NEWSMAKERS

NEWSMAKERS

Nichelle Nichols of original ‘Star Trek’ suffers mild stroke

NEW YORK

Nichelle Nichols, who played Lt. Nyota Uhura in the original “Star Trek” TV series and in follow-up films, is recovering from a stroke suffered Wednesday at her Los Angeles home.

Tests indicate the stroke was mild, her booking manager, Zachery McGinnis, said Friday. He said the 82-year-old actress began therapy Friday.

“She is awake, eating, in good spirits and able to have full conversations,” McGinnis said.

Nichols’ role on “Star Trek” earned her accolades for breaking stereotypes for black actresses, with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. personally encouraging her to stay with the series. She met him at a civil-rights gathering in 1967, at a point when she had decided not to return for the show’s second season.

“He said, ‘You cannot do that,’” Nichols recalled. “‘You’ve changed the face of television forever, and therefore, you’ve changed the minds of people,’” she said the civil-rights leader told her.

OWN scraps reality show about dad of 34 kids by 17 women

NEW YORK

OWN network is pulling the plug on a prospective reality series about the father of 34 children by 17 women.

The network says in a statement Friday: “Production has ended, and the series will not air.”

It went on to say that the original idea was to follow Atlanta music producer Jay Williams “as he worked to put his life and fractured relationships in order,” the network says, “and to hold him accountable every step of the way.”

Williams had appeared on the OWN reality show “Iyanla: Fix My Life” with life coach Iyanla VanZant before his own spinoff series was announced a few months ago. It was due to premiere in September.

Broadway play sued over sock puppet ‘Who’s on First’ routine

NEW YORK

Abbott and Costello’s heirs are suing the producers of a Broadway play in which a character uses a sock puppet to perform part of the comedians’ famous “Who’s on First” routine.

The copyright holders sued “Hand to God” producers, promoters and playwright Robert Askins on Thursday in Manhattan federal court, accusing them of copyright infringement.

“Hand to God” will be up for five Tony Awards on Sunday. The play’s lead producer, Kevin McCollum, called the filing on the eve of the Tony Awards “nothing more than a stunt.” He says the producers welcome the attention.

Associated Press