Modern Family star has kidney transplant
Sarah Hyland has had a kidney transplant after experiencing months of pain and fatigue. Her father, actor Edward James Hyland, was the donor. The 21-year-old actress, who plays the big-eyed teenager Haley Dunphy on Modern Family, was diagnosed with abnormal kidney development at age nine. - AP
Idol producer slams Britney and Demi
After Simon Cowell's The X Factor USA announced yesterday the hiring of Britney Spears and Demi Lovato as new judges, the American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe said he was not enthusiastic about the choices. "I hadn't ever considered them. I always like mentors who have a lot more experience," Lythgoe told E! News. Cowell and Lythgoe previously worked together on Idol, before the former left the show to launch his own talent programme.
Alec Baldwin had 'mutual relationship' with woman accused of stalking
A Canadian actress accused of stalking Alec Baldwin is upbeat about the case, as her lawyer said she had a legitimate reason for contacting the star. Baldwin and Genevieve Sabourin, 40, met on the set of the 2002 sci-fi comedy The Adventures of Pluto Nash, in which he had a cameo. Sabourin was arrested last month after authorities said she sent the 30 Rock star emails imploring him to marry her, allegedly sent days after Baldwin's engagement to Hilaria Thomas. Sabourin's lawyer argued that Baldwin and her client had a two-year "mutual relationship". - AP
30 Rock axing is confusing
Talking of 30 Rock, the Emmy-winning comedy is being ushered out in a confusing way by its network NBC. In the space of four days, NBC said the Tina Fey-created sitcom will end after 13 episodes next season, denied it and then confirmed it again. Studio spokesperson Lauren Roseman said last week the series would end. On Sunday, the entertainment chief Robert Greenblatt said the show would return if it did well in the ratings. The next day, he announced the show's cancellation, saying NBC would like to work with Fey for "years to come" on other projects. - AP
Bobby Brown: new album represents healing
Bobby Brown says it took him a long time to come out with a new album because he's spent so much time trying to get his life on track. Brown, 43, says he's ready to return to his solo career with the album Masterpiece, due out on June 5. "I'm just trying to heal myself through my music," he says. Masterpiece is Brown's first album in 14 years. A battle with drugs led to his musical decline - and his turbulent marriage to the late Whitney Houston further eroded his image. "This is the start of me getting back to what I want to do," he says. - AP