No deal yet for Abdul 'X' judging gig
LOS ANGELES, May 7 (UPI) -- Sources say contract red tape is holding up Paula Abdul's stint on the new series "X Factor."
Abdul is supposed to join the show Sunday, but The Hollywood Reporter said a clause in her deal with the CBS series "Live to Dance" bars her from taking part in the new show.
"People would be very surprised if she is there on Sunday," a source said.
The Reporter said "X Factor" producer Simon Cowell has been insistent about having his former "American Idol" colleague on the panel of his new show. But the matter of compensation for the "Live to Dance" producers in unresolved.
Cowell already has signed Cheryl Cole and Antonio Reid for his new judging panel.
Jillian Michaels joins 'Doctors' roster
HOLLYWOOD, May 7 (UPI) -- The producers of the syndicated U.S. television series "The Doctors" say wellness expert Jillian Michaels will be a perfect addition its roster.
Michaels, currently featured on ABC's "The Biggest Loser" will join the daytime series under a multi-year deal and also become a special correspondent on lifestyle issues on "Dr. Phil."
"Jillian Michaels is the perfect addition to 'The Doctors' team," said Phil McGraw, the TV psychologist who is also one of the creators of the series. "She not only embraces our mission to supply viewers with critical information to make informed and intelligent health care decisions, but more importantly, she leads by example."
Michaels said in a written statement she was excited with her new gig.
"It allows me to continue to educate people on how to make powerful health choices enabling them to take control of not only their physical well-being, but every facet of their lives," she said.
Actress Sada Thompson dies
DANBURY, Conn., May 7 (UPI) -- Sada Thompson, a Tony- and Emmy-winning actress known for her portrayals as a mother, has died in Danbury, Conn., her daughter said.
Thompson, 83, died Wednesday from lung disease, her daughter Liza Sguaglia told The New York Times.
Thompson made her name in the 1950s as off-Broadway came into prominence. She appeared in plays such as "The Misanthrope" and Chekhov's "Ivanov."
She won a Tony in 1972 for playing four different parts -- three daughters and their elderly mother -- in four vignettes constituting George Furth's "Twigs."
She also played roles in numerous television productions, most notably as Kate Lawrence in a show called "Family."
She was nominated for an Emmy four times in the show's five seasons, winning in 1978.
Thompson was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on Sept. 27, 1927. She graduated with a drama degree from the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, now Carnegie Mellon University. She married Donald Stewart.
Besides her husband and daughter, Thompson is survived by a brother, David.
'Cups of Tea' author sued in Montana
GREAT FALLS, Mont., May 7 (UPI) -- A lawsuit filed in Montana seeks damages from Bozeman writer Greg Mortenson, the suddenly controversial author of "Three Cups of Tea."
The class-action suit claims fraud on Mortenson's part for allegedly not using donations and proceeds from his best-selling book for their stated purpose of building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
KRTV-TV, Great Falls, said Saturday the plaintiffs in the suit, Jean Price and Michele Reinhart, are both members of the Montana Legislature.
Mortenson's book chronicled his adventures as a mountaineer who wound up in a remote Pakistani village in 1993 after a failed attempt to scale K-2.
His claim that the villagers' hospitality inspired him to launch a school-building project has been challenged this year as an exaggeration and media reports that donations have not been spent on schools.
KRTV said Mortenson's office had no comment on the lawsuit, which will be formally served next week.
