Patrick Swayze’s rep confirmed last Wednesday that the beloved actor is suffering from pancreatic cancer, but said that reports that doctors gave him just five weeks to live were not true. He said “Patrick is continuing his normal schedule during this time, which includes working on upcoming projects.”

WENN is reporting that Swayze has had to drop out of his latest film Fired Up, in which he was going to play a gay cheerleading instructor. There is no confirmation or follow-up from his rep on his withdrawal from the film.

Swayze’s doctor said in a statement last Wednesday that he has “a very limited amount of disease and he appears to be responding well to treatment thus far.” He also seemed to deny the Enquirer’s report, which stated that Swayze had lost 30 pounds and could not keep solid food down, saying that “All of the reports stating the time frame of his prognosis and his physical side effects are absolutely untrue. We are considerably more optimistic.”

His rep is also quoted as saying that “Patrick is currently undergoing chemotherapy - not radiation - and he has not lost his hair. We are doing everything we can, and Patrick is doing well under the circumstances.”

I really hope that’s the case and that Swayze has dropped out of the role so that he can focus on his health at this critical time.

Many of Swayze’s co-stars have offered encouragement and their thoughts to him.

His co-star from 1987’s Dirty Dancing, Jennifer Grey, said “If I saw him on the streets today, I’d throw my arms around him and love him up.”

Claire Sweeney, who worked with Swayze in 2006 on the London stage production of Guys and Dolls, said “I feel privileged to have worked with him and honored to have him and his wife Lisa in my life as friends. My thoughts are with them both at this difficult time and I hope with all my heart that he makes a full recovery.”

According to Bang Showbiz, “Patrick is recovering from his latest chemotherapy session at his New Mexico ranch with his wife of 33 years, Lisa Niemi.”

I love when celebrities do great things for random non-famous people. Unfortunately I don’t get to write about that nearly as much as I’d like, as it doesn’t happen with the frequency I’d like. But the latest one is really a doozie; a woman in New York City has found a bone marrow donor in thanks in part to the help of singer Rihanna. Attorney Lisa Gershowitz-Flynn, 41, found out she has an especially aggressive form of leukemia called Acute Myelogenous Leukemia right after Thanksgiving. Only one in five patients end up get a bone marrow transplant because it’s so hard to find a donor. Gershowitz-Flynn’s family and friends started a group, GiftForLisa.com, to try to get as many people to volunteer bone marrow as possible. Rihanna helped get the word out about Lisa’s desperate need for a donor, and the publicity she gave to her cause brought national headlines and a huge increase in the donor registry.

“When I heard about Lisa [Gershowitz Flynn]’s plight, my heart broke,” Rihanna tells PEOPLE exclusively. “I said, ‘I need to get the word out about Lisa right away.’ ”

Specifically, Rihanna is working with DKMS – the world’s largest non-profit marrow donor center to help raise awareness for the need for people to come forward to become donors.

[From People]

Lisa has luckily found a donor, even though the odds weren’t looking good.

“Today a 32-year-old guardian angel consented to be my donor, even though in all likelihood she has never met me and does not know who I am,” Lisa Gershowitz-Flynn, 41, a lawyer, wrote in an email to supporters Thursday.

“While we cannot verify the source of the donor,” Flynn adds, “this angel was most likely found through the efforts of my family and friends, as well as complete strangers who heard about my story and took it upon themselves to aid in the effort to find a donor.”

[From People]

DKMS says that not only did they find a matching donor for Lisa, but they registered an additional 2,000 people. Becoming a bone marrow donor is incredibly easy; all you have to do is have a painless cheek swab. Your DNA goes into the registry, and should you be a match for someone and wish to donate, a donor would undergo a minor outpatient surgery, which would extract healthy stem cells that would replace the cancer patient’s unhealthy cells. It’s an amazing way to save someone’s life. Several other celebrity moms got on board and championed Lisa’s cause, including Kate Winslet. Talk about good celebrities.

Here’s Rihanna at the Brit awards on 2/20/08. Images thanks to PR Photos.

Jenny McCarthy’s five-year-old son Evan is autistic, and Jenny has been a vocal advocate for all sorts of alternative autism treatments. Though to be fair, there is such a wide range in the autism spectrum and so much is still unknown about it that there aren’t exactly many conventional treatments at this point. Most things are experimental and work for some kids and not others. Jenny recently spoke about the benefits of treating autism with diet and vitamins, and urged the medical community to at least consider it.

McCarthy, whose five-year-old son Evan suffers from the disorder, travels around America giving talks about the alleged benefits of natural medicines. But the blonde, who is dating Jim Carrey, wishes doctors would acknowledge how diets and vitamins can be used to treat autism.

She says, “I’ve been speaking to moms across the country who are all shouting out the same thing: ‘This (diet and supplement intake) is working. It’s so heartbreaking to see the medical community not support something called diet and vitamins. And it pains us, city after city after city. I see this heartbreak on these mom’s faces. Autism isn’t covered by (medical) insurance. If things like diets and supplements are working, then why not support it? These kids are getting better and I will not shut up and will not stop fighting about it.”

[From WXYZ]

Jenny has gotten a lot of flack for her techniques and her beliefs, especially from the rest of the world that doesn’t have to deal with autism. They’re definitely unconventional, but if nothing else it speaks to the desperation a mother must feel in trying to heal her son. She was open-minded and willing to try anything. In October, Dr. David Feinberg, chief executive officer of the UCLA Hospital System, called McCarthy his hero for all the work she’s done related to autism. She travels around the country speaking to audiences about her experiences with it, and has written a bestselling book. She is, however, associated with a group called Indigo Moms that believe their kids have special abilities and auras that’s pretty hooky, and it brings her credibility down a few notches. Either way, she’s still making headlines, bringing a lot of attention to autism, and raising a ton of money for research, which can only be a good thing.

Here’s Jenny McCarthy leaving Whole Foods Market with a bag of groceries on 03/01/2008. Images thanks to WENN.

Yesterday the news came out that Patrick Swayze was suffering from pancreatic cancer and had just five weeks to live. His condition sounded dire and more like a hospice care situation than something he could possibly recover from. The National Enquirer reported this news with a supposed insider quote that “he was told he could have two more treatments, but his cancer was not responding. In short - they held out little hope for a cure .”

Then Patrick’s rep confirmed that he had pancreatic cancer to Page Six, and it sounded like it was just a matter of time for the beloved actor. Even People reported the dire prognosis for most cases, as described by the Mayo Clinic, that “Pancreatic cancer spreads rapidly and is seldom detected in its early stages, which is a major reason why it’s a leading cause of cancer death. Signs and symptoms may not appear until the disease is quite advanced. By that time, the cancer is likely to have spread to other parts of the body and surgical removal is no longer possible.”

Thankfully People and other outlets quickly updated their story with a new statement from Swayze’s doctor that the National Enquirer’s account was overblown, and that his cancer is limited and under control. He is expected to be back at work soon:

“Patrick has a very limited amount of disease and he appears to be responding well to treatment thus far,” Dr. George Fisher says in a statement. “All of the reports stating the time frame of his prognosis and his physical side effects are absolutely untrue. We are considerably more optimistic.”

The actor’s rep adds: “Patrick is continuing his normal schedule during this time, which includes working on upcoming projects. The outpouring of support and concern he has already received from the public is deeply appreciated by Patrick and his family.”

[From People.com]

I think we can all breathe a sigh of relief now, and thank goodness that the original report was wrong. Commentor Mairead noted that Steve Jobs was diagnosed with a form of pancreatic cancer in 2003 that he recovered from. According to Wikipedia, he had “a rare, far less aggressive type known as islet cell neuroendocrine tumor,” which sounds like it’s not the same as the health issue that Swayze is facing. Job’s tumor was removed and he has returned to health.

Please get well Mr. Swayze. Our thoughts are with you.

Patrick Swayze and his wife Lisa Niemi are shown at the premiere of Rocky Balboa on 12/13/06, thanks to PRPhotos.

Update: Swayze’s doctor says this report is overblown and that he has a “limited amount” of cancer.

He has been getting outpatient treatment at Stanford University, and will receive two more sessions of chemotherapy, but doctors say that it’s not helping and they don’t know what else they can do:

In a shocking world exclusive, The NATIONAL ENQUIRER has uncovered the devastating news that the beloved Hollywood actor and dancer was diagnosed in late January with pancreatic cancer that has spread to other organs.

Full details are in the print edition of the NATIONAL ENQUIRER that goes on sale tomorrow.

For the past month, Patrick, 55, has been traveling to Stanford University’s prestigious cancer center in Palo Alto for radical chemotherapy, but his doctors are no longer optimistic that the treatments will be successful.

Patrick and his wife Lisa Niemi — who both have pilot’s licenses — have been flying their private Beechcraft plane into Palo Alto’s airport, minutes away from the Stanford Cancer Center, where the actor has received outpatient treatment.

He received three doses of chemotherapy and the tumor shrank, but less than his doctors had hoped for — and Patrick was told he should prepare for the end.

“He was told he could have two more treatments, but his cancer was not responding. In short - they held out little hope for a cure,” said an insider.

[From The National Enquirer’s website]

The article states that Patrick has lost 20 pounds and is on a liquid diet because he can’t keep food down. This is so sad and I hope he pulls through. He’s just 55 and that’s way too young to die.

Yesterday Best Week Ever had us all in stitches with a cute post showing Patrick Swayze’s many expressions in Ghost, and today comes the shocking news that he’s battling terminal cancer. Please hang in there Patrick and get well.

In early February there was a story that Patrick Swayze was hospitalized for a serious “gastro-intestinal procedure” at Stanford Medical center, but his spokesperson simply said he was doing well and no further information was given.

Update: Swayze’s doctor says his prognosis is not this dire and that he has a “limited amount” of cancer. Please see the article “Patrick Swayze’s cancer not as serious as thought” for the latest.

Patrick Swayze and his wife Lisa Niemi are shown at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino opening on 11/17/07, thanks to PRPhotos.

Late yesterday afternoon Britney was released from the UCLA hospital psychiatric ward after a hospital hearing which determined that the stay was not justified. Both her parents and a psychiatrist at the hospital were advocating that she stay for the remainder of her 14 day hold, but they were overruled by a court representative, who interviewed everyone and recommended that she be released. People reports that this is standard procedure in this type of case.

So Britney got out, the paparazzi were thick on her tail and she was driving very erratically, changing lanes dangerously while the paparazzi followed her. (There was a video of the ensuing car chase on TMZ, but it is no longer available.) She did was she’s accustomed to doing, she went to a hotel. She arrived at the Beverly Hills Hotel around 3:30 in the afternoon. TMZ reports that the cops were there shortly afterward to try and disperse the hoard of paparazzi, and according to other accounts they remained at the hotel. Adnan arrived at about 4:40, according to OK! Magazine.

Then Adnan snuck Britney out of the hotel and they arrived at the office of Britney’s new lawyer, Adam Streisand around 5:20. At 7:00, Britney was somehow secreted out of the building under a blanket by one of Adnan’s paparazzo friends and she returned to the Beverly Hills Hotel. The police were still at the hotel at that time.

Britney’s father showed up at around 9:00 and he was seen talking to the hotel staff. About 20 minutes later, according to OK!’s timeline, more police came while Adnan and Britney remained up in her room.

At 9:30, Britney’s father entered her room with paperwork in his hand and the police still standing around. There were guards standing around her car, and that’s where OK!’s story ends. It’s a cliffhanger.

TMZ maybe provides some closure for Britney’s eventful day by saying that Britney’s father, Jamie, who is currently the conservator of her estate, will likely be in court today to make specific requests about his daughter. Since he has legal control over her estate, finances and all contracts she signs, he can say that she’s not authorized to stay in a hotel and has the authority to restrict her visitors.

Britney’s parents have released a statement conveying their disappointment in this whole situation, saying that she was released against their wishes and the wishes of the attending physician in the hospital:

“As parents of an adult child in the throws of a mental health crisis, we were extremely disappointed this morning to learn that over the recommendation of her treating psychiatrist, our daughter Britney was released from the hospital that could best care for her and keep her safe. We are deeply concerned about our daughter’s safety and vulnerability and we believe her life is presently at risk. There are conservatorship orders in place created to protect our daughter that are being blatantly disregarded. We ask only that the court’s orders be enforced so that a tragedy may be averted.”

[From TMZ]

What’s the future for Britney now? It seems that if she’s not hospitalized she’s just going to keep driving around, shopping, and staying at hotels with swarms of paparazzi making the situation incredibly dangerous for her and innocent bystanders. If nothing changes, it seems like it’s just a matter of time before there’s a car accident or someone gets hurt. Maybe this will bring awareness to the need for some legal restrictions on the paparazzi. There are plans for a new ordinance in LA that would create a “personal safety zone” around celebrities and others who are in the media. Is it too little too late?

Here is Britney arriving at the Beverly Hills Hotel. I’m trying to use pictures that convey the amount of people surrounding her. Thanks to WENN.

Update: Britney was said to be back at her home that evening at around 11:00 pm PST after having dinner out with Adnan. When she returned her mother and father were waiting for her. At first Brit was said to have been nervous and wanted to leave, but she eventually went in with Adnan. It is thought that her parents are staging an intervention and trying to convince her to go back into treatment.

Depending on whom you believe, beloved actor Paul Newman is in a fight for his life with an undisclosed cancer. The National Enquirer, The Daily News, The Huffington Post and Showbiz Spy are all reporting that the 83-year-old legend recently underwent secret surgery for an unnamed cancer, and that the operation was successful.

Everything went well but Newman, 83, still shows no signs of slowing down and remains very involved on his passion for car racing.

He is fit enough to go out and has been seen outside his home in Westport, Connecticut, where his neighbours say he looks well.

An Enquirer reporter spoke to the superstar on January 18 as he was leaving his restaurant Dressing Room with his wife of nearly 50 years, Joanne Woodward.

The once heavy smoker did not deny he had cancer but instead sidestepped the question and responded in a gravelly voice: “As you can see, I’m doing okay.”

[From Showbizspy]

However, the Enquirer makes things up more often than not, and Newman’s rep denies any cancer diagnosis, saying these reports are “unfounded.”

Warren Cowan revealed that he spoke with Newman about the claims by tabloid magazine The Enquirer.
Newman said: “I’m being treated for athlete’s foot and hair loss… maybe the doctors know something that I don’t!”

[From RTE.ie]

With so many celebs’ medical conditions becoming public knowledge against their will (the airing of Heath Ledger’s prescription medication regime is a good example), it’s understandable that a private person like Paul Newman would want to keep his health his business. But it’s notable that the usually healthy-looking Newman has appeared rather fragile lately. He and his lovely wife, Joanne Woodward, celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on January 29—a real rarity in Hollywood.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Here are a pictures of Paul Newman throughout his long career. He is shown in the header image with his wife, Joanne Woodward. There is an image below from 1958 of them posing with a small dog from the book Men & Dogs: A Personal History from Bogart to Bowie. The newest photo of Newman is the last one below and was taken on 5/4/07 at The American Ireland Fund’s Annual Gala. He is also shown working on the animated film Cars.

I hope he’s ok and pulls through. We have a friend who lives in Connecticut like Newman, and she is 91 years old and still active and fit. Bob Hope and George Burns both lived to be 100.

Looking at all these old pictures of Newman makes me swoon. The guy has it in a way that’s so unique.

An older image of Eminem performing
Did Eminem, aka Marshall Mathers, spend too much time drinking egg nog in the snow over the holidays? It seems he’s been hospitalized with pneumonia and a possible heart problem.

Hospital sources tell TMZ Em was taken to a Detroit-area hospital for a serious heart condition and severe pneumonia. Sources tell TMZ Em’s weight has ballooned to 212 lbs.

Eminem ’s publicist told TMZ: “Over the holidays, Marshall Mathers, aka Eminem, was under doctor’s care at a Detroit-area hospital for complications due to pneumonia. He has since been released and is doing well recovering at home.”

TMZ

The publicist doesn’t acknowledge the heart condition or weight issue at all.

Now, I’m no doctor, but is it possible that the pneumonia could cause heart problems? The heart and lungs are both in the chest. Checking it out on Wikipedia, the symptoms include sharp chest pains. When you have pneumonia caused by bacteria it can also spread to other parts of the body including the kidneys, brain and heart. So what probably happened is that Eminem was warned that he had bacterial pneumonia and be aware of possible heart problems. Hopefully he was just erring on the side of caution and went to the hospital to be sure he was ok.

As far as his ‘ballooning’ weight goes, 212 pounds is about 97 kilograms, which is not exactly huge. It might not be a reasonable weight gain for Eminem, but it hardly makes him obese. Who didn’t put on a little weight over the festive season? I always do, which really sucks here in the southern hemisphere because it’s the height of bikini season.

I predict that Mr Mathers will be back to his regular weight in time for his next album release, which he’s been working on for some months at his Shady Studios in Detroit. The album is due for release in 2008. Get well soon, Eminem.

Note by Celebitchy: It’s impossible to find recent pictures of Eminem, I looked on the photo sharing sites and through the fan sites and there’s nothing. He did look a little heavy in December, 2006 at TRL with 50 Cent but those photos are old. Let me know if you can find anything of him from the past six months. Here are pictures of Eminem as a child, thanks to user Kendra on Flickr. He’s shown in the header performing on an unknown date.

Eminem is from 5′8″ to 5′10″ tall, it’s hard to tell, so 212 pounds would be borderline obese for him if he’s 5′10″, according to BMI calculations.

Cops called when Britney refused to hand over children
Just when you think that Britney Spears can’t get any more crazy she goes and tops herself. America’s favorite trainwreck just managed to bring more attention to herself while ensuring that her kids are scarred for life. She refused to hand over her boys to her ex Kevin Federline’s bodyguard at 7 pm as scheduled after their visit at her Studio City Los Angeles home. The cops were called an hour later to mediate the dispute and they ended up staying four hours while a media circus gathered outside. There were news and police helicopters, nine police cars, three fire engines, multiple paparazzi cars and three ambulances. There was no violence or injuries on the scene, according to the LAPD.

Britney taken to hospital for “evaluation” and was under the influence
Paramedics were in Britney’s house at 11 p.m. to “treat” her, but doesn’t seem that there was anything wrong with her besides the usual, and photos show her smiling and sitting up on the gurney. Police said she was detained as she was under the influence of an unknown substance. Britney was wheeled out of her house on a gurney, smiling maniacally. She arrived at Cedars-Sinai medical center at 12:30 this morning and is on a “medical hold” while her mental state is evaluated. She could be in the hospital for 72 hours as they try to diagnose what’s wrong with her.

Jayden James, 1, is in the hospital for unknown reasons. Sean Preston is with K-Fed
Sadly, at least one child was said to be in another ambulance accompanying her to the hospital, according to E! Online, but it seems as if they may have been using the ambulance to transport one of the tots since the police say there were no injuries. CNN reported that both Jayden James, 1, and Sean Preston, 2, were returned to Federline’s custody after the incident, but additional reports have Jayden in the hospital.

Pop star Britney Spears was taken to hospital for tests to see if she was under the influence of alcohol or drugs and for a psychological evaluation after police were called to her home Thursday night to mediate a custody dispute, a police spokesman said.

Spears appeared to be conscious as she was rolled out of her Studio City home on a gurney about three hours after police and ambulances arrived there.

