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Taking Names

By | Wednesday, July 23, 2008

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James Levine battling cancer

A growth on a kidney removed from conductor James Levine was malignant, but doctors say the cancer was caught early and no further treatment is needed, the Boston Symphony Orchestra said Tuesday.

Doctors in New York removed the right kidney last week because the growth was causing pressure and discomfort for Mr. Levine, 65, music director of both the Boston orchestra and the Metropolitan Opera, AP says. The surgery forced him to miss the remainder of the BSO's Tanglewood season.

Omarosa, host spar on air

Reality-TV villain Omarosa sparred with talk-show host Wendy Williams on Monday in a spat that at one point turned physical, AP reports.

Omarosa appeared on Fox's "The Wendy Williams Show" to promote her upcoming book but instead spent more time trading insults with the radio-personality-turned-talk-show-host.

"I wanted to throw her off the set," Miss Williams later told AP.

The altercation started when Howard University graduate Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth walked onto the daytime talk show and said she was displeased with Miss Williams' introduction of her and would not be disrespected. Things got uglier when Miss Williams grabbed Omarosa's book cover to hold it up to the camera and Omarosa snatched it from Miss Williams' hand.

The yanking gave way to Omarosa attacking Miss Williams' appearance. Miss Williams didn't stay silent throughout the heated interview. She called Omarosa "a typical angry black woman" and suggested cosmetic injections could fix her wrinkles. An after-hours telephone message and e-mail to Omarosa's publicist were not immediately returned, AP says.

Miss Williams' hour-long show, which launched July 14 for a six-week preview, is seen in four cities — New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Detroit. According to the Hollywood Reporter, it premiered to strong ratings in its first week in New York, finishing No. 1 among women 18 to 34 and No. 2 (tied with "The View") among women 18 to 49.