Bottom line: keep it ‘live’
Regis Philbin announced on Monday’s “Live With Regis and Kelly” that he will have heart bypass surgery this week.
“I had been feeling chest pains, you know, and, uh, shortness of breath and all those little symptoms that you hear about,” he said.
Philbin, 75, said he was hoping to have angioplasty because “you know, you get in – bang, bang, bang – they blow it open and you leave the next day.”
But, he added, “there’s some plaque in some arteries, and I’ve got to get it cleaned out.”
“Darn it, I don’t want to do it,” he said. “Nobody wants to do it, I guess.
“And I had a second opinion, I did all those things, and so they’re all in agreement that it should be the bypass. And so that’s what I’m gonna do.”
Said co-host Kelly Ripa: “My primary job will be, like it or not, get your pills ready – your sponge-bath nurse.”
Replied Philbin: “Why don’t you give me a quick dip before I go?”
Big titanic deal
Leonardo DiCaprio created a paparazzi storm in Israel over the weekend by arriving with supermodel Bar Refaeli for a visit.
The 32-year-old actor and Refaeli, 21, have been romantically linked for about a year, and Israeli newspapers regularly run updates on their relationship.
“The fact that most of the headlines here recently haven’t been pleasant turns the interest in this beautiful fairy tale couple into something the media can revel in,” said the host of an Israeli entertainment show.
You play-a, you pay-a
Meanwhile, over in Sweden, Snoop Dogg was held by police overnight on suspicion of using illegal narcotics but was released after questioning and drug tests.
The rapper and a female companion showed signs of drug use, and a small amount of narcotics was found in their car, police said.
Snoop could face a fine if his drug test comes back positive.
A-chillin’ in the crypt
James Brown‘s body has been placed in a crypt at the home of one of the soul singer’s daughters – at least for now.
Brown’s body had been held at an undisclosed location since his death Dec. 25. His children decided to use their own money to place him in the crypt instead of waiting for disputes over his estate to be settled.
The crypt likely will not be Brown’s final resting place; a public mausoleum is being built for him.
Nearing overexposure
The Aspen Ski Patrol had to lead actors Rob Morrow, Chad Lowe and Fisher Stevens to safety over the weekend after they and other skiers got lost in snow and fog and ended up out of bounds.
“We’re all good skiers,” said Morrow, the former “Northern Exposure” star who now appears in CBS’ “Numb3rs,” adding: “It ended up being great because it was a good adventure.”
The birthday bunch
Singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka is 68. Actor William H. Macy is 57. Actress Dana Delaney is 51. Actress Tracy Wells (“Mr. Belvedere”) is 36. Rapper Common is 35. Actor Danny Masterson (“That ‘70s Show”) is 31.