Merv Griffin, a singer who eventually became known as a talk-show host and a game-show producer ( Jeopardy!, Wheel of Fortune ) , died of prostate cancer on Aug. 12 at the age of 82, according to The New York Times. Although Griffin was married at one time ( divorcing the former Julann Wright in 1976 ) , he was often the subject of sex-related scandals and rumors about his sexual orientation; he was sued by Dance Fever host Denny Terrio and Brent Plott for, respectively, sexual harassment and palimony.
The nominees for this year's MTV Video Music Awards have been announced—and Justin Timberlake and Beyonce led all with seven nods apiece, according to The Chicago Tribune. Among their nominations were one apiece for Video of the Year ( for What Goes Around Comes Around and Irreplaceable, respectively ) ; other contenders in that category include Rihanna's Umbrella, Justice's D.A.N.C.E. and Amy Winehouse's Rehab. The 24th annual awards show will take place Sept. 9 in Las Vegas.
GLAAD gave ABC an 'A' and Fox an 'F' for their respective portrayals of gays and lesbians, according to The New York Daily News. The GLAAD Network Responsibility Index—which measures the quantity, quality and diversity of LGBT-related images—found that ABC ranked first, with 15 percent of its programming including gay and lesbian scenes and/or characters. The CW, NBC and CBS all received fair grades.
Celebrity power couple David and Victoria Beckham are about to get intimate with the public. The twosome's new his-and-her fragrances, called Intimately Beckham, will be available in department stores next month and in drugstores in January, according to EOnline.com . The scents will retail for $25-$55.
In an interview with Ladies Home Journal, singer Wynonna Judd said that she experienced 'disbelief and shock' when she found out that her husband, D.R. Roach, was being indicted for allegedly committing aggravated sexual assalt and battery against a minor under the age of 13. 'It is hard to detach overnight, says Judd, who still wears her wedding band. 'I'm healing in my own time.'
Actress Sara Gilbert, best known as Darlene on the TV sitcom Roseanne, has given birth to a baby girl named Sawyer, according to the International Herald Tribune. Gilbert and her partner, Allison Adler, also have a son, Levi, who was born in 2004; Adler gave birth to him.
Singer Melissa Etheridge recently surprised a Lafayette, Ind., student chorus that was rehearsing one of her songs, according to IndyStar.com . Etheridge talked with the members of the Bach Chorale Performing Arts Workshop—who were singing her song, I Need to Wake Up—for about an hour. The workshop's coordinator, Marcy Miller, is friends with Etheridge and secretly arranged the visit.
