Gawker: defamer, ailments

Dennis Hopper's Promotional Tour Thwarted by Hospital Visit

Andrew Belonsky — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 21:13:36 EDT

Actor Dennis Hopper, 73, was taken to a Manhattan hospital this afternoon while wearing an oxygen mask. His publicist blames a stomach bug, which must be pretty serious: he's won't be making Crash-promoting media appearances this week. [Post-Intelligencer]

Joyce Hyler Update: After spending the weekend...

STV — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:30:00 EDT

Joyce Hyler Update: After spending the weekend hospitalized in critical condition when a car struck her on the Pacific Coast Highway, the inveterate, influential agent/manager/producer has reportedly stabilized in the last 24 hours. "[T]he doctors will likely proceed to obtain another CAT scan with a view to determining what needs to be addressed next," says her family's latest update online. "All of the above is neither good nor bad. What is good is that we avoided emergencies for the last 24 hours and are seeking to build upon that." Meanwhile, Endeavor has organized a blood drive to take place in its screening room tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Hyler required a major transfusion following the accident), marking perhaps the first time out of thousands that agency blood has been shed in the name of good. The Hollywood Reporter has the details. [CarePages]

Screw Shia's Pinkie: Christina Applegate Had A Double Mastectomy

Kyle Buchanan — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:15:00 EDT

Yesterday we brought you the news that Christina Applegate was free and clear of breast cancer, just a month after being diagnosed with an early form of the disease in one of her breasts. Today, during an interview with Good Morning America's Robin Roberts, Applegate revealed that she beat the disease by having both of her breasts removed. Says People:

Explaining her rationale in taking that dramatic step, she said, "I didn't want to go back to the doctors every four months for testing and squishing and everything. I just wanted to kind of be rid of this whole thing for me. This was the choice that I made, and it was a tough one."

Over the next eight months she will undergo reconstructive surgery. "I'm gonna have cute boobs till I'm 90," she quipped, as Roberts pointed out how Applegate's sense of humor has helped the actress endure the ordeal.

Congratulations are in order to Applegate; she had to make a tough decision (informed by her mother's breast cancer experience as well as the discovery that Applegate herself carried the breast cancer gene, BRCA1), and she revealed it with candor and wit. She may not have her breasts, but she's certainly got cojones.

[photo credit: AP]

Christina Applegate Cancer-Free After Double Mastectomy [People]

'Harry Potter' Star Faces Terrifying New Enemy: Shoelaces

Kyle Buchanan — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:05:00 EDT

It's been a rough few months for Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe; not only was his sixth Potter film delayed until next year (causing a Time Warner headache), but blame for the hasty move fell on his bare shoulders. Now, though, Radcliffe has played his trump card: a sympathy-inducing medical condition that would make even Voldemort lay off the kid for a while. Says the NY Daily News:

Daniel Radcliffe often has trouble tying his shoelaces thanks to a brain disorder, the "Harry Potter" star has revealed.

The actor, 19, has dyspraxia, a condition that can cause problems with coordination.

"I sometimes think, 'Why, oh why, has Velcro not taken off?' " he joked to Britain's Daily Mail newspaper.

Radcliffe also revealed that he decided to become an actor partly because he had trouble in school due to dyspraxia.

His frightening battle with shoelaces (heretofore known as "That Which Must Not Be Named") aside, at least Radcliffe can console himself with his piles and piles of cold, hard, tween cash. Sure, Zac Efron may be able to lace up his own Jordans, but Radcliffe can afford to actually buy the basketball player (with enough money left over to take Hermione on a Hogsmeade shopping spree).

'Harry Potter' star Daniel Radcliffe has dyspraxia, a brain disorder [NY Daily News]

Christina Applegate, Bernie Mac Among Latest Celeb Hospitalizations

Kyle Buchanan — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:55:00 EDT

It's a bad day to be a celebrity: as Morgan Freeman recovers from a car accident that left him in serious condition, actors Christina Applegate and Bernie Mac grapple with health problems of their own. People has the Applegate scoop:

"Christina Applegate was diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer. Benefiting from early detection through a doctor ordered MRI, the cancer is not life threatening."

The rep added: "Christina is following the recommended treatment of her doctors and will have a full recovery. No further statement will be issued at this time."

Meanwhile, TV Guide details how Mac was admitted to the hospital for pneumonia — though early rumors spread about a much worse fate for the actor:

Bernie Mac (Ocean's Eleven, The Bernie Mac Show) is responding well to treatment and should be released soon after being admitted Friday to a Chicago hospital with pneumonia. That said, a spokesperson for the comedian had to shoot down as "absolutely untrue" an early rumor that Mac in fact had passed on.

Mac, 50, has sarcoidosis (a chronic disease that can inflame tissue), but it has been in remission for years and is unrelated to the pneumonia.

The two television stars are currently enjoying a career renaissance: Applegate, with her Emmy-nominated role on Samantha Who, and Mac, who is currently working on his upcoming sitcom Starting Under. Good luck to both — now is it too much to ask for the celebrity maladies to let up for a little while?

[Photo Credit: AP]

Christina Applegate Diagnosed with Breast Cancer [People]
Bernie Mac "Responding Well" to Pneumonia Treatment [TV Guide]