Actor Michael Douglas discovered some weeks ago that his hoarse voice and the trouble he had in swallowing indicated serious trouble. The actor, who is 65 and was a smoker for decades, has a tumour in his throat. Following investigations, an eight-week course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy has been settled on. This ‘synchronous’ therapy will be conducted in New York and reports indicate it is due to start this week. Its aim is to allow doctors to at least try not to conduct surgery on his larynx.

It is, brutally, his best chance of keeping his voice, given that he seems to have a locally advanced cancerous growth. The alternative would be surgery – and a partial or complete laryngectomy. The treatment will be challenging – Douglas is likely to be left with sores in his mouth, which may make swallowing difficult, and there remains the terrible possibility that he could lose his ability to speak, but with the support of his wife, and with the encouraging example of his almost-indestructible father, fans all over the world will be praying he makes a speedy recovery. Douglas’s camp has let it be known that his doctors think that, although the situation is frightening, he will make a full recovery. Douglas himself has released a statement to People Magazine saying: “I am very optimistic.” His spokespersons were unwilling to say what type of cancer it is.

–Daily Mail

Brittany Murphy’s mother shared bed with daughter’s husband Simon Monjack after her death

Brittany Murphy’s mother told investigators that she shared a bed with her daughter’s husband Simon Monjack after Brittany died, according to celebrity website TMZ. The claim is made after the Los Angeles Coroner’s office released its report on Monjack’s death.

The report’s investigator allegedly takes down an exchange with an unidentified person. TMZ says law enforcement sources have identified the person as Brittany’s mother Sharon Murphy. According to the documents seen by TMZ, the investigator and the unnamed person were going through the master bedroom in the Hollywood Hills home that Simon shared with Brittany. Then (Sharon) pointed to one side of Simon’s bed and identified it as her side of the bed. Sharon also allegedly told the investigator that certain prescriptions in the nightstand bearing the names Sharon Murphy and Sharon Monjack were also hers. The report doesn’t suggest sexual contact between the two. When 32-year-old Clueless star Brittany collapsed and died in the shower of her Hollywood home in December, an inquest ruled that she died from pneumonia complicated by her use of prescription drugs. Barely five months later, Murphy’s screenwriter husband Simon Monjack, 40, went into cardiac arrest and died of the same causes at the same house. It was claimed by TMZ that an investigation was underway by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, because it was believed that mould may have killed the couple. A spokesman at the department told Mail Online that they had no comment to make on the claim. Sharon Murphy said at the time: “I have never been personally asked by the coroner or anyone from the Health Department to come and inspect my home for mould.”

–Daily Mail

Kim Kardashian pays homage to Sophia Loren in smouldering new shoot

Kim Kardashian has paid homage to one of her style icons, the curvaceous screen siren Sophia Loren, in a smouldering new photo shoot for the latest issue of US magazine, Allure. The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star also admits she was upset about the 2007 sex tape that was released of her with then-boyfriend Ray J. “Not my proudest moment; it was humiliating, but now let’s move on. I think I’ve done a good job of replacing negative things with positive things,” she said.

In fact she used the exposure to launch a successful career that includes lucrative endorsements, appearances and even her own products including a soon-to-be released perfume. Kim also revealed that her late father Robert Kardashian, who famously represented OJ Simpson in his murder trial, was the one who inspired her business career. She said: “He always believed in me, and I think the last thing he said to me before he passed away was: “I know you’re gonna be OK. I’m not worried about you.” And it seems he was right – Kim recently purchased a luxury $4million home in Los Angeles.

The star, who has been linked to Miles Austin following her split from Reggie Bush, says her life isn’t quite where she expected it to be growing up. Still, she is doing her best to embrace the single life, saying: “It’s tough, but I’m totally fine on my own.”

–Daily Mail