Joe Jackson, the father of Michael Jackson and patriarch of the legendary musical family, is in intensive care in a hospital in São Paulo after suffering a stroke while visiting Brazil. The Albert Einstein Hospital said Jackson was admitted on Sunday afternoon, suffering from an irregular heartbeat, but did not give any further details about his condition. One of the organisers of a party arranged in Brazil for Jackson’s 87th birthday said he was doing well. The party went ahead on Saturday without the guest of honour. Nexxing, the company that had invited Jackson to Brazil, said he had arrived in the country last Wednesday and attended several events, including a visit to a São Paulo football stadium, before falling ill. Photos from his official website showed him dining in São Paulo restaurants. Jackson has previously suffered minor strokes, including one in 2012. – AP
Bobby Brown pays tribute to his daughter
R&B singer Bobby Brown broke his silence on Monday following the death of his daughter, Bobbi Kristina Brown, describing her as “an angel” and saying that the family must find a way to honour her memory. Bobbi Kristina, whose mother was the late singer Whitney Houston, died on Sunday in a hospice at the age of 22. She had been in a medically-induced coma for six months after she was found face down in a bathtub at her home in Atlanta, Georgia – in a manner grimly similar to the way her mother died three years earlier. “Krissy was and is an angel,” her father said. “I am completely numb at this time. My family must find a way to live with her in spirit and honour her memory. Our loss is unimaginable.” A police report at the time described the incident as a drowning. Medical examiners performing an autopsy said on Monday that their initial findings turned up no obvious cause of death, while experts said the time that had passed since the incident was complicating the task. – AP
Singer Sheeran lands role in TV drama
British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is making a move into acting with a recurring role in a television epic about a medieval warrior. Sheeran, 24, the most popular global artist last year on streaming service Spotify, will appear on The Bastard Executioner on the FX network, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The series, which is being filmed in Wales in the United Kingdom, is about a 14th-century warrior who becomes a travelling executioner at the behest of a divine messenger. Sheeran will play Sir Cormac, "an ambitious and deadly protégé of a high-ranking church elder". The series, expected to debut this year, is being directed by Kurt Sutter, who was behind Sons of Anarchy. Sheeran was a self-professed fan of that show and performed a song featured in one of its final episodes. – AFP
Walk of Fame star for Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame next week. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce said that Carey would get the 2,556th star next Wednesday. Guest speakers at the unveiling will include film directors Lee Daniels and Brett Ratner, as well as Epic Records chief executive, and longtime Carey collaborator, L A Reid. Carey has had 18 No 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, sold millions of albums and won many awards, including five Grammys. – AP
Brat Pack actor to publish novel
Former Hollywood "Brat Pack" actor Andrew McCarthy is taking a new step in his life as a writer – a young adult novel. The actor, who found fame in the 1980s with starring roles in films including Pretty in Pink and St Elmo's Fire, has signed a deal with Algonquin Young Readers for Just Fly Away, the story of a teenage girl who learns her father has a son from an extramarital affair. The publisher said the book would be released in the spring of 2017. McCarthy has written numerous travel essays that have appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and other publications. He has also written a travel memoir called The Longest Way Home. –AP
Hulk Hogan thanks fans for support
Hulk Hogan has taken to Twitter to thank his fans for their support after World Wrestling Entertainment cut all ties with him following claims that the wrestling star had used racial slurs in a conversation captured on an intimate video recording. In a series of tweets, the 61-year-old, who has 1.3 million Twitter followers, said he was "overwhelmed by the love". He added: "I will prove who I really am". WWE did not specify why it had ended its relationship with the Hulkmania star. In announcing the decision, the company said it was "committed to embracing and celebrating individuals from all backgrounds as demonstrated by the diversity of our employees, performers and fans worldwide". Hogan apologised on Friday for using "offensive language", but did not offer any further comment in his tweets on Monday. He is seeking US$100m (Dh367m) from the website Gawker for posting part of the videotape of him with Heather Cole, the ex-wife of Hogan's one-time friend and radio show host Bubba the Love Sponge Clem. – AP
Singer charged over 100mph police chase
Puddle of Mudd singer Wes Scantlin faces charges of drink-driving and fleeing the police after a chase in Minnesota that reached speeds of about 100mph. Scantlin appeared on Monday in Renville County court on charges of felony fleeing police in a motor vehicle, refusing to submit to a chemical test, and driving while intoxicated. He was released after posting bail. The 43-year-old was caught early on Sunday by a sheriff’s sergeant. – AP
Serial killer-expert author dies at 83
True-crime writer Ann Rule, who wrote more than 30 books, including a profile of her former co-worker, serial killer Ted Bundy, has died at age 83. Scott Thompson, a spokesman for CHI Franciscan Health, said Rule died at Highline Medical Center at 10.30pm on Sunday. Rule's daughter, Leslie Rule, said on Facebook that her mother had many health issues, including congestive heart failure. Rule's first book, The Stranger Beside Me, profiled Bundy, whom she got to know while sharing the late shift at a Seattle suicide hotline. The writer, who worked briefly at the Seattle Police Department when she was 21, began writing for magazines, including True Detective, in 1969. A biography on her website says she published more than 1,400 articles, mostly on criminal cases. After attending numerous workshops on crime topics from DNA to arson, police, the FBI and the Justice Department asked to share her expertise on serial killers. – AP
