Stephen Collins story gets uglier, Debbie Harry to pay tribute to Lennon

Two cable networks will not broadcast scheduled reruns of veteran TV actor Stephen Collins’ beloved family series 7th Heaven. UP TV and TV Guide announced the cancellations after details of molestation allegations against Collins were reported by TMZ. New York police confirmed they have an open investigation into allegations the actor molested an underage girl in the early 1970s.

NYPD spokesman Stephen David said the complaint was filed in 2012 accusing Collins of forcing a then-14-year-old girl to commit a lewd act in the actor’s Manhattan apartment in 1972. David says the case remains open and is being handled by Special Victims Division detectives, but no charges have been filed.

Collins hasn't spoken or issued any statement, but his lawyer, Mark Kaplan, is blaming the scandal on Faye Grant, Collins’ estranged wife. Kaplan told TMZ that Grant has been using the tape of the actor’s alleged confession at a therapist’s office as leverage: “Over the course of my representation of Stephen in the divorce case, Faye has repeatedly threatened to give this audio tape to the media unless Stephen agreed to pay her millions of dollars more than that to which she was legally entitled.”

Grant issued a statement denying involvement.

Reports flew Tuesday night that Collins had committed suicide after Los Angeles police were called to his home. They were circulated by media types camped outside his house who said they heard a loud popping noise. But, in fact, no one was there, police said.

CAR ACCIDENT

Authorities say a soap opera actor sustained minor injuries and his passenger was seriously hurt in a northeast Ohio vehicle crash. The crash involving Days of Our Lives actor Freddie Smith occurred Tuesday near Ashtabula, roughly 55 miles northeast of Cleveland. A statement from the State Highway Patrol says the 26-year-old Smith failed to negotiate a curve and drove into a culvert, flipping the car. Troopers say alcohol and vehicle speed are suspected factors in the crash. Emergency responders found passenger Alyssa Tabit trapped in the car. She was flown to a local hospital with what police said were serious injuries.

TRIBUTE TO JOHN

Debbie Harry will perform at the 34th annual John Lennon charity tribute concert in New York City in December. Other performers include Kate Pierson of the B-52s, Joan Osborne and Marshall Crenshaw. The event will be held Dec. 5 at Symphony Space.

Yoko Ono said in a statement: “I share Theatre Within’s (a nonprofit performing-arts group) belief that music and the performing arts have a special power to bring people together and inspire us to make a positive difference. It’s beautiful that the Tribute continues to have such a powerful impact in John’s memory.”

TV CROSSOVER

Have the servants bring a trolley of tea. Evidently, several Downton Abbey actors and actresses are soon to appear on Disney Channel. In an upcoming episode of the animated Disney Channel series Doc McStuffins, several Downton actors and actresses will lend their voice talents. Joanne Froggatt (Anna Bates), Lesley Nicol (Mrs. Patmore), Matt Milne (Alfred Nugent), Nigel Harman (Mr. Green) and Robert Bathurst (Sir Anthony Strallan) will all star in an extended episode in which Doc and the toys travel back to 19th-century England and meet a young Florence Nightingale.

BLAST FROM THE PAST

Television icon Barbara Walters has returned to her Massachusetts roots to talk at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government about her long career. The former news anchor and co-host, known for her interviews with international newsmakers, grew up in the Boston area and New York City, where her father owned nightclubs (they spent some time in Miami as well).

RELATIVE MISSING

Authorities in San Diego County are searching for a missing woman with Alzheimer’s disease who is the mother-in-law of Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine.

U-T San Diego newspaper reports 75-year-old Sally Estabrook was last seen Saturday at an RV park and campground. Search-and-rescue teams from four counties and the U.S. Border Patrol fanned out in an area near state Route 79 to look for her. Sheriff’s officials are asking nearby business owners to look through surveillance footage. Estabrook is the mother of Mustaine’s wife, Pam.

SINEAD’S STORY

Sinead O'Connor has a book deal, and she’s not writing for kids. Penguin Random House imprint Blue Rider Press announced the Irish singer and musician is working on a memoir that will come out in March 2016. The book is currently untitled. O'Connor has been married four times and has described herself as three-quarters heterosexual and one-quarter gay. In a statement issued through her publisher she promises to dish “the sexual dirt” on all former partners.

CYRUS DATE SENTENCED

The young man who accompanied Miley Cyrus to the MTV Video Music Awards and accepted her prize has been sentenced to six months in jail for violating the terms of his probation in Oregon. Helt, 22, was arrested in 2010 after breaking into an apartment. He violated his probation a year later when he failed to meet his probation officer, violated curfew and didn’t complete 88 hours of community service.

This story was originally published October 8, 2014 at 7:44 PM with the headline "Stephen Collins story gets uglier, Debbie Harry to pay tribute to Lennon."