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• Beyoncé will not appear in the remake of A Star Is Born. That’s the latest news regarding the upcoming Clint Eastwood directed film. Variety reports that Beyoncé is dropping out of the project due to a jam-packed schedule. Now that she’s out, Eastwood’s camp is said to be interested in Esperanza Spaulding for the lead. However, no offers for the female lead role will be made until a male lead is selected. [Variety]
• Janet Jackson’s lawyers are calling Vanity Fair‘s claims that she delayed her brother’s 2009 funeral until she was repaid $40K “false and defamatory.” In a letter sent to the magazine’s editor-in-chief, Jackson’s attorneys explain she never delayed the funeral and that she “paid for the funeral and was reimbursed for some of those expenses by Michael Jackson’s estate in the year after the services took place.” [Hollywood]
• Morris Chestnut is set to join the cast of Nurse Jackie in the new season. Chestnut will play a trauma doctor named Ike Prentiss. His character reportedly has a lot to learn from Nurse Jackie. Will you be tuning in? [Deadline]
• Oprah Winfrey’s network is showing signs of a turn-around. For the third straight quarter, the network is posting ratings growth. Among Winfrey’s top rated programs are Oprah’s Next Chapter and Iyanla Vanzant’s Fix My Life. In recent news the network signed a deal with Tyler Perry to create a number of scripted shows for the station. [Hollywood Reporter]
• Conrad Murray claims that his health is declining in jail. According to TMZ Murray says he may be suffering from blood clots in his legs. He was rushed to a local medical center earlier this week. “It progressed until the leg felt numb… it was painful all to the top of my foot… around the medical aspect of my ankle and all the way to the mid-calf,” he said. Murray is also complaining about his shoulder. There’s no word on what will happen because of his possible deteriorating health. [TMZ]