The children were returned to their father, Kevin Federline, who has primary legal custody of the two sons, a police spokesman said.

Doctors at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles will decide whether to invoke a California law that allows a patient to be held for psychological evaluation for 72 hours, the police spokesman said.

Aerial video provided by local television station helicopters showed Spears on a stretcher and surrounded by police and paramedics as it was rolled to an ambulance near her home.

[From CNN]

K-Fed’s lawyer went to Britney’s house with court order, she just wanted to keep kids overnight
This story is a bit confusing to me due to the ongoing custody battle between Britney and K-Fed. Britney has visitation rights and Kevin has full legal custody, but why did Britney chose to hold onto the boys at this time? She was 90 minutes late to a court-ordered deposition that morning, and didn’t miss it as we first reported. She could only be questioned for 14 minutes. Maybe she realized at that point that she’s about to lose even supervised visits with her children and decided to stage a last stand off. K-Fed’s attorney did go to Britney’s house after she refused to hand over the children and was seen carrying papers that were thought to be the court order to show police. The court order could have just been the proof that the children should be with K-Fed and wasn’t necessarily new. K-Fed’s lawyer left before Britney was wheeled out.

Britney’s lawyer, who just quit on Wednesday, said “In a normal case when someone shows up with a certified court order saying the kids need to be somewhere else, the police see to it that the order is obeyed. But that is in a normal case.”

He meant that’s with a normal person didn’t he? If Britney wasn’t about to lose visits with her boys before, it seems like she is now. Maybe that’s what she wanted all along.

Update: E! Online reported that one child was transported in an ambulance, and Page Six says it was Jayden James:

Brit’s divorce attorney, legal ace and saint Anne Kiley drove Sean P. to Federline’s house and Jayden James has been taken to the hospital.

[From Page Six]

TMZ confirms that report that Jayden is in the hospital, but it is not known why.

Page Six also says that Britney was “hysterical and just want[ed] to keep the kids overnight.” She has also lost a lot of weight recently or something. I haven’t seen it, but whatever:

Our very well placed source has also told us that the stress and mental anguish of the ongoing custody battle and deposition has caused Spears to “lose a tremendous amount of weight in the past several weeks.”

Story details from Reuters, TMZ, MTV, CNN, and E! Online.

Photos from TMZ and Splash News.

I have always wondered what happens when you are filming a movie in a hospital and you get sick. Thanks to Ashley Judd’s sudden bout of appendicitis, I now know what happens.

The actress was shooting new movie Helen in Vancouver, Canada when an acute attack of the illness led to a collapse on set at Ridge Meadows Hospital on 25 November (07).

Judd was immediately admitted to the same medical centre and underwent emergency surgery to remove her diseased appendix.

A source tells the National Enquirer, “Luckily, the cast and crew were filming at a real hospital, so when paramedics arrived, they simply put Ashley on a stretcher and wheeled her into an operating room nearby.” While Judd recovers, production on Helen has been halted.

PR Inside

But when you film at a real hospital, what happens to the real patients? I guess they just get moved out of the way into other wards.

Ashley is the latest celebrity to release an el cheapo clothing range, for U.S. department store Goody’s.

Ashley says: “At first, I wasn’t interested. In my view there is already enough stuff in the world, but when they told me it would raise funds for schools, I changed my mind. “Our schools are in dire need. With my eco-friendly, moderately priced clothes, Goody’s will give away a half a million dollars to schools in need. And that’s just the first year.”

PopCrunch

Isn’t Ashley Judd almost the least likely candidate to design a clothing line? Her only real connection to fashion is that yes, she wears clothes. I’d hardly call her a style icon in the same vein as Sarah Jessica Parker or Kate Moss. Just about anyone can put out a range of clothes now, so I’m getting hopeful maybe I could put out my own range. Probably not unless I sew it myself.

Picture note by Celebitchy: Ashley Judd is shown with Padma Lakshi at the YouthAIDS Gala: Faces of India benefit on 11/2/07, thanks to WENN. Her face looks really pinched to me.