been "haunted" by and "distraught" over the moment.

Speaking with the Hollywood Reporter, Okoye, 25, and girlfriend Brittany Mayti, 23, described how the agony of losing the cash at the September taping was even worse than it looked when the show aired Dec. 20.

"I was haunted for a long time between the taping and the actual airing. I was distraught," Okoye told THR. "I'd like to know someone who has lost money like that and just smiled about it." Mayti, he said, supported him the whole time after the loss, even after he'd talked her into betting on his answer.

David Cassidy arrested on DUI charge, plans to fight it

David Cassidy, the man "The Partridge Family" made famous, was arrested Wednesday in Florida on suspicion of DUI and spent nine hours in a county jail before posting $350 bail. 

The Florida Highway Patrol said the actor and singer failed a field sobriety test and two breath tests after being pulled over around 6 p.m. for driving erratically on the turnpike in Fort Lauderdale. Officers said they found a half-empty bottle of bourbon in the backseat of Cassidy's white Mercedes.

According to an arrest report obtained by People, Cassidy allegedly crossed the center divider line, then cut off another driver while attempting to merge onto an exit ramp. He was charged with DUI, failure to maintain a single lane and having an open container.

Cassidy, 60, says he was not drunk and intends to fight the charges, his rep, Jo-Ann Geffen, told TMZ. He told police he had had a glass of wine at lunch and took a hydrocodone pill in the afternoon for back pain. But Cassidy says the results of two breath tests -- both around 0.14 -- are inaccurate.

"He would never jeopardize anyone on the road, and he would not have been driving had he not had to go to a funeral," Geffen said. Cassidy lives in Fort Lauderdale with his wife, songwriter Sue Shifrin-Cassidy.

-- Christie D'Zurilla

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photo: A booking shot of David Cassidy after his Nov. 3, 2010, arrest on suspicion of DUI in Florida. Credit: Florida Highway Patrol / Associated Press

Want more celebrity mug shots? We have the photo gallery for you.

The new Wonder Woman can't keep up with Lynda Carter? [poll]

Hey, Wonder Woman -- Lynda Carter didn't need no stinkin' pants. 

Or leggings.

Or whatever the DC Comics folks are calling the bottom half of the 69-year-old lady superhero's new urban-hip getup, designed by DC co-publisher and "X-Men" artist Jim Lee.

"What woman only wears one outfit for 70 years?" writer J. Michael Straczynski said on DC Comics' the Source blog. What woman doesn’t accessorize? And more to the point, as many women have lamented over the years … how does she fight in that thing?"

Well, perhaps she uses a stunt double, dear.

That's Carter at the far right, with stunt double Jeannie Epper in an undated photo, rocking the late-'70s TV version of the costume, designed by Donfeld.

Make sure to vote in the poll below. Fans of Wonder Woman Classic, hot pants and all, are interested to know ...

-- Christie D'Zurilla

Photos: Wonder Woman's new look, top left, in an image released June 30, 2010, by DC Comics; Lynda Carter, far right, with stunt double Jeannie Epper. Credits: DC Comics / Reuters, top left; Con Keyes, right.

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