Entertainment Briefs for April 21, 2010
Weir working on book of essays
NEW YORK - Johnny Weir has more to say, so he's working on a book - a funny book.
Publisher Gallery Books announced Monday that the figure skater and reality TV star will release a "collection of wildly entertaining anecdotes and essays about everything from pop culture to skating to fashion to Johnny himself."
Weir stars on the Sundance Channel's "Be Good, Johnny Weir." The book is untitled so far and is scheduled to come out in January 2011.
Gallery is an imprint of Simon & Schuster.
Michaels receives appendectomy
NEW YORK - Bret Michaels is recovering from his emergency appendectomy at a private care facility for diabetics.
A statement posted on the 47-year-old rocker's Web site says Monday's surgery went well. It says doctors are optimistic that Michaels, the former frontman for '80s hair band Poison, will make a full recovery.
The statement says "the fact that he was exhausted due to his rigorous schedule prior to the surgery and coupled with the fact that he has diabetes, the surgery has taken its toll."
The location of the facility specializing in the rehabilitation of diabetic patients wasn't disclosed.
Michaels had been scheduled to perform in San Antonio on Sunday night. He had been suffering severe stomach pains all day and was urged to seek medical treatment.
Girlicious singer pleads not guilty
LOS ANGELES - A member of the pop group Girlicious has pleaded not guilty in Southern California to possession of cocaine with the intent to sell.
Glendale police say they arrested Natalie Nicole Mejia on March 9 after finding more than a dozen bags of cocaine in her Gucci purse during a traffic stop.
She told police the drugs weren't hers, and she didn't know how it got in her purse.
Court records show Mejia pleaded not guilty to the felony charge on Thursday. The 21-year-old Diamond Bar singer is free on $30,000 bail.
Mo'Nique's brother admits to molesting
CHICAGO - The brother of Oscar winner Mo'Nique said Monday on Oprah Winfrey's talk show that he molested the actress when they were children and he wants to apologize to her.
Gerald Imes said on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" that the molestation continued for a year or two, starting when he was 13 and Mo'Nique was 7 or 8.
"I abused and betrayed the trust of another sibling, my sister, my blood sister," Imes said. He apologized to the actress, saying "I'm sorry, Mo'Nique. I'm sorry."
Imes said he decided to appear on Winfrey's show to apologize to Mo'Nique and bring their family back together. Imes said he himself was molested and he was using drugs and alcohol at age 11.
"Hopefully somewhere, somehow as siblings we can come back together as brother and sister," he said.
Mo'Nique has discussed her brother's molestation in previous interviews. She hasn't responded to a request for comment sent to her publicist. Winfrey said Mo'Nique didn't want to be a part of the interview but gave Winfrey her blessing.
"She said if your expressing what you had done to her could save one family then it would be worth it," Winfrey told Imes. Mo'Nique's parents also appeared on the episode.
"It was such a heartbreaking thing to accept," said her mother, Alice Imes.
Mo'Nique received the supporting actress Academy Award in March for her role in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire."