Obituary: Cory Monteith / Actor On ‘Glee’ Battled Substance Abuse

English: The title card for the musical comedy series Glee (Fox). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Cory Monteith, who played an upbeat and outgoing young student and singing coach on the hit Fox musical comedy television series “Glee,” but who battled substance abuse problems in his personal life, was found dead Saturday in a hotel room in Vancouver, British Columbia. He was 31.

The police said Mr. Monteith was found dead in his 21st-floor room at the Fairmont Pacific Rim hotel in Vancouver at about noon after he missed his scheduled checkout time. They said there was no indication of foul play and that people Mr. Monteith had been with earlier were being interviewed, but that they believe he was alone when he died.

The coroner will try to establish the cause of death, a police statement said.

Mr. Monteith, a 6-foot-3 performer with a youthful countenance and a soft-spoken demeanor who described himself on his personal Twitter page as a “tall, awkward, Canadian, actor, drummer, person,” gained worldwide attention when “Glee” made its debut on the Fox network in 2009.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/ae/celebrities/glee-star-cory-monteith-found-dead-in-hotel-room-695432/#ixzz2Z8W9xgaY

Food Network Won’t Renew Paula Deen’s Contract

English: Logo for Food Network (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — The Food Network said Friday it’s dumping Paula Deen, barely an hour after the celebrity cook posted the first of two videotaped apologies online begging forgiveness from fans and critics troubled by her admission to having used racial slurs in the past.

The 66-year-old Savannah kitchen celebrity has been swamped in controversy since court documents filed this week revealed Deen told an attorney questioning her under oath last month that she has used the N-word.  “Yes, of course,” Deen said, though she added, “It’s been a very long time.”

The Food Network, which made Deen a star with “Paula’s Home Cooking” in 2002 and later “Paula’s Home Cooking” in 2008, weighed in with a terse statement Friday afternoon.

“Food Network will not renew Paula Deen’s contract when it expires at the end of this month,” the statement said.  Network representatives declined further comment.  A representative for Deen did not immediately return phone and email messages seeking comment on the decision.

Read more:  http://www.timesherald.com/article/20130622/ENTERTAINMENT02/130629884/food-network-won-t-renew-paula-deen-s-contract#full_story