I was surprised by the fighting and the mix of reactions on yesterday’s Kim Kardashian-miscarriage scare post. Is the conspiracy theory about Kim “faking it” really holding up? For the record, I don’t think Kim is faking her pregnancy – she’s simply gaining too much weight for it to be fake, and she’s a crazy narcissist so I can’t see her doing that to her body for no reason. And for the record, I don’t think Kim faked her miscarriage scare. I think something happened and Kim was legitimately concerned and she went to the doctor and he (or she) really told Kim to settle down and stop traveling so much. After Page Six and TMZ broke the news about Kim’s scare, all of the media outlets were reporting variations on “she’s fine now” and “the doctor told her to rest”. Here’s today’s update:

Kim Kardashian is awaiting tests from doctors after her miscarriage scare, according to sources, and friends say the experience has been a “wake-up call” for the pregnant reality star who’s never met a photo-op she didn’t like.

After we exclusively reported that Kim had to be rushed to doctors after she returned to LA from Paris fashion week, her sister Khloe posted a note to fans yesterday to thank them for their concern, writing, “Mommy and baby are doing fine and just taking it easy.”

But behind the scenes, we hear Kim is panicked as doctors carry out tests following her scare. “She’s awaiting test results,” said a source. “Kim’s really scared — this has been a wake-up call that she really needs to slow down and take care of herself. Friends are telling her to lay off the high heels and the high fashion.”

But another source close to Kamp Kardashian said simply, “Kim didn’t feel well, she went to doctor, had some tests and all is fine. He ordered her to rest.”

The mother of Kanye West’s baby’s been photographed working out daily to control her weight and appearing at promotional events galore. “She’s very responsible about meeting all her appointments. But she realizes this is something serious.”

[From Page Six]

Kim does have a lot of endorsement deals and business/branding appearances, but surely her pimp momager can cull the list of appearances for the next six months or so, right? That’s my question – why hasn’t Kris Jenner already told her daughter to take it easy? Oh, right. Because Kris doesn’t give a crap about her daughters’ welfare. At all.

Here’s an interesting sidenote, and one that all of us saw coming – some “sources” are trying to make it sound like Kim’s miscarriage scare happened because of the stress of dealing with Kris Humphries. A source dropped the hint to Us Weekly: “She’s been working a lot, and with a divorce and the move and everything else she has going on, she just needs to take a little rest.” And according to Radar, Kris Humphries is NOT pleased.

It was ugly before and now it’s getting worse. Kris Humphries is livid that some reports are blaming him for Kim Kardashian‘s recent miscarriage scare – and he believes people close to Kim planted those reports. Kim was rushed to a hospital after falling ill on a plane from Paris to Los Angeles on Tuesday night, as RadarOnline reported earlier.

Several media reports Thursday said the reason for Kim’s miscarriage scare is she’s “stressed out” prepping for her upcoming deposition in the divorce proceedings. The NBA player is committed to proving his marriage to Kim was a sham and wants an annulment, not a divorce.

Kris believes that someone in Kim’s camp planted information blaming him for her miscarriage scare. “Kris feels this is yet another ploy by Kim’s camp to make him look bad. Kris didn’t make Kim get on a 10 hour flight to and from Paris, nor did he have anything to do with her trip to Nigeria,” a source told Radar, relaying how angry Kris became after blame was shot his way.

“Kris won’t be blamed for her pregnancy complications, and he wants to subpoena her medical records to determine what is really going on with Kim medically. The only stress Kim is experiencing is temper tantrums because Kris isn’t just going to give her a divorce because it’s convenient for her. Perhaps Kim should also stop filming Keeping Up With The Kardashians, and stop the jet setting lifestyle,” a source told RadarOnline.com exclusively.

