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By United Press International
Actor Jack Black attends the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's annual installation luncheon, held at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on August 9, 2012. UPI/Jm Ruymen
Actor Jack Black attends the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's annual installation luncheon, held at the Beverly Hills Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on August 9, 2012. UPI/Jm Ruymen | License Photo

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

JACK BLACK: Actor, comedian and musician Jack Black is to be the subject of the 2013 Friars Club Roast in New York this spring, organizers said.

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The high-profile comedy event is to take place April 5.

Previous honorees include Betty White and Quentin Tarantino.

"We only roast the ones we love and with Jack, we love his comedy, we love his music and we love his enormous talent. It's going to be a great day for all of us. We are all big fans of Jack and being roasted by the Friars is an honor he richly deserves. I wouldn't miss this event for the world, nor will his peers," Friars Club Abbot Jerry Lewis said in a statement Wednesday.

"We could not be more pleased to have Jack Black as our guest of honor for our next roast,"

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Friars Club Executive Director Michael Gyure said. "He is loved by movie and concertgoers of every generation, and he is an excellent and deserving recipient of this revered tradition."

"What did I get myself into this time? I'm searching for a loophole in my contract, maybe there's a way I can weasel myself out of this thing," Black said. "Those bastards are going to brutalize me, but Jerry Lewis assured me it's going to be the highlight of my career, so I guess I got to go through with it."

Black's film credits include "Bernie," "Tropic Thunder," "Nacho Libre," "King Kong," "School of Rock," "High Fidelity" and "Shallow Hal," as well as the "Kung Fu Panda" animated movies.


BOBBI KRISTINA BROWN: Bobbi Kristina Brown and Nick Gordon, who confirmed their engagement last month on a U.S. reality show, have broken up, UsMagazine.com said.

Brown, the 19-year-old daughter of late singer Whitney Houston and R&B artist Bobby Brown, appears with her family on Lifetime's "The Houstons: On Our Own."

Gordon, 22, lived at Whitney Houston's house for years before she died last February.

"They did split. It will come out in the show," one insider told UsMagazine.com.

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"I think it has to do a lot with the family not liking Nick, considering he was a godson and then they became a couple," a second source said. "I'm sure there is a lot of, 'Would Whitney be OK with this?' going around."

Gordon took to Twitter to confirm the status of their relationship, saying: "[Bobbi Kristina] and I are not engaged or dating. Just close like we have always been."


MAMIE GUMMER: The CW has canceled its freshman medical drama "Emily Owens, M.D.," starring actress Mamie Gummer, TVGuide.com said.

Production on the 13-episode first season is to wrap next week and all shows taped are expected to air, the television news website said Wednesday.

Co-starring Justin Hartley, the series was dropped because of low ratings, TVGuide.com reported.


DONALD FAISON: U.S. actor Donald Faison is to serve as host of "Who Gets the Last Laugh?" a practical joke series from "Punk'd" co-creators Jason Goldberg and Ashton Kutcher.

Faison is best known for his work on the sitcom "Scrubs."

TBS said the show will premiere in the spring and feature well-known comedians and comedy actors such as Andy Dick, Tom Green, D.L. Hughley, Chris Kattan, Bam Margera, Bill Bellamy, Charlie Murphy, Cheri Oteri and Alan Thicke.

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"'Who Gets the Last Laugh?' puts a new twist on the comedy format by pitting three comedians against each other in the ultimate hidden-camera comedy sketch challenge," a synopsis said.

"The guest comedians must dream up the funniest and most outrageous sketches possible and then successfully unleash them on the unsuspecting public. A live audience then determines which comedy star really got the last laugh and wins $10,000 for their charity of choice."

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