Advertisement

People in the news

Cynthia Nixon arrives at the Tribeca Film Festival screening of her new movie "One Last Thing" at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square Theater in New York on April 27, 2006. (UPI Photo/Laura Cavanaugh)
Cynthia Nixon arrives at the Tribeca Film Festival screening of her new movie "One Last Thing" at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square Theater in New York on April 27, 2006. (UPI Photo/Laura Cavanaugh) | License Photo

The latest news on today's hottest celebrities ...

R. KELLY: U.S. recording artist R. Kelly is taking a break from performing while he recovers from surgery to drain an abscess on one of his tonsils.

Advertisement

His publicist said in a statement Wednesday Kelly "will be laid up for an indefinite amount of time" after undergoing the emergency procedure at Northwestern Memorial Hospital Tuesday.

"Kelly had visited a throat specialist earlier in the day complaining of severe throat pain," the statement said. "Following a preliminary exam, he was rushed to Northwestern Memorial for the procedure. It is not known when the multi-platinum recording star, who just completed the U.S. leg of his worldwide 'Love Letter' Tour, will be able to resume performing."


ZACH BRAFF: Zach Braff's publicist says the U.S. actor's old Web site has been hacked and a message attributed to him there claiming he is gay is a fake.

Advertisement

Braff, 36, is best known for his work on the TV sitcom "Scrubs," and in the films "Garden State" and "The Last Kiss."

An announcement purportedly posted by the actor said he is "excited and proud that that I am an open member of the homosexual community."

However, Braff's publicist told E! News Wednesday the statement is a hoax.

"He was hacked. The Web site has not been used since 2006," the representative told E! News. "He is still straight."


FRAN DRESCHER: The U.S. sitcom "Happily Divorced" has been renewed for a second season, TV Land announced Wednesday.

The cable network said it has ordered 12 episodes of the show, which stars and is co-written by Fran Drescher.

Season 2 is to premiere in next spring.

Inspired by Drescher's own life, the show is about a divorced couple who remain good friends after the husband reveals he is gay. It co-stars acclaimed actors John Michael Higgins, Tichina Arnold, Rita Moreno, Robert Walden and Valente Rodriguez.

"We are thrilled that our viewers have embraced 'Happily Divorced' just like they did with 'Hot in Cleveland,'" Larry W. Jones, president of TV Land, said in a statement. "It's fantastic that we get to keep working with Fran, this amazing cast and all of the talented writers on another season."

Advertisement

Keith Cox, executive vice president of development and original programming for TV Land, added: "'Happily Divorced' really resonated with our audience and we can't wait to see what new plot twists are in store for next season."


CYNTHIA NIXON: Award-winning actress and breast-cancer survivor Cynthia Nixon is to star in the Broadway production of "Wit," a drama about a woman battling cancer.

Manhattan Theatre Club said Wednesday previews of the play are to begin Jan. 5, with an opening planned for Jan. 26 at Manhattan's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre.

This will mark the Broadway premiere of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Margaret Edson. "Wit" had its New York premiere in 1998 and ran Off-Broadway for more than 500 performances.

The new production will be directed by MTC Artistic Director Lynne Meadow.

Nixon, best known for her work in the "Sex and the City" TV series and films, earned a Tony Award for her portrayal of a grieving mother in MTC's production of David Lindsay-Abaire's "Rabbit Hole." She can currently be seen in Showtime's series "The Big C" opposite Laura Linney.

"Exquisitely written, affecting and often humorous, 'Wit' follows a brilliant and exacting poetry professor as she undergoes experimental treatment for cancer. A scholar who devoted her life to academia, she must now face the irony and injustice of becoming the subject of research," a synopsis said.

Advertisement

Latest Headlines