Pat O'Brien fired

People

O'Brien fired

Already infamous for his stints in rehab and drunken voice mails, Pat O'Brien was fired Friday from "The Insider" for a few interoffice e-mails trashing co-host Lara Spencer. While describing a trip to Iowa, O'Brien was fired for writing that middle-class folks "want to vomit" watching Spencer picking out accessories.

A reunion to remember

John McCain will return to his alma mater, the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., today for his 50th class reunion.

Sick bay

Cole hospitalized

Natalie Cole, 58, who recently revealed she had hepatitis C, has been hospitalized as a result of side effects from her medication and a heavy promotional schedule, her representative said Friday. The Grammy-winning singer has been in a New York City hospital since Sept. 12 and is expected to remain for at least a few days, according to publicist Maureen O'Connor. Cole said in July that she has hepatitis C, a liver disease spread through contact with infected blood. She said at the time the disease was likely caused by her drug use years ago.

Swank recuperating

Oscar winner Hilary Swank, 34, is recuperating after a short medical procedure to remove "a small benign growth," manager Jason Weinberg said.

Law & disorder

Piggy-bank thief

Four-time convicted burglar Ryan Mueller, 31, was convicted Thursday of felony burglary for stealing $20 from a toddler's piggy bank and was sentenced in a Sheboygan, Wis., court to six years in prison as a repeat offender. Prosecutors said Mueller broke into a home in August 2007 and stole money from a 2-year-old girl's piggy bank while she slept.

Lewis case dismissed

Las Vegas Justice Court Judge Karen Bennett-Haron dismissed a firearms charge against entertainer Jerry Lewis, 82, Friday. Lewis was cited in July for attempting to carry an unloaded concealed weapon through McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas.

Passages

Dr. Robert Steinberg, 61, a food-loving doctor who eventually joined with a former patient to make the Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker brand into one of the most highly regarded American chocolates, died Wednesday near his home in San Francisco of lymphatic cancer.

Today in History

1873: Panic swept the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in the wake of railroad bond defaults and bank failures.

1973: In the "battle of the sexes," tennis star Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, at the Houston Astrodome.

Today's Birthdays

Singer Gogi Grant, 84. Actress-comedian Anne Meara, 79. Actress Sophia Loren, 74. Actress Betsy Brantley, 53. Actor Gary Cole, 52. TV news correspondent Deborah Roberts, 48. Actress Kristen Johnston, 41. Rapper Yung Joc, 26.

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