[From Radar]

Yeah. I think the whole “Kim is in medical danger because of the divorce” thing is full of crap too, but Kris Humphries is such a d-bag about it that I can’t even side with him. How about being a human being and saying, “Kris hopes she feels better”? Because he can’t say that because he’s so immature and he’s still stuck in this mentality of wanting her to suffer because she left him. And if Kris actually demands to see Kim’s medical records as part of this neverending divorce trial? Ugh. Just ugh. They were married for, what? 72 days? He doesn’t own her or her body. He has no right to her current medical records.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

If you don’t know who Valerie Harper is, please just skip over this post! Valerie Harper was and is an icon of 1970s television (go here to see Harper’s IMDB), an Emmy-winning and groundbreaking television actress, beloved by so many women. Chances are, your mom loves her. I know for sure that my mother loves her, and my mom is going to be devastated with this news. People Magazine reports – in their cover story! – that Valerie is suffering from terminal brain cancer.

Valerie Harper is facing a devastating diagnosis: terminal brain cancer.

The television icon – beloved for her role as brash New Yorker Rhoda Morgenstern on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off, Rhoda – received the news on Jan. 15, she reveals to PEOPLE in this week’s exclusive cover interview.

A battery of tests revealed she has leptomeningeal carcinomatosis, a rare condition that occurs when cancer cells spread into the fluid-filled membrane surrounding the brain. Her doctors say she has as little as three months left to live.

Resolved to face her last days with courage and humor, “I don’t think of dying,” says the actress, 73, who previously battled in 2009. “I think of being here now.”

For more from Valerie, including her thoughts upon receiving the crushing news, how she is spending her remaining time and her inspirational outlook, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday

[From People]

That’s so sad. Mary Tyler Moore is going to be devastated! They’re still close, and I would imagine that there are many actors and actresses from that generation who will be paying their respects to Valerie in the coming weeks and months.

Just a “how the sausage is made” sidenote: I think it’s interesting that People Magazine put this on their cover, especially following last week’s eye-roll-inducing Jennifer Aniston cover. Harper must have offered them an exclusive and People – knowing that their core readership is old enough to remember and love ‘Rhoda’ – decided to make this the cover.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

We haven’t heard much from Lady Gaga in terms of her music or touring lately. Instead, most of the recent stories on her have concentrated on her good sense to turn down Lindsay Lohan for a loan and her outragous and deluded court statements against her former personal assistant.

At the moment, however, there’s a more somber matter at hand when it comes to Gaga. She’s cancelled a series of tour dates due to a lingering “show injury and chronic pain,” and I’m wondering if this has anything at all to do with her 2010 “borderline positive” diagnosis for lupus that followed a series of episodes where Gaga exhibited fitting symptoms such as joint pain, heart palpitations, and the like. If this has anything to do with lupus, then this is more serious than just a concert-associated injury. Gaga has announced the cancelled-tour news in a series of tweets, and it sounds pretty bad:

There’s an unfortunate announcement coming out right now, concerning myself and the Born This Ball. Im so sorry. I barely know what to say. I’ve been hiding a show injury and chronic pain for sometime now,over the past month it has worsened. I’ve been praying it would heal. I hid it from my staff, I didn’t want to disappoint my amazing fans. However after last nights performance I could not walk and still can’t. To the fans in Chicago Detroit & Hamilton I hope you can forgive me, as it is nearly impossible for me to forgive myself. Im devasted & sad. It will hopefully heal as soon as possible, I hate this. I hate this so much. I love you and Im sorry. Due to a case of synovitis, (severe inflammation of joints) Gaga’s doctor has ordered her to postpone show in Chicago, Detroit + Hamilton.

[From Lady Gaga's Twitter]

Look, I know Gaga can be a real pain in the ass, and her name has become synonymous with the term “publicity stunt.” But this doesn’t sound fake or made up, and if her inability to heal from her onstage injury has been complicated by her lupus, this can’t be good news at all. Clearly, she’s been worried over this physical matter to the point where she hid it from her team, and she can’t avoid it any longer because chronic pain is a really miserable thing. Hopefully, she’ll heal quickly and start annoying us again with her antics; and I’ll have worried over this for nothing.

Here’s Gaga performing in Bucharest, Romania last on 8/16/2012.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet

A few months ago, I got handed a flyer with photos showing the symptoms of heart attacks in women, which can differ from the standard symptoms most of us are familiar with for men. It was from a new gym trying to advertise, and it was a clever way to do it since I read it carefully. (Here’s a link to a website with the photos and text on the flyer I saw.) Women often suffer heart attacks without realizing what’s happening, and it’s important that they know the signs in order to get help before it’s too late. Comedian Rosie O’Donnell, 50, had a heart attack and realized that she was having some sort of heart problem but didn’t grasp how serious it was. She googled it, dismissed her symptoms, took an aspirin and then waited until the next day to see her doctor. Her doctor told her she’d had a heart attack and sent her to the hospital, where they found a 99% blockage on her coronary artery and inserted a stent. Thank goodness it worked out ok for her. Here’s Rosie’s explanation from her blog. She wrote that she had helped a very large woman get out of her car earlier that day, which may have precipitated her heart attack.

a few hours later my body hurt
i had an ache in my chest
both my arms were sore
everything felt bruised

muscular – i thought
strained or pulled tissue
i went about my day
the pain persisted

i became nauseous
my skin was clammy
i was very very hot
i threw up

maybe this is a heart attack
i googled womens heart attack symptoms
i had many of them
but really? – i thought – naaaa

i took some bayer aspirin
thank god
saved by a tv commercial
literally

i did not call 911
50% of women having heart attacks never call 911
200,000 women die of heart attacks
every year in the US

by some miracle i was not one of them
the next day i went to a cardiologist
the dr did an EKG and sent me to the hospital
where a stent was put in

my LAD was 99% blocked
they call this type of heart attack
the Widow maker
i am lucky to be here

know the symptoms ladies
listen to the voice inside
the one we all so easily ignore
CALL 911

save urself
xxx

[From Rosie's Blog]

Maybe Rosie’s experience will help more women learn what to look for and seek help immediately after a heart attack. It’s a wake up call for sure.

We just heard that Rosie’s fiance, Michelle Rounds, was very sick and had been diagnosed with a rare disease called desmoid tumors. These two have gone through so much recently and I hope that that both of them are on the mend and are feeling better soon. It sounds like Rosie is getting there.

Rosie is shown in the header on 4-14-12. Rosie and Michelle are shown together on 1-10-12. Credit: WENN.com

When Sharon Osbourne and Jack shared the news of his multiple sclerosis diagnosis, Jack mentioned that he had been fired from a job due to his illness. He said on The Talk that he “had just booked a job, right when I got diagnosed, and unfortunately the company that hired me didn’t think I could actually perform the job,” and added that he was fired via e-mail “At not one point did anyone ever call and ask me. It was all through agents and lawyers.”

It seems that Jack’s mom Sharon took her son’s loss of work to heart. She just announced that she’s not returning as a judge on “America’s Got Talent” next season because the network, NBC, canned Jack after he was diagnosed with MS. In response, NBC has issued a statement that Jack’s upcoming role on the show was not confirmed and that they offered him other positions that he turned down. It’s not as cut and dried as it sounds – the job was as a participant on a reality show in which celebrities competed in military-style fitness drills, titled “Stars Earn Stripes.” It’s not like NBC told Jack he couldn’t be on a cooking competition. Here’s more:

Producers of the “Stars Earn Stripes” show — which will pit celebrities against one another in military training exercises — fired Jack by e-mail two days before he was to report to work, then lied about it to the press, Osbourne claimed.

“I just can’t be fake,” she said. “It’s discrimination, and it was badly handled.”

After a series of heated exchanges with NBC brass over the issue, Osbourne said, she has decided not to return next season to top-rated “AGT.”

“It’s time to move on,” she said.

While Osbourne remains under contract, “They can’t make me do something I don’t want to do,” she insisted. “All they can do is stop me from being a judge on another network for five years.”

Osbourne said ‘AGT’ producer Simon Cowell had tried to make peace between the network and his longtime friend but that she’s not budging. – From The NY Post

---

NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt rejected America’s Got Talent judge Sharon Osbourne’s claims that the network discriminated against her son, Jack.

“First, we have the deepest affection for Sharon Osbourne and consider her to be part of the NBC family. And our hearts go out to her, Ozzy, Jack and his family at this time. We hold medical information in strict confidence and therefore cannot comment specifically about Jack, but as a company that cares deeply about the health and safety of everyone on our shows — especially one like STARS EARN STRIPES that requires dangerous water stunts, strenuous physical activity, and uses live ammunition — we required all potential participants to undergo medical vetting to ensure that they could safely participate,” he said.

Although we did not ask Jack to participate in the competition, we were able to offer him two substantial alternative roles on the show, both of which he declined,” he continued. “This network does not discriminate on any basis.” – From The Hollywood Reporter

[From The NY Post and Hollywood Reporter]

I feel for The Osbournes, and I admired how Jack handled his MS diagnosis and went public with the news – I said so at the time. This family is nothing but candid, but sometimes they share too much with the public, and that’s the case here. Someone from the show should have called Jack and spoken to him personally, but I don’t see how it’s discrimination to pull the plug on a celebrity’s participation in a grueling fitness show after they were diagnosed with an autoimmune disease. It’s common sense. Stress and strenuous exercise can exacerbate MS symptoms and this job could have been disastrous for Jack. In that NY Post interview, Sharon admitted that NBC agreed to pay Jack’s original appearance fee, and they said they offered two other roles for him. How is that discrimination, when they’re potentially liable if Jack gets hurt or permanently damages his health?

These photos are from the Total Recall premiere on 8-1-12 and the CBS Upfronts on 5-16-12. Credit: WENN.com. Sharon is also shown with Kelly at the People’s Choice Awards on 1-11-12. Credit: Fame Flynet

I’m not sure how much interest there will be in this story, as a follow-up we did on Jack Osbourne’s MS diagnosis wasn’t that commented on. I have a personal interest in this as I’ve had medical issues in my life. So it’s fascinating to me and it seems like a big deal that a celebrity like Jack Osbourne is sharing his new diagnosis with the public. We know that Montel Williams has Multiple Sclerosis but this is the first time a celebrity has shared the news just a few weeks after they were diagnosed.

In an appearance on CBS’ The Talk yesterday, Jack joined his mom, panelist Sharon Osbourne, to discuss his condition and how he’s doing now. His fiance, Lisa Stelly, also came on to discuss how they’re doing. Jack and his family of course made the announcement of his disease to Hello! magazine, where Jack revealed that his mom and dad are taking the news much harder than he did. He seemed upbeat and positive on The Talk, and he explained MS very simply and well. I was impressed.

You can watch the full episode with Jack here. He’s on at the beginning. Here’s some of what he said:

On how he’s doing
Honestly, I’m fine. That’s the toughest thing with this disease that I’m learning, one minute you can be fine and the next I went blind in my right eye. It’s a completely unpredictable disease.

On how his eye is now
It’s back to about 80% [vision] now. They don’t know if it will ever improve beyond that, but everyone is different… it’s hit or miss.

His explanation of Multiple Sclerosis
I’ve only know about it for five weeks, so I’m not an expert yet. In layman’s terms… arthritis causes inflammation of the joints, but it’s kind of the arthritis of the nervous system, it causes inflammation of the nerves… which causes scarring, and that’s where long term effects occur. That’s where you see people, they’ll walk funny or they’ll have paralysis, loss of vision, slurred speech, things like that.

On signs he had prior to his diagnosis
I guess I’ve been having symptoms for the past three or four years and just not realized. If you look at the symptoms of MS it’s so random… I had like problems with my bladder, problems with my stomach and then about two years ago my legs went numb for like two months. I just thought I pinched a nerve. I could walk, but they were just numb and tingling [and] very sensitive…

On the incident that helped him get a diagnosis
I’d done some scuba diving on the show… and after that I got like a black spot on my eye… The next day I woke up and the black spot had turned into a black cigar shape. I thought it must be a migraine. The next day I lost most of my sense of vision. The following day I was more or less completely blind in that eye.

On having a new baby, Pearl
It’s been good because I haven’t been able to sit around and gloat. I’ve had to change diapers and stop the baby from crying.

On how he got a diagnosis
It’s very tricky to actually diagnose MS… I had to have some MRIs, and in the MRIs they saw scarring, and then I had a spinal tap… then they had to test me for lyme disease, which also has similar symptoms to MS.

MS is not a death sentence
That’s a huge misconception. People often think MS is Parkinsons or Muscular Dystrophy. It’s actually very manageable and people live normal [lives]… So little is known about it and that’s actually one of the reasons why I want to be somewhat vocal about it.

[From Jack Osbourne's appearance on The Talk, aired 6-20-12]

MS is one of those disease where people may look “fine,” but may be very tired, dizzy or having problems with vision or balance. When my son asks me why someone is using a motorized cart or is in a wheelchair I tell him we have no way to know how they feel just by looking at them. (Which is unfortunately something I had to experience personally to really “get,” you know?)

I’m touched by Jack story, and I know that it will go a long way toward educating people about this disease. I hope his health continues to improve. It’s clear that he has a lot of family and support around him.

In lighter news, Jack got the chance to promote his new show on the Syfy network, “Haunted Highway,” which premieres on July 3. It’s a paranormal reality show, where “Jack Osbourne & Dana Workman and Jael de Pardo & Devin Marble do their own first-person investigations of the most frightening claims of paranormal activity along America’s remote back roads.” It looks like a reality show version of The Blair Witch Project and it’s not my thing but some people love those shows. They just creep me out.

Lisa and Jack talk about their family and his diagnosis. [via Celebuzz]

photo credit: PRPhotos and WENN.com

We just heard yesterday that 26 year-old father of one and former reality star, Jack Osbourne, was recently diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. MS is an autoimmune disease that destroys the myelin sheath of the nerves, causing all sorts of neurological problems in sufferers. (Here’s a link to a quick explanation by Dr. Oz of how the disease can progress.)

As some of you mentioned in the comments, MS has several different types which vary in severity. In his Hello! interview, Jack revealed that he has “relapsing remitting” MS, which is considered the “mildest” form of the disease, relatively, and is characterized by doctors as “very treatable.” In the interview and in some of his tweets after the news came out, Jack sounded like he was keeping positive about his diagnosis. He said “I’ve got too many responsibilities now to dwell on the fact that, in 40 years, I could be in a wheelchair. You have to take it a day at a time.” He did mention that his mom Sharon was taking it very hard, though, and seemed to blame herself:

“My uncle on her side has MS and, the way my mum is, she thinks that somehow it’s her fault. Both my parents were handling it way worse than I was; they were pretty shaken up about the whole thing. They felt upset for me more than anything, and with the timing being so horrible, so soon after [his daughter] Pearl’s birth.”

In a recent appearance on her show The Talk, Sharon couldn’t keep it together at all when talking about Jack’s MS. He got the diagnosis about a month ago, and it’s obviously still hitting her hard. She thanked everyone for their well wishes for Jack. “Thank you to everyone for all their good wishes. It’s been amazing … for Jack ’cause I really believe that vibes of prayer help.” Sharon also cracked me up a little when she said “What I’m doing is not helping anyone because I’m just feeling sorry for myself. So we have to think positively.” I normally don’t like Sharon at all, but this made me feel for her as a mom. For all you can say about The Osbournes being crass so-and-sos who love to pick fights with people, they sure are a tight family.

Jack also tweeted thanks to people who have supported him throughout this. He also wrote in his new motto #adaptandovercome.

For those of you who know about MS, like our reader Lin who was also recently diagnosed, Jack revealed his treatment plan in Hello!. He said he’s “about to start a medication called Copaxone, which is a daily injection – a huge amount of fluid that I’ll have to self-inject. It helps control inflammation.” He also said that “A huge part of MS is lifestyle. Eat healthily, don’t drink or smoke, exercise and minimize stress… Everyone should be doing this.” Good advice, and stay well, Jack, Lin and all our friends who are battling MS and other chronic diseases. It can’t be easy and we’re thinking of you.

The Sun has a surprisingly nice article today featuring profiles of three young MS sufferers, like Jack. Oh and he’s going to be on The Talk Wednesday to discuss his illness.

Jack is shown out yesterday with his fiance, Lisa Stelly, and their dogs. Credit: Nathanael Jones, PacificCoastNews.com

New dad Jack Osbourne has revealed that he was recently diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Jack and his mom, Sharon, did an interview with Hello! Magazine discussing Jack’s medical condition and the ordeal he’s gone through since finding out the news. Jack and his fiance, Lisa Stelly, welcomed daughter Pearl Clementine on April 24th and he found out he had MS just two weeks later. He was diagnosed after losing over half his vision in one of his eyes. Here’s more:

Reality TV star Jack Osbourne has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

The 26-year-old discovered he had the disease after losing 60 per cent of vision in his right eye.

And speaking to Hello! magazine, he told of his shock at the diagnosis but said he is refusing to let it get him down.

Jack, who recently became a father for the first time said at first he went through all different emotions when he was waiting for the diagnosis.

He said: ‘While I was waiting for the final results, I got really, really angry.

‘The timing was so bad. I’d just had a baby, work was going great – I kept thinking, “Why now?”

‘Then I got really sad for about two days, and after that I realised, being angry and upset is not going to do anything at this point – if anything it’s only going to make it worse.

‘Adapt and overcome’ is my new motto.’

He said his fiancé Lisa – who gave birth to their daughter Pearl two months ago – has been very positive and supportive.

And she told the magazine: ‘Jack will have to change his life for the better – get healthier, not get stressed.’

Multiple sclerosis affects the brain and the nervous system and destroys layers between the nerves in the brain and spinal cord which stops impulses being carried around the body.

It can result in blindness, slurred speech, muscle weakness and a loss of coordination.

And Jack’s parents Sharon and Ozzy said they were still struggling to come to terms with the diagnosis, with Sharon even blaming herself.

She said: ‘I keep thinking, “what did I do wrong? What did I eat or drink when I was pregnant?” I feel like it’s somehow my fault.

Ozzy added: ‘If it was me, you’d think: “Ozzy had a reputation and it caught up with him,” but Jack is such a good guy.’

[From The Daily Mail]

Montel Williams was on The Dr. Oz show recently and he said that when he was first diagnosed with MS doctors told him he would be wheelchair bound, and that he wouldn’t live past a certain age. A few years ago, he revealed that he was so ill from the disease that in 1999 that he contemplated suicide. He even tried to jump in front of a taxi at one point but the driver narrowly avoided him and helped him to the curb. Now Montel is thriving and living well with MS. The disease has a different course for all sufferers, it can wax and wane, and it affects people in many ways. I guess I’m saying that I hope that Jack can be like Montel, healthy and strong. It must have taken a lot of courage for him to go public with the news and I hope that his health improves. He’s always seemed like a decent guy to me.

Jack tweeted this photo of his daughter on June 14. So cute!

These photos of Jack out with his mom, Sharon, and his fiance, Lisa Stelly, and their baby are from 6-3-12. Credit: Fame Flynet. Jack and Lisa are shown at the Race to Erase MS event on 5-28-12. He presumably knew he had MS at that point and wasn’t ready to announce it yet. Credit: WENN.com

Dame Judi Dench is currently promoting her latest film, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which was shot in India and also features actors like Dev Patel, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy and Tom Wilkinson. It’s about British seniors who “retire” to India in a nursing home/hotel/facility operated by Dev Patel’s character. It looks rather cute, and the quality of the actors makes me think the film will be good. Would you like to see the trailer? Here you go:

Cute, right? Anyway, Dame Judi has several new interviews, but everyone is talking about her recent admission that she has been diagnosed with a degenerative disease that could lead to blindness. Poor Judi!

Actress Dame Judi Dench has been diagnosed with a condition that can lead to blindness, she has revealed. The Oscar-winning star told the Daily Mirror she had age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and struggled to read scripts or recognize faces. But the 77-year-old has had some treatment and is hoping it might slow the decline in her eyesight.

AMD affects more than 600,000 Britons and last year research was published suggesting it could rise to 750,000.

Dame Judi, who is due to reprise the role of M in the 23rd James Bond film, Skyfall, told the Mirror: “I can’t read scripts any more before because of the trouble with my eyes. And so somebody comes and reads them to me, like telling me a story.”

AMD, which affects the macula at the back of the eye, is the cause of more than half of registrations for blind and partially sighted people in the UK.

She said: “I’ve got what my ma had, macular degeneration, which you get when you get old.”

[From BBC]

Poor Judi – wait, she’s 77 years old?!?!? Damn, that old broad looks GREAT. As for her eyesight… I can’t even imagine how difficult it must be for a woman who has had her sight for so many years to now be beholden to other people to read to her – especially when learning her lines is so important for her job! I hope her treatment goes well – prayers for Judi!

Additionally, Judi gave an extensive and lovely interview to The Telegraph which I wanted to point out – you can read the full piece here, and here are some highlights:

Judi on working in India: ‘I’ve never been to India before and I didn’t know how I would react to the poverty. In the event I absolutely loved it and I can’t wait to go back.’ One of the reasons she liked it so much was that scarcely anyone knew who she was. ‘I was recognised a little bit in Rajasthan because of the Bond films [in which she plays M] – nothing else.’

Playing a widow after being widowed 11 years ago: She plays a woman whose husband has just died and ever since the death of her own husband, Michael Williams, 11 years ago, she’s steered clear of playing widows. ‘It wasn’t just an emotional decision,’ she says. ‘There were professional reasons, too. I think if I’d played a grief-stricken widow too soon after Michael died I might have over-egged the part. Or at least I don’t think my judgment would have been that good.’

Working through grief: ‘I had this extraordinary energy after Michael died. I went off to Nova Scotia and did six weeks on The Shipping News. Then I came home and two days later started Iris. Then I did some more work on The Shipping News. And two days after that I started The Importance of Being Earnest. My poor agent nearly had a fit because I was cutting things so fine. But I found working at that pace and doing those kinds of parts helped me. Whereas playing a grief-stricken widow would have been no help at all.’ In fact, she’s always set a pretty daunting pace. ‘I’ve worked for 54 years, almost continuously,’ she says proudly.

Being called “the greatest actor of all time”: ‘The difficulty with any sort of esteem is that more is expected of you. I prefer not to think about it. I’d rather do a part because I want to, not because great things are expected of me. Then I get frightened and I rather resent that… People seem to have this idea that I’ve always been very ambitious. Nothing could be further from the truth. I’ve never had any idea what parts I would like to play. All I ever wanted was to be employed.’

[From The Telegraph]

God, I love British actors. “All I ever wanted was to be employed.” Thank you for that, Dame Judi. Tell that to the Jessica Biels of the world. Tell that to the Rooney Maras of the world. It’s just about getting work, and making the most of it. Isn’t Judi the best?

Photos courtesy of WENN.

This is a minor story compared to so many other things going on today but I personally find it very interesting and wanted to cover it. We all know how ridiculous it looked when butter and sugar pusher Paula Deen, 65, made the dual announcement that she had diabetes and was a new spokesperson for a diabetes drug. Paula’s longterm nemesis Anthony Bourdain may have summed it up best when he tweeted that he was “thinking of getting into the leg-breaking business, so I can profitably sell crutches later.”

In her ensuing PR blitz, Paula barely acknowledged that her consumption of high fat calorific food, which she promotes on TV and through her magazine, contributed to her metabolic condition. Paula also barely acknowledged that the best treatment for diabetes is a healthy diet, not some pill, although she’s also launching a new show (tada!) in which she finally tries to cook healthy versions of her favorite food. Paula’s contract with drug giant Nova Nordisk is thought to be in the millions. Her long term publicist thought that was a very bad idea given Paula’s previous image as a down-home promoter of food that’s bad for us. Paula’s publicist quit and made that statement that she “could not agree with the new business strategy going forward.” That’s a very nice way of saying that Paula very transparently cashed in on her diabetes.

Paula Deen’s longtime powerhouse publicist, Nancy Assuncao, has quit after six years over the butter-loving chef’s plan to plug a diabetes drug.

Assuncao faithfully stuck with Deen through years of hearty drama, including her battle with rival chef Anthony Bourdain, who called her “the most dangerous woman in America.” But she quit as Deen’s spokeswoman and chief marketer last month as Deen negotiated her deal to hawk the drug Victoza.

Deen, now under siege by diabetics, nutritionists and fellow chefs for keeping her own Type 2 diabetes secret for three years, even as she pushed recipes full of sugar and fat, probably could use Assuncao’s help now. Deen only revealed her diagnosis last week.

A source said Assuncao “strongly disagreed with Deen’s dramatic turnabout, after years of promoting fatty foods, to announcing she has a deal with a diabetes drug company [Novo Nordisk] and will be promoting lighter food and ‘diabetes in a new light.’

“While Paula did tell some people at her live appearances about her diabetes, she certainly didn’t talk about it on her show. Nancy disagreed with Paula’s plan to be a drug-company spokesman and challenged her decision. But this wasn’t a battle Nancy felt she was going to win. She couldn’t be part of it.”

Assuncao, whose past clients have included Ian Schrager, told us last night, “I’m very grateful for the six years that I worked with Paula in helping her build the Deen brand.

“Although we had a great deal of fun along the way, I could not agree with the new business strategy going forward. Nonetheless, I wish them continued success.”

Deen’s new rep could not be reached last night, with a staffer at her office telling us, “She is on the Paula Deen cruise.” The chef’s Web site said Celebrity Cruises’ Eclipse would be a “tasty journey” in the Caribbean with a group buffet dinner, a cooking demo and a personal photo with Deen (one per family).

[From The NY Post]

At least people see this woman for what she is now. As I’ve mentioned I’ve barely thought of Paula Deen up until this point, but it’s incredibly obvious that she’ll stop at nothing to make a buck. How can you manage the image of a woman who is so money grubbing that she’ll continue to promote unhealthy food for years until she has a drug endorsement deal lined up? You don’t, you step down and say “screw it, the money’s not worth it.” Unless you’re Paula Deen, then it’s all about the money.

Update: After I wrote this, I saw this story on Entertainment Tonight (about 3/4 into the full episode available on their website) about the controversy over overweight celebrity chefs who cook unhealthy food. They said “Paula’s shocking announcement… may change attitudes says ‘The Doctor’s’ Travis Stork.

Dr. Stork said that “I would like to think that this is a wake up call. I don’t think chefs realize their influence on America. I think they realize now that their actions can influence America by giving alternatives and healthy recipes.”

They mention that Mario Batali has lost 35 pounds (I hope he didn’t go on Goopy’s expensive pill diet) and that Oprah’s personal chef Art Smith has lost 120 pounds. Smith mentioned that he had a show in the works, and that he lost it “because they didn’t like me ‘skinny chef.’ Lose the fat, lose the funny.” Smith is cooking more healthy now and is opening a new restaurant, JoAnne, in New York, along with Lady Gaga’s parents. That’s an odd pairing.

It’s nice to hear about a different celebrity chef getting healthy the right way, and it’s also reassuring to know that people in Paula Deen’s inner circle are calling her on her complete and utter bullsh*t.

Also, I need to use these photos of Paula Deen vs. the Fairy from Shrek again. (I put them together, and credit to Bodhi for coming up with it!)

Header image is from 12-15-11, credit: PacificCoastNews